Architecture: Short Lists and Stresses

The short list of architects* for the Vancouver Art Gallery just got more interesting and more personal, given this piece in the New York Times: Building Faces Wrecking Ball. So Does Couples’ Friendship.

Two celebrated architect couples, whose careers took off almost simultaneously in the hothouse of New York City design and who supported each other’s successes, are barely on speaking terms.

One pair, Billie Tsien and Tod Williams, designed the former home of the American Folk Art Museum on West 53rd Street; the other, Liz Diller and Ricardo Scofidio, just recommended demolishing it as part of their plan to expand the Museum of Modern Art next door. …

“It’s been a subject of discussion among every single person who’s involved in architecture,” said Karen Stein, an architectural consultant. “It’s hard to think of an analogous situation.”

.

* The finalists are: KPMB Architects; Herzog & de Meuron; SANAA; Diller Scofidio + Renfro; and Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects.