All stories about "Nicolai Ouroussoff"

Lord Foster's Revenge: How About This, Upper East Side?

When Lord Norman Foster, an architect so important that his driver's license also reads Baron Foster of Thames Bank, tried to pull a Hearst on the Parke-Bernet Gallery at 980 Madison Avenue—inserting a glassy new tower into a drab existing building—the locals threw a hissy fit so fierce that the plan was shelved. The Upper East Side generation gap that caused the disconnect would seem insurmountable, but Foster and developer Aby Rosen are back for round two, and Nicolai Ouroussoff has the reveal of the proposed new 980 Madison Avenue today. Like the previous design, it's a new building stuck into an existing structure, but this one is low and lazy. It's hard to get a feel from the one little rendering, so we go to The Ouroussoff:

Clad in elegant bronze bands, its low blocky form would rest directly on the existing structure, echoing its exact proportions. More important, perhaps, it would be far less visible from the multimillion-dollar penthouse apartments just across the street.

The design is "more polite and less original," Ouroussoff writes, which means that Foster—like any human being clinging to sanity—probably wanted to avoid World War III with a bunch of rich cranky old folks. Can you blame him?
· Redesigning a Building to Preserve Peace in the Neighborhood [NYT]
· UES Generation Gap Killed Foster's 980 Madison [Curbed]

'Distorted Reality': Renderings are Often Misleading!

As major connoisseurs of renderings, we'd be remiss in letting Nicolai Ouroussoff's short essay in yesterday's Times pass without mention. He calls the entire process of creating renderings to cast projects--particularly hot button massive ones--a "slight of hand" to try to sway public opinion. As an example, he used Tishman Speyer's Hudson Yards proposal, which he's previously called "a damning indictment of large-scale development in New York." To try to shape the public's view, details "like the surrounding context were left incomplete" in the Hudson Yards renderings and avoided elevations to show the project at street level. Model were cut off, "making it virtually impossible to understand the towers’ colossal scale." Why would developers do this? "For fear of inciting a public outcry," of course. "As a result," Mr. Ouroussoff writes, "the public is often left without the visual tools it needs to make thoughtful judgments about a development’s impact." Atlantic Yards Report, of course, adds a thorough deconstruction of the Bruce Ratner-Forest City renderings in his analysis. All this time, we thought of renderings as a kind of New Development Realism. Disappointed again.
· Now You See it, Now You Don't [NYT]
· Now he tells us: Ouroussoff criticizes 'distorted reality' of renderings [AYR]

Yardsmania: From 'Grim Referendum' to 'Damning Indictment'

When the details of the five bids for the Hudson Yards were released back in November, Times architecture oracle Nicolai Ouroussoff slammed the process as "a grim referendum on the state of large-scale planning in New York City," before anointing Extell's Steven Holl-designed proposal as the only one worth a lick. Now that Tishman Speyer has been selected by the MTA as the winning developer, it's not surprising that Ouroussoff is singing the same tune, though the lyrics are slightly different. Today, he writes that the Hudson Yards are "a damning indictment of large-scale development in New York," while still singing the praises of Extell's bid. Ouroussoff's take is that the Hudson Yards will be a depressing office park cut off from the rest of the city via a wall of skyscrapers that some people will have the misfortune of living in, and it's an opinion that most people would probably agree with. Meanwhile, in a Times news analysis, Charles Bagli writes that the final architecture will probably look nothing like the current plans anyway, and perhaps not even Tishman Speyer can navigate the minefield that will accompany this ten- to twenty-year build-out. Folks, this is going to be a fun next couple of decades. Join us, won't you?
· Profit and Public Good Clash in Grand Plans [NYT]
· For Railyards, the Hard Part Is Still Ahead [NYT]
· Yardsmania: OK, So Now What? [Curbed]

Ouroussoff's State of Starchitecture: 40 Bond Nay, Gehry Yay!

New York Times architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff sometimes takes heat for being too soft—or downright fawning—toward any namebrand project, and his massive starchitecture piece in Sunday's paper will do nothing to quell that criticism. Sure, Ouroussoff takes some shots at a few buildings—notably 40 Bond and 48 Bond—but for the most part he presents the current crop of high-priced celebrity-designed condo buildings as "gorgeous additions to the skyline, a relief from decades of creative stagnation." He does devote a large chunk of the piece to taking developers to task for uninspired interior spaces, but that's mostly out of the starchitect's hands, of course. Ouroussoff saves some of his kindest words for Frank Gehry's coming downtown rental building, the Beekman Tower, writing: "its crinkled stainless steel is a wonder; as light flickers across the facade, it will seem to dissolve into rivulets of water." Quenching! He also reveals that those wacky wrinkled walls will extend to the building's interior. Despite the rave, Ouroussoff couldn't coax a new rendering of the top secret project out of developer Forest City Ratner for publication, perhaps because of his slam last week that Gehry is now too good for Ratner's Atlantic Yards.
· Nice Tower! Who’s Your Architect? [NYT]
· Gehry Calls in the Crane on Secret Beekman Tower [Curbed]
· Gehry's Secret Building Will Be Rentals; Still Secret [Curbed]

It Happened One Weekend: UES Gets Angular, Sales Steady

1) Don't you just love it when mind-exploding architectural reveals are tucked away in seemingly small-potatoes stories? This little ditty on developers building schools in exchange for more air rights includes info on the boring Azure on East 91st Street and the very very not boring SOM-designed 59-story condo tower planned for 250 East 57th Street (right). Wow. That's a lot to process without fair warning. [Posting/C.J. Hughes]

2) Josh Barbanel reports that in November, "the number of closed sales just about matched the number closed in November 2006, and prices were considerably higher, but roughly flat compared with the prices in the previous quarter." And inventory seems to still be flying off the shelves, he says. Merry Christmas, real estate brokers. [Big Deal/Josh Barbanel]

3) Times architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff is often criticized for serving no other purpose than breathlessly praising the work of starchitects, and he's had it! But instead of hitting back, the man who once nearly had an orgasm over a Gehry stairwell instead fires off a defense of his precious starchitects. Booyah, haters! [Critic's Notebook]

starchitects, starchitects, STARCHITECTS! >>

Ouroussoff on the New Museum: Hell Yes!

On the eve of its public grand opening and a day after we kicked the tires, the New Museum at 235 Bowery gets reviewed by New York Times architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff, and the result comes as a bit of a shock. No, it's not surprising that he absolutely raves about the place, but it is surprising that he somehow manages to love it even more than the New Yorker's Paul Goldberger does. Perhaps he loves it a little too much. On the most famous new staircase in New York:

A narrow staircase, 50 feet long and 4 feet wide, connects the third and fourth floors, exaggerating the distance between the two and heightening your anticipation to the point of torture. At the top, a narrow wedge of space connects the staircase to the gallery, inducing a sudden sense of compression before you experience the release of stepping into the exhibition.

Nicolai! There are kids reading! But dirtiness aside, SANAA can pretty much charge whatever the hell they want from now on, eh?
· New Look for the New Museum [NYT]
· Curbed Inside: Hell Yes, New Museum Revealed! [Curbed]

Today in Yardsmania: Nattering Nabobs of Negativism

The Times' chief architecture critic slammed them, New York found it a "comforting thought" that the end result will look nothing like them, and now, the Hudson Yards proposals are the victims of even more libelous attacks. Today's shot-taker is the Sun's James Gardner, who writes that the "dispiriting" Hudson Yards are destined to fail as a 24-hour community, due to its crap location and mixed-use hodgepodge. Yep, another Hudson hater, and it has the Post's Steve Cuozzo fired up. Very fired up.

The Cuoz is taking no prisoners!!! >>

It Happened One Weekend: Team Extell Snags a VIP

1) New York Times architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff finally got around to checking out the Hudson Yards plans, and woo boy, he is not happy. Ouroussoff drops the hammer on the whole process, writing that the proposals are "not just a disappointment for their lack of imagination, they are also a grim referendum on the state of large-scale planning in New York City." Wham! The Related bid is "disturbing," the Vornado/Durst bid is "slightly less disturbing." The "only one worth serious consideration" is Extell's proposal (right), which didn't fare so well in the people's vote. Interesting. ['In Plans for Railyards, a Mix of Towers and Parks'/Nicolai Ouroussoff]

2) The latest regarding One Madison Park and its increasingly notorious $45 million penthouse. A "European Pritzker Prize-winning architect" will be brought in to design just the 22nd Street entrance (because 23rd Street is yucky) and the penthouse will come with a private butler, paid for by the condominium, who will live in a one-bedroom unit on a lower floor. There is a debate going on about whether or not that is possible, however. You know Tim Robbins ain't gonna be pleased about paying for somebody else's manservant. [Big Deal/Josh Barbanel]

3) Joyce Cohen finally figured out who would buy in the Simone in Windsor Terrace, a building that immediately puts you one foot in the grave upon purchase: people whose only other option is the Bronx. Makes sense. [The Hunt/Joyce Cohen]

Battery Maritime Building Update, Finger Building sequel, more. >>

Critic Pens Love Letter to BLUE (Really!)

[Photo via Betty Blade/Flickr]

How much does Nicolai Ouroussoff love big, bad BLUE? Put it this way: the Times archicritic pens a rave of a review without once mentioning the sexy outdoor shower! But seriously folks, it looks like our longtime Lower East Side obsession kissed the ring and came out a made man. Ouroussoff takes some shots at the Hotel on Rivington and the other LES high-rise newcomers, then piles on the BLUE love:

Much of the inspiration, however, comes as much from the gutter as from museum walls. The building’s milky blue colors bring to mind the cheap illuminated plastic signs still found on some old East Village storefronts. Air-conditioning units are punched through the facade. Flowered drapes hang in some of the windows.

I mean this as a compliment. Part of the problem with so many of the new luxury towers is that they look so self-consciously refined. “Look at me,” they seem to purr. “Aren’t I sooooo sophisticated?” Mr. Tschumi’s building is less self-conscious, more playful.

In other words, lowbrow-brilliant. Ouroussoff also refers to BLUE as a "sanctuary for misfits and outcasts," which we're still scratching our heads about. End result: it looks like those owners seeking $6,000+/month rents suddenly have a much stronger case.
· A Ragtag Neighborhood’s Big, Blue Newcomer [NYT]
· BLUE Update: Now With Sizzling Outdoor Shower! [Curbed]
· BLUE [Official Site]