contoversies in Spatial Design

   
    According to the Cambridge Dictionary a controversy is something "where a lot of disagreement or argument about something" most of the time this occurs because its very important or affect certain amount of people. In the design sector a lot of controversy is brought up as a lot of different opinions are out there. Some international controversies are:

- Sagrada Familia - Antonio Gaudi,




This building is very controversial due to the fact that the project is still incomplete. A lot of architects have tried putting their own footprint on this project, Even Le Corbusier was unsuccessful, this project is estimated to be done in 2026 to mark the century of Gaudi's death 144 years after it all began. 








- The Eiffel Tower - Gustave Eiffel,

As the Parisian novelist Guy De Maupassant said back in the 1880's " It's the only place in Paris where I can eat and not see that hideous tower." This tower has had its fair share of controversial criticism by Parisians, A lot of Anti Tower campaigns where taking place at the time, the tower was being criticised in the way where they where calling it names such as "Giant block smokestack" and " a tragic streetlamp" However since its opening back in 1889 the tower has seen over 250 million people.


-  Sydney Opera House - Jorn Utzon,

The initial design was rejected by the competition design committee. Finally the project was chosen and was granted 18 million AUD and was supposed to take 18 months to construct, but because the tower cranes had to be custom built  and Jorn being a perfectionist the progress was very slow. 10 years later the project was still not completed and the government seized the funds and stopped construction,Under new management the project continued with some changes, it was estimated to take nearly an extra 10 years to complete and ended up costing around 102 million AUD. The project was completed in 16 years and was opened back in 1999.




-   Al Wakrah Stadium - Zaha Hadid Architects,


This is one of Zaha Hadid's most controversial projects. This project is currently in progress and is one of 5 stadiums being built for 2026 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. A lot of criticism was given to the initial design but is now stuck in a controversy where the working condition for migrant workers involved in many of the projects of Qatar's World Cup. It is said to have reportedly take over 1,000 workers lives during the construction of the facilities, after a lot of criticism Hadid stated that :“It’s not my duty as an architect to look at it.” all this criticism didn't stop them and despite receiving criticism from government officials, critics and Architects the stadiums are still in construction. 




- Valletta City Gate Masterplan - Renzo Piano,


This is the most controversial subject in Malta at the moment the project which started back in 2011 cost approximately 80 million Euros. Although that didn't spark this big controversy, The real controversy started with the MODERN features in the gate which caused a lot of disagreement with the public. Mostly because the current gate doesn't resemble the Baroque Architecture which is featured in most parts of the city, even more controversy was brought up with the new parliament as a lot of people didn't agree with the "semi- complete look."But the biggest controversy was the new parliament where the citizen didn't think that the building supports the surrounding and also doesn't show all the historic and cultural representations. This is quite essential when you have a city with 320 monuments in an area of around 55 hectares, making it one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world as stated by UNESCO.  

References:

MacLeod, F. (2014, November 29). The 9 most controversial buildings of all time. Retrieved October 21, 2016, from http://www.archdaily.com/573271/the-9-most-controversial-buildings-of-all-time
The Controversial Renzo Piano City Gate - Part 1 | Choosemalta.Com Blog". Blog.choosemalta.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Oct. 2016.