DAISY AMES

San Francisco has totally derailed me from my east-coast-based “life track” with all the beach runs, mountain hikes, wine tours, scenic views, nice people, fresh markets and organic food! Already looking into SF firms to work for in two years… getting ahead of myself? Definitely. 

phoenix-based architect, will bruder, designed the scottsdale museum of contemporary art in old scottsdale, which is now mainly a feeding ground for tourists. the building has a lot of potential despite its modest (read insignificant) location.

had the building been located in a bustling city center, the james turrell enclosed by the curvilinear walls of the bruder structure would not be as mysterious or intangible; but, had it been located in desert, the exhibitions would not be worth the trip. so, maybe the deserted downtown area on the comeback is in fact the right fix…

bruder’s details maintain a clunky and matter-of-fact presence throughout the structure. the doors, walls and edges of the building exhibit raw junctures with unfinished seams, as if making a point not to be refined or even celestial. however, rows of i-beams form a open roof that draw attention to the sky and heighten your sense of exterior versus interior space while adding to the chromatic affect of the orange walls complementing the blue of the sky.

it is clear that his industrial approach and sense of scale beckons large scale commissions of massive proportion, like his burton barr central library. i would like to see some of his residences in person - the murray residence is interesting because it seems far more polished than the byrne and cox residences which both have obvious rough and jagged surfaces, which i like (until that is, i bump in to one - ouch).

for more on will bruder see: http://www.willbruder.com/

what i liked about the phoenix art museum was the balance of large gallery spaces, narrow corridors and staircases. it seemed that different floor levels were marked by the presense of glass which were balanced out by the rough rock cement walls, smoothed stone floors, and stainless steel railings. the big and small rooms, wide and narrow circulation, smooth and rough surfaces, sun-struck and shady spots, all contrasted each other nicely. it was also great to take a break in the secret cubbies throughout the structures, which provided somewhat of a private space to look out over the city, or the courtyard of the museum. private space in a museum… good/rare concept.