The Architecture of Evil: Dystopian Megacorps in Speculative Fiction Films

Post by ghaff » Thu, Dec 22, 2016, 6:31 PM UTC

WalterBright wrote: post #17

arcanus wrote: post #7

Honest statement: maybe its because I'm a child of the 80s, and so grew up around media with strong dystopian/cyberpunk styling... But I've always wondered why more tech companies and corporations don't embrace this aesthetic. The buildings are so distinctive and striking that it would result in very strong branding. And while motivated by questionable ethics, we do associate megacorps in fiction with bleeding edge t…

My dad, who was a historian and business professor, told me once that you could trace the start of the decline of a company when they completed their showcase palace headquarters. The problem is they became focused on the edifice rather than their business.

Post by ghaff » Thu, Dec 22, 2016, 6:42 PM UTC

Finnucane wrote: post #20

vtange wrote: post #4

Back in my days of architecture school we threw around terms such as "human scale" and "typology" in classes. The article demonstrates well the idea of "typology" - how we came to associate Brutalist structures with FBI-style surveillance states. Did you know we also associate stuff like Greek Columns with government in general? The "human scale" term refers to how a building's shape and texture should be broken up t…

That's funny, in the context of American buildings, the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Greek columns in Georgian mansions. Only after that do I think of perhaps courthouses. Here in Boston, the brutalist monstrosity that is our city hall has its Soviet oppressiveness enhanced by the pillbox-laden concrete wasteland that surrounds it. It really is a monument to government power.

Post by hx87 » Thu, Dec 22, 2016, 6:51 PM UTC

ghaff wrote: post #23

Finnucane wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's funny, in the context of American buildings, the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Greek columns in Georgian mansions. Only after that do I think of perhaps courthouses. Here in Boston, the brutalist monstrosity that is our city hall has its Soviet oppressiveness enhanced by the pillbox-laden concrete wasteland that surrounds it. It really is a monument to government power.

Boston City Hall really is an epic attempt to outdo Soviet era totalitarian architecture. There is at least some effort to do something with the windswept brickyard that surrounds it. [1] I haven't followed these plans all that closely but, to the degree the surrounding space can be made more useful/inviting, it would help a lot. I'd also note that the brutalist addition to the Boston Public Library always struck me…

Post by linksnapzz » Thu, Dec 22, 2016, 7:10 PM UTC

ghaff wrote: post #23

Finnucane wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's funny, in the context of American buildings, the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Greek columns in Georgian mansions. Only after that do I think of perhaps courthouses. Here in Boston, the brutalist monstrosity that is our city hall has its Soviet oppressiveness enhanced by the pillbox-laden concrete wasteland that surrounds it. It really is a monument to government power.

Boston City Hall really is an epic attempt to outdo Soviet era totalitarian architecture. There is at least some effort to do something with the windswept brickyard that surrounds it. [1] I haven't followed these plans all that closely but, to the degree the surrounding space can be made more useful/inviting, it would help a lot. I'd also note that the brutalist addition to the Boston Public Library always struck me…

Post by ghaff » Thu, Dec 22, 2016, 7:30 PM UTC

linksnapzz wrote: post #27

ghaff wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Boston City Hall really is an epic attempt to outdo Soviet era totalitarian architecture. There is at least some effort to do something with the windswept brickyard that surrounds it. [1] I haven't followed these plans all that closely but, to the degree the surrounding space can be made more useful/inviting, it would help a lot. I'd also note that the brutalist addition to the Boston Public Library always struck me…

If you can find it, Walt Lockley's "Brutalized in Boston" essay from 2007 is the best critique I've ever found of city hall, and what motivated the design of what appears to be an enormous concrete ziggurat fired point-down into what used to be Scollay Square. I wish I had a copy-it is an enormously enjoyable piece.