You’re Blaming the Buildings, Not the System

How Architecture Functions as Capitalism's Scapegoat

If you're reading this, you’ve probably seen these buildings—and maybe even hated them. The mid or high-rise mixed-use boxes, the metal panels, the beige, the gym on the second floor.

From Intracorp

They’ve become a cultural shorthand for everything wrong with contemporary architecture. But most of the criticism I see gets it wrong. In the full post, I talk about why these buildings exist, why they look the way they do, and why blaming architects misses the point. I also get into why the same buildings are being attacked from both the political left and right and what that says about how we talk about design, capitalism, and responsibility.

If you want to understand what’s actually going on with these buildings, and what isn’t in approximately 1500 words, this is the post. I’d love to have you on the other side of the paywall.

Thanks,

David E. Perrine