Degrading Western architecture to uglify everything to "modernize" it is very popular in woke, globalized academic circles who control project aprouvals.
In Québec there was a very, very long building of an entrance to our National Assembly.
The National Assembly itself is a marvel of refined architecture and decoration. It bathes you in history, inspires awe and pride.
You'd think they would make something with as much taiste and quality. They just had to copy the style from the rest of the building.
The entrance is basically Bland NPC Process Through Here. No personality. It could be the entrance of an airport, or a hospital, or a college in MegaGlobalCity#84.
And that was the point. They will fuck-up the rest of the Assemblée nationale too when they get an opportunity.
It looks sturdy and durable. People wanting things to last like sturdy, durable things. It doesn't have much/any real aesthetics, but when done right, it can sell itself on the appearance of strength alone.
Brutalism only works aesthetically in a contrasting environment, though. Singular unbreakable monoliths surrounded by glass boxes.
I like concrete brutalist high-rises with bland rectangular balconies. Standing on one in the night, seeing cars in distance, inhaling freezing air, feels like you exist outside of time. Mind goes completely blank.
It's better than the endless glass boxes of today, or indeed what is in the OP image, at the very least, I'll give you that...
In my hometown, they ripped down a listed brutalist gem, and replaced it with... A glass box. A boiling hot, ugly, uncomfortable glass box. Very symbolic, lol.
I like brutalism too, because when I was a little kid we lived in a neighborhood full of "panelák"s and brutalist monuments and it just gives me mad nostalgia.
Plus, those monuments, they were actually inspiring. A bunch of them were about spaceflight, like a rocket shooting up into the sky, or stylized statues of soldiers, or construction workers, or whatever. Real manly, aspirational stuff, not some fucking nigger career criminal who overdosed on fent while the cops were trying to stop him from hurting himself or someone else. There's a reason why the average Chinese kid wants to be an astronaut while the average Western kid wants to be a tiktok influencer.
Same in New Zealand. Same in Aus. It's particularly egregious when they tear down a literally heritage-listed building, with the approval of the heritage council no less, because it is for "human progress" and/or "the greater good", lol...
There's a quote I recall that applies here: "Barbarism is thinking you know what's true and not tolerating anyone saying differently. Civilization is thinking you know what's true, but being open-minded about the possibility of being wrong. Decadence is believing there is no truth, and that one lie is as good as another."
For example:
Barbarism: "All buildings must be built in this style."
Civilization: "I prefer this style of building, but you might be able to persuade me about the merits of other styles."
Decadence: "Nothing is objectively ugly or beautiful. The new building isn't any worse, just different."
WTF, who approved that? That is from London right? Why in the world would anyone do that, bunch of barbarians.
Degrading Western architecture to uglify everything to "modernize" it is very popular in woke, globalized academic circles who control project aprouvals.
In Québec there was a very, very long building of an entrance to our National Assembly.
The National Assembly itself is a marvel of refined architecture and decoration. It bathes you in history, inspires awe and pride.
You'd think they would make something with as much taiste and quality. They just had to copy the style from the rest of the building.
Nope : https://images.radio-canada.ca/q_auto,w_960/v1/ici-info/4x3/assemblee-nationale-agora-pavillon-quebec.jpg
The entrance is basically Bland NPC Process Through Here. No personality. It could be the entrance of an airport, or a hospital, or a college in MegaGlobalCity#84.
And that was the point. They will fuck-up the rest of the Assemblée nationale too when they get an opportunity.
It looks sturdy and durable. People wanting things to last like sturdy, durable things. It doesn't have much/any real aesthetics, but when done right, it can sell itself on the appearance of strength alone.
Brutalism only works aesthetically in a contrasting environment, though. Singular unbreakable monoliths surrounded by glass boxes.
I like concrete brutalist high-rises with bland rectangular balconies. Standing on one in the night, seeing cars in distance, inhaling freezing air, feels like you exist outside of time. Mind goes completely blank.
It's better than the endless glass boxes of today, or indeed what is in the OP image, at the very least, I'll give you that...
In my hometown, they ripped down a listed brutalist gem, and replaced it with... A glass box. A boiling hot, ugly, uncomfortable glass box. Very symbolic, lol.
I like brutalism too, because when I was a little kid we lived in a neighborhood full of "panelák"s and brutalist monuments and it just gives me mad nostalgia.
Plus, those monuments, they were actually inspiring. A bunch of them were about spaceflight, like a rocket shooting up into the sky, or stylized statues of soldiers, or construction workers, or whatever. Real manly, aspirational stuff, not some fucking nigger career criminal who overdosed on fent while the cops were trying to stop him from hurting himself or someone else. There's a reason why the average Chinese kid wants to be an astronaut while the average Western kid wants to be a tiktok influencer.
Same in New Zealand. Same in Aus. It's particularly egregious when they tear down a literally heritage-listed building, with the approval of the heritage council no less, because it is for "human progress" and/or "the greater good", lol...
It's always the same way/arguments, too.
everything shall be grey, amorphous and safe for erveryone, here on the planet of human automatons
There's a quote I recall that applies here: "Barbarism is thinking you know what's true and not tolerating anyone saying differently. Civilization is thinking you know what's true, but being open-minded about the possibility of being wrong. Decadence is believing there is no truth, and that one lie is as good as another."
For example:
Barbarism: "All buildings must be built in this style."
Civilization: "I prefer this style of building, but you might be able to persuade me about the merits of other styles."
Decadence: "Nothing is objectively ugly or beautiful. The new building isn't any worse, just different."