A movement known as Architectural Uprising is pushing back against Scandinavian design trends – and sometimes forcing architects back to the drawing board
This just feels like the 'retvrn' movement beginning to strangle the architecture world. I adore modernism, ecobrutalism, and everything new that is coming about. Going back to the "old style" or...
This just feels like the 'retvrn' movement beginning to strangle the architecture world.
I adore modernism, ecobrutalism, and everything new that is coming about. Going back to the "old style" or traditionalism is just so boring, nationalistic, and just overall lame in my mind.
I'm of the opposite mind. Most "modernist" designs are boring to me, utterly lacking in character and charm. It's one thing if it's one building that's intended to be edgy, like a museum of modern...
I'm of the opposite mind. Most "modernist" designs are boring to me, utterly lacking in character and charm. It's one thing if it's one building that's intended to be edgy, like a museum of modern art or something. But a whole neighborhood of those bland white cubes? Hellscape.
I agree. Modernist designs are boring cubes and geometric shapes. I want to see interesting details. A lot of modernists do details in the form of murals, which I do like in theory, but it often...
I agree. Modernist designs are boring cubes and geometric shapes. I want to see interesting details. A lot of modernists do details in the form of murals, which I do like in theory, but it often has the effect of being too distracting or too abstract to be meaningful.
I remember in 2021 between lockdowns in London. A colleague and I met up due to losing our minds and he had a few beers and remarked that "Man, these modern buildings are so wonderfully...
I remember in 2021 between lockdowns in London. A colleague and I met up due to losing our minds and he had a few beers and remarked that "Man, these modern buildings are so wonderfully inoffensive, there's fuck all about them!" and it's stuck in my mind since.
They're all just generic, boring and uninteresting. Even The Shard and it's ilk are just... God awful.
Jacques Tati criticized the uniform blandness of modernism in his 1967 film Playtime through a series of delightfully satirical travel posters in an in-film travel agency: see gallery
Jacques Tati criticized the uniform blandness of modernism in his 1967 film Playtime through a series of delightfully satirical travel posters in an in-film travel agency: see gallery
Another thing I've noticed is that they aren't geographically differentiated at all. Now I'm not sure how it is elsewhere, but here in Germany if you're in the older city centers, there's an...
Another thing I've noticed is that they aren't geographically differentiated at all. Now I'm not sure how it is elsewhere, but here in Germany if you're in the older city centers, there's an amount of character there that lets you identify broadly where you are just by looking at the buildings. The same is true to a lesser extent with older suburbs. It is completely eradicated with modern apartment buildings. I'm not sure if I could even tell whether I was in the US or in Europe. Give me some of that character back. We're not paying architects to put balconies slightly offset across the floors of an apartment building, or to pick a shade of grey. Give me a modern rendition of a half-hip roof or a mansard roof.
I agree. Some of the modernist buildings in that article are absolutely atrocious. They look like a bunch of random building materials just fell out of the sky and loosely assembled themselves....
I agree. Some of the modernist buildings in that article are absolutely atrocious. They look like a bunch of random building materials just fell out of the sky and loosely assembled themselves. I'm not against modern architecture, but those examples are awful. The ones they went with better suit their surroundings.
I think it's fair to say that not all modern design trends are good. Some are (in fact, having just found out about ecobrutalism via your comment I have to say I love the concept), but modernism...
I think it's fair to say that not all modern design trends are good. Some are (in fact, having just found out about ecobrutalism via your comment I have to say I love the concept), but modernism in the form of simplistic housing feels out of place to me. It has the appearance of flat, uninteresting and purely efficient apartment blocks, but the presentation feels like it's trying to be the opposite. I won't deny your point that hyper-traditionalist architectural types will gladly use this however
I had to look up "ecobrutalism" . I love it! I've been a fan of brutalism for some years, but haven't been keeping up with the recent trends in modern architecture. I think that it should be...
I had to look up "ecobrutalism" . I love it! I've been a fan of brutalism for some years, but haven't been keeping up with the recent trends in modern architecture. I think that it should be possible to find a balance between modernism and traditionalism (I'm personally rooting for an art nouveau/Jugendstil revival), but until that happens I would love to see more ecobrutalism. It's refreshing to see something as uncompromising as brutalism...compromising to fit into a modern society.
Bloomberg articles never load past the fold so I found this similar one: https://themalaysianreserve.com/2023/08/08/a-nordic-revolt-against-ugly-modern-architecture/ I'm happy to see locals...
I'm happy to see locals organizing against the architectural homogenization that's swept the globe over the last 2 decades or so. Too many buildings are cribbing from the same note sheet and stand in horrible, oppressive contrast with their surroundings. Though I can understand opposing views; Architecture, like all art, has its ebb and flow of style and what's thought to be the pinnacle of expression.
I also liked this sentence:
The Norwegian branch is led by psychologist Saher Sourori and marketing professional Erik Holm; among its moderators is the Norwegian technologist Håkon Wium Lie, known as the inventor of CSS.
I don't know what joke there is to be made about CSS standing against brutalism but I feel like there's a good one in there.
Honestly, I like both. I understand a desire for traditional designs. They transmit so much information and character in a short glance. I also understand the modern appreciation of the structure,...
Honestly, I like both. I understand a desire for traditional designs. They transmit so much information and character in a short glance. I also understand the modern appreciation of the structure, and what it's space does. Those 'ugly' buildings are far from the Soviet bloc apartments that people seem to think modern buildings are.
That said, I also enjoy the movement to push for public consideration of architecture. Around me, developers decide to build these 'modern' inspired mansions that crowd the lots of neighborhoods with... Period correct architectural styles for their homes and everyone just has to go along with it because, well, they own the land and they make more money off being able to list it with more bathrooms.
But, at the same time, if I want to build a recreation of Pee-Wee's Playhouse on my land, I don't care if you think I should maintain the bland, non-descript 1950s suburban hellscape we've created.
I guess for me, it comes down to an individual making decisions over a corporation or government... But there's really nothing ugly about that "ugliest building" they showed.
I fully agree with the sentiment expressed by the Architectural Uprising folks. I travel quite a bit for work across Europe, and cities have already become indistinguishable, both within a given...
I fully agree with the sentiment expressed by the Architectural Uprising folks.
I travel quite a bit for work across Europe, and cities have already become indistinguishable, both within a given country and across countries - that starts with the architecture of new buildings and continues with the cultural experiences proposed or goods/services being sold to consumers.
Adam Something had a nice video a while back about why we don't build beautiful buildings anymore. The answers won't surprise anyone here a lot, but I think it is a good reminder that we might change our architectural habits in order to change our outlook on what it is that makes a place liveable in the first place.
I like innovation in design. I love it when people try new things and explore new concepts. The thing about architecture though, is that unlike most other forms of art, it becomes part of our...
I like innovation in design. I love it when people try new things and explore new concepts. The thing about architecture though, is that unlike most other forms of art, it becomes part of our environment in a very very meaningful way. It becomes something imposed upon and experienced by everyone in a community, and because of that I think architects have an additional responsibility to take into consideration the feelings of everyone in that community in ways other artists don't. A lot of geometric modernist architecture can seem cold or oppressive, and while I think they have a lot of artistic merit, if people don't want more of that in their communities, I think that's fair. We shouldn't decry those who speak against it as merely "holding architecture back" when it's their homes we're talking about.
When you say "it's their homes we're talking about." I don't know if that includes the people moving into these new homes. While current residents are more than welcome to their opinions, I'm not...
When you say "it's their homes we're talking about." I don't know if that includes the people moving into these new homes. While current residents are more than welcome to their opinions, I'm not sure how I feel about current residents getting to make design decisions for all future residents.
HOAs are hotly contested partially because they so often limit design and architectural choices. Does it really degrade my neighbor's quality of life if I want a blue house with geometric shapes? I feel like architectural diversity can also be its own artistic quality. I don't personally like buildings with white or pink bricks, but I appreciate the color contrast they can provide nearby residences.
Yeah, I'm with you there. By people's homes, I meant their communities at large, so a civic center for example would be a part of someone's home. My bad though, looking back, that wording is super...
Yeah, I'm with you there. By people's homes, I meant their communities at large, so a civic center for example would be a part of someone's home. My bad though, looking back, that wording is super confusing
This just feels like the 'retvrn' movement beginning to strangle the architecture world.
I adore modernism, ecobrutalism, and everything new that is coming about. Going back to the "old style" or traditionalism is just so boring, nationalistic, and just overall lame in my mind.
I'm of the opposite mind. Most "modernist" designs are boring to me, utterly lacking in character and charm. It's one thing if it's one building that's intended to be edgy, like a museum of modern art or something. But a whole neighborhood of those bland white cubes? Hellscape.
I agree. Modernist designs are boring cubes and geometric shapes. I want to see interesting details. A lot of modernists do details in the form of murals, which I do like in theory, but it often has the effect of being too distracting or too abstract to be meaningful.
I remember in 2021 between lockdowns in London. A colleague and I met up due to losing our minds and he had a few beers and remarked that "Man, these modern buildings are so wonderfully inoffensive, there's fuck all about them!" and it's stuck in my mind since.
They're all just generic, boring and uninteresting. Even The Shard and it's ilk are just... God awful.
Jacques Tati criticized the uniform blandness of modernism in his 1967 film Playtime through a series of delightfully satirical travel posters in an in-film travel agency: see gallery
Another thing I've noticed is that they aren't geographically differentiated at all. Now I'm not sure how it is elsewhere, but here in Germany if you're in the older city centers, there's an amount of character there that lets you identify broadly where you are just by looking at the buildings. The same is true to a lesser extent with older suburbs. It is completely eradicated with modern apartment buildings. I'm not sure if I could even tell whether I was in the US or in Europe. Give me some of that character back. We're not paying architects to put balconies slightly offset across the floors of an apartment building, or to pick a shade of grey. Give me a modern rendition of a half-hip roof or a mansard roof.
I agree. Some of the modernist buildings in that article are absolutely atrocious. They look like a bunch of random building materials just fell out of the sky and loosely assembled themselves. I'm not against modern architecture, but those examples are awful. The ones they went with better suit their surroundings.
I think it's fair to say that not all modern design trends are good. Some are (in fact, having just found out about ecobrutalism via your comment I have to say I love the concept), but modernism in the form of simplistic housing feels out of place to me. It has the appearance of flat, uninteresting and purely efficient apartment blocks, but the presentation feels like it's trying to be the opposite. I won't deny your point that hyper-traditionalist architectural types will gladly use this however
I had to look up "ecobrutalism" . I love it! I've been a fan of brutalism for some years, but haven't been keeping up with the recent trends in modern architecture. I think that it should be possible to find a balance between modernism and traditionalism (I'm personally rooting for an art nouveau/Jugendstil revival), but until that happens I would love to see more ecobrutalism. It's refreshing to see something as uncompromising as brutalism...compromising to fit into a modern society.
Bloomberg articles never load past the fold so I found this similar one: https://themalaysianreserve.com/2023/08/08/a-nordic-revolt-against-ugly-modern-architecture/
I'm happy to see locals organizing against the architectural homogenization that's swept the globe over the last 2 decades or so. Too many buildings are cribbing from the same note sheet and stand in horrible, oppressive contrast with their surroundings. Though I can understand opposing views; Architecture, like all art, has its ebb and flow of style and what's thought to be the pinnacle of expression.
I also liked this sentence:
The Norwegian branch is led by psychologist Saher Sourori and marketing professional Erik Holm; among its moderators is the Norwegian technologist Håkon Wium Lie, known as the inventor of CSS.
I don't know what joke there is to be made about CSS standing against brutalism but I feel like there's a good one in there.
Honestly, I like both. I understand a desire for traditional designs. They transmit so much information and character in a short glance. I also understand the modern appreciation of the structure, and what it's space does. Those 'ugly' buildings are far from the Soviet bloc apartments that people seem to think modern buildings are.
That said, I also enjoy the movement to push for public consideration of architecture. Around me, developers decide to build these 'modern' inspired mansions that crowd the lots of neighborhoods with... Period correct architectural styles for their homes and everyone just has to go along with it because, well, they own the land and they make more money off being able to list it with more bathrooms.
But, at the same time, if I want to build a recreation of Pee-Wee's Playhouse on my land, I don't care if you think I should maintain the bland, non-descript 1950s suburban hellscape we've created.
I guess for me, it comes down to an individual making decisions over a corporation or government... But there's really nothing ugly about that "ugliest building" they showed.
I fully agree with the sentiment expressed by the Architectural Uprising folks.
I travel quite a bit for work across Europe, and cities have already become indistinguishable, both within a given country and across countries - that starts with the architecture of new buildings and continues with the cultural experiences proposed or goods/services being sold to consumers.
Adam Something had a nice video a while back about why we don't build beautiful buildings anymore. The answers won't surprise anyone here a lot, but I think it is a good reminder that we might change our architectural habits in order to change our outlook on what it is that makes a place liveable in the first place.
I like innovation in design. I love it when people try new things and explore new concepts. The thing about architecture though, is that unlike most other forms of art, it becomes part of our environment in a very very meaningful way. It becomes something imposed upon and experienced by everyone in a community, and because of that I think architects have an additional responsibility to take into consideration the feelings of everyone in that community in ways other artists don't. A lot of geometric modernist architecture can seem cold or oppressive, and while I think they have a lot of artistic merit, if people don't want more of that in their communities, I think that's fair. We shouldn't decry those who speak against it as merely "holding architecture back" when it's their homes we're talking about.
When you say "it's their homes we're talking about." I don't know if that includes the people moving into these new homes. While current residents are more than welcome to their opinions, I'm not sure how I feel about current residents getting to make design decisions for all future residents.
HOAs are hotly contested partially because they so often limit design and architectural choices. Does it really degrade my neighbor's quality of life if I want a blue house with geometric shapes? I feel like architectural diversity can also be its own artistic quality. I don't personally like buildings with white or pink bricks, but I appreciate the color contrast they can provide nearby residences.
Yeah, I'm with you there. By people's homes, I meant their communities at large, so a civic center for example would be a part of someone's home. My bad though, looking back, that wording is super confusing