Oct 29 2009
Apple Store, Aberdeen
The new Apple Store in Aberdeen opened today, part of the horrifficly ugly and pedestrian archeteched, Union Square shopping deveopment. You will see the website is as ugly as the development itself. And what’s with the URL? /website? Amature. It’s no Westfield, thats for sure.
What they have done to the frontage of the much loved Station is hideous – this should never have happened. When you think of the care and pedantic attention to restorative detail taken over the St Pancras and Kings Cross redevelopments, this is just staggering.
This can only be described as planning rape. Pulled apart, a new cheap looking extension slapped on the side, two massive yellow pillars in front, two more prong things sticking out the top – it looks so pastiche, fake and Disneyesque.
Amusingly, this used to be the best looking building on the site. Here is a reminder of happier times:
Oh well, another Aberdeen planning disaster – it’s a disgrace. The whole development looks tacky and cheap with a poor slection of shops.
all i can say is i believe you are completely biased and more to the point ignorant in your views above.
Whilst i agree the station frontage is a beautiful piece of architecture the development purely enhances it and brings back into focus what was becoming drab and beyond repair.
i find it interesting that the photo you have provided is dated so late, it is obvious you may recall a “better time” however this is NOT the past. Times move and so do trends and the architecture of the new shopping centre itself is nothing short of astonishing. The modern structure is open and well planned to incorporate the original features of the station that were painstakingly restored to full glory. (i am not sure if you are aware but the structure was close to being removed due to the lack of funds available to make it safe before the development was implemented)
you will also find the /website url is becoming more and more popular as many of us use our huge amounts of cheap server space for both hosting and storage of data online
i will however happily agree with you on one point, those pillars and supports, i don’t know the exact reason for the awful V shaped supports above the station as i am sure the roof could have been supported from above adequately. Perhaps budget was a large issue in this?
…But bright yellow of all colours? someone just grabbed the first tin of paint they could find i think!
Yours
A.Local
Thanks for your reply A Local.
I’m not biased at all, biased towards good architecture maybe. Other UK cities do take much more care towards their redevelopment than us here in Aberdeen.
I can’t agree that Union Square has anything I’d describe as astonishing – it’s run of the mill at best – nothing at all of a local flavour about it – you will see these corrugated iron sheds up and down the length and breadth of the UK.
It has tided up the area, but in such an unimaginative way.
I am fully aware that time moves on and I am a fan of good quality modern architecture – I wasn’t expecting some sort of pastiche or for nothing to change. Nor am I ignorant of other similar developments across the UK, which I will illustrate below.
The decision was taken to save the station and it could have been done much more sympathetically, like they did in Glasgow with the Princes Square development:
http://www.princessquare.co.uk/
and in London with the St Pancras Station redevelopment:
http://www.stpancras.com/
a great example of the sympathetic restoration of the station, the addition of a high quality new building at the back built with high quality materials and a shopping centre in the basement.
Those are astonishing projects – Union Square is anything but – its pedestrian, dull and boring.