Architectural Record has a short blurb this month about Ohio's recent habit of hiring young, "daring," foreign firms for high profile work: http://archrecord.construction.com/features/encounters/1009Cleveland/1009Cleveland.asp

 

[Via Litt's column on Cleveland.com: http://blog.cleveland.com/architecture/2010/09/architectural_record_riles_loc.html]

 

The comments to the AR piece are pretty interesting, ranging from moronically uninformed ("Ohio is full of companies who outsource because it has low taxes") to very threatened/protectionist.

American architects have prominent work abroad, too. It's funny because the examples they used, really aren't impressive designs at all, imo. Clearly trying to0 hard, to make a mark. Often at the expense of their building looking out of joint, fortress-like and down-right ugly.

^I'm actually decently excited about the Cleveland one, though it's really hard to know based on the limited renderings released thus far.  And while I know lots of people hate it, I like the Akron museum addition too (though I admit I am predisposed to liking that firm's work for random personal reasons). The Toledo museum has received almost universal praise- you really think that one, with its glass walls, is "fortress-like and downright ugly"?

^I'm actually decently excited about the Cleveland one, though it's really hard to know based on the limited renderings released thus far.  And while I know lots of people hate it, I like the Akron museum addition too (though I admit I am predisposed to liking that firm's work for random personal reasons). The Toledo museum has received almost universal praise- you really think that one, with its glass walls, is "fortress-like and downright ugly"?

 

Toledo Art museum?  :? I thought it was an Apple Store.

if you are dissing the toledo museum of art's glass building, you should do a search for SANAA and the pritzker and see what comes up!  :mrgreen: that building received international press and the architects who designed it are on the forefront of the architectural world.  :wink: :wink:

Oh, I know. It's a travesty.

I have to admit though, there are tons of firms here in the US that love building schools and courthouses made of cmu blocks, hollow metal frame windows, and standing seam roofs.  :VOMIT: 

I have to admit though, there are tons of firms here in the US that love building schools and courthouses made of cmu blocks, hollow metal frame windows, and standing seam roofs. :VOMIT:

 

Standing seam roofs???  If only we could be so lucky!!!  Our clients can only afford high-end asphalt shingles on their roofs!

 

This "they must be good if they're not from here" attitude is very unfortunate.  My firm is very "bread and butter."  But I know many of us would love the chance to show what we can do.  Unfortunately, most of our clients are relatively poor, and want traditional and functional first.  So, when someone looking for high-design comes along, they don't give our portfolio/resume a second look.  The best we can do is use the work we did with Michail Graves and Perkins + Will 15-25 years ago.