Architectural Design

G

grego

Active Member
speaking of the UK particularly, but could apply anywhere.

if many of the high rise flats, buildings built in the UK from the 50s to the say the late 70s/early 80s are now considered eye-sores, ugly, etc and should be pulled down.

20/30 years down the line won't we think the same of all the posh looking flats/towerblocks that have been being built in the last 10 years.

??
 
Or even now. The thing is, just with the 'brutalism' pieces, there are some nice examples of the modern look (with prices to match), but the nice examples merely inspire the more blander imitators which end up looking like newly built pine and granite-effect-formica infested student digs.

I like a bit of brutalism tbh though. I think the connotations that they are mostly inhabited by council dwellers lead to their unpopularity. Granted there are some hideous examples, even in the normally Babylonian South London, but then on the other hand you have the imposing beauty of the Barbican - even if it is a nightmare to navigate on the inside...

The French guy who was the godfather of the genre, or more realistically the UK Authorities that saw fit to copy the design, have blamed the appearance of the UK sites on the weather, which is I suppose believeable.
 
I mostly hate semi-detached suburbia with all its N.I.M.B.Y attitudes and net curtains and gnomes and trashy xmas lights - far more so than any tower block. In fact, there should be as many supersonic intergalactic skyscrapers as possible in London town to accomodate the rapidly increasing population and relieve the pressure on the green belt. And it can be afforded if the govt cut spending on things we don't actually need, like er half the people it employs. We could learn a lot about managing densely populated connurbations from Taipei, Hong Kong, Barcelona, Rio. The thing with the old council housing stock is that it was built quickly and in many cases on the cheap in austere post-war Britain but modern housing is inevitably far superior and so I would guess more durable. As for the great landmarks, I've slowly grown to love the South Bank and would be pissed off if the developers ever got their paws on Battersea P/S. My only real beef is with the Olympics - can see a massive white elephant on the cards - are tourists from around the world really going to flock to Stratford.... and afterwds, what? hmm
 
grego said:
speaking of the UK particularly, but could apply anywhere.

if many of the high rise flats, buildings built in the UK from the 50s to the say the late 70s/early 80s are now considered eye-sores, ugly, etc and should be pulled down.

20/30 years down the line won't we think the same of all the posh looking flats/towerblocks that have been being built in the last 10 years.

??
Click to expand...

In general i agree. Looking at some of the developments it seems like the lessons of the past have been ignored, from an aesthetic point of view anyway. A lot of them look ugly and too studiously "modern" that they look dated as soon as the multicoloured cladding starts to weather.

The buildings themselves will be of a more sustainable design and of a much higher quality in terms of materials and building techniques used.

But if they ugly, they ugly.

At least it will keep the construction industry busy when they rebuild them all.

I'm sure agentundercover will have some interesting views on this!
 
I mostly hate semi-detached suburbia - where would you live in the UK if one day you were lucky enough to have a family?

The thing with the old council housing stock is that it was built quickly and in many cases on the cheap in austere post-war Britain but modern housing is inevitably far superior and so I would guess more durable - there is a big push towards so called "offsite" or "modular" building solutions with new build houses in the uk over recent years (or at least up until all new building virtually stopped last year) and this employs essentially the same methods used with a lot of the pre-fab type houses thrown up in post era, also you would be pushed to buy a new build today with more than a 10 year guarantee from the developer.
 
grego said:
the thread title was probably enough for him to have to go tease one out.....
Click to expand...

I'm going to try and convince Tesco to launch a mega store in Dalt Villa for that!

Yes your right defo, also Perception of good design lasts so long as people can interpet and understand the itch it scratched. The french bloke Dan X talks about is, i assume le corbusier - godfather of functional living - widely hailed as a genius now and at the time, but f uck me look at some of the places - like prisons ....for instance the Byker wall

I said exact same thing recently. I love frank gehry's works:

FrankGehrys_DancingBuilding.jpg


GehryWaltDisneyWEB.jpg


But I do worry that in 30 years everyone will be yawn yawn yawn. It's an bit of an unknown how perception will go the danger of striking out a bit.

All the timber clad high, developer thrown up apartments - that I have to say the firm I work for is right in the middle of - will look stinking. Just generic designs from cheap materials. At least concrete has a certain certainity to it, a dense quality. I like this one in Notting Hill - a certain space age X it dows exactly what it says on the tin quality:

120606%20063.jpg


That said there is s big argument, given limited resources and H&S issues (the numbers killed in the UK still defy belief) that we should have a world of pre-fab, generic lumps made out of formica etc. One of the things I love about the industry is the constant battle between architectural wish for originality in everything V the planning system V cost.


http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/u/f/g/GehryWaltDisneyWEB.jpg
 
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agentundercover said:
I'm going to try and convince Tesco to launch a mega store in Dalt Villa for that!

Yes your right defo, also good design lasts so long as people can interpet and understand the itch it scratched. The french bloke Dan X talks about is, i assume le corbusier - godfather of functional living - widely hailed as a genius now and at the time, but f uck me look at some of the places - like prisons ....for instance the Byker wall

I said exact same thing recently. I love frank gehry's works:

FrankGehrys_DancingBuilding.jpg


GehryWaltDisneyWEB.jpg


But I do worry that in 30 years everyone will be yawn yawn yawn. It's an bit of an unknown how perception will go the danger of striking out a bit.

All the timber clad high, developer thrown up apartments - that I have to say the firm I work for is right in the middle of - will look stinking. Just generic designs from cheap materials. At least concrete has a certain certainity to it, a dense quality. I like this one in Notting Hill - a certain space age X it dows exactly what it says on the tin quality:

120606%20063.jpg


That said there is s big argument, given limited resources and H&S issues (the numbers killed in the UK still defy belief) that we should have a world of pre-fab, generic lumps made out of formica etc. One of the things I love about the industry is the constant battle between architectural wish for originality in everything V the planning system V cost.
Click to expand...

QS says no. Pre-fab in standard shape unit. Straight lines, curves are expensive to use. Also JIT, lean production etc etc etc *shoots self*:lol:
 
Buckley said:
QS says no. Pre-fab in standard shape unit. Straight lines, curves are expensive to use. Also JIT, lean production etc etc etc *shoots self*:lol:
Click to expand...

:lol:

old man is a qs that's Xmas dinner banter!

Also worth considering the different ways buildings are bought.

Back in the day the architect designed to the nth degree. But that cost lots.

Now the contractor turns up half way through gets out his supply chain pallett of materials and starts cost cutting sorry 'value engineering'. Ergo everything looks the same.
 
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Buckley said:
QS says no. Pre-fab in standard shape unit. Straight lines, curves are expensive to use. Also JIT, lean production etc etc etc *shoots self*:lol:
Click to expand...


Kaizen, kanban, 6 sigma, ISO9000, IiP, snagging, mbe, cbe, bfg, black belt in origami, no income tax no vat
 
Hi,
Please can I get on my soapbox:?:

I personally think their has been some beautifully designed buildings put up around the world over the last few years
+
some ugly ones too.

The English tower blocks of the 60s were designed by people who went to Uni in the 1930/40s. I doubt many of them went to Miami to really appreciate the true Art deco beauty of the buildings. Most of them would have studied the classic cities like London, Paris, Milan and so on.

At this time in design (the 60s) there was a real movement to simplify. Moving away from what the Architects had studied. They were taking a giant leap forwards into the un-known.

Now (with hindsight) and a more design conches eye we can look back and criticize their work. But do remember that the tower blocks of the 60s helped to pave the way for today’s architects.

I have seen some old buildings transformed with some well thought out Plants, paint and lighting designs.

There was some beautifully designed buildings put up in the 60s too






What I hate:evil:

Pastiche:!:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastiche

I hate housing estates put up in the last 10 years that look 200 years old. I’m not having a go at traditional craftsmen nor am I saying everything should be super modern. If you are putting up a house in a village 100s of years old then it should be sympathetic to its surroundings.

No, I have a real hatred to these new housing estates on the edges of cities that look like they have been there for a 100 years of so.

My mate moved to one of these housing estates once. Every house had a fake chin knee on the roof and fake fireplace in the lounge too. He had to hide his satellite dish too as they were banned. For God’s sake the estate was only 4 years old at the time.










I’m getting back down off of me old soapbox now.

Thanks for letting me have a rant:!:
;)
 
 
Olly said:
Separated at birth:

spain.slide.6.jpg


Agbar Tower (BCN)

gherkin-at-night.jpg


'Gherkin' (City)
Click to expand...

very similar! same architect? I know lord foster did the gherkin. Went to a wedding reception up the top of there last year, absolutely stunning both the decor and the view!!
 
agentundercover said:
I'm going to try and convince Tesco to launch a mega store in Dalt Villa for that!

Yes your right defo, also Perception of good design lasts so long as people can interpet and understand the itch it scratched. The french bloke Dan X talks about is, i assume le corbusier - godfather of functional living - widely hailed as a genius now and at the time, but f uck me look at some of the places - like prisons ....for instance the Byker wall
Click to expand...

Hey divvnt knock wor heritage man - that's where wor famous Rat Boy and Spider Boy live!!! :lol::lol:
byker_wall_entrance_470x313.jpg
 
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