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These are beautiful buildings and the article is worth t for the pictures alone. Now modern architecture is generally appreciated in Japan. For instance the fi

These are beautiful buildings and the article is worth t for the pictures alone. Now modern architecture is generally appreciated in Japan. For instance the first one, the Okinawa art museum is rated 4.2/5 as a destination on domestic sites https://www.jalan.net/kankou/spt_47201ae3302051347/kuchikomi/?screenId=OUW3701&rootCd=3 https://www.jalan.net/kankou/spt_47201ae3302051347/kuchikomi... Is the "divisive" bit in the title just clickbait ?

derbOac 2y ago
There's a quote from the photographer in the article: "Brutalist architecture in Japan might not ruffle feathers locally but it’s considered divisive elsewhere." I agree the article title is confusing. On the other hand, I love brutalism and have found myself having to defend it lately in a way I didn't think would happen.
- DocTomoe 2y ago
  Maybe the photographer should stop telling other people in other cultures what they are supposed to like or dislike.
  - theoreticalmal 2y ago
    Sharing the reasons behind one’s own like or dislike can easily come across as telling others what they should think
- card_zero 2y ago
  One difficult thing about it is that concrete weathers in a way which is, let's say, not conventionally attractive. The architects produce mockups where the walls are wide expanses of pure pale gray, but rarely do a second mockup where everything is covered in dark grimy streaks. This museum's patterns of perforations distract from the weathering rather well.
mc32 2y ago
Boston City Hall in Mass is one ugly building. Unfortunately it now has “landmark” status. Several Calif State Universities as well decided to wear brutalist arch as a badge: Dominguez Hills, San Jose, etc. I suppose it’s cheap, so there’s that.
randcraw 2y ago
I don't think so. No building material is as ugly as concrete. It starts ugly and only gets uglier with age as it inevitably discolors and crumbles. There's really no way to make it attractive. Concrete's raison d'etre famously serves the ugly underside of society -- a factory, a bomb shelter, a pillbox, a prison, a slaughterhouse. And of course, building with concrete is famously more ecologically destructive per sq ft than any other building material. To build with it is to thrust a middle finger at passers by while belting out the Horst Wessel song (the Nazi anthem). No, concrete is inescapably brutalist and devoid of charm at every level. 'Divisive' is far too generous.
- Tainnor 2y ago
  > There's really no way to make it attractive. https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/case-studies/a3439-chichu-art-museum-by-tadao-ando-art-museum-in-the-earth/ https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/case-studies/a3439-chic... https://i0.wp.com/archeyes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Interior-Black-White-Church-of-Light-by-Tadao-Ando-ArchEyes-Photograph-Nobuyoshi-Araki.jpg?ssl=1 https://i0.wp.com/archeyes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/In... https://imgur.com/a/cZ0yy43 https://imgur.com/a/cZ0yy43

derbOac 2y ago

There's a quote from the photographer in the article: "Brutalist architecture in Japan might not ruffle feathers locally but it’s considered divisive elsewhere." I agree the article title is confusing. On the other hand, I love brutalism and have found myself having to defend it lately in a way I didn't think would happen.

DocTomoe 2y ago
Maybe the photographer should stop telling other people in other cultures what they are supposed to like or dislike.
- theoreticalmal 2y ago
  Sharing the reasons behind one’s own like or dislike can easily come across as telling others what they should think
card_zero 2y ago
One difficult thing about it is that concrete weathers in a way which is, let's say, not conventionally attractive. The architects produce mockups where the walls are wide expanses of pure pale gray, but rarely do a second mockup where everything is covered in dark grimy streaks. This museum's patterns of perforations distract from the weathering rather well.

mc32 2y ago

Boston City Hall in Mass is one ugly building. Unfortunately it now has “landmark” status. Several Calif State Universities as well decided to wear brutalist arch as a badge: Dominguez Hills, San Jose, etc. I suppose it’s cheap, so there’s that.

randcraw 2y ago

I don't think so. No building material is as ugly as concrete. It starts ugly and only gets uglier with age as it inevitably discolors and crumbles. There's really no way to make it attractive. Concrete's raison d'etre famously serves the ugly underside of society -- a factory, a bomb shelter, a pillbox, a prison, a slaughterhouse. And of course, building with concrete is famously more ecologically destructive per sq ft than any other building material. To build with it is to thrust a middle finger at passers by while belting out the Horst Wessel song (the Nazi anthem). No, concrete is inescapably brutalist and devoid of charm at every level. 'Divisive' is far too generous.

Tainnor 2y ago
> There's really no way to make it attractive. https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/case-studies/a3439-chichu-art-museum-by-tadao-ando-art-museum-in-the-earth/ https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/case-studies/a3439-chic... https://i0.wp.com/archeyes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Interior-Black-White-Church-of-Light-by-Tadao-Ando-ArchEyes-Photograph-Nobuyoshi-Araki.jpg?ssl=1 https://i0.wp.com/archeyes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/In... https://imgur.com/a/cZ0yy43 https://imgur.com/a/cZ0yy43