Waterloo Region's Architectural Hall of Shame -- the Bottom 10

[MacBerry]

Major addition to Robarts Library starts to take shape

Last April the University of Toronto announced they were making a significant exterior and interior change to the Robarts Library. 

"Plans for a 1,200 seat reading room to be built on the west side of The University of Toronto's Robarts Library are beginning to take shape."

[ac3r]

Haha. Brutalism is one of those architectural movements that often requires one to have an understanding of the historical, aesthetic and philosophical foundations that gave rise to it. On the surface much of it might seem "brutal" but if you understand why, let's say Le Corbusier or Paul Rudolph, designed a lot of what they did, it's marvellous for what it is. It's a type of architecture that demands contemplation beyond pure aesthetics, and for that it does what it should (especially so when it was coming out as a rejection of the International Style that took over the world in that era and still prevails). Beyond the intellectual aspects, it is often visually stunning. The interior of The Robarts Library is incredible, to add on to previous posts.

[Canard]

^ This. 1000x this. Thank you! To quote myself:

There's a big difference between "bad architecture" and "architecture I just don't like".

Architecture is no different than art. Different styles appeal to different folks, but there is genuine crap out there which doesn't even deserve recognition as art - like those framed "Paintings" you buy at Winners or IKEA to put up in your living room for $15. That's not art, it's just mass-produced crap, which I agree is exactly what the Big Box stores are. I can go to an art gallery and appreciate still life and impressionist stuff even though I just don't like it, but I still respect it for what it is and the effort that went into it (which is what I'm asking those who are slamming brutalist structures to do). Everyone's brain is wired differently, which is what makes us all unique and why we like what we like, and don't like what we don't like.

But that doesn't make it bad.

[MacBerry]

^ This.  1000x this.  Thank you!  To quote myself:  

There's a big difference between "bad architecture" and "architecture I just don't like".

 art - like those framed "Paintings" you buy at Winners or IKEA to put up in your living room for $15.  

I had to buy those pieces of art because my mortgage is still $2.73 Million after 10 years ^JK   

There are many in our city who don't have the resources that others have ... besides IKEA and HOMESENSE are doing just fine or they would cease operation. Those $3 fully costed framed "paintings" from offshore help their bottom line

[Canard]

They're helping IKEA and Homesense, sure - but are very harmful to artists.

[ac3r]

The stuff at IKEA is definitely not art. Art is much more than that.

There's a good short paper by the philosopher Walter Benjamin titled The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Like Hans Gadamer argued years earlier about real writers and literature suffering as a result of cheap mass printing, Benjamin shows that art (visual, musical, cinematics, sculpture) has suffered thanks to mechanical reproduction: https://www.marxists.org/reference/subje...njamin.htm

At the same time easy access to technology and the internet has democratised the creation and spread of art in our recent contemporary times (anyone can easily learn, create and share art), it's still very much ruled by the art market and capitalism...but that's another topic. ;*)

[jgsz]

Zehrs, with its back turned to Ottawa and Strasburg road has always been ugly.  The trees and shrubs help a bit but this kind of monstrosity should never have been allowed at a major intersection.

[DHLawrence]

The Dunbar/Conestoga Zehrs in Cambridge is the same. Franklin/Dundas too, but there was an existing plaza there so there was only so much they could do.

[tomh009]

Zehrs, with its back turned to Ottawa and Strasburg road has always been ugly.  The trees and shrubs help a bit but this kind of monstrosity should never have been allowed at a major intersection.

That is ugly, but the good news is there will soon be an A&W across the street to pull the eye away from that slightly upgraded cinder block wall!

Not nice, but I think that the back of any random big box store or movie theatre looks far worse.  And they are often inward-facing as well.

[rangersfan]

This apartment complex has some of the ugliest balconies that I have seen:
https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.4320223,-...312!8i6656
it looks different today than it did in the last Google street view, but this house on Ottawa across from the Aud has a wild extension coming out of the right hand side of the house.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.4460709,-...312!8i6656

[DHLawrence]

The apartment designers meant well with the balconies, but if you're going to introduce googie elements to your buildings, don't stop at one.

[panamaniac]

I've never understood why apartments in Canada have balconies at all - give me a three season sun room/conservatory with sliding glass windows any day of the week.

[DHLawrence]

I had one two apartments ago but the building was so old I was afraid to use it - and I was only on the fourth floor.

[Elmira Guy]

Obviously it's a question of personal choice but I would never trade my balcony for anything else. It is about 55 sq ft and set into the building so about 3/4 of it is covered by the building itself and completely private from the units on either side. I live on the 10th floor so the view is great. I grow a few things (peppers, herbs), have an electric bbq that works far better than I ever would have imagined, and since my unit faces north, I get very little wind or direct rain so can be out there most of the time.