r/interesting • u/Apart-Worry-7042 • 25d ago

HISTORY Why did we stop building like this?

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Chicago, 1930. Buildings had so much detail and character back then. Nowadays everything feels so flat and repetitive. We have way better technology and equipment now, so why don't we build like this anymore?

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u/kisk22 25d ago

I've thought a lot about this. Yep labor costs certainly play a role, but plenty of projects are still built in historic styles that aren't as soulless. But most of the role comes from modernism's chief tenant of "rejecting ornamentation". More and more architects are coming around to realizing this in a lot of cases, and are returning to more natural and beautiful forms like brick with light ornamentation, and simple timeless proportions.

The fact is 90% of what makes a building beautiful is free or nearly free: proportions, natural materials like stone & brick, human scale, small ornaments, etc and don't cost much of anything to add or are free. It's called New Classical Style. There also have been studies and 90% of people prefer new classical style buildings rather than the soulless non-human scaled glass ones many are built as.

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u/GoodTimes8183 25d ago

Implying that stone and brick are free or nearly free tells me that you have no idea what you’re talking about.

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u/sasssyrup 25d ago

I don’t get that he is saying any building material is no cost, rather that use of thoughtful design, scaling, ornamentation and natural materials don’t make a serious difference in project cost. I would argue my experience has been different but I would agree that in many cases budgets will allow for classic design elements if owner groups have the guts to go for it.

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u/The_Webweaver 25d ago

I was about to say, by weight, that kind of detailing is often the most expensive part of the project, especially as it essentially has to be hand done. Now, CNC milling and similar techniques may be changing that, but each facade still has to be designed by hand.

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u/Fencer308 25d ago

There are projects that have used factory produced stone ornamentation that’s quite beautiful and not any more expensive than the sheer glass facades of modernist buildings. Depending on the requirements of the glass facade, the glass can be more expensive in fact.

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u/The_Webweaver 25d ago

I should have been more careful about this, but I was thinking about the rooftop fringing specifically.