Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again

That building doesn’t look terrible to me. Maybe it’s worse in person?

It isn’t terrible but I think it could have been better.

What kind of standardization or review? There’s no objective way to quantify architectural style as good or bad. You can say you have to do it in this style but other than that ???

It’s not even as bad as the Hoover Building in DC. To me.

For me, the thing about the VN memorial is, it captures to tone of the impact on america of that war.

Ditto to an extent, the WWII memorial.

VN - dark…a scar on the landscape…the names the most important thing - the only important thing really. No flags - just names.

WWII - global…victorious…european…wide ranging…

They both are good.

I don’t cry at the WWII. But I do at the VN.

I’m not sure which that is, but my buddy used to tend bar near the HUD building in SE. That thing is horrible IIRC.

But I was usually drunk when I saw it…

Powerful…

It grabs you by the gut and makes you think.

The Hoover Building intentionally looks crooked. It’s is the weirdest looking office building I’ve ever seen. Looks like it’s going to fall over.

That thing took brutalism to the next level, walk near it and a chunk of concrete may fall on you.

I’ve always genuinely wondered if the architect intentionally made it some kind of joke at J. Edgar’s expense.

No, it is a product of its time. There are worse buildings.

The dumbest thing about them are the Inset windows. If humans disappeared tonight and some alien explorer finds these structures still standing in the distant future they’d wonder why we built such big pigeon breeders.

You have to admit that is a sexy building.

I’m on a 100 year waiting list for that flag at the top :smile:

I say let’s follow the new Chinese model and just start stacking shipping containers.

Yes, I know it is entirely subjective.

Can we at least stop the worst of the worst from happening somehow. :smile:

Some level of review, maybe a board composed of architects. Somebody or some group of somebodies who could have said, “this proposed building in San Francisco isn’t a good idea as currently designed.”

I am not asking for the Moon here. :smile:

Pretty much already exist a lot of people had to agree with the design before the ground broke.

Too French

Ya its very similar to the Quebec Provincial House… I wonder why

my cousin work for the city government.
she has attended so many public meeting on park designs its mind numbing.

It is quite ugly in person.

It also is fairly new, but still universally hated by the people who have to work in it.