Cardinal
Cyburbian
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A week ago tonight I was at a reception here:
If you remember, we discussed it a while back in this thread:
http://www.cyburbia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7442&highlight=cincinnati
Now that I have been there, I would have to say it is completely awful. Let's begin on the outside. If it stood alone, it would still be a bland, lifeless, ugly chunk of concrete. As it is, it is surrounded by attractive if not outstanding 19th or early 20th century buildings. These have some charm and warmth. The museum has none. There is even a nice contemporary building across the street.
It only gets worse inside. It is nothing but a concrete box with six or seven floors connected by stairways. Let's discuss these. Going to the basement level, the treads are at an angle to the wall (maybe 30-40 degrees) creating an illusion that the stairs slope. The architect probably thought they were being clever. An insurance inspector somewhere is having a fit. Is discomforting visitors the architect's goal?
Fortunately, the stairs connecting the other levels are not angled, but they are still a problem. The rise is about four inches per step, forcing users into an awkward gait. The word 'discomfort' comes to mind again. There is a second issue as a result of this design. The staircases take more than twice the room that they should. This is not a large building. I doubt that the footprint is more than about 8000 square feet. About a quarter of the interior is consumed by stairs.
There is one good aspect of the design. As hideous as the building looks from the inside, it may discourage people from entering. The large amount of wasted space means that those unfortunate souls who do enter will not be assaulted by as much 'art' as might fit in a well-designed building. If it is possible, the collection inside this building is worse than the building itself.
If you remember, we discussed it a while back in this thread:
http://www.cyburbia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7442&highlight=cincinnati
Now that I have been there, I would have to say it is completely awful. Let's begin on the outside. If it stood alone, it would still be a bland, lifeless, ugly chunk of concrete. As it is, it is surrounded by attractive if not outstanding 19th or early 20th century buildings. These have some charm and warmth. The museum has none. There is even a nice contemporary building across the street.
It only gets worse inside. It is nothing but a concrete box with six or seven floors connected by stairways. Let's discuss these. Going to the basement level, the treads are at an angle to the wall (maybe 30-40 degrees) creating an illusion that the stairs slope. The architect probably thought they were being clever. An insurance inspector somewhere is having a fit. Is discomforting visitors the architect's goal?
Fortunately, the stairs connecting the other levels are not angled, but they are still a problem. The rise is about four inches per step, forcing users into an awkward gait. The word 'discomfort' comes to mind again. There is a second issue as a result of this design. The staircases take more than twice the room that they should. This is not a large building. I doubt that the footprint is more than about 8000 square feet. About a quarter of the interior is consumed by stairs.
There is one good aspect of the design. As hideous as the building looks from the inside, it may discourage people from entering. The large amount of wasted space means that those unfortunate souls who do enter will not be assaulted by as much 'art' as might fit in a well-designed building. If it is possible, the collection inside this building is worse than the building itself.