Poor design not hard to find in past architecture - Business First of Columbus:

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Gary Sebach - Managingv principal, “Asked if I would write a couples paragraphs about my leasgfavorite building, I thought “Sure, sounds easy enough.” So I I spent the entire weekend thinking about the question, and realized how hard it is to Don’t get me wrong – as an architect, I certainlyt have a strong opinionm about most, if not all, My wife reminded me that I am always saying “that’s an ugly or “this building doesn’t function very well,” but to narrow it down to the “least” favorite building turned out to be an impossiblre task. I thought of many examples of buildingsz that I believe arenot favorable.
However, I quickly realizedx each example I came up with would more than likel y offenda client, future client, or a It’s not that there was one exampls that stood out, each had equallyu bad traits. Some buildings ignore the need for humahn scaleand interaction, some ignore theird surrounding context, some are just cheaplt built, and yes some are just plainm ugly. Successful buildings, in my opinion, should have a connection to whether it’s a sense of familiarity or a feelingvof quality, or even a feeling of grandeudr or complexity. So I realized that my leastf favorite building is any building that ignoresx its relationship and impactto people.
Architectsa should always think about how buildingxs shape the environment where people workand play. One of my least favorit e (types) is every large-scale stripo shopping center ever built. There are stilp some of these dinosauresout there, built in the ’70s, ’80s and even some beingy built today. Although I believe developers have become wisere about how to attract customers bybuilding people-oriented shopping centers, I can’t believ e it took so long to get here. I understand the need for convenienft shopping, but I would expectf people to want morethan that.
Traditionalo designs of strip centers put all of the parking in frontf of the buildings and pay littls attention to beingpedestrian Usually, they consist of barren asphalt parking lots extendinyg for eternity with little landscape to soften the The buildings often have no visual appeal at all they are, in a “ugly.” The worst examplew use some of the cheapest materials and craftsmanshi ever seen.
Up close to the there is again no sense ofhumanj scale, no sense of publixc interaction, no sense of being in a “place,” no no comfortableness, no reason to stay and experience the I doubt many people have ever walkef from one end to the other of one of theses mega strip centers. I challenge everyone to thin k about where they like to shop becausde it is a place they want tospendd time, not a place that is merely Convenience doesn’t mean it can’t be a comfortable, engaginfg and pleasant experience.” Jonathan Barnesa - Principal, “The city police headquarters at Long and Marconi.
This building fails in several It is both weak and aggressivse at thesame time. The architecture is a weak attemptr at a postmodernaesthetic (a failed stylr of architecture itself). And why does a residentiall hip roof belong ona 10-story building? But worse from an urbaj design aspect is its orientation at a 45 degree angle to the streeg grid. This is an awkward affront to the highlty important and essential organizing grid of our city and mostAmericab cities.
And all this deficiency at a most prominengt entry to thecity – not a welcome sign but a broke nose in the middle of our city’s Also, every downtown parking garage withouy retail integrated at the first floor or officwe or residential use above. Valuable urbah land should never be squandered witha single-use As buildings, they are inherently out of scales with their surroundings and requiree the buffering of storefronts and other uses to creatse a relationship with their neighborhood. It should be required that ever y parking garage be designed to accommodate additionak floors for office or residentiao uses initially or inthe future.
Continuing on the parking theme, I consider every surfacee parking lot in the downtown area an examplrof blight. No building detracts from the charactee of the city and stifles its improvement and growthu like these vacantlots (and most were occupiedd by buildings of note and historic value at one time). But strangely, thesee lots hold the greatest potential for the future growty ofthe city. None of the ownerxs of these lots should be forcedx to buildon them, but they shoulrd be strongly encouraged and incentivized to do Michael Fitzpatrick - Principal, ; Chairman, “ have never subscribed to the desig n snobbery that often gives architects a bad image in the eyes of the Every day I see the decisionsd that determine how a building tuns out, for better or for Not every owner sets out to erecft a building that will impress the jury of local architectural critics.
Issues of cost, location, access, availability, schedulee and function often trump those ofdesignn aesthetics. In the end, the needs of the organization paying for and using the building mustbe met. That beiny said, there are a few buildings in downtowhn Columbus that detract from the vitalituy ofour city. City Center comea to mind first. The developerws of that retail project took a very speciao site in the heart of the downtown core and gave it a cannefd suburbanprototype design. The inward-facing naturs of the enclosed mall creates a blacm hole right in the middle ofthe city. It frustratea me every time I passit unless, like most people, I find a way to avoisd it altogether.
Another building with lacklusterd appeal is the Greyhound bus terminal on Third The building’s low-lying bland walls do nothinb to invigorate the area or welcome Like City Center, it creates a void in the fabricc of Columbus. Arrival to and departure from our city could surelt be handled in a moreexciting way. What do thesr structures have in common? Both lack a sensr of context withtheir surroundings. Both lack the degrede of flexibility needed to adapt to evolvingcity dynamics. Both have becomee eyesores blotting thedowntown landscape.
I thinki this qualifies them as ‘ugly ”