# What do you think is the ugliest style of architecture?



## strandeed (May 31, 2009)

Botswana said:


> People will aspire to what they consider success. Suburbs are awful, but it`s part of the American dream to own a soulless house with a white picket fence. Suburbs are very ugly, especially when there is no variation in architecture and just bland replicas everywhere.


The IDEA behind it may be ugly and the execution soulless... but at the end of the day it's what the market demands.

I suppose they have commited a sin worse than ugly... by being common.

Kind of like the Toyota corrolla.

It is the worlds best selling car because it does everything it is supposed to better and more reliably than anyone else, despite it's utter blandness.

Not everyone wants or can afford a ferrari or a range rover, if you know what i'm saying


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## Piltup Man (May 21, 2010)

For me the ugliest form of architecture is the post-war housing block, for all the reasons written above regarding suburban housing, but multiplied several times over: 

1. they are bland and have little architectural merit; 

2. they all pretty much look alike, wherever they are in the world;

3. there are often many of them together covering huge swathes of territory, so not only are they eyesores in their own right but they turn large areas into a vast sea of depressing awfulness;

4. it has been suggested that their very architecture, and the urban planning that goes hand-in-hand with this kind of housing, is linked to levels of crime and vandalism in those areas;

5. they were often hastily (thus poorly) built, using low-quality materials. Actually, this may be their only redeeming factor, as it means that they will hopefully not be around for too much longer (as long as we don't keep building similar atrocities).


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## Elvenking (Jul 22, 2008)

For me - postmodernism in eastern counstries, especially colorful highrises with pseudo-historical add-ons, also any other kind of cheap neo-historical crap.


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## ChitownCity (May 11, 2010)

^ That's not too shabby imo...


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## Mike____ (Mar 15, 2009)




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## Benonie (Dec 21, 2005)

The so called 'fermette-style' in my country, Belgium.
In Flanders you'll find thousands of these houses. They should reflect a rural past in a style which never existed. It's the wet dream of the cultur-barbarian middle class people here.


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## Mike____ (Mar 15, 2009)

^^ hmm I dont see whats so ugly about them ?


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## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

ok you have been warned, 

The Sea Containers House in London - the worst of brutalism combined with the worst of tacky pomo add-ons.
Originally intended as a hotel turned into an office block.

I wish a meteorite would hit it:


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## The Cake On BBQ (May 10, 2010)

Benonie said:


> The so called 'fermette-style' in my country, Belgium.
> In Flanders you'll find thousands of these houses. They should reflect a rural past in a style which never existed. It's the wet dream of the cultur-barbarian middle class people here.


That house is actually quite pretty.


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

shtoopid said:


>


Awesome! I love Habitat.


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## Concrete Stereo (May 21, 2005)

isaidso said:


> Awesome! I love Habitat.


yes. And its apartments are very expensive i heard.


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## MDguy (Dec 16, 2006)

Paper Ninja said:


> I also think modern row houses are pretty ugly, especially those that are a mash up of different shapes, colors and materials and over sized windows.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Completely agreed! I despise this crap.

I will also never understand the appeal of this trendy style i seem to see more and more of, with the unorganized look they are shooting for.


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## Mike____ (Mar 15, 2009)

^^ I quit like that, but new york is not really the best location for that tower


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## Quall (Feb 15, 2006)

heh I love Habitat 67.


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## vareynick (Jul 6, 2010)

kyookumbah said:


> That's Habitat 67 in Montreal.
> 
> I agree that Brutalism is probably the ugliest style. However, I think it can be done right:
> http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Robartslibrary.jpg
> ...



Brutalist architecture, especially here in the UK is a great example of something that is a product of its time, and therefore there is nothing ugly about it. It reflects a period in history when austerity measures limited the use of certain materials.

For me personally, the ugliest forms of architecture are those that imitate past styles, in the hope of reproducing the quality. 

The power of architecture comes from its power and place in history. If we take that away, then they become nothing but an aesthetic statement. No truly great building is ever just style for its own sake, but a product of time, place and many other inputs. This is what makes good architecture great.


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## BearCave (Feb 2, 2007)

I hate Y-shaped public housing!!! :bash:


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## goschio (Dec 2, 2002)

dark_shadow1 said:


> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habitat_67
> 
> In my opinion, this is much worse:


What is the point of detached house if they are so close together that you can't enjoy your personal freedom. Epic fail of city planing IMO.


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## particlez (May 5, 2008)

habitat is pretty cool. the architect wanted to emulate mediterranean hill towns. every unit in habitat has a deck or a balcony. that's an amazing achievement for a high density precast development. habitat's downfall though was montreal's climate. the cold cold winters and all those exposed ceilings and floors cause the heating bills to go through the roof. if it were located in say los angeles (with a mild mediterranean climate), or some other mild cooling climate, habitat would make more sense.

brutalism gets a lot of hate here. we seem to dislike all those prefab condo blocks. yet these condo blocks were/are the most efficient way of housing people comfortably, and they allowed for density and its amenities, public transit access, etc. it's a cost/benefit compromise. ideally you'd want in-situ concrete and fine detailing. but labor is now expensive, and that type of architecture is reserved for the rich.


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## lilweezychronic (Nov 16, 2010)

design is pretty insane


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## JmB & Co. (Jan 5, 2008)

Messian, brutalist and racionalist architecture.


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