A Nordic Revolt Against ‘Ugly’ Modern Architecture

[BillF]

Definitely not for me.

Let's turn the clock back to this:

[Rabshakeh]

35 minutes ago, Teasing the Korean said:

Brutalist structures can look really interesting if they are placed in the middle of nowhere, but that seems to be the exception rather than the rule.

 

53 minutes ago, Rooster_Ties said:

I’ve grown to love good Brutalism ❤️ — and there’s a lot of it out there. But there’s certainly a fair bit of bad Brutalism too.

One thing it took me a while to notice is that most of the time, you can’t have good Brutalism without really nice, complimentary landscape architecture — sympathetic designs that almost go hand in hand.

“Green” and good landscape design can really elevate a building or complex — and the absence of it is often the difference between the design of the building really working aesthetically or not.

Do you know of St. Peter's Seminary in Scotland? Abandoned because of damp issues (a recurrent issue with the concrete used).

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Peter's_Seminary,_Cardross

[porcy62]

The problem with modernism and avant-garde architecture is that is great for museum and all that stuff like opera house, parliament’s buildings and luxury villas, but is pretty damn cheap for real life housings. I think architects should have been forced to live in their buildings for a fair amount of time. And concrete doesn’t age well like stone.

[Teasing the Korean]

43 minutes ago, BillF said:

Let's turn the clock back to this:

That is more along the lines of my thoughts of what modernism is.  The word "modern" can be misused to mean anything recent or contemporary, whereas modernism was distinct style, or a range of styles (ranging from Mies van der Rohe minimalism to more over-the-top Morris Lapidus stuff, and all points between the two). 

[BillF]

Yes, I guess that "modernism" as I know it, is now dead.

Recently, I've noticed a style (which I call "fancy modernism" for want of a better title) in both architecture and design. Here's a (painful) example from my city:

 

[Daniel A]

Modernism is not often mentioned in relation to 20th century architecture in Sweden, but rather "Functionalism" (or "Funkis" in Swedish), which to me is a less extravagant and more "Nordic" offshoot. 

A typical example of this is the main public library in Stockholm, designed by Gunnar Asplund and built in 1928.

[Rooster_Ties]

3 hours ago, BillF said:

Definitely not for me.

There’s a LOT of modern architecture I like — but I think Frank Gehry is way overrated.  I’ve been in 2-3 of his buildings — the EXP Museum in Seattle, an art museum in Minneapolis, I’m thinking there’s a third one I can’t for the life of me remember…

And in each and every case, there was nothing about the interiors that was even remotely interesting, or that in any way echoed any of the undulating esthetics of the exterior.

The idea of what Gehry does could be interesting— and I guess the interior of the symphony performing hall in LA (Disney hall) that he did, with the organ pipes going every which direction — that might be a better representation of the possibility of Gehry’s vision made more manifest throughout an entire building.

But those crazy exteriors alone don’t make for good design, imho.

[gmonahan]

On 8/6/2023 at 10:20 AM, Daniel A said:

Modernism is not often mentioned in relation to 20th century architecture in Sweden, but rather "Functionalism" (or "Funkis" in Swedish), which to me is a less extravagant and more "Nordic" offshoot. 

A typical example of this is the main public library in Stockholm, designed by Gunnar Asplund and built in 1928.

The outside is the largest gun turret I've ever seen.

 

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Not a fan of brutalist architecture but like TTK, I grew up with a horrible example, Boston City Hall, which looks like someone on acid thought he'd make a building that looks like a really big harmonica.

[Daniel A]

All brutalist buildings do not appeal to me, but I would not dismiss something just because of the style. Some well known examples are large and overwhelming structures, but brutalist architecture can also be medium or small size.

 

I like the former Czechoslovakian Embassy in Stockholm, located on a quiet street of town houses and smaller (but exclusive) residential buildings. Its size aligns with everything else on that street, but the very architecture is a good counterweight. I have always associated it with a piece of 1970s HiFi equipment.