Now that you mention it, the building does kind of look like a desktop computer perched on a concrete slab of Manhattan. It stands out the same way that a computer stands out in a cluttered home.

So, just curious: What wins out in the end, ethic or awe?

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I would add that cities and their “design” form the brand for the cultures contained and supported by that form. Portland has consciously shaped its form – and thereby its brand – as a balance between built and open spaces, and it appeals to a broad spectrum of people as a result. Watching Apple dedicate so much attention to design and succeeding wildly as a result gives me hope that careful design will again be seen as inherently economical and should be supported at all levels. Johnathan Ive is having an enormous impact on our lives with the Ipads, Iphones, and more…and its a pleasure to use his products.

So I for one hope that this example is understood by the world culture and that design thinking and analysis is given its proper place as a leader of progress. Buildings, infrastructure, urban design, and industrial design can all use a renaissance …and a deeper appreciation all around. Thanks for the article!

I’m a nut for Madmen probably because no one has yet made a show all about the crazy life in A/E/C firms scrambling and struggling to make a building from lines on paper. Madmen comes the closest to the deadline pressure, the breakthrough, the synergy of the team and the breakdowns of the team, all with the smiling face to the client. I don’t think A/E/C world would knock them dead on screen quite like Madison Avenue. Carharts and hardhats, rumpled khaki’s and sweaters, just aren’t as sexy.

Great piece. Thanks.