With projects in the U.S. and the U.K., architect Rafael Vinoly attempts to navigate "the hazy and treacherous borderlands that lie between architectural history and public nostalgia."
The famed architect is working on two projects revamping beloved industrial buildings; London's Battersea Power Station is famous for appearing on a Pink Floyd album cover, while the Domino Sugar Refinery in Williamsburg is famous for its 40 ft. sign.
Wayne Curtis of The Atlantic, who interviewed Vinoly, injects his own opinion into the story. He writes:
"Cities are living projects, and must be constantly edited, often by an invisible hand-one structure needs to be deleted to make room for another, an early draft of this neighborhood is recast in a newer, tighter form. If nostalgia rules the day, nothing changes, nothing moves forward."
Vinoly has mixed opinions, but expresses some wonder that these industrial hulks are so beloved.
Thanks to Richard Florida
FULL STORY: The Nostalgia Trap
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research