Of Millenia and Mirrors

One simply does not study under the tutelage of one Professor Waldman without an appreciation for mirrors, specifically mirrors which reflect alternate realities, passageways, and other immaterial ephemera. So when Roosevelt University announces plans to construct a new building along South Michigan, I cannot but see the bi-colored and reflective glass as a large mirror, reflecting the city and heavens.

So what is the effect of such reflected glazing (referred to as "mirrors") on the city, and what does it say about the architecture it envelopes? In the mid-century, modernists were using glass in part for the purpose of mirroring the external world. Examples like Lever House and the Hancock Building used glass to immaterialize their buildings - by cladding the structure in mirrors, one could create the effect of transparency, the irony being they were so opaque one could not see 3/8" past the surface.

This implication is perhaps more revelatory than simply playing with reflections. Mirrors used to disguise the true shape of a building, or employed to visually trick the onlooker into believing the building is smaller implies an apologetic demeanor, as if to offer a feeble mea culpa to the surrounding urbanism for such an obviously intrusive and incongruous bit of fabric. If there is any merit to this argument (and a quick look at some of the early mirrored buildings finds a pattern of incongruity with their fabric), then one might argue that buildings (or their architects) are self-aware - and self-conscious. Look at high-rises and skyscrapers built in the last 15 years, and the self-conscious apologetics of mirrored glass disappear. In their wake are buildings that stand tall and proud, determined to make a statement of themselves amongst the milieu of other tall buildings (see aqua tower). However, one key element has changed - the height of the surrounding urbanism. No longer are these tall buildings the pioneers of their locations. Unless a building is going exceedingly tall, there is no longer an incongruity of urbanism, and tall buildings are allowed to flaunt thier style with reckless inhibition. Even amongst the tallest buildings, there are examples of a mixture of attitudes toward environments; Burj Dubai stands alone within its context. It's clad in mirrors yes, but its shape and the curvature of the glass minimizes the effects of mirroring, and the building is allowed to stand alone. Trump Tower in Chicago is a second example. This building (some have speculated its role as a precursor to the burj dubai, given a similar structural language and both designed by Adrian Smith at SOM) begins to mirror its surroundings and the sky, minimizing its impact on the landscape.Although located along the Chicago River just north of the loop, it breaks away from the other tall buildings of the city and stands alone, an effect exaggerated when approaching the city some 10-20 miles out. The Spire offers another example, as does the now-underway Freedom Tower in New York City, which perhaps does the best job of treading a fine line between apologetic mirroring and brazen statement.

No doubt there are other interpretations of mirrors and buildings. I would like to revisit the use of mirrors on many of the structures around Millenium park, from the Pritzker Pavilion to the Bean, to the mirrors found on the wet pavement at Crown Fountain. This picture begins to hint at the phenomenal possibilities of mirrors which provide a glimpse of another world beyond. Such an idea is not to be found in many of the mirrored buildings we see today, that try to hide themselves from view. Instead mirrors to the moon provide visual access to exciting alternatives, which can truly be experienced at eye-level.

[via rjseg1]