Spartan, I don't see this as a values thing . . . conservative vs liberal . . . wtfever that means. I agree that there is plenty of good architectural talent here in Okie City . . . some of it gets well showcased and some doesn't. Unfortunately, there is also a lot of really bad architecture being done. Far too often, clients are just seeking to get "their project concept" committed to paper rather than subscribing to a purposeful architectural process that considers use, zoning, site, economics, context etc.. They just want their dumb assed project built and they don't allow much creativity to creep in. btw, some of your info is out of date or inaccurate; Hans is now working in the same office as David Wanzer . . . J3 on Film Row . . . . very nice office space in the historic Oklahoma Theater Supply Building. Also Wanzer did the house at 7th and Lincoln and the other modernist project a few blocks west on Oklahoma. David Wanzer was recently appointed to the OKC Board of Adjustment replacing Donald Criswell, whose term had expired. Until the last few years, the OKCBOA was a "candy jar" for good-ol-boys wanting variances from zoning and regulation that stood between them and making a little money . . . often at the expense of good planning and appropriate land use . . . city politics at its worst.

Things in OKC are improving on many fronts . . . little by little . . .

Yes, there are firms in OKC that are doing ground-breaking work. TAParchitecture is a collaboration between Anthony McDermid and Hans Butzer (who teaches at OU), and they do a lot of really edgy urban design--they did most of the Triangle projects. Rand Elliott is pioneering his own style of Okie modernism by mixing elements that are native to Oklahoma with cutting edge contemporary design. There are several smaller guys who have an outstanding reputation for smaller projects. Brian Fitzsimmons is well known throughout the community for projects akin to his house in Midtown or his project at Lincoln and 7th (I think). Randy Floyd is very small scale, but she is well-respected as a good preservationist. There is a lot of creativity in OKC, a lot.

Not to mention the firm that designed of one of the first LEED certified buildings in Oklahoma and is doingthe Flatiron project...:)

PUN OF THE DAY

Architects doing ground breaking work

if the Devon tower looks anything like any of these, i wont be disappointed

Yes, there are firms in OKC that are doing ground-breaking work. TAParchitecture is a collaboration between Anthony McDermid and Hans Butzer (who teaches at OU), and they do a lot of really edgy urban design--they did most of the Triangle projects. Rand Elliott is pioneering his own style of Okie modernism by mixing elements that are native to Oklahoma with cutting edge contemporary design. There are several smaller guys who have an outstanding reputation for smaller projects. Brian Fitzsimmons is well known throughout the community for projects akin to his house in Midtown or his project at Lincoln and 7th (I think). Randy Floyd is very small scale, but she is well-respected as a good preservationist. There is a lot of creativity in OKC, a lot more than people who even live here and can't get past the "conservative city" stigma would imagine.

I'm a very conservative guy. A lot of architects are. A lot of very creative types are. So I don't really appreciate the innuendos of conservative bashing that exist when people bemoan the fact that we are "conservative city." Howabout when I'm out on my own and in charge of my own firm, I just take all of my ground-breaking projects to Houston, eh? jk..

Conservative as in conserving the status quo, keeping things the same style, not branching out into some radical new type of architecture.... I wasn't being political, I was being nomenclature accurate.

I'm happy that TAP and Triangle are out there doing what they do. I don't really find anything they do that ground-breaking though. I very nearly purchased one of their downtown condos recently. Unfortunately I just didn't care for how the project turned out.

Who's the guy that did the modern modular home on Lincoln? I do like that a lot. Is that the Fitzsimmons' house that you speak of? I know one is for sale, or at least was about a month ago.

Do any of you architectural types read Cosmopolitan Home or Dwell Magazine? I really like some of the things that they highlight.

As far as office buildings and public space goes... an example there of something I consider really bold and innovative is the Seattle Public Library. Google it up. I think the Transamerica Building in San Fran is very interesting and definitely a unique piece of that city's skyline even though its design was not all that radical. The Smurfit-Stone Building in Chicago is pretty interesting too and yet also gives off a somewhat conservative (read: blending in with the older surrounding buildings) vibe as well.

Rem Koolhaas did the Seattle library. If you want to see ground-breaking, google his name or "OMA" his firm. Also, UN Studio. Both are dutch firms.

Right there with ya, dismayed. That's my kind of design.

dismayed: I'm happy that TAP and Triangle are out there doing what they do. I don't really find anything they do that ground-breaking though. I very nearly purchased one of their downtown condos recently. Unfortunately I just didn't care for how the project turned out.

Who's the guy that did the modern modular home on Lincoln? I do like that a lot. Is that the Fitzsimmons' house that you speak of? I know one is for sale, or at least was about a month ago.

Do any of you architectural types read Cosmopolitan Home or Dwell Magazine? I really like some of the things that they highlight.


dismayed, couldn't agree more. TAP and others do a good job, but it's not exactly "ground breaking innovation". You've seen it before in other cities. Rand Elliott has done some nice stuff though.

Brian Fitzsimmons home is on NW 7th and Francis. There are several modern modular homes going up in the area.

I'm not an "architect" or "architect type" but I do have a fairly good eye for architecture and read Dwell Magazine as well as others. They do highlight some nice stuff, more stuff I'd like to see in OKC. One of these days when I hit the jackpot, I'll build something like you see in that magazine, but it will have to be sustainable with geothermal, solar panels, etc. I'm going off grid.

I'm going off grid.

Nice!

Rem Koolhaas did the Seattle library. If you want to see ground-breaking, google his name or "OMA" his firm. Also, UN Studio. Both are dutch firms.

Right there with ya, dismayed. That's my kind of design.

I just got done Googling OMA, and yeah that is some cool stuff. Not surprised it's from the Dutch, I think some of the most incredible architecture anywhere is in Amsterdam and The Hague.

dismayed, couldn't agree more. TAP and others do a good job, but it's not exactly "ground breaking innovation". You've seen it before in other cities. Rand Elliott has done some nice stuff though.

Brian Fitzsimmons home is on NW 7th and Francis. There are several modern modular homes going up in the area.

I'm not an "architect" or "architect type" but I do have a fairly good eye for architecture and read Dwell Magazine as well as others. They do highlight some nice stuff, more stuff I'd like to see in OKC. One of these days when I hit the jackpot, I'll build something like you see in that magazine, but it will have to be sustainable with geothermal, solar panels, etc. I'm going off grid.


I love the products that Dwell and Cosmopolitan Home offer. I have bought so many things from the vendors listed at the back of those magazines. It's amazing how modern you can make the inside of even a traditional house look with the right touches. I just recently caved in and bought a modernfan.com if you've seen them advertise in there. Can't wait to put it up.

I just recently caved in and bought a modernfan.com if you've seen them advertise in there. Can't wait to put it up.

Which one did you get? I like several of them, but the Velo would fit nicely in my house. Thanks for the link!

Actually Lowe's has two fans similar to the Velo, I ended up buying one for our bedroom, but they had an even cooler one even closer to the Velo but had sharp metal blades and wouldn't be good for a short ceiling directly over the bed if you know what I mean.

Which one did you get? I like several of them, but the Velo would fit nicely in my house. Thanks for the link!

I went with the Pharos:

http://modernfan.com/images/products_pharosMN.jpg

Yes, there are firms in OKC that are doing ground-breaking work. TAParchitecture is a collaboration between Anthony McDermid and Hans Butzer (who teaches at OU), and they do a lot of really edgy urban design--they did most of the Triangle projects. Rand Elliott is pioneering his own style of Okie modernism by mixing elements that are native to Oklahoma with cutting edge contemporary design. There are several smaller guys who have an outstanding reputation for smaller projects. Brian Fitzsimmons is well known throughout the community for projects akin to his house in Midtown or his project at Lincoln and 7th (I think). Randy Floyd is very small scale, but she is well-respected as a good preservationist. There is a lot of creativity in OKC, a lot more than people who even live here and can't get past the "conservative city" stigma would imagine.

I'm a very conservative guy. A lot of architects are. A lot of very creative types are. So I don't really appreciate the innuendos of conservative bashing that exist when people bemoan the fact that we are "conservative city." Howabout when I'm out on my own and in charge of my own firm, I just take all of my ground-breaking projects to Houston, eh? jk..

It's interesting where good design comes from. IMHO good design is more than just the envelope, it's also thoughtful itneriors, placement of the mundae ( vents) good detailed drawings that lets the builder know what the designer has in mind. In Oklahoma there's some real talent. Not all good designers are architects, so they're confined to residential and small pre existing buildings. Not all Designers though are good. Not to get the debate riled up here, but I agree that not all all ARchitects deliver good design. I think Oklahoma is lucky to have licensed Architects, as mentioned before (Elliott, Fitzsimmons, TAP) who do try interesting work and execute it well (drawings construction administration, working with clients etc). Wanzer is a designer, Butzer (no longer with TAP BTW)who has a great Architecture background and work history isn't licensed, so again these guys are confined to projects that don't require licensure. Floyd does do excellent work. She's also done some work on our state capitol building.
I'm waiting to see what else comes up around Oklahoma City.

I was just looking at this old thread that showed pictures of what a Devon Tower could look like. I wish they had gone with a more urban design like this one. Not the design of the tower necessarily, but pushing the buildings out to the street and creating positive interior space instead of negative exterior space.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll14/Platemaker_photos/OKC/OKC136.jpg

...it will have to be sustainable with geothermal, solar panels, etc. I'm going off grid.

If you can handle nice but plain, a relative in the land biz in se ok can hook you up rather quickly. Kick a pm if you care for more info and her contact info,

[QUOTE=Just the facts;446978]I was just looking at this old thread that showed pictures of what a Devon Tower could look like. I wish they had gone with a more urban design like this one. Not the design of the tower necessarily, but pushing the buildings out to the street and creating positive interior space instead of negative exterior space.

I wish they could have extended Harvey through as well.

I wish they could have extended Harvey through as well.

In a perfect world they would have put Main St back in as well. The super-blocks screwed up downtown. The more we can get rid of the better.

There are definitely some retro 80's style strcutures in that group...the lego-look. I actually liked several of them until they did the renderings/actual models. There is a lot of unused space in a lot of the buildings. But hey, they're students and they are trying to come up with something iconic. So A for effort for them for sure.

Personally, I don't care if something "matches" the skyline. I'd just assume not get stuck in the previous era and move into some new modern styling. Several of these are similar in style to what one can see being built in Asia right now. Sometimes i feel like there are more "interesting" buildings being built there than in the U.S.....that we play it too safe these days.

I think most of Asia's skyscrapers are absolutely hideous. They are interesting and fun, but hideous.

Now I will say there are some doozies out there that make me cringe. But we just seem to keep building so many international style shoeboxes in the U.S. We have such little flare these days in our design. That's probably as much the fault of the client as the architect though.

Take something iconic as the CitiGroup Center. It's got an interesting hat, and they had to be creative at the bottom for the church to fit, but other than that, it's still a square foot shoebox. Head over to the skyscraperpage.com forums and check out highrise construction some time. Even the short drive to Canada gets you more interesting shapes than here.