Periodically, Twitter will surface posts for me that bemoan modern architecture and advocate for good old-fashioned traditional architecture. Sometimes these posts will share a modern building with a disparaging comment like, "Imagine wanting this over traditional architecture," and sometimes I will engage because, yeah, I would prefer the modernist building to traditional architecture.
But let's be clear: I don't have an issue with traditional architecture done well, and there are also countless examples of "modern" architecture that I think are truly abysmal. This is not about architectural tribalism. I love Paris and think it is beautiful, but I also think Brazil's equatorial brutalism is equally beautiful. Both feel authentic.
Here's how I would describe my position.
First, focusing on one style or another is not the goal. Many contemporary architects think of " style " as a bad word. It implies a superficial veneer. Great architecture aims to be something deeper and more intentional. It solves problems, responds to specific conditions, and also presents new ideas.
Second, the beauty of art, architecture, and design is that they are never created in a vacuum. They always reflect the current cultural environment. The challenge I have with traditional architecture is that I find it curious to try to speak to a moment in time that no longer exists. I am much more interested in authenticity and what the future might bring.
And third, movements take time. It's easy to romanticize the past as being better than our current environment. Whether we're talking about Impressionist painters or architecture free of ornament (in the case of modernism), it is intellectually easier to think the old ways were better. But history has shown us that posterity will almost certainly come to see things differently.
Cover photo by laura adai