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McMansions 101: What Makes a McMansion Bad Architecture? (2016)

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Re: McMansions 101: What Makes a McMansion Bad Architecture? (2016)

#21

Post by asdff »

Lammy wrote: post #18

“McMansion” is just a way for The System to shame the middle class for daring to want some space to live in, and I'm disappointed when I see anyone propagate it.

Uhh, these are not humble middle class homes. These are the definition of American excess and the perpetual "me, me, me" attitude that sees an f250 with 5 feet of ass hanging outside the standard parking space giving everyone else a hard time. And of course they are basically also built by George Bluth, so all this material expenditure is going towards a terrible product that is already falling apart the day after the contractors are done with it.

Re: McMansions 101: What Makes a McMansion Bad Architecture? (2016)

#22

Post by asdff »

asdfasgasdgasdg wrote: post #14

Seems to me there are two possible definitions of good architecture which might be in conflict. The American mansion-style suburban home is good architecture in the sense that the people who want to buy homes in these places and of these sizes are happy to buy these homes. It is bad architecture in the sense that architecture nerds, who do not even live near these mansions and are not affected by them, don't like the…

Might as well say fentanyl is a good drug because its users are really fond of it.

Re: McMansions 101: What Makes a McMansion Bad Architecture? (2016)

#23

Post by asdff »

MarkusQ wrote: post #15
bluebarbet wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That logic would make all cultural criticism verboten.

You don't have to sell me on it, I was already convinced.

I will shit on your porch and you will have to respect my cultural decisions as you step over it.

Re: McMansions 101: What Makes a McMansion Bad Architecture? (2016)

#24

Post by crystaln »

Interesting position, and also very opinionated.

For instance, personally I think having secondary masses dominate can make the structure look smaller and more intimate.

Like in this one, it looks like a bunch of cottages instead of a behemoth.

https://64.media.tumblr.com/3e5a80e11854cd751a1bb314a4591c87...

I live in a house with MANY "voids" aka windows. The house looks pretty stunning, and the views are spectacular.

Re: McMansions 101: What Makes a McMansion Bad Architecture? (2016)

#25

Post by AnimalMuppet »

Lammy wrote: post #18

“McMansion” is just a way for The System to shame the middle class for daring to want some space to live in, and I'm disappointed when I see anyone propagate it.

Not at all. It's a way to shame the (upper) middle class for wanting some space that looks pretentious, and doing it badly.

Re: McMansions 101: What Makes a McMansion Bad Architecture? (2016)

#26

Post by ryandrake »

Weird that there are so many comments defending McMansions here, I would have expected the opposite. We have no problem pointing out poorly, haphazardly, or tastelessly designed tech devices and applications with terrible UIs, and tech companies with more money than design sense, but when it comes to a tasteless house, criticism is elitist gatekeeping?

Re: McMansions 101: What Makes a McMansion Bad Architecture? (2016)

#27

Post by ImPostingOnHN »

asdff wrote: post #23
MarkusQ wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't have to sell me on it, I was already convinced.

I will shit on your porch and you will have to respect my cultural decisions as you step over it.

If you want to shit on your own porch, and while you're at it, redesign your porch to look like shit, more power to you.

Re: McMansions 101: What Makes a McMansion Bad Architecture? (2016)

#28

Post by forgetfreeman »

jollyllama wrote: post #16
steveBK123 wrote: post #5

A lot of my friends enjoy sending links to this around from time to time, and for me I just don't care. It just all comes across as very elitist navel gazing. I don't actually care what other peoples properties look like. It's also kind of faux populist because while the homes they are criticizing are certainly higher income for their area, a lot of these are like $500K homes in exurbs. The people that enjoy laughing…

Don't worry, the people in the McMansions do not care that coastals correctly point out their lack of aesthetic sensibility.

Oh they're lacking more than aesthetic sensibility. Frugality and appreciation of build quality are also lacking in these designs. The sheer volume of roof angle transitions alone are a huge force multiplier on the cost per square footage of construction like this and are prone to cause expensive maintenance headaches.

Re: McMansions 101: What Makes a McMansion Bad Architecture? (2016)

#29

Post by MarkusQ »

asdff wrote: post #23
MarkusQ wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't have to sell me on it, I was already convinced.

I will shit on your porch and you will have to respect my cultural decisions as you step over it.

See, the "your" in there is what we call a possessive pronoun. It indicates that something (in this case, my porch) is owned by someone (in this case, me). That makes what you are proposing doing a property rights issue, not cultural criticism.

Shit on your own porch all you want.

Re: McMansions 101: What Makes a McMansion Bad Architecture? (2016)

#30

Post by ryandrake »

bobson381 wrote: post #6
steveBK123 wrote: post #5

A lot of my friends enjoy sending links to this around from time to time, and for me I just don't care. It just all comes across as very elitist navel gazing. I don't actually care what other peoples properties look like. It's also kind of faux populist because while the homes they are criticizing are certainly higher income for their area, a lot of these are like $500K homes in exurbs. The people that enjoy laughing…

I dunno, my Mom in the midwest thinks it's the funniest thing ever, having grown up in an area where all the houses looked like this. There's some element of satisfaction knowing that you can't buy good taste

Yea, I distinctly remember one of the major aspects of making fun of McMansions was that we are punching up, not down. We'd look at houses 2-4X more expensive than we could ever afford and conclude the exact sentence you posted: "You can't buy good taste!"
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