Flatiron Building :: 플랫아이언 빌딩
미국, 뉴욕시 5번가 175 / 1902년 / 대니얼 번햄 / 야마모리 에이지 / 글 : 구마겐고
"예각 붐"은 지금도 계속되고 있다. 상하이에 잇따라 들어서는 초고층 빌딩들은 어디나 할 것 없이 뾰족해서 하늘을 할퀴고, 사람드르이 마음을 할퀸다. 사람이 있는 한에서는 도시가 있고, 도시가 있는 한에서는 거품이 생기고, 거품은 반드시 "예각"과 함께 찾아온다. 상하이 다음에도 세계 어딘가에서는 "예각"이 출현할 것이다. 그 모든 것의 계기가 지금에 와서는 얌전해 보이는 이 우아한 플랫아이언 빌딩의 우연한 출현이었다고 한다면, 감개는 한층 더 무량할 것이다.
Designed by the Chicago architect Daniel Burnham, known for his skyscrapers, this steel-framed terra-cotta and stone-clad skyscraper represents the developers' first (and ultimately unsuccessful) attempt to create a new business center north of Wall Street. They built it as a speculative project with the intention of renting out offices to various commercial and financial enterprises.
Bearing the influence of architectural trends introduced at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Burnham's eye-catching design combined elements of French and Italian Renaissance architecture in an effort to attract businesses to this formerly residential and retail-oriented neighborhood. The building's triangular plan was a clever response to the awkward site produced by the intersection of Broadway and Fifth Avenue. Its ornate but restrained facade is composed of stone and terra-cotta panels whose forms simulate the effects of rustication. Undulating bays break up the monotony of the building's tall midsection. The overall effect is that of a palazzo stretched to great height. Here, for the first time, the construction of a steel-framed skyscraper was witnessed in its entirety by the general public--a event which generated much response. The building fascinated photographers and was immortalized in the work of Edward Steichen and Alfred Steiglitz.
