It has been twenty years since Archinect Senior Editor Namanand Henderson traveled to Dallas. On a recent trip, he notices that much has changed. Here are some highlights from the piece:
The Dallas (DFW) airport is an aerotropolis, mega in scale. So is the city. The two merge at some point along 114. Last time I was in Dallas was almost twenty years ago. The years have been good to the Downtown. I arrive at night via cab. There is lot’s of money evident in all the brightly, lit buildings, like billboards visible from the interstate. . . .
While all of the architecture is of a high, professional caliber each of the recently completed buildings featured one or more details that particularly resonated with me. The Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House (by Foster + Partners), sits in Annette Strauss Artist Square where even the lawns are sponsored, and features a loud red, flying saucer-like aesthetic.Yet, this heft of the red performance spaces is matched by a large and metallic louvered system, which provides shade and mass to create a more layered edge to its envelope. This building in particular already against the freeway will have an especially new facade to present of itself. In this connection I noticed that the raw concrete, northern “rear” featured a delicate pattern of wire hardware to support a growing, green growth.
