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Are there any forums like HN but for architecture, and not prone to devolving into sociopolitical criticism, and instead focusing on the structures themselves?

Are there any forums like HN but for architecture, and not prone to devolving into sociopolitical criticism, and instead focusing on the structures themselves? I find experimental architecture fascinating and would rather discuss the merits and flaws of the design itself. Neom reminds me of Łódź, a city in Poland that is built around a single 5km long street. It’s quite cool and the simple geometry is aesthetically appealing in a way I’ve yet to find elsewhere.

lqet 3y ago
> and not prone to devolving into sociopolitical criticism Some years ago I occasionally read a German architecture forum [0] that may be compared to HN (mainly professionals). For example, I remember the thread about the reconstruction of parts of the historic city center of Frankfurt [1] being really interesting, with a lot of excellent pictures and insider knowledge. The discussion was mostly centered on the aesthetic quality of the quarter and the use of historic construction methods (and how this use of traditional craftsmanship highly motivated the workers), while bigger media outlets often completely ignored this and focused on a strange political discussion that went along the lines of "reconstruction of something destroyed in WW2 = revisionism = supporting neofashists". [0] https://www.deutsches-architekturforum.de/ https://www.deutsches-architekturforum.de/ [1] https://www.deutsches-architekturforum.de/thread/10345-dom-r%C3%B6mer-areal-bau-thread/?pageNo=48 https://www.deutsches-architekturforum.de/thread/10345-dom-r...
- keiferski 3y ago
  Thanks, my German isn’t amazing these days but I’ll run this through Google Translate and give it a read.
Moldoteck 3y ago
thing is, such projects do affect sociopolitical edges of the society. The architecture can influence how people meet, how they protest, how they receive/buy the goods, how easy is it to suppress people that doesn't follow what central party says, etc... Physically, if the environment allows it, there are no reasons to not expand in disc/square form compared to a straight line. You get more economic activity per sq km, more viable public transit, more options to reach same destination and more options to create different business activities and all of this is due to higher density while maintaining high commute speed. It also makes maintenance and infrastructure cheaper(because you are not limited to a line)
- keiferski 3y ago
  Politics affects everything. Doesn’t mean I want every discussion to revolve around politics.
theshackleford 3y ago
> would rather discuss the merits There are none and as such there is nothing to discuss.
ImaCake 3y ago
I find there are corners of facebook where you can find good discussion of some topics. Birdwatching is fairly easy, lots of interesting discussion even on big groups. Public transport is contentious but local city groups often have posts from insiders or serious hobbyists which are high quality. For weather I am finding a mix of subreddits and storm chasing facebook pages to be ideal for avoiding both the doom and gloom and conspiracy crud that comes with that topic.

lqet 3y ago

> and not prone to devolving into sociopolitical criticism Some years ago I occasionally read a German architecture forum [0] that may be compared to HN (mainly professionals). For example, I remember the thread about the reconstruction of parts of the historic city center of Frankfurt [1] being really interesting, with a lot of excellent pictures and insider knowledge. The discussion was mostly centered on the aesthetic quality of the quarter and the use of historic construction methods (and how this use of traditional craftsmanship highly motivated the workers), while bigger media outlets often completely ignored this and focused on a strange political discussion that went along the lines of "reconstruction of something destroyed in WW2 = revisionism = supporting neofashists". [0] https://www.deutsches-architekturforum.de/ https://www.deutsches-architekturforum.de/ [1] https://www.deutsches-architekturforum.de/thread/10345-dom-r%C3%B6mer-areal-bau-thread/?pageNo=48 https://www.deutsches-architekturforum.de/thread/10345-dom-r...

keiferski 3y ago
Thanks, my German isn’t amazing these days but I’ll run this through Google Translate and give it a read.

Moldoteck 3y ago

thing is, such projects do affect sociopolitical edges of the society. The architecture can influence how people meet, how they protest, how they receive/buy the goods, how easy is it to suppress people that doesn't follow what central party says, etc... Physically, if the environment allows it, there are no reasons to not expand in disc/square form compared to a straight line. You get more economic activity per sq km, more viable public transit, more options to reach same destination and more options to create different business activities and all of this is due to higher density while maintaining high commute speed. It also makes maintenance and infrastructure cheaper(because you are not limited to a line)

keiferski 3y ago
Politics affects everything. Doesn’t mean I want every discussion to revolve around politics.

theshackleford 3y ago

> would rather discuss the merits There are none and as such there is nothing to discuss.

ImaCake 3y ago

I find there are corners of facebook where you can find good discussion of some topics. Birdwatching is fairly easy, lots of interesting discussion even on big groups. Public transport is contentious but local city groups often have posts from insiders or serious hobbyists which are high quality. For weather I am finding a mix of subreddits and storm chasing facebook pages to be ideal for avoiding both the doom and gloom and conspiracy crud that comes with that topic.