Really? They could have tried much harder. Most state universities look like mid-rise housing projects. The examples cited here are for the most part very interesting.
That writing was so bad - in addition to being completely uninformed, which is was: cliched, amatuerish, froced humor, redundant - that I couldn't bear to read the entire things, just looked at pics and titles.
OK. I flat out disagree with this list. UCSD has for a long time looked like a trailer park, but not IMO because of the architecture.. but because it was always half built.. but now it's finally getting there, and while many of the modernist projects fail on their own rate, the whole actually works pretty well, alternately monumental and intimate, and brutal and playful. I wish other schools would show such commitment to architectural experimentation. They get an A for effort and a B+ for results.. nobody would say it's the ugliest who isn't a Robert Stern fan.
IIT should not be among the "ugliest".. period, full stop. Again, I'm starting to think the rater is either a neo-traditionalist or a new urbanist of some type.
Finally, why is MIT, my alma mater, NOT on this list? I mean, does anyone dispute that it's ugly. OK, it has its moments (Aalto and Saarinan's buildings, one of the Pei buildings, the forgotten Sert dorm nobody seems to know about, the Correa building or aspects of it at least, #77 itself), but the 95% of the stuff in between these moments is a giant warehouse, with the character of a Chinese toxic toy factory buried in a forced labor camp. And notice I didn't even mention Stata or the Holl buildings.... I love MIT, but it is ugly.
I go to IIT, I'm not surprised that we're on the list. I love the photo, crown hall money shot, with the article talking about probably the worst building on campus (Main Building). A lot of people find the campus to be somewhat obtruse, but with two of some the most recent "good" projects built in a while on their hands, not to mention a few other really nice buildings, we should be commended.
IIT is certainly not peaches and cream, but its pretty obvious that anything that for this guy any building dedicated to higher learning needs to look 500 years old otherwise its ugly.
I think the "20 most beautiful campuses" list is a better illustrator of why this guy is an idiot. Pepperdine is pretty, but UCSD is ugly? bullshit. And why on earth would Carnegie Mellon be considered ugly, when its neighbor down the street (UPitt) is an urban eyesore? CMU has a green campus, nestled alongside a park, on the top of a hill. There are about 800 campuses in America that can't even say that much.
Anyone that rates Pepperdine so highly is a complete fool.
i go to IIT as well. I'm also an architecture tour guide for it, so that guy seriously needs to take a tour from me - then maybe he'd understand. Obviously the rest of the world has a more informed view. I never said it was pretty, exactly, but it's unique - and, "urban blight" is the last thing I'd call it.
well said ladsnine...IIT is certainly no urban blight. IIT as an urban oasis for the area. If anyone has been to IIT, let me ask you: have you ever been in any areas adjacent to campus? You'd certainly understand.
20 Comments
Worst blog post I've ever read.
the suny campuses (notably u at buffalo) should have been higher on this list. For one , they are covered in "temporary" trailers!!!
http://www.buffalo.edu/buildings/building?id=trailer&photo=photos/facilities/full/trailer.jpg
Regarding IIT: "They need to get better architects at these schools." You mean like Mies van der Rohe? Oh, wait.
Their 20 most beautiful pick is as horrible as well. The teenage ideal is to live in movie stage sets, and have s__, apparently.
kungapa: And Rem Koolhaas?
Really? They could have tried much harder. Most state universities look like mid-rise housing projects. The examples cited here are for the most part very interesting.
That writing was so bad - in addition to being completely uninformed, which is was: cliched, amatuerish, froced humor, redundant - that I couldn't bear to read the entire things, just looked at pics and titles.
UCSD actually has some really interesting projects on it's campus.
IIT - not even going to touch it, i really liked the scale. it's an interesting place.
i'm actually surprised virginia tech isn't on there. i definitely didn't like the layout of that abortion.
OK. I flat out disagree with this list. UCSD has for a long time looked like a trailer park, but not IMO because of the architecture.. but because it was always half built.. but now it's finally getting there, and while many of the modernist projects fail on their own rate, the whole actually works pretty well, alternately monumental and intimate, and brutal and playful. I wish other schools would show such commitment to architectural experimentation. They get an A for effort and a B+ for results.. nobody would say it's the ugliest who isn't a Robert Stern fan.
IIT should not be among the "ugliest".. period, full stop. Again, I'm starting to think the rater is either a neo-traditionalist or a new urbanist of some type.
Finally, why is MIT, my alma mater, NOT on this list? I mean, does anyone dispute that it's ugly. OK, it has its moments (Aalto and Saarinan's buildings, one of the Pei buildings, the forgotten Sert dorm nobody seems to know about, the Correa building or aspects of it at least, #77 itself), but the 95% of the stuff in between these moments is a giant warehouse, with the character of a Chinese toxic toy factory buried in a forced labor camp. And notice I didn't even mention Stata or the Holl buildings.... I love MIT, but it is ugly.
my campus consists of two buildings, a mcdonalds, starbucks, and a few homeless. why isn't it on the list?
I go to IIT, I'm not surprised that we're on the list. I love the photo, crown hall money shot, with the article talking about probably the worst building on campus (Main Building). A lot of people find the campus to be somewhat obtruse, but with two of some the most recent "good" projects built in a while on their hands, not to mention a few other really nice buildings, we should be commended.
archi 365 - I love Crown Hall too - but the rest of the campus is urban blight at its worst, even Mies can fuck up badly.
like I said, we deserve to be on the list
IIT is certainly not peaches and cream, but its pretty obvious that anything that for this guy any building dedicated to higher learning needs to look 500 years old otherwise its ugly.
wait NJIT is not on that list, okay that list is bs just for that omission.
My place of employment has blocked my access to the page... Please tell me Texas A&M is on there...
I think the "20 most beautiful campuses" list is a better illustrator of why this guy is an idiot. Pepperdine is pretty, but UCSD is ugly? bullshit. And why on earth would Carnegie Mellon be considered ugly, when its neighbor down the street (UPitt) is an urban eyesore? CMU has a green campus, nestled alongside a park, on the top of a hill. There are about 800 campuses in America that can't even say that much.
Anyone that rates Pepperdine so highly is a complete fool.
i go to IIT as well. I'm also an architecture tour guide for it, so that guy seriously needs to take a tour from me - then maybe he'd understand. Obviously the rest of the world has a more informed view. I never said it was pretty, exactly, but it's unique - and, "urban blight" is the last thing I'd call it.
well said ladsnine...IIT is certainly no urban blight. IIT as an urban oasis for the area. If anyone has been to IIT, let me ask you: have you ever been in any areas adjacent to campus? You'd certainly understand.
wow... i went to the ugliest school.
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