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Ice, $62M building imperil sidewalksCase Western takes precautions with Gehry's sloping roof
CLEVELAND, Ohio (AP) -- The shiny, swirling $62 million building that houses the business school at Case Western Reserve University is a marvel to behold. But it is sometimes best admired from afar. In its first winter, snow and ice have been sliding off the long, sloping, stainless-steel roof, bombarding the sidewalk below. And in bright sun, the glint off the steel tiles is so powerful that standing next to the building is like lying on a beach with a tanning mirror. The peculiar Peter B. Lewis Building was designed by Frank Gehry, the internationally renowned architect who also created the titanium-covered Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, Spain. "You might have to walk on the road to make sure you don't get hit by ice," said Adam Searl, a junior at Case Western's Weatherhead School of Management. "Maybe they should have thought about it before they had built the building. It's Cleveland. We get ice. We get snow. We get rain." The building is about five stories high. Instead of walls on the south side, it has a curving roof, made of 20,000 stainless-steel shingles, that seemingly tumbles to the ground. On a sunny day, the building produces a shimmering glare, with patches of concentrated heat. In Cleveland's winter, though, sun glare isn't the problem. The city has had more than 86 inches of snow this season, and is on a pace to break the 1995-96 record of 101 inches. The university ordered barricades erected on the sidewalk to keep pedestrians away after the first big snow of the season produced something like an avalanche off the roof, said J.B. Silvers, associate dean for resource management and planning. No one has been hurt, he said, but "I asked for the sidewalk barricades so we wouldn't have people getting snow inadvertently dumped on their heads." The sidewalk will soon be eliminated and replaced with landscaping, and a new walkway will be created. University, firm look for fixGene Matthews, director for plant services for the campus, said the university is working closely with Gehry's firm to fix the problem without detracting from the building's character.
Jim Glymph, a senior partner with Gehry Partners in Santa Monica, California, who worked on the project, said winter weather was considered in the design. But he added, "You've had a really, really unusual winter." Silvers said the harsh winter has given the university an excellent opportunity to test the new building and see how it stands up to the elements. "If I had to pick a set of conditions, I would pick exactly the conditions from this winter, so we could find out any issues with the building, and then we can deal with it," Silvers said. "This is a shakedown period, like with any new structure. I figure it's going to take a year to figure what works and what doesn't work." Lewis, an art collector and the billionaire chairman of Progressive Insurance, gave Case $37 million toward construction of the building, which opened in the fall. Lewis later announced he would stop making donations because he was unhappy with the school's board of trustees. He did not return a call requesting comment. Meanwhile, some of Case Western's 9,500 students brave the sidewalk anyway, stepping around the barricades. But most stay clear. Rosalyn Foster, a graduate student at the Weatherhead, said the sidewalk barricades and falling snow and ice are easy to live with, considering the modern facilities inside. "It's a great facility, it really is. It accommodates everyone who works here, as well as the students," Foster said. Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Maybe they should have thought about it before they had built the building.
