Critics review Rafael Viñoly’s “golden banana”

Dezeen Wire: there has been mixed reaction from architecture critics to Rafael Viñoly’s firstsite visual arts centre in Colchester, dubbed the “golden banana” by some commentators.

Rowan Moore of The Observer writes harshly that the name of firstsite is apt as it is “great at first sight, but then less so,” criticising the building for the lack of suitable gallery spaces, while in The Guardian, Maev Kennedy describes the troubled and lengthly construction process.

The Telegraph’s Rupert Christiansen admires the local authority for backing the construction of such a high profile building but expresses doubts about its execution, while Simon Calder of The Independent is more positive, saying that the “brave new structure transcends its utilitarian surroundings” and could revitalise the image of the city.

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