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| Art Rising: High-Rise
Architects and Their Sculptures |
by: Brenda Calvin,
The Calvin Group, LLC
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“Every great architect
is—necessarily—a great poet. He must be a great
original interpreter of his time, his day, his age.”
—Frank Lloyd Wright
Some may assume that an
architect’s role is mainly of an analytical nature;
to plan and put on paper the 101 million details of a new
construction project. The architect must consider the surrounding
area where the building will be built, assuring that the new
design is complementary. The architect must certainly consider
how everything will fit together within the building itself:
the exterior façade, the floor plates, the floor plans,
the elevators, the intricate systems and even the parking
garage. He/she must consider the inherent constraints of the
proposed building: the area and shape of the site, the applicable
building code, the requirements of the developer, the function
of the building, the budget, etc. It sounds overwhelming just
thinking about all of the details.
But there is also an esoteric
aspect to the role. It seems that an architect’s role
is to be the dreamer, the visionary, the one who inspires.
It also seems that the architects who achieve true greatness
often speak words sounding more like those of a philosopher.
After all, the life of a building many times outlasts generations,
so high-rise buildings can be considered legacies of the people
who create them. This month, I bring you three leading-edge
high-rise architects and discuss their latest projects, their
inspirations and their thoughts on what they contribute to
a high-rise structure.
 Santiago
Calatrava
Santiago Calatrava, LLC
Santiago Calatrava, a prolific architect, is a rare blend
of artist, architect and engineer. His acclaimed exhibitions
of sculpture, paintings and ceramics have had rave reviews
everywhere from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art
to the Spanish Institute. Santiago’s work has taken
many forms; he has created moving sculptures used in public
venues, iconic footbridges, museums, Olympic stadiums, train
stations, twisting buildings—all of which bring to mind
movement and rhythm. His work has been described by others
in this way: “He creates transcendent spaces that uplift
the human spirit.”
His architectural awards
are numerous, including the 2005 Emporis Skyscraper Award
for Turning Torso, a residential high-rise in Sweden. Most
recently, Santiago’s latest architectural creation is
underway in the form of a residential building in Chicago,
the Chicago Spire. This magnificent twisting building began
construction in the fall of 2007. It will be 2,000 feet high
when it is completed in 2010 and is anticipated to be the
tallest building in North America—600+ feet taller than
the Sears Tower.
“What we do, what
artists do, is extend the work of creation. The shape represents
element, the idea of fluidity and growth, the beauty and perfection
of the geometrical force.” —Santiago Calatrava
Ian Simpson
Ian Simpson Architects
Ian Simpson is an amazing, cutting-edge architect with offices
in Manchester and London, England. His practice is committed
to “design and regeneration excellence and undertaking
unusual and challenging projects.” His contributions
not only provide us with stunning contemporary residential
buildings, but reconstructed historical buildings such as
the Grand Apartments in Manchester, England. The Grand Apartments
building—currently 115 residences—was previously
a warehouse built in the mid 1800s and later a hotel. Ian
Simpson designed the restoration and conversion of the building
to residential, adding a luminescent glass roofline.
 Illustrating
Ian’s architectural diversity, he has designed many
new highly contemporary residential buildings, as well. “We
concentrate on creating a distinctive and unique form that
responds specifically to context and place and the city’s
existing skyline,” says Ian. He has received the honor
of 2006 Best Architect Award for Living Space, and Roses Design
Awards’ 2005 Architect of the Year. Currently, Ian’s
firm has numerous high-rise designs approved and under construction,
and many in the planning stages. Ian currently lives in one
of his award-winning designs in Manchester, No. 1 Deansgate,
and is preparing to move into the penthouse of the Beetham
Tower Manchester (aka Hilton Manchester), which is also his
design.
When asked what inspires
him when designing a building, Ian says, “Inspiration
comes from nature and objects that we see around us, rather
than adopting or reproducing a specific architectural style.
We tend to adopt a smooth outer surface to our buildings—almost
liquid in expression—reflecting and refracting the sky
and the city within a seamless surface.”
Cesar Pelli
Pelli Clark Pelli
“Seeing buildings that I have designed in a city is
like seeing a member of my family.” —Cesar Pelli
In Houston I had the honor
of selling two residential towers (Four-Leaf Towers) designed
by celebrated architect, Cesar Pelli. Cesar was formerly the
dean of architecture at Yale University and “One of
the Ten Most Influential Living Architects,” an honor
bestowed upon him by the American Institute of Architects
(AIA). He is extremely well known for design of tall buildings
both domestically and internationally. In fact, Cesar was
the architect of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
On a television program entitled “Building the Ultimate;
Race for the Sky,” Cesar spoke about the sky bridge
on floors 41 and 42 between the two Petronas Towers: “The
bridge creates a very obvious portal to the sky, a portal
to the infinite, a place that one can aspire to higher thoughts.”
 Cesar
has designed many well-known projects: World Financial Center
in New York, International Finance Center in Hong Kong, Haneda
Airport in Tokyo not to mention numerous performing arts centers,
laboratories, academic buildings, hotels, residential towers…
you name it. In our own city of Las Vegas, his architectural
firm, Pelli Clark Pelli, was asked to design MGM’s CityCenter
Casino & Resort. Most recently, Pelli Clark Pelli won
the bid to design the high-profile Transbay Transit Center
& Tower in San Francisco. The office tower will break
all records for San Francisco, topping out at 1,200 feet high.
In one of the many books
written about Pelli’s work, “Cesar Pelli: Buildings
and Projects” by Michael J. Crosbie, Cesar says, “A
building must be both background and foreground; it must have
some exceptional qualities. But it must also try very hard
to knit into the fabric of a city.”
One thing that is a common
thread between all three architects is their obvious passion
for their work as creative expression. The buildings are more
than simply concrete and steel structures; each one has the
signature of a visionary.
“A great architect
is not made by way of a brain nearly so much as he is made
by way of a cultivated, enriched heart.” —Frank
Lloyd Wright
Until next time, here’s
wishing you “elevated” sales!
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Brenda
Calvin is the Broker of The Calvin Group, LLC, and has
a 20-year successful track record of selling high-rise
and mid-rise condominiums in multiple states. The Calvin
Group is a boutique brokerage specializing the innovative
sales, marketing and developer consulting of residential
high-rise properties. To contact Brenda, you may phone
(702) 939-5638 or e-mail Brenda@TheCalvinGroup.com.
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