#HelloBrooklyn  – If you take a look at the pic (below), the first question most people are asking is: why is the NEW $1 Billion Barclays all rusted?  Check out the pic and explanation & let us know what you think…
Why is it all rusted?
It’s a good question: the arena’s brand new and cost $1 billion, after all. Rust? But, as you might expect, the rusting is but a design flourish – one that developers might prefer you call “weathered steel.†It’s not exactly uncommon – both this New York Times piece and this Deadspin post from yesterday cite other structures that have used the stuff – but it’s aso hard to argue from either piece, especially Deadspin’s, that the weathered steel is actually a goodidea, architecturally. While there are functional reasons to use it, the Times points out:
Weathering steel — often known by its old brand name, Cor-Ten — develops a fine layer of rust, which then acts as a protective coating against moisture, slowing its own corrosion process almost to a stop.
It’s also still, you know, rust. Deadspin:
Pittsburgh’s U.S. Steel Tower, which opened in 1970, was built to showcase [weathering steel]. It turned all the surrounding sidewalks (and a few neighboring structures) brown. The company tried power-washing the stuff off, but they couldn’t make it all go away. A large, complicated public sculpture from 1967 was crumbling by 1991.
So, we’ll probably be looking at some brown spots on the sidewalks outside the Barclays Center (even despite precautionary measures taken to ensure the dripping from the intentionally-rusted metal), at least. Even if the rusting outer layer succeeds at protecting the building’sactual exterior, one would hope the building would look good. After all, weathered steel is supposed to be partly about looks, too. So, will it be worth it from an aesthetic standpoint? Will the Barclays Center make up for those brown rust splotches on sidewalks and spotty history of the material itself with beauty beyond reproach?
What do you think?!
WRITTEN BY Glenn Davis  & FULL STORY HERE
