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Originally Posted by Hayward
Thanks Jim, these updates are appreciated. A shame we don't have local forumers living in A2 anymore.
I really liked the City Hall design in the renderings, but I'm not the biggest fan of the final product. I was really hoping for something like stone instead of that corrugated metal paneling. I realize cost was a big issue, but I would have opted for a metal panel with a smooth finish and very subtle variances in color.
Everything on the facade tries to compete against one another. The varying colors are too contrasted to be a backdrop to varying fenestration up top. Even the window openings are a little too big and random. The design loses its elegance, which is a bit stronger at the front because the side windows lack any sort of relationship to one another. I would have done ribbon windows that keep within the same horizontal datum, but slip past one another with varying lengths on each level to still achieve that random look, but are much more crisp and clean. You could even "pop out" certain window modules to achieve the depth they were obviously trying to shoot for.
The brick portion seems odd. I think the material is appropriate. It draws a relationship to the existing building, but it seems wallpapered on. It's akin to the strip mall architecture where they forcefully try to break up the facade with a mere application of a different material to create a zone. I would have bumped out the brick portion, or use a less reflected glass to reveal a brick volume slipped beneath the metal volume.
The front looks great, but it's almost a disappointment when you enter the portico only to find nothing there! Just a blank wall of glass. I hope that area won't serve just a mere purpose of providing shelter. I take it the entrance is between the old and new buildings...but again things compete with one another. Such a strong street facade and they tuck the entrance way back?
Anyway, sorry for the architecture criticism. The rest of the projects look like they are progressing nicely. I'm sure I'll have some opinions on those when they are complete.
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Yeah, I agree.
I personally would prefer a purer form and facade. I think facade arrangements like that are meant to express the complexity of the program. I think that makes more sense for a library, but for something like city government, fitting everything in a very simple and logical arrangement would make a better impression.
I think the building could have related more to the original building. The metal could have been flat and white, and the brick could have been orange. This would also help create a more cohesive government complex, which I think would improve impressions as well.
A civic plaza with some trees and seating and a water feature would be nice. Community events could be held here, people in general could relax there, and political events could be held there. And even better, some kind of iconic artwork could be commissioned and used in some of the city's branding like the Spirit of Detroit. I don't know what they have planned for the left over space on the site, they might be doing a nice plaza after all.
These things would take more money and some more political will to do though. What they did is better than most of the other things getting built in Ann Arbor, and it's better than what I would have expected, although I think a city like Ann Arbor should have a really nice city hall.