3 ms·

Yes, I also think that stone and rock (concrete) feel more natural than glass.

• hnarn 7y ago
  I think someone here on HN actually wrote in regards to the post about "facading" (keeping the facade, tearing down the building behind it) that the difference between concrete and stone, and steel and glass, is that stone and concrete invites you to touch it. There's something cold and alien about steel and glass that makes even a concrete wall feel inviting. It's also not transparent, feels more solid, and is much closer to our "mud hut" past than any modern office complex. Sure, brutalist buildings can look... brutal. But I've always felt that the surrounding area, the colors and the interior design makes more difference than anything. You could definitely make a brutalist neighborhood feel much more alive and inviting if you just paid attention to those things than an ice cold, modern investment bank sky scraper.
• Merrill 7y ago
  There is also no practical reason to have windows in a telephone equipment building. They cannot be opened to cool, they only would light a limited area along the wall. The entire building must be air conditioned, and lighting is only turned on when people are in the equipment aisles. Warehouses and data centers are the same, except that they don't attract attention since they are low horizontal structures with much more utilitarian cladding. The most interesting telecom buildings are the ones underground.
  • fourthark 7y ago
    This one lacks windows because it was built to withstand a nuclear war. “But it’s downtown” you say. “No way it would withstand a direct hit.” Rumor I heard is that they thought for sure they would have SDI protecting Manhattan, and this is only supposed to survive a hit on Queens or Newark or something. Crazy!