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A meme was circulating last week showing dozens of sedans from multiple automakers and it highlighted just how similar they all looked. The meme was criticizing
by BitwiseFool 4y ago
A meme was circulating last week showing dozens of sedans from multiple automakers and it highlighted just how similar they all looked. The meme was criticizing the notion that competition facilitates innovation. However I think people failed to take into account that cars have likely converged to a common design as a consequence of fuel economy and regulatory pressures. I wonder if similar pressures affect architecture and likewise result in the blandness we now notice.
- abyssin 4y agoI know very little about the actual job of an architect, but I think new architectural design trends have a lot to do with the tools that are used to draw buildings. Being an architect used to require strong drawing and mental modelling abilities. Those two would have an impact on the aesthetics of the buildings. Another factor is the way we move around. When you walk, you have the time to see details. Do architects nowadays spend many hours walking in cities every week? Lastly, the cost of manual work probably had a big impact. Builders probably contributed a lot of the beauty that can be seen in old buildings, also because drawings used to be less precise.
- djur 4y agoPart of it is complying to building codes, and part of it is a tactic to get through design review boards. "This is a design you've approved a dozen times before and appears in cities all over the country" is an effective argument against all kinds of design nitpicks, and complaints about the buildings looking too similar can be addressed by letting the board slap on some random facades and whatnot until they feel invested.