A Progressive Look Back by Greg Ibañez, AIA
pro jec t clien t
Russell Creek Family YMCA, Plano
YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas
a rchit ec t
Good Fulton & Farrell Architects
design te am
David Michael Farrell, AIA; Lance Braht, AIA; Scott
A. Sower, AIA; Scott Wegener, AIA; Elizabeth Parham con t r ac t or
Constructors
c o n s u l t a n t s
Raymond L. Goodson Jr. (civil, structural);
Schmidt & Stacy (MEP); SMR (landscape) pho t ogr a pher
Charles D. Smith, AIA
Under a generous protective overhang at the entry, abundant glazing welcomes members and visitors into the airy interior space. Inside, the steel structure is clearly expressed and the architects’ no-nonsense approach to the design is apparent.
34
t e x a s
a r c h i t e c t
Over the last decade or so, “context” has become a prime determinant of form and materials in much of our architecture. As any architect who has appeared before a design review board can attest, it is a sacred tenet when judging the “appropriateness” of a given solution. Unfortunately, it has also become an easy rationale for non-critical architectural thinking. As the esteemed critic Ada Louise Huxtable so eloquently stated, “The fallacy of contextualism, the masquerade of matched materials, the cosmetic cover-up of architectural maquillage meant to make a building ‘fit’ surroundings that frequently change, are a trap into which many architects jump or fall.” Of course, being a good architectural neighbor is a virtue, especially in dense urban areas. We expect good buildings to respect the street, acknowledge history, etc. But what about sites that offer a “context” that is widely considered banal, soulless, or even unhealthy? There is currently no more discussed and derided locale than the contemporary suburban environment, which is charged with being nothing more than a collection of big-box strip centers, mega-churches, and generic housing developments sprawled behind miles of faux-brick walls—a nonplace where the profligate use of SUVs has made us obese and oil-dependent. Despite the validity of much of the critiques, the reality is complex. The north Dallas suburb of Plano, for example, has a surprisingly diverse citizenry, is blessed with excellent public schools, and enjoys proximity to major employment centers.
3 / 4
2 0 0 7