# Architectural Style You Dislike The Most?



## Travis007 (Jul 19, 2004)

With the exceptions of Sears, AON Chi, JHC, WTC twins, anything by Mies, and probably any tower that's distictive, I would have to say the 60's 70's box buildings (made of concrete) are the worse. Not all buildings built in that decade were bad, but the majority are pretty much generic and bland and IMO depressing when I walk by them.
Here are some examples found in Toronto:

Hilton









Sheraton









Manulife Centre

















Marriot


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## 1ajs (Jul 21, 2005)

http://www.emporis.com/files/transfer/sixwm/2003/08/210254.jpg has to be one of the uglyest scyscrapers in winnipeg

Le Chateau York 
http://www.emporis.com/files/transfer/sixwm/2003/07/203064.jpg 

one evergreen place
http://www.emporis.com/files/transfer/sixwm/2003/07/203067.jpg 

radison hotel 
http://www.emporis.com/files/transfer/sixwm/2004/06/272053.jpg

pics won't show up so i will give you the links for them


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## micro (Mar 13, 2005)

Maybe *postmodernism *is the style I dislike most.


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## Madman (Dec 29, 2003)

Brutalism and 80s trying to be clever Post-modernism.


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## i_am_hydrogen (Dec 9, 2004)

1) Much of the 60s-70s block architecture (with some exceptions).
and
2) Post-modernism - Its attempt to combine modernism with various historical styles often produces foolish results. But there are exceptions, such as 2 Prudential Plaza in Chicago and the Liberty Place buildings in Philly.


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## Guest (Aug 16, 2005)

Corporate anything can get a little grim, regardless of style or era. However, big-box brutalism and Postmodernism are certainly the worst offenders. I also hate McMansion style buildings, which are less Postmodern than they are simply moronic retreads of styles that were never allowed to die.

The ugliest building on earth not a Gulag factory or Nazi camp has got to be a Walmart surrounded by 100 acres of parking.


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## Islander (Jul 29, 2004)

There are exceptions, but I dislike most of:

International style
Modern boxes
Commieblocks/clones
Brutalism
The new "excessively shiny and flashy" style


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## malec (Apr 17, 2005)

Buildings shaped like the ones travis007 posted:










Cork city's only skyscraper looks like this and it's ugly as hell.


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## flagman (Aug 16, 2005)

Post-modern bulky, stubby boxes, buildings that look like armoirs, and yes, flat Wal-Mart-style shopping venues are the worst (but at least those will be razed in 30 or so years). I di happen to like some of the buildings above, when they are slender on one side, or have a light slope.


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## hngcm (Sep 17, 2002)

Brutalism


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## dogyears (Aug 11, 2005)

I love brutalism ... brutalist buildings have personality.


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## TalB (Jun 8, 2005)

I just find deconstructivism to be nothing more than a pile of garbage literally.


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## Amazing (Dec 20, 2004)

TalB said:


> I just find deconstructivism to be nothing more than a pile of garbage literally.


I completely agree! You CONSTRUCT buildings, you don't deconstruct them! :bash:


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## DarkFenX (Jan 8, 2005)

I don't know why people wants to build Brutalist towers but they are sure ugly as hell.


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## wjfox (Nov 1, 2002)

Postmodernism... there are so many bland, banal towers of this kind around.


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## Dziki REX (Nov 10, 2003)

I hate all pseudo historic styles. Only real progress or true historic monuments impress me.


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## TalB (Jun 8, 2005)

This is a true statement, historic styles has already passed, b/c if people want to have historic buildings, then they can just buy them rather than create newer ones.


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## Gatis (Sep 22, 2003)

For me - most of *brutalism*. Postmodernism is a little (but not much) better - a bit desperate alternative to soulless, aggressive, alien brutalism.

I consider that brutalism (may be even all the architecture since the Big Killing of Ornament) is weird trick of public relations, where architects+investors spend possibly little effort and money while the public thinks that they make the High Art.


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## Liz L (Oct 17, 2002)

Amen, Amazing and TalB! From what I've seen and read of it, "Decon" is my least favorite style too, for the same basic reasons >( :no: (more about this later...)

BTW, if any of you remember the horrid collection of "plans" for rebuilding ground zero that the Max Protech (spelling?) gallery in NYC displayed a few years back, which of those would be called "decon"?


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## Ellatur (Apr 7, 2004)

commieblock-style and baroque


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## Ellatur (Apr 7, 2004)

commieblock-style and baroque


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## chenlu (Dec 16, 2003)

In my opinion, all styles are very good in their own way. 

What I hate with a passion is buildings with a style that does not fit, for example, a greek styled chinese history museum, or a ancient chinese styled world trade center, or a international style house for an owner who likes brutalism.


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## TO_Joe (Jul 22, 2005)

List of Least Favourites

1. Brutalism tops the list of my least favourite: there isn't much aesthetic to gray concrete already, and the uniform shapes and angular designs just make it that much harsher. 

Robarts Library in Toronto (U of Toronto campus) is the archetype of the ugliness of brutalism (and try to use that space -- the triangular corners, the depressing dimness due to lack of natural light -- total prison-like atmosphere). 

However, I am willing to soften a bit and accept brutalism if there are good functional arguments, good layout, and a reason for Zen-like austerity: I do like the Salk Institute near San Diego for all the foregoing reasons.


2. Neo-Classical (of the 80s and today)

To me, it is a pretentious marketing ploy because it is trying to imitate the "timeless classic" of yesteryears with updated structures and designs. And it just screams lack of imagination. Actually, more new condos fall into this category than office towers.


3. International Style of Mies van der Rohe. 

I think this style was well-intentioned, and for its time, it was high tech and efficient. Unfortunately I don't think it stood well over time -- mainly because it was easy to copy so everyone did it, and thus all the city downtowns around the world start to look the same.

Toronto is probably the worst example of how this me-too international style just overran the downtown so that it looks like "Anytown" in the first world. The problem is not just confined to Toronto -- midtown Manhattan, New York is full of these non-descript buildings.


4. Commieblocks / Suburbia

Which brings us to the identical commieblocks and suburbia when it comes to boring repetitiveness. The distinction is that Commieblocks are high rise, while the Suburbia I am talking about are single family homes in a North American housing development packed together but are nevertheless identical. 

I find them dehumanizing and soulless.

I understand the economics of repetition (in the Communist countries, I suppose ideology of classlessness was also a factor). But there must be ways to recycle design in a mixed way neighbourhood way -- repeat the tower 1 km away and in the current block mix it with varied high and low rises ; do not repeat the blocks.

Actually zoning laws can deal with this problem -- just prohibit it and force some imagination on the developers.


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## hella good (Jun 17, 2004)

i dont hate any styles at all, i respect, appreciate and like all styles. our cities would not be the same without either one of the styles that make them.


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## nightfire741 (Apr 14, 2005)

^agreed! 

But I have to admit, Brutalist isn't the prettiest.


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## Minato ku (Aug 9, 2005)

Look at paris 60s 70s towers structure


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## Bitxofo (Feb 3, 2005)

60s-70s style in Spain, Franco era. 
uke: uke:


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## skymad (Aug 30, 2005)

They look like naked towers. I could see the building skeletons.


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## TheOingoBoingoBandit (Mar 16, 2005)

Although I'm trying to like it, brutalism can be very ugly.


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## de flatneuroot (Sep 11, 2002)

Walt Disney style architecture. uke: Also the most of the Post Modern era i dislike. Also i hate the most of the retro styled buildings today (skyscrapes or houses which are build today but look like old castles, churches etc). :runaway:
http://www.gerardshomepage.com/helmondbrandevoort.html


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## SUNNI (Sep 20, 2002)

i hate repititon buildings so-called "clones"


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## firmanhadi (Aug 3, 2005)

*Deconstructivism... self-indulgent architecture at its worst!*









Contemporary Art Center in Cincinnati (Zaha Hadid)









a Tokyo office building (Peter Eisenmann) 









Spiral Extension to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (Daniel Libeskind)


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## Gatis (Sep 22, 2003)

IMHO commie blocks belong to brutalism, a kind of cheap end of this style.


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## malec (Apr 17, 2005)

I wonder what the interiors are like for that Tokyo building


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## DrT (Jun 24, 2005)

This is probably a stupid comment, but IMO the majority of buildings fit into a "no architectural style category" where it appears to be designed 100% utilitarian and 0% esthetic, like the metal sheds in people's back yards. Maybe this is "modern", but it is similar to "naive" painting, where the artist had no idea of previous or current styles. The other is financial, "build the box for the least money, nevermind what it looks like". I think the latter is the force that leads to the epidemic of ugly buildings.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Brutalism, and Po-Mo monstrosities (like the pink glass Cathedral bldg in Montreal).
I am also leary of some current novelty designs that seem to be trying too hard...
The Gherkin springs to mind, and much of what is being built in Asia. They will become
dated looking very quickly.


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## Travis007 (Jul 19, 2004)

Not all brutalism buildings are bad...some of the examples found in Belgrade and Eastern Europe are more distinguishable and can be quite nice like the Genex Building (IMHO). The ones that I hate are the ones mainly found in NA which are simply plain concrete boxes.

Genex, the pride of Belgrade:


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## System_Halted (Aug 14, 2004)

Do anyone know any resource on the literal classification of skyscrapers? :? :?


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