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What do y'all think

22:47 / 08.05.03

Like it or not this is gonna be opening in my dirty little city soon.

so thumbs up or thumbs down? and can anyone think of a better name than the bloody "bee-hive"?

personally i like it, its how i imaganied all the building to be like in 2k

at the scarwash

23:28 / 08.05.03

That's rad. I wish people would build like that here. I mean' it's a fucking department store. We get brick boxes. I think that more architecture should look like stuff left behind by aliens.

Tryphena Absent

23:31 / 08.05.03

Crikey- the thing about Birmingham is (sorry about this) that it has no really nice big old buildings. I'd prefer it if they emulated Art Deco for once instead of building another monstrosity of over-large contemporary architecture.

23:47 / 08.05.03

Well, I'm hoping that those circular things act as windows and let light inside that strange shape. I'm also hoping that the area around Selfridges is going to be more open that it currently is with all the scaffolding.

Most of all that building reminds me of a toy hamster that got armoured (it had many drawing pins stuck in it). I can't take that building seriously: it reminds me of an armoured hamster's bum.

Brief aside: there are some nice old buildings, but they are out of the way and not in the town centre. The stuff east of the central library and the law courts is lovely red brick with ornate carvings. The problem with the nice stuff in Birmingham is that it is nowhere near the centre, or it is covered in scaffolding, smoke and pigeon goo (ie St Martins).

23:50 / 08.05.03

Just to clarify - toy as in stuffed toy, not plaything (which could be a live creature).

Tryphena Absent

23:55 / 08.05.03

Well that makes it useless then. Birmingham needs aesthetic help, it's crying, it needs new clothes.

00:02 / 09.05.03

Set against the backdrop of the Rotunda, the £40 million three-dimensional Selfridges' structure...

Three dimensions? Astounding! Bad news for Flat Stanley and Little Johnny Paper, though.

Tryphena Absent

00:12 / 09.05.03

Flat Stanley did very well in a 3D world.

00:17 / 09.05.03

Apperently according to good sources of mine the silver circles were supposed to be interlinked on top of each other (like scales off snakes skin) The builders couldnt do this so put them on like as is shown.

In my opinion it's another rotunda, seems a good idea at the time and then becomes hated, then becomes a national tresure and cant be torn down. Has anyone seen how this building abruptly ends and links onto the next poorly designed other buildings like the giant debenhams?? Who designed these horrific buildings near the old bull ring?? No continuity between them and the already look horrifically dated / Odd. Anyone seen the space station platform when they come out of new street? (towards nostalgia) i prefered the concrete slum look and thats sayin someting.

And the fucker is that all these renovations aren't supposed to be finished till 2005 which means more bus anarchy, anyone who lives here will know what I mean, all the traffic through town going past one tiny island???...

Fuck it im moving.
Pot.

00:31 / 09.05.03

Looks cool. all we have in america is stone boxes, I wouldn't mind haveing alien artifact looking buildings around here. But to hell with the traffic.

11:35 / 09.05.03

I like it, it will send new, inspiring light into digbeth and let's face it the area could do with some

.

Pot's has a point though the whole bull ring redevelopment hasn't been thought of as one unit, and the "mirrorball" doesn't connect well with the rest of it, and you're right pots it does look dated already

.

Still it's more arty than what the millenium point turned out to be. Gorgeous on the inside but metal box on the outside.

Do we think the planners where under instruction to get as far away from the concrete image of the late 60's that Brum as laboured under?

13:08 / 09.05.03

yup so theyv'e used that nineties glass look.

14:20 / 09.05.03

Whilst the Bull Ring was a monstrous, smelly abomination, it had a certain rustic charm. I can imagine the new Bull Ring turning out to be another version of the Palisades or the Pavilions replete with faceless and dull shops. I certainly hope it doesn’t turn out like the new markets which seemed to have all the life sucked out of them in their new home.

19:57 / 09.05.03

Yuk Yuk Yuk. I know I'm in the minority by saying its pretty hideous, but seriously... you like it? As if its not bad enough as it is (now), by 2010 it will be the biggest ugly thing in Birmingham.

I want a 2D centre- Flat Stanley was my hero. I always wanted to be posted in an envelope.

Brigade du jour

21:56 / 09.05.03

I love space-age stuff, so I think it looks great. But if I woke up every morning, opened my curtains and saw that big bugger I'd probably find it rather distasteful.

Our Lady of The Two Towers

09:40 / 10.05.03

From what I can remember, the area around the central library on either side was quite nice, it was just the library was an eyesore. And now they want to replace it with a building that's even uglier! Result!

09:55 / 10.05.03

I say more giant fucked up buildings, i want buildings shaped like eggs, washing machines and wingnuts, i want buildings that freak clubbers out on the way home, i want buildings that look like the inside of adam ants mind!

Apparantly when the police first saw the plans for the new bull ring they called it "a skateboaders paridise". he he he he he

Cloned Christ on a HoverDonkey

10:18 / 10.05.03

Personally, I'm all for these new, monstrous carbuncles that are springing up all over our inner cities.

Take Urbis, the spangly new 'Museum of City Life' that's appeared lately in Manchester :-

I love it. Apparently that long, sloping roof hides Britain's only indoor fernicular lift - it carries you diagonally up the slope, rather than using a booooring, soooo last century shaft. Haven't been in yet, but it's high on my list of priorities as soon as I can get a fookin' day off work.

23:56 / 10.05.03

My lifes not complete until I see jackie chean slide down that.

I had a more lengthy look at some of the buidings and to be fair aside from the giant golf ball there is some real nice architecture goin on in parts. My fave bit at the mo is when walking to St martins church it's perfectly framed by two identical buildings... Anyone seen this yet? Next time your in town look out for it!

00:00 / 11.05.03

chan.