ABSTRACT
The Dr Chau Chak Wing Building, which commenced construction in 2012, is just one of several projects recently built or underway at the University Of Technology, Sydney(UTS) campus, located at the south end of the Central Business District. It is the Dr Chau Chak Wing Building, though, which is commandeering all the attention. The building has courted the Inevitable controversy that accompanies a Gehry commission. Indeed, it has been a subject of spirited debate amongst local architectural cognoscenti since the designs were released. A familiar critique is that Gehry has delivered UTS with a design that is more about him than us, suggesting a boot-licking stance from a client that clearly defines its needs with great dollops of global publicity. Reflective not only of a backlash against universities engaging starchitecture as a marketing tool, this evaluation moreover reflects a widespread complaint that Gehry's buildings are a personal statement at the expense of context, placemaking and functionality.
