Libeskind on the Chrysler Building

There's something to be said for high-profile architects speaking in admiration of the work of others. It seems much more valid than pontification on one's own work, without ulterior motive, lending their hard-won artistic clout to appreciate what else is out there. Maybe egomania is a more rare condition than we think. In the case of the brief interview above, in which Daniel Libeskind discusses the Chrysler Building, for a couple minutes he delves into what he makes the edifice so personally significant, focusing on the building's spire. He begins by celebrating the apparent whimsical, impractical skewer, but gradually reveals how this element is truly useful, as he closes with a rather poignant sentiment:

"[The Chrysler Building] incorporates our dreams, and what better thing to do to make a building sustainable, than to make it dependent on our dreams. It is one thing to make a green building, which is dependent on water and sky, but go the one step beyond: make it sustainable on our memories, a building that will therefore never vanish from New York's spirit."

Libeskind also talks about the George Washington Bridge. These interviews [and others with Bruce Fowle and Deborah Berke, Robert Ivy, etc.] are part of Architectural Record's : "My New York" Project on their RECORD TV website. As with the aforementioned interview, they feature well-known figures in the architecture world speaking in contemplation of Gotham's landmarks. They are good viewing, in that they are brief and they often go deeper than the buildings being discussed; the urban presence of these buildings and landmarks: how they shape the city through time and memory, the city often returning the favor ten-fold.