When you think of the most beautiful architecture in the world, your mind might immediately go to Baroque buildings in Rome, the Taj Mahal or the Palace of Versailles. The ornate designs and extravagant attention to details are breathtaking. While it would certainly be a challenge to create masterpieces like those buildings today, modern architects seem to have thrown in the towel altogether.
Last week, the Twitter account The Cultural Tutor went on a rant detailing the problems with modern architecture. From a lack of beauty to a focus purely on cost-efficiency, they broke down precisely why modern structures leave much to be desired. Below, you can read The Cultural Tutor’s full thread, as well as some of the replies it has received, and decide for yourself what you think of today's architecture. Then if you’re looking for another Bored Panda piece featuring architecture fails, we’ve got the perfect list for you right here.
Last week, The Cultural Tutor detailed on Twitter everything that is wrong with modern architecture
Image credits: culturaltutor
Image credits: culturaltutor
Image credits: culturaltutor
They noted that their critiques are not about unique, contemporary buildings because at least those make bold choices
Image credits: culturaltutor
Image credits: culturaltutor
Image credits: culturaltutor
Their real problem is with the complete lack of beauty in many modern spaces
Image credits: culturaltutor
Image credits: culturaltutor
Image credits: culturaltutor
Image credits: culturaltutor
Image credits: culturaltutor
Image credits: culturaltutor
Image credits: culturaltutor
Image credits: culturaltutor
They went on to mention that these structures have become so ugly because cost-efficiency is now the most important factor for city planners
Image credits: culturaltutor
Image credits: culturaltutor
Image credits: culturaltutor
So when did architecture become so sterile? Did we all just wake up one day and suddenly every office and school was filled with white ceiling tiles and painfully bright fluorescent lights? Some of the replies to The Cultural Tutor’s Twitter rant mention that people nowadays simply don’t appreciate beauty as much as we used to, but I think we’ve just gotten used to being surrounded by ugly structures. I think if we were presented with the choice to replace all trash cans and street lamps with more aesthetically pleasing options, most of us would jump at the opportunity. Especially in places like our office buildings, where many of us spend forty hours a week, it would be nice to see some beautiful art or a bold light fixture, rather than a sea of fluorescent lights and beige walls.
Image credits: culturaltutor
In fact, a prettier office can even boost productivity and improve our wellbeing. Having access to natural light and being able to see artwork on the walls at work makes us more comfortable, less stressed and in turn, more efficient. Even having some plants displayed in an office space can go a long way, as one Harvard University paper found that employees working in “green” offices had double the cognitive performance of others working in more traditional spaces. So if you're working in a soul-sucking beige cubicle, try throwing in some fresh flowers, artwork or succulents to liven the place up a bit.
Image credits: culturaltutor
Just because white ceiling tiles and grey carpets have become the norm does not mean we have to accept them forever. The Cultural Tutor pointed out some ugly features of modern cities, like bins and street lamps, that most of us don’t even notice as they’ve faded into the background of what we see every day, but now I can’t help but feel disappointed that our city planners and designers have given us the bare minimum. We’d love to hear your thoughts on modern architecture in the comments down below, and if you know of any examples of particularly pleasant modern spaces, feel free to share them with your fellow pandas.
Twitter users have responded with shared disappointment in modern architecture and their own theories as to how we got to this point
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