Architecture junkie alert!

This week’s edition of The New Yorker—arguably the world’s best magazine, especially for cultural criticism—features an essay by architecture critic Paul Goldberger on Will Alsop’s Tabletop building for OCAD. His praise is effusive. And the accompanying watercolour image, by Jean-Philippe Delhomme, is a delight.

Goldberger, whose provocative writing I have referenced previously on this blog, credits Alsop’s Sharp Centre for single-handedly reinvigorating Toronto’s architectural culture (and with making Alsop himself the heir to a distinguished line of British architectural mavericks). He is correct. I have noted how Sharp Centre has been so quickly and gleefully adopted as a local icon—just have a look at Torontoist’s logo. As distinctive and as remarkable as Libeskind’s ROM crystal may be, it will never inspire the same affection.

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