Michelle,

I appreciate the photo links -- actually, I considered using the second one (the hotel at Disney by Michael Graves), but ultimately decided against it. Something about that one seems a little more ornament to me, and a little less whimsy. What do you think?

Eric,

Yes I've seen the news headlines about MIT suing Gehry. If I remember correctly, he is blaming the contractor for not building it properly, and the contractor is blaming him for ignoring his warnings that it was impossible to seal the building as designed. It kind of makes me said -- I do like the look of the facility a lot, so much so that I went out and got the book. But going back to my ideas of Truth in architecture, what difference does it make if the building looks good, if it doesn't satisfy the basics of keeping the water out?

Enno,

That's actually a good segue into what you were hinting at -- how do Truth in architecture and Fun (or whimsy) in architecture work together? Are they at times contradictory? My wife tells me that I'm something of a walking contradiction sometimes...and perhaps what I like in architecture goes that way sometimes too. I think that there is a place where truth and whimsy can be in harmony in architecture. One would imagine that an architect can use color and material pallettes in a project that are not "common"...and yet still use them in a honest way to create a building that is both eye-catching, delightful and true to its structure, form & experience. I'll have to seek out some examples of this...some are coming to mind, but I'm not sure I have images of them.

The intent behind the castle image was to show how a castle is almost the perfect "truth" in architecture. It's purpose, generally, was to provide protection from enemies & elements - so you often find them placed in an easily defensible position, constructed from heavy materials like stone, etc., that provide a solid perimeter & barrier. This is a form of architecture that does what it looks like it should, and looks like what it does. How much more "truthful" in architecture can you get?

I'll have to look up your reference to Neuschwanstein. I'm assuming that's not a German import beer.