WHO WILL BE THE LUCKY ARCHITECT?
Project: New Eiffel Tower in London.
Pros: Instant worldwide exposure.
Cons: The expensive monument marks the 2012 Austerity Olympics. Humorous or Hubris?
If Ashton Kushner pranked the architecture profession, this might be what it would look like. Take millions of dollars, a man wanting to impress with his wealth and a city's mayor who loves development. Whaddaya get? An unintentionally hilarious attempt at architectural significance.... The Guardian newspaper and online service reports on this plan by Mayor Boris Johnson to construct a tower in time for the Austerity Olympics. The gigantic edifice would cost at least the projected $15 million budget and perhaps many times that amount. Lakshmi Mittal, an Indian born zillionaire and king of steel will be funding the first portion of the architectural folly. The questions being raised are of the fundamental kind; What???!!! Where???!!! Why???!!! A general sense of outrage has seeped into the public's reaction as the first renderings of the project have been released. Shaped like an electrical tower or the kind of pylons that airplane racers use, the architecture seems to be of the kind that trumpets monumental egos. How this would serve the needs of anyone is at the core of the opposition to the development scheme. Architects and construction companies however are eager for the plan to go forward. Mr. Mittals' millions beckon like a star on the horizon and it will be hard to see how anyone can resist the money that can be made from hubris and self-aggrandizment.







http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/26/boris-johnson-monument-eiffel-tower