The Center for Informatics and Engineering (1986-1988) is now in poor condition: the paint has peeled off, the metal parts are covered with rust, the plywood used in the exterior is crumbling. Students complain about the terrible acoustics in the main auditorium: beyond the second row, the lecturer's words are not heard. The roof is leaking, the ventilation is poor, the structures are affected by dry rot.
According to the calculations of the university administration, reconstruction will cost more than new construction, and the new building will provide five times more space. However, in June of this year, the University of California awarded Gehry the Lifetime Contribution to Architecture Medal.
The Santa Monica Place shopping center (1980) is also going through hard times: a new shopping center nearby attracts many more visitors, and the developer proposed to build an ensemble of residential and commercial buildings on the site of the Gehry complex.
However, these plans have already caused discontent among local residents. On the other hand, this shopping center has never been loved either. These messages have already caused a violent reaction from the public: many are in favor of preserving the entire heritage of the outstanding architect of our time, although some historians emphasize that not all buildings of any of the architects of the past reached us that there is a kind of "natural selection" going on.
