The IAC Building or rather, the InterActive Corporation was built in Manhattan, New York City in 2007. "It is the first commercial office building in NYC."(3) The Corporation is a "internet and retail empire that works with companies such as Ticketmaster and AskJeeves."(1) The building was created by architect Frank Gehry and the IAC was his first building in New York City. Being one of the most famous architects of our time, Frank is well known for making very complicated and unique architectural designs. Although Barry Diller was hesitate to assign Frank Gehry to the task of designing a building by the river, he made a wonderful choice.
The IAC building is ten stories tall and made up of 8 complicated glass curves and angles. "It is energy efficient and contains Wi-Fi for employee collaboration." (3) Frank Gehry used low iron glass and explores different avenues in his design such as creating the first glass curtain wall that was cold-warped and bent on site. This idea allowed for the building to appear as though it were sails on a sailboat floating on the river. The building is made up of concrete, has a glass façade, an outdoor courtyard, has a beautiful view of the Empire State Building and so on. The IAC building although not as extravagant in style as Frank Gehry’s previous buildings around the world, the IAC still manages to stand out on the New York City skyline. One of my favorite findings from researching the IAC was how it was funded. "Mr. Diller has obtained $80 million in tax-free Liberty Bonds to help finance the project. Those were set up to help New York recover from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the IAC project is one of the few non-downtown office buildings to receive them." (1) This is a beautiful celebration of patriotism and productivity for the city. The building has treated glass so that it reduces glare from the river.
From knowing Frank Gehry's background, I would be weary to work with such a difficult architect, as did Barry Diller. Barry decided to take the risk of making a complicated project and the result was worth it. I found in an article from Vanity Fair, "Barry Diller had been wary of working with Gehry, given the architect's reputation for being difficult, but found him to be "a fantastic collaborator."(2) I found this to be an outstanding surprise and only makes the wonders of his building more wonderful.
The lobby has hosted many celebrity events since its opening, as well as many other famous speeches and events. The lobby is very useful due to its 118 foot video wall. Something that really stands out in the interior of the building is its hazy glow windows and opaque glass. There are angled pieces of stainless steel throughout and the shell of the building during construction had bent beams. The IAC building is innovative, uses new technologies and stands out amongst the New York City skyline.
(1)http://www.realestatejournal.com/propertyreport/office/20060113-silver.html
(2) http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2007/06/gehry_slideshow200706
(3) http://www.cosentini.com/portfolio/hdqrts_iac.html
2 comments:
refocus your writing to be sure that you actually address the IDEAS behind the building. you've introduced extraneous information and issues that seem peripheral to the IAC. this is a building seemingly about folding/unfolding, and about the presence of light at night. what do these ideas have to do with gehry's conception for new york? start with what YOU think...
You did a wonderful job of laying out the information on the IAC building and giving emotion to the precedent analysis in describing the hesitations of the commissioner, Barry Diller, and the personality commonly used for Frank Gehry. You also gave emotion to the writing and made it interesting to read. Well written Kristina!
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