# Great Architecture In Las Vegas; Stop Laughing And Take A Look **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 2, 2009, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-architecture-in-las-vegas-stop-laughing-and-take-a-look/505087 "2009-08-02T19:56:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-architecture-in-las-vegas-stop-laughing-and-take-a-look/505087/41 "2009-08-04T09:35:27Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > You know what? A building should not be “interesting” and “thought provoking.” > > […] > If you’re going to design public buildings in which normal people are expected to function, you should know how to actually do that instead of being an egomaniacal bastard bent on ruining the art and science of architecture. I snipped your post for brevity, but there wasn’t a letter or comma wasted. I agree with every word of it. I have some choice words for bad architects, specially those that disregard the environment for which they design. I could say more, but I already feel my blood pressure rising… > [@smiling\_bandit](#): > > I lvoe discussions of Gehry. It always goes something like this: > > That is so COOL! > > It doesn’t work. > > It’s cool! > > I doesn’t work. > > It’s cool! > > I doesn’t work. > > It’s cool! > > I doesn’t work. One does not contradict the other. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-architecture-in-las-vegas-stop-laughing-and-take-a-look/505087/42 "2009-08-04T10:01:42Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > You know what? A building should not be “interesting” and “thought provoking.” This is a brain hospital. There’s nothing wrong with building an aesthetically pleasing or even beautiful structure, but if I need to consult a fucking neurosurgeon I don’t want to be wheeled down a series of twisting corridors modeled by crumpling up big pieces of sheet metal. > > A good architect designs buildings which meet the needs of their occupants while looking good. You know why Frank Lloyd Wright was a shitty architect? Because a lot of his buildings, while beautiful from the outside, are gigantic pieces of shit. Take a tour of Falling Water some time. In addition to all the cantilevers that nearly fell over, you’ll notice the whole place has too-low ceilings, weirdly angled internal walls, a bathroom the size of porta-potty, and mold caused by having a waterfall in the house. Sure, it’s pretty, but would you want to live there? As a home, it utterly fails to perform it’s function. > > Frank Gehry is even worse. His buildings are all failures, but they don’t even pass muster as works of art. They are fugly beyond description. They create huge amounts of unusable, wasted internal volume with all their annoying curves. They stick out like a sore thumb’s sore thumb. Several of his buildings heave leaky roofs and ventilation problems, because, guess what, you can’t fucking properly drain a roof that was designed by having a fat guy jump up and down on a pile of Legos! > > You know what an ice dam is? Ask the lucky folks at MIT, the nation’s premier engineering institution, who were stupid enough to build one of these Gehry monstrosities in which to educate the future brilliant minds of the world. Yet despite the utter disaster that is the Stata Center, people still come to this nincompoop to design yet another public space debacle. > > Let’s save conceptual art for people who can be safely ignored by those of us who want to contribute something to society. If you’re going to design public buildings in which normal people are expected to function, you should know how to actually do that instead of being an egomaniacal bastard bent on ruining the art and science of architecture. You are my twin on the general view of architecture. I think I am well overdue for one of my regular Frank Lloyd Wright hate posts but I will just use your comments as a proxy for now because that is what I always say anyway. The Las Vegas building in the OP is hideous. I literally gasped when I opened it and certainly not in a good way. Unless I can give myself a good concussion to get rid of the mental image, the rest of my day is ruined and I certainly can’t eat breakfast now. ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-architecture-in-las-vegas-stop-laughing-and-take-a-look/505087/43 "2009-08-04T13:57:11Z")
That building looks like it has severely localized gravity sources. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-architecture-in-las-vegas-stop-laughing-and-take-a-look/505087/44 "2009-08-04T14:18:46Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > As MarkofT says above, there is a more conventional building behind the weird facade. See the Wikipedia [article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Ruvo_Center_for_Brain_Health) for more info, and an overhead view of the model. What a horrible article! I love the way the first paragraph opens with “The Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health (LRCBH) opened on July 13, 2009” and the second paragraph opens with “The Center will open late fall in 2009 (which month is not advertised).” It’s also good that the article puts the Gehry question to rest by explaining that he’s a “world-renowned architect.” And after looking at that low-res picture included with the article, it appears that the back of the building isn’t a whole lot better than the front. It just looks like a bunch of carelessly-stacked children’s blocks. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-architecture-in-las-vegas-stop-laughing-and-take-a-look/505087/45 "2009-08-04T14:51:48Z")
> [@](#): > > I’ve been inside one of Gehry’s buildings, and felt very disorientated and claustrophobic. I couldn’t wait to get out. But it’s not PC to hate his work, so I refer to him as the Emperor’s New Clothes of architecture. “Not PC”? Has anyone claimed that hating Gehry’s work is an example of anti-semitism? Anti-Canadianism? My guess is that you’re misusing the term “PC” as a catch-all phrase for anything you dislike that other people defend. But political correctness has nothing to do with a discussion of Gehry’s architecture. At most, his work is defended by a misplaced sense of trendiness. ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-architecture-in-las-vegas-stop-laughing-and-take-a-look/505087/46 "2009-08-04T14:54:00Z")
> [@InvisibleWombat](#): > > I love the way the first paragraph opens with “The Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health (LRCBH) opened on July 13, 2009” and the second paragraph opens with “The Center will open late fall in 2009 (which month is not advertised).” Fixed, per WP:SOFIXIT ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-architecture-in-las-vegas-stop-laughing-and-take-a-look/505087/47 "2009-08-05T18:21:21Z")
Well, if you are trying to promote yourself as the best brain institute in Las Vegas, people are probably going to laugh anyway, so why not have fun with it. A quick Googling seems to indicate that, incredibly, no one has yet coined the term “Gehrrible.” I offer it as a neologism to describe architecture of a certain quality. ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-architecture-in-las-vegas-stop-laughing-and-take-a-look/505087/48 "2009-08-05T18:29:45Z")
I misread the thread title as “Greek Architecture” and my first thought was “That’s not Greek at all!” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-architecture-in-las-vegas-stop-laughing-and-take-a-look/505087/49 "2009-08-05T19:32:59Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > _blink_ > > How hot _does_ it get in Vegas? Funny you should mention that. His [Disney Concert Hall](http://www.flickr.com/photos/troymccluresf/sets/72157594586345487/) in downtown LA has caught a lot of flak for essentially being a giant mirror than reflects (even more) heat and sun down around the neighboring sidewalks and streets. Probably shoulda seen that coming, Frank. I’m not sure I’d say I hate him, but his work could certainly use a little more variety. Though I do like his [Pritzker Pavilion](http://www.flickr.com/photos/lospringer/3791195502/) in Chicago. ---
**Author:** ![scarbrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@scarbrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scarbrow)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-architecture-in-las-vegas-stop-laughing-and-take-a-look/505087/50 "2009-08-06T20:58:16Z")
To the charge that his designs don’t work, I have to assert that the Disney center does exactly what it was designed for. when you go for a concert, you can hear every little thing clearly. A soloist can play quietly on stage, and be heard clearly throughout the entire seating area. I’ve heard classical music on many stages around the country, and the Disney center blows them all away. Also, I can’t find a cite, but I thought all the mirroring kept the building itself cooler. I suppose from McClure’s post that it’s at the expense of the surrounding area. ---
**Author:** ![Amber\_in\_Treasury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Amber\_in\_Treasury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amber_in_Treasury)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-architecture-in-las-vegas-stop-laughing-and-take-a-look/505087/51 "2009-08-07T01:51:24Z")
Gehry seems as fresh as a Summer’s Eve to me. ---
**Author:** ![Amber\_in\_Treasury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Amber\_in\_Treasury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amber_in_Treasury)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-architecture-in-las-vegas-stop-laughing-and-take-a-look/505087/52 "2009-08-07T02:07:58Z")
> [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](#): > > [the famously hideous Burdine, looking somewhat presentable in this shot](http://www.flickr.com/photos/zug55/3362326082/). Jesus that’s fugly. The pattern alone is barftastic. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-architecture-in-las-vegas-stop-laughing-and-take-a-look/505087/53 "2009-08-07T02:38:52Z")
I’m not a big Gehry fan, but like many modern artists, I can acknowledge the artistry behind his work without necessarily being touched by it. I do think, however, that the use intended for that building is entirely incompatible with such a potentially frightening exterior. Hopefully it is possible for patients to enter through the parking garage and never see the exterior. It strikes me as cruel IMHO to force someone seeking help with brain - and usually therefore perception - problems to confront something so unsettling. ---
**Author:** ![Amber\_in\_Treasury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Amber\_in\_Treasury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amber_in_Treasury)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-architecture-in-las-vegas-stop-laughing-and-take-a-look/505087/54 "2009-08-07T03:10:54Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > It strikes me as cruel IMHO to force someone seeking help with brain - and usually therefore perception - problems to confront something so unsettling. THIS. Also, reading some quotes from Gehry himself in the linked articles (thanks for the links Dopers, btw), I’m becoming more and more disgusted. The man really seems to suffer from a severe case of cranio-rectal inversion. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-architecture-in-las-vegas-stop-laughing-and-take-a-look/505087/55 "2009-10-16T18:17:54Z")
> [@scarbrow](#): > > To the charge that his designs don’t work, I have to assert that the Disney center does exactly what it was designed for. when you go for a concert, you can hear every little thing clearly. A soloist can play quietly on stage, and be heard clearly throughout the entire seating area. I’ve heard classical music on many stages around the country, and the Disney center blows them all away. > > Also, I can’t find a cite, but I thought all the mirroring kept the building itself cooler. I suppose from McClure’s post that it’s at the expense of the surrounding area. I just followed a link here fro another thread,m and I wanted to respond to this. I seriously doubt that Gehry had any damn thing to do with the ocnert hall itself unless he mimcked somebody else’s pattern. Acoustics are not maddening, but it still takes some special skills and physics-knowledge to understand them, and I’ve never heard of an architect who could do both. It’s simply not something they casually deal in. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-architecture-in-las-vegas-stop-laughing-and-take-a-look/505087/56 "2009-10-16T19:59:21Z")
I was on a date a few weeks ago and we drove by that. I literally stopped midsentence and said, “What the FUCK is that?” ---
**Author:** ![pharris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f1d935/32.png) [@pharris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pharris)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-architecture-in-las-vegas-stop-laughing-and-take-a-look/505087/57 "2009-10-16T20:17:30Z")
When an irate, insane gunman got into the Gehry-designed Case Western School of Management in 2003, the police had a very difficult time subduing him because of the crazy weird angles in the building. And it’s ugly. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-architecture-in-las-vegas-stop-laughing-and-take-a-look/505087/58 "2009-10-16T20:27:51Z")
> [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](#): > > I’m not sure I’d say I hate him, but his work could certainly use a little more variety. Though I do like his [Pritzker Pavilion](http://www.flickr.com/photos/lospringer/3791195502/) in Chicago. Yeah, I’ve never seen or been in one of his “buildings”, but the bandshell in Millenium Park seems to work adequately, and looks pretty sharp. I’ve been there on summer days, tho, when that south-facing aluminum reflected considerable heat . . . ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-architecture-in-las-vegas-stop-laughing-and-take-a-look/505087/59 "2009-10-17T00:56:24Z")
As a proud Las Vegan, I say: Damn, that is ugly… ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-architecture-in-las-vegas-stop-laughing-and-take-a-look/505087/60 "2009-10-17T04:17:06Z")
Gehry’s a genius who’s done more to give architecture a kick in the ass than anyone since Mies van der Rohe. So some of his buildings leak. That’s not the overall designer’s job. You think Gehry works out where every electrical socket goes, or what kind of seal will go around the windows? The lead architect works with other architects whose job it is to flesh out the details. If the architect starts with a design that the detailers can’t make work in practice, it’s their responsibility to tell him that. In any case, he’s at the vanguard of inventing an almost entirely new vocabulary of space. Kill him for having to work out a few details along the way? What the fuck ever. That’s pretty small-minded: you can’t move one of the most ancient and entrenched art forms forward until you solve all the background details. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-architecture-in-las-vegas-stop-laughing-and-take-a-look/505087.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-architecture-in-las-vegas-stop-laughing-and-take-a-look/505087.md?page=4)