Betsky goes ballistic

Since I have discovered the “reblog” key, here is a fun reblog:

Architecture Here and There

CCTV tower in Beijing - known as CCTV tower in Beijing – known as “Big Pants,” it seems intended to crush the people. (nytimes.com)

Let the establishment – in this case the New York Times – allow to be uttered just a single peep against modern architecture and its enforcers suffer total meltdown of equanimity. Aaron Betsky, the architecture critic for the journal of the American Institute of Architects, has gone ballistic in his reply, in Architecture magazine, to the recent essay on the Times’s oped page by Steven Bingler and Martin Pedersen, headlined “How to Rebuild Architecture,” which merely opines that architects should try listening to the public, the ultimate users of architecture.

It is tempting to go through Betsky’s piece, “The New York Times Versus Architecture,” line by line to rebut all of his ridiculous assertions. But I will limit myself to his objections to what he seems to feel is…

View original post 1,038 more words

About David Brussat

This blog was begun in 2009 as a feature of the Providence Journal, where I was on the editorial board and wrote a weekly column of architecture criticism for three decades. Architecture Here and There fights the style wars for classical architecture and against modern architecture, no holds barred. History Press asked me to write and in August 2017 published my first book, "Lost Providence." I am now writing my second book. My freelance writing on architecture and other topics addresses issues of design and culture locally and globally. I am a member of the board of the New England chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, which bestowed an Arthur Ross Award on me in 2002. I work from Providence, R.I., where I live with my wife Victoria, my son Billy and our cat Gato. If you would like to employ my writing and editing to improve your work, please email me at my consultancy, dbrussat@gmail.com, or call 401.351.0457. Testimonial: "Your work is so wonderful - you now enter my mind and write what I would have written." - Nikos Salingaros, mathematician at the University of Texas, architectural theorist and author of many books.
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2 Responses to Betsky goes ballistic

  1. T. B. says:

    That tower building in Beijing is actually known as 大裤衩 “Big Underpants”.

    Like

    • Yes, designed by Rem Koolhaas. Also just “Big Pants.” I think those names were invented by Chinese propaganda officials hoping that they can prevent the masses from embracing my nickname for it – the “Stomp the People Building.” That’s what it looks like it is doing.

      Like

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