
                         THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
                 Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 15, 1994                    TAG: 9406150007 
SECTION: FRONT                     PAGE: A16    EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: Medium 
DATELINE: 940615                                 LENGTH:

NAUTICUS-DESIGN CRITIC IS WRONG

{LEAD} As a Portsmouth resident, I found your behind-the-scenes article on the design of Nauticus (May 29) to be both fascinating and insightful. As an architect, however, I am disappointed that you chose to give Robert Wotjotowicz such a prominent ``counterpoint'' opportunity.

Mr. Wotjotowicz's contention that the building is ``. . . a big, blank, hulking mass with very little ornament'' implies two fallacious arguments: that good architecture excludes pure sculptural massing and that applied ornament is a basic requirement for good architecture. This kind of pedantic, unsupported criticism is unfair to both architects and the general public.

{REST} Modern architecture is often sculptural in nature. Nauticus, with its low, ponderous columns facing Waterside Drive, ever-changing angles meeting the sky, curved ``nose'' and tall, delicate columns facing the river offers a rich diversity of space both inside and out. Traveling around and through the building is a dynamic experience, with unusually shaped spaces, surprise views of the river and skyline, and an exciting confluence of water and land.

An ornament is an accessory that adds grace or beauty. During the day, the gray mass of Nauticus will rightly stand as a unique backdrop against which to view the flags, color and activities of ships in the river and festivals in Town Point Park; at night, multicolored lasers will dance along its length. If Mr. Wotjotowicz feels that applied stone dentils, wood gingerbread and terra- cotta cornices are the only way to ornament a building, he is mistaken.

By using the forum given him to belittle and sneer at Nauticus rather than to provide carefully considered and insightful criticism, Mr. Wotjotowicz has missed an opportunity to introduce the public to academic architectural thought.

KURT A. FLECHTER

Portsmouth, June 1, 1994

by CNB