Class Acts

In a lofty room overlooking the luminescent marble facade of the Perelman Performing Arts Center, conversants drafted buildings into the role of performers. All were in agreement about the need for elevating cultural places above the humdrum of city life. “Memory is the success,” said David Rockwell, a little gnomically. Joshua Ramus, whose architectural office, REX, is responsible for the Perelman’s shape-shifting interior configuration, offered the suggestion that “a building with specificity is strangely more flexible.” To this the Guggenheim Foundation’s Jaime Krone added, “Inflexible spaces constantly have the ability to reveal themselves,” while Gregg Pasquarelli of SHoP Architects stressed that “what is happening in [a] building” should “vibrantly [make] a connection with the city.” Moderator Paul Goldberger simply added to the chorus, resulting in a congenial event (hosted by the Downtown Alliance) whose most striking feature may have been the views outside.