Presenting

Lido Bay House, Carl Abbott. cold is only looking at one tiny little piece. There are so many more layers to consider. You go to Spain, and they are doing some wonderful things today, and yet, American's call their new buildings Spanish, but really it is what the Spaniards were doing over 100 years ago. I know Sarastoa is a special place to you. As the city grows, how would you like to see the architecture evolve? Say you were the city planner or mayor, what direction would you take? " I think the morality of architecture is doing things that relate to your time and the site itself. Carl I went to Santiago de Compostela in Spain with Norman once. The mayor of the city was an architect. His philosophy really resonated with me. He said, "We have some of the most important buildings in Europe, some of the most beautiful buildings. We will only have the best of new buildings to compliment our old buildings. To copy our buildings would be to deface and destroy them. They are the best of their period, we want only the best of our period." So certainly, if I were the mayor, I would say just that. We want to improve, not go backwards, we want to improve on the environment we have here. I would encourage buildings that respond to the land, the views… We have an amazing legacy here in Sarasota, compared to most cities, especially in America. Of all the cities I've ever been to, the most ideal city is " Vancouver. In concept, Vancouver is what I call "the new world city." It would be a wonderful concept in Sarasota. New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, all of these cities are in a European style. They were designed as three or four stories, and it just got bigger. So now there are tunnels everywhere. Most cities are built as walls of buildings, and the higher they get, the more they block the light. The Abbott more they create wind tunnels. In Vancouver, you cannot build a high-rise next to another high rise. So Vancouver is a city of towers, some very large, and then the roads are on a grid. But you never have a tunnel, the shadow passes you, it doesn't linger. It is a beautiful concept of a city. Some people don't like high-rises. Well, to have a city, you have to have density. So, what is the better way, to mash it down, or is it better to put some towers up so you actually can see the views and get the light and air? If I were mayor, I would encourage this approach. I would encourage the use of height, structures with space between the towers. I like height verses low mass buildings, so that you can have more trees, more parks, more open areas, more of nature. "More of nature," a fitting end to an insightful conversation. Enjoy more of our interview online. Audio excerpts available on our website and in our digital edition visit FloridaHomesMag.com www.FloridaHomesMag.com | 23

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