Blair Kamin's article of December 5th, "Doctored photo raises questions about ethics in architecture contests," is like one of those catchy, yet slightly annoying pop songs ? it has stayed with me for the last week and a half, even though I have issues with his conclusion. The main point of the article is that architects and architectural photographers should honestly portray buildings that are being judged for awards on the basis of those photos.

An AIA Chicago Award given to JGMA's El Centro project was the basis for Kamin's critique. The building is striking for the way it curves to follow the Kennedy Expressway and articulates the facade with angled fins that are blue on one side and yellow on the other. It's as if the building was designed to please the motorists zipping by on the expressway. With this in mind, it's obvious to know which of these two photos from the article is the doctored one and why it was:
Yes, those rooftop mechanical units are an eyesore that are magically missing from photographer Tom Rossiter's photograph that was part of the awards submission. Rossiter removed them with Photoshop, though it's not clear from Kamin's article if he did it at the urging of the architect, Juan Moreno, or not. What is clear, based on the quotes of jury members that Kamin contacted for the article, is that the editing went too far ? far enough that the building might not have received the award if the view was represented truthfully.

Now, I agree that th...