Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia will be completed in 2026

cnn.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

281–290 of 341 posts

Re: Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia will be completed in 2026

#281

Post by pixl97 »

ebiester wrote: post #124
wouldbecouldbe wrote: post #48

Looking at the surrounding building of the Sagrada, just makes me wonder again, what the hell happened to modern architecture. Modern architecture has destroyed our cities. It's hard to find a building build after WO2 that's actually pretty, let alone an entire neighborhood. Nothing compared the historic cities of Europe. In a time when it's cheaper then ever to build, they've not been able to build anything even clo…

We underestimate the pressure the world has been under in the last century. In 1950, we had about 2.5 billion people. Today, we have 8 billion. We had to find accommodations for 5.5 billion people who all expected to have a greater standard of living with electricity and living space; something had to give. We had to be more parsimonious with the materials at our disposal.

People really don't understand how big the 'boomers' generation really was. Populations exploded in the post war era and with the rapid rise in technology people were disinterested in doing things in the way of the past. In the US at least there was a mass migration over the country and a massive need for housing that could be quickly built. Later this rapid expansion of 'sameness' would be captured in popular media in songs like "Little Boxes".

Re: Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia will be completed in 2026

#282

Post by thekid314 »

dannyphantom wrote: post #209
brandall10 wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed, went last summer and have told at least a dozen people how it’s the most impressive interior I’ve been inside in my 48 years. Stayed for 3 hours just to observe the shifting light. I’ll be in Barcelona again on Thurs, can’t wait to go back.

I hope you have a great trip! If you find yourself with a window of free time, there is a bakery called Pastisseria Hofmann that makes a sweet cream filled croissant that is dangerously good. We got one in ~2018 and have wanted another one since haha

I have the same problem, but with a bakery in St. Louis Senegal. That darn brown butter filled pastry is still in my dreams.

Re: Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia will be completed in 2026

#283

Post by eps »

brandall10 wrote: post #88
cmpalmer52 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m not particularly religious and not Catholic, but the Sagrada Familia brought me to tears. The interior is one of the most beautiful man-made spaces I’ve ever seen.

Agreed, went last summer and have told at least a dozen people how it’s the most impressive interior I’ve been inside in my 48 years. Stayed for 3 hours just to observe the shifting light. I’ll be in Barcelona again on Thurs, can’t wait to go back.

If you haven't been to Park Güell, it's also worthy a visit.

Re: Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia will be completed in 2026

#284

Post by astrange »

hnuser847 wrote: post #143
alistairSH wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Be careful to avoid survivorship bias here. Only the "best" buildings from Medieval and Renaissance times (or even later into the 1800s) are still around. Many of the buildings we constructed in the second half of the 20th century will be gone in 100 years or so. Also, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I know there was a lot of criticism when the Louvre built the pyramid, but I quite like the contrast of traditio…

Yes, only the best buildings from hundreds of years ago have been preserved, but that still doesn't explain why we build ugly buildings right now. You would think we would be able to draw on centuries of architectural trial and error to determine what is objectively pleasing to people. Instead it's like the past never existed. Architects keep building hideous blobs of steel and glass and wondering why people don't li…

Everything about building in the US is either forbidden or mandatory; "liking" doesn't come into it, there generally isn't a choice in the matter.

The main aesthetic reason new buildings don't look like old ones is Baumol's cost disease, i.e. nobody can hire that many laborers anymore. The second is fire codes and accessibility requirements.

Re: Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia will be completed in 2026

#285

Post by astrange »

nick__m wrote: post #203
azulster wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

bricks and wood are unable to maximize the quality of a limited footprint. an expensive plot of land in a city needs to be built to certain quality standards to make sure it is affordable and safe. this is only possible with steel and concrete. brick and wood alone can't build safely and cheaply over 3 stories

brick and wood alone can't build safely and cheaply over 3 stories Tell that to those architects: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/worlds-tallest-woo...

That's not plain wood like American houses are made of, it's a new kind of engineered material that's made out of wood called CLT.

Re: Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia will be completed in 2026

#286

Post by astrange »

spaniard89277 wrote: post #112
hannasanarion wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The purpose of most buildings is to be useful, not to look pretty in pictures. > Modern architecture has destroyed our cities. It's hard to find a building build after WO2 that's actually pretty That's because the things that get preserved are the things that are pretty. You think Romans built their outhouses and warehouses and cheap apartments to look like the colosseum? No, that shit was ugly too, that's why it's n…

> The purpose of most buildings is to be useful, not to look pretty in pictures. Architecture is the only art where you're forced to participate. So we could pretty much say the opposite, buildings should, among other things, contribute to make a place nice. Or at least not make it more miserable. > What do you think Barcelona is? Most of Spanish cities are built with crap buildings dating above the 60s. Just concret…

If your only complaint is the buildings are grey then try painting them.

Re: Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia will be completed in 2026

#287

Post by pixl97 »

boringg wrote: post #54
wouldbecouldbe wrote: post #48

Looking at the surrounding building of the Sagrada, just makes me wonder again, what the hell happened to modern architecture. Modern architecture has destroyed our cities. It's hard to find a building build after WO2 that's actually pretty, let alone an entire neighborhood. Nothing compared the historic cities of Europe. In a time when it's cheaper then ever to build, they've not been able to build anything even clo…

People de-risk their asset by building it as easy to not offend as possible so if they have to sell it they can find a buyer with relative ease.

You may be understating this quite considerably.

I remember reading Future Shock when I was quite young and the parts about people changing jobs quite often and living closer to nomads stuck with me, even though I have to say I've forgotten most of the book.

Simply put anything modern is likely to change its purpose many times in the lifetime of the building. A company might have its headquarters in one place for 100 years, but probably not. It may move to a bigger building, be bought and dissolved, or go out of business before the usefulness of the building itself. Having a generic asset is worth more in cases like this.

Same with housing and the 'millennial grey' people point out these days. Most people expect to move many, many times within their lives. I've moved 10 times myself, and I know people that have moved far more than that. A house is rarely looked at like a forever place, and few families seem to keep their houses in the family for multiple generations. Add to this that family size in the US is rapidly shrinking there are a lot of people who know their assets won't be passed on, but sold instead.

Re: Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia will be completed in 2026

#288

Post by [deleted] »

diggan wrote: post #7
jihadjihad wrote: post #5

It's amazing if you haven't gone, especially when sunlight streams in through the windows. I saw a quote while I was there that was something along the lines of, "Gaudí is not an artist with whom posthumous collaboration is possible." A couple minutes walking around the church is all that's needed to confirm that notion.

> I saw a quote while I was there that was something along the lines of, "Gaudí is not an artist with whom posthumous collaboration is possible." A couple minutes walking around the church is all that's needed to confirm that notion. Maybe I misunderstand "posthumous collaboration", but the church is literally being built after Gaudi's demise by a bunch of other people, isn't that posthumous collaboration?

[deleted]

Re: Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia will be completed in 2026

#289

Post by __loam »

ido wrote: post #221
audunw wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What happened is that a vast quantity of people moved into and around the cities. We also have more strict building codes that take into account light, air quality, longevity, energy effiency etc. You’re looking at an old city built for a relatively small elite over many hundreds of years, and you’re surprised why cities built for many millions of people over a few decade look a bit basic in comparison? I came across…

I just came back from San Francisco and plenty of post WW2 buildings there (mostly high rises) look nice.

And we're also facing a severe housing shortage.

Re: Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia will be completed in 2026

#290

Post by __loam »

audunw wrote: post #137
wouldbecouldbe wrote: post #48

Looking at the surrounding building of the Sagrada, just makes me wonder again, what the hell happened to modern architecture. Modern architecture has destroyed our cities. It's hard to find a building build after WO2 that's actually pretty, let alone an entire neighborhood. Nothing compared the historic cities of Europe. In a time when it's cheaper then ever to build, they've not been able to build anything even clo…

What happened is that a vast quantity of people moved into and around the cities. We also have more strict building codes that take into account light, air quality, longevity, energy effiency etc. You’re looking at an old city built for a relatively small elite over many hundreds of years, and you’re surprised why cities built for many millions of people over a few decade look a bit basic in comparison? I came across…

One of the only things the Soviets did right was building a shit load of dense, boring housing at huge scales. They eliminated homelessness, which jumped substantially when they became the Russian federation and privitized everything.
Post reply on HN