Bring Your Wrecking Balls

[Geronimo]

it's amazing how even these buildings carefully selected to demonstrate particular ugliness could not begin to compete in that regard with the picture of a common wal-mart

No wonder I found most of the pictured buildings not that unattractive given the kinds of buildings I most frequently encounter.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Azazel


... but that's indicative of public housing developments, sadly, not modernism. A great proof of that is post-modernist public housing buildings.

Not necessarily so in Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Berlin, Moscow and dare I say it, London.

The Model Dwellings for Families near the British Museum, located in Streatham Street WC1 show how to do it, as does the Artisans' Estate in Queen's Park in North Westminster, where individual houses are given a range of Victorian Gothic accents to distinguish them, one from the other.

The Bergpolder Apartments in Rotterdam, the Model Dwellings in Columbia Road in Shoreditch, even the formerly despised Trellick Tower in north Paddington show how to do it right, but the problem with many of the avowedly modernist schemes is that they imposed a solution from on high, and tried to get humans to fit the theory.

[Az]

so, basically, you're saying, (pardon the cliché): "Think globally, act locally"? well, of course, I agree with this.

I know there are plenty of examples of great commie-blocks. But I've always found that the problem isn't architecture: it's the social engineering. Even an good social housing can suffer if not maintained properly: That's true for most neighbourhoods, but socialized housing is the one that suffers the most because of the population dynamics in it.

[:) Smiley]

Originally posted by Eli
How stupid does one has to be to build a building with NO ****ING WINDOWS.

It seems to be a common trend with engineering buildings. Berkeley has got one with almost no windows- the building was originally going to be lab space, and the engineers in all their rationality found out it was more practical to mechanically ventilate the building and use artificial lighting.

Problem is, changes have made it into a classroom building.



Speaking of windowless buildings, most big box stores have little or no windows. I'm not sure why this is allowed, even factories have more natural lighting.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Azazel


I know there are plenty of examples of great commie-blocks. But I've always found that the problem isn't architecture: it's the social engineering. Even an good social housing can suffer if not maintained properly: That's true for most neighbourhoods, but socialized housing is the one that suffers the most because of the population dynamics in it.

Actually what I'm really saying is that with the right amount of thought, large public housing schemes can have the same impact on the built environment and streetscape that individual townhouses or expensive Regency era crescents or city squares have.

People treasure the Crescent in Buxton, the Georgian architecture of Dublin, and Bath and Liverpool, and also some of the public housing around London and other European cities- but people don't by and large treasure or respect large Brutalist developments, especially in temperate Northern climes, because massive featureless expanses of drab concrete are depressing, in winter or out of it.

Lasdun's Royal National Theatre complex on the South Bank in London is one of those Brutalist monstrosities, and yet Lasdun was capable of the building project at 26 St. James's Place with a groovy split level interior, a distinctive block of flats overlooking Green Park with granite and bronze detailing, both of which are suited to the rigours of London's environment and seasonal climate changes.

Same architect, but one approach appears creative, resourceful and responsive to its surroundings, the other looks like a bad postwar carpark.

[molly bloom]

Unlovely theatre:

[molly bloom]

Come friendly bombs and fall on this:

[Donegeal]

Resistance is futile.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Azazel
In many cases they're far better than post-modernism's attempts at being ornamental, or free-form's gross looks.

Post-modernism is worse. Luckily, we don't have many of that.

[Odin]

Originally posted by Azazel
so, basically, you're saying, (pardon the cliché): "Think globally, act locally"? well, of course, I agree with this.

I know there are plenty of examples of great commie-blocks. But I've always found that the problem isn't architecture: it's the social engineering. Even an good social housing can suffer if not maintained properly: That's true for most neighbourhoods, but socialized housing is the one that suffers the most because of the population dynamics in it.

Socialized housing tends to fail because it is owned by the state insead of collectively by the tenants.

[:) Smiley]

That is true, in general rental housing is of lower quality since the people living there don't bother to invest in improving it.

The reason commie blocks are famed for being ugly though is because of their durability- neglect that makes a concrete box ugly would cause a wooden one to fall apart years ago.

[Az]

Come friendly bombs and fall on this

That is true, in general rental housing is of lower quality since the people living there don't bother to invest in improving it.

That's not true. Many people do bother to invest and repair their state-owned homes, I know that from personal experience. The ones who don't, well, they wouldn't be owning homes without state housing anyway.

The reason commie blocks are famed for being ugly though is because of their durability- neglect that makes a concrete box ugly would cause a wooden one to fall apart years ago.

True, but nowadays noone builds with wood, anyway.

[Az]

Freeform :vomit:

The new Tel-Aviv museum of modern art building isn't completed yet, and I already want to demolish it.

It reminds me of something alive:


It reminds me of something in change:


It reminds me of something deep inside:





IT REMINDS ME OF CANCER.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Azazel



True, but nowadays noone builds with wood, anyway.

Aha!

Wrong- at least in the United Kingdom, and I've seen a few eco-friendly projects in British Columbia too. In Australia, some properties have been built using a mixture of straw bale, wood and mud, all of which are more responsive to a hot climate.

http://www.architecture.com/go/Architecture/Debate/Sustainable_2678.html?q=sustainable+futures

Also look at The Pavilion, New Maltings here:

http://www.architecture.com/go/Architecture/Also/Awards_2665.html

[Az]

Aha!

Wrong- at least in the United Kingdom, and I've seen a few eco-friendly projects in British Columbia too. In Australia, some properties have been built using a mixture of straw bale, wood and mud, all of which are more responsive to a hot climate.

you're really grasping at *cough* straws, here.