Say what you want about Diamond Schmitt and their National Arts Center rejuvenation project, but this video by our friends at No Hands, is the perfect blend of storytelling, stunning imagery and quirkiness, all working together towards telling the story of this place.
It's not about the building, it's not about the architects, but it's about what the building enables its users to do, which is what architecture is all about. Yes, ultimately it's a promotional video for an architecture firm, but it's done elegantly and with a certain degree of humility, hinting at the why of this project.
As far as marketing is concerned, I'll take that any day over self-centred videos that tell us how much of a “genius” the guy who designed it was, if not just rambling on for an eternity about nonsense like materiality and process.