Buildings Gone Bad: 2014's Worst Architecture

The designs of architecture's most famous practitioners inspire the most public forms of attention and criticism. A recent column in Slate doesn't shy away from the latter.

1 minute read

December 29, 2014, 6:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Kriston Capps has compiled a list of lowlights from the year in architecture. The list follows the example of Frank Gehry, who earlier this year berated 98 percent of the world's architecture. Capps's critique, however, is directed toward the architecture that begs to be seen, as such, he describes the list "as a plea for 2015: Leave Frank Gehry alone."

Capps writes that the "dubious designs and blustering egos collected here all make a strong case for the worst architecture of 2014," describing them all as "worse than Gehry’s Fondation Louis Vuitton, which opened this fall and may in fact be the best building of 2014."

The list includes multiple mentions for Zaha Hadid, multiple mentions for George Lucas, multiple buildings in Los Angeles, and all 1,715 Designs in the Guggenheim Helsinki Contest.

Friday, December 26, 2014 in Slate

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

A Firefighter sprays water from a hose at a tall blaze.

US buildings threatened, destroyed by fires set to triple by 2060

Researchers found a high fire risk for socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhoods in the American West.

3 hours ago - Inside Climate News

People cross a crosswalk in Los Angeles.

LA residents may be allowed to paint their own crosswalks

Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky put out a motion instructing the Los Angeles Department of Public Transportation to study the feasibility of allowing volunteers to paint crosswalks.

4 hours ago - ABC7

Two women walking on the sidewalk in Dallas.

Dallas moves to overhaul its zoning code

The city's zoning reform will allow more multi-family and mixed-use developments.

5 hours ago - Yahoo News