I guess I better complete the circle than, by saying I have no disagreement with the original post of Architecture as Crap. I have yet to see a proffesional design for the WTC memorial that I like.

I really liked the Habitable zone brainstorm we had a while back where many of us concurred that the WTC should simply be rebuilt with a few subtle changes to memorialize the site. I think simplicity is key for any memorial. The vietnam Veteran's Memorial and Battleship Arizona memorial in Pearl Harbor are 2 highly successful memorials. Both are thought provoking in their simplicity and humble enough to honor those they are memorializing without elevating the designer's ego on the backs of the fallen.

To the idea that Architects should not be artists that has arisen here, I partially disagree. I do believe that a memorial is the wrong medium for the architect/artist to find his/her ego-expanding opus. Let such projects be reserved for a more celebratory atmosphere.

1 more point (sorry for the shotgun approach to this thread, but i prefer it over the machine gun approach of making a seperate reply to every post). My own experience shows me there are 2 types of Architects. The Ego-Architect and the every-day Architect. The ego-architect is the one making the headlines and designing projects like those we have seen entered for the WTC. They are good for the flashy projects everybody dreams about. I have worked with a few aspiring ego-architects and have found them to be quite full of themselves, hence the title. Most architects are actually the everyday architect that does many small projects, and taylors every project to the client's needs and budget rather than the architects ego. Art and good design still belong, but are tempered by a real world bottom line and schedule. The latter is the type that I try to be, albeit with a varying degree of humility :)

-Steve G.