I'm teaching a course in 3d design at Otis College, and in order to learn more about what makes a space unique and interesting, I asked my students to find a "great space" in Southern California, and produce a very concise photo essay.
So the question is, "Where are the great spaces?"
I'm open to suggestions.
It seems easy to think of numerous incredible places in Europe, because there is so much history, and a stronger tradition of commitment to great plazas, churches, train stations and airports. Frankly, Southern California seems relatively mundane. Part of this may be the fact that so much of work by star architects consists of residential design (the Case Study houses for example) that is generally not available.
My list starts with the obvious: The Getty Center, The new downtown cathedral, the Disney Hall (which I am almost sick of looking at), the new Arts High School by Coop Himmelblau.
Garden spaces, such as the Noguchi Sculpture Garden next to South Coast plaza, the Chinese Garden at the Huntington Library, the Garden at the Getty Center by artist Robert Irwin.
What else?
Union Station, of course, and the Bradbury Building. The high ceilinged halls of Geffen MOCA, which are certainly more interesting than the Bunker Hill branch.
So many of our public spaces are shopping malls, but are any of these great? Things like the Beverly Center, and Westside Pavillion are banal. And Frank Gehry hung his head in shame, when the Santa Monica Place project was complete. The Grove is a sort of Disney-fied european street, but it is an active and pleasant place to wander. Being next to the tacky claustrophobia inducing stalls of the original Farmer's Market makes it more interesting.
I was meandering through 3d models in Google Earth, and rediscovered one of my favorite spaces, the Monsanto Ride at Disneyland. Sadly, it was destroyed years ago, but the memories of entering the microscope and having the terrifying experience of shrinking to the size of an atom remain strong.
