"Why beauty matters" by Roger Scruton

[Florestan]

For comparison:

Bucharest old city hall (built 1906-10, in use 1948-2010)



Bucharest new city hall (unknown to me date of building, in use since 2010)

[The new erato]

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, but in this case I actuall find the clean lines of the new building to be preferred to the pretty overloaded old building which don't seem to have got the proportions very right either. But the surroundings may have something to do with it as well, a building can only be evaluated in context with its surroundings.

[Karl Henning]

No idea; that has been City Hall for as long as we have resided in Massachusetts.

Parenthetically, I think that even if the old City Hall had been modernized (utilities- and building-code-wise), it would have proved unsuitable, as the city (and its services/offices) had expanded.

The new structure's minimalist design is not merely a question of æsthetics, but of cost . . . at least, I am sure that this is how the argument would run. Lord knows, they could have built a suitable structure, which had been easier on the eye.

[Florestan]

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, but in this case I actuall find the clean lines of the new building to be preferred to the pretty overloaded old building which don't seem to have got the proportions very right either. But the surroundings may have something to do with it as well, a building can only be evaluated in context with its surroundings.

Well, the picture of the old building doesn't do it full justice, not least because of the angle it was taken.. It is located right across the main entrance of the oldest public park in the city, and viewed from inside that park it shows its classically balanced proportions.

Something like this, but even this gives no right idea. One has to see the full building frontally to really appreciate it.



But I agree with you that the new one is not that bad, considering its function. Now, how about living here?



(in the arriere-plan, the current Romanian Parliament House, built after Ceausescu's own designs and taste (he named it The House of People --- oh the irony!, and wanted it to house all ministries and governmental and party machinery), one of the ugliest buildings worldwide and a strong contender for THE ugliest. And speaking about costs, think of heating, air conditioning, lighting and maintaining such a monstrosity.

[Cato]

From my birthplace of Dayton, Ohio: the original County Courthouse.



Built in 1847!  It is now the home of the Historical Society.

And it says something that I cannot find a picture - after a good deal of digging - of the building now serving as the county courthouse.

But trust me: its style is not Greek Revival!   0:)

Florestan:Yes, Warsaw-Pact architecture will probably not be seen as a model for future architects!

[Karl Henning]

Bring on the Greek Zombie Style!

[Cato]

I for one think that the last thing we need are more Greek Revival buildings.

Onward!

True!  One can take the Greeks' ideas and run with them, e.g. British architect Thomas Wright and his design for a hotel in Dubai:

   

Onward!

Of course, but in which direction?  That is always the problem!   0:)

[Mirror Image]

Why is thread in the "General Classical Music Discussion" section of the forum?

[Cato]

Cato, that building you posted, (British architect Thomas Wright and his design for a hotel in Dubai) is atrocious, imo.

This is what I like:

Copenhagen University Library

De gustibus... 

[Florestan]

Why is thread in the "General Classical Music Discussion" section of the forum?

Because architecture is frozen music.

[Mandryka]

Why is thread in the "General Classical Music Discussion" section of the forum?

Because they're dancing about architecture..

[Mandryka]

A couple of random points.

1. Concrete wears badly, it stains.
2. Remember that most modernist architecture isn't iconic. It was a way of addressing urban housing problems, part of a slum clearence programme.
3. Modernist architecture now looks very old fashioned without having the charm of antiquity.

[Cato]

Because architecture is frozen music.

Goethe!  And according to Eckermann's book, the first part of the quote is "Music is liquid architecture" followed by "Die Baukunst ist eine erstarrte Musik."

"Erstarren" also deals with solidification, and it is interesting that Goethe used this word rather than the "temperature-word" gefroren.

[Daimonion]

An unfinished building in the centre of my city (and it has been staying in this particular condition for 33 years now). Enjoy!

Novum.jpg[/img]

[Daimonion]

True:-)

Fortunately, however, we have also things like this (the main building of my uni):

[Florestan]

Well, for one thing they leave rusting steel unfinished buildings sitting in the center of the city for over 30 years.

So would the US if they had 50 years of Communist rule... 

EDIT: I accidentally deleted my previous post, quoted by sanantonio.

[Florestan]

We do have bridges to go nowhere.  Does that count?

Sure. Do you really? Where and why? 

[Cato]

So would the US if they had 50 years of Communist rule... 

There is a U.S. city that has endured 50 years of semi-Communist, quasi-Mafia rule: it's called Detroit.

See Detroit Apocalypse:

http://vimeo.com/5707644

[Ten thumbs]

Most of the old ugly buildings have been knocked down. Most of the old ugly music has been forgotten. Today's buildings and music may be ugly or beautiful. They haven't been sorted by time yet. Those who can see no beauty in them probably don't understand that beauty matters.

[Florestan]

Of course there was the Alaskan "Bridge to Nowhere", but but in my home state of Louisiana for many years there was a bridge that was left unfinished:

Well, you live in the US...