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It wasn't the engineers, it was the architects. Communist architecture followed the principles of communist architecture. Diversion from what the state thought
by planetguy 14y ago
It wasn't the engineers, it was the architects.
Communist architecture followed the principles of communist architecture. Diversion from what the state thought was a good idea was highly un-recommended. The principles of communist architecture started off from a lot of high-minded platitudes about equality and national purpose, but in practice always translated to a monstrous block of filthy grey concrete with tiny windows that looks awful from a distance and only gets worse as you get closer.
It wasn't confined to the eastern bloc either, you can find plenty of horrible examples of a similar style dreamed up by western architects infected by similar principles; pretty much anything ugly, grey, concrete, and mid-century. They continue to blight our cities and (especially) our university campuses. But reconstruct a whole city in the same milieu, and you'll have Warsaw.
- dmix 14y agoSoviet architects were Brutalism's predecessors http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brutalist_architecture http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brutalist_architecture
- Dove 14y agoI didn't know that, but googling around to learn about communist architecture took me here . . . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konigsberg_Castle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konigsberg_Castle . . . where they replaced a pretty castle with something like you describe.
- planetguy 14y agoOne of the most visually offensive things about a lot of communist architecture is top-heaviness. It's not just a grey block of filthy concrete, it's a grey block of filthy concrete that looks like it's about to crush you.
- damncabbage 14y ago... Pretty much anything ugly, grey, concrete, and mid-century. Like, say, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UTS_Tower http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UTS_Tower ? (To be fair, it's pebblecrete.)