Architects Defend the World's 'Most Hated' Buildings

Not every building can be a winner, and some buildings that aspired to greatness fall short in public esteem. Yet maybe some of the buildings that world loves to hate deserve a second look.

1 minute read

June 7, 2015, 1:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Tour Montparnasse

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Alexandra Lange shares the thoughts of seven of the world's leading architects asked to defend the "world's most hated buildings." The question explored by the exercise: "Can the field’s top minds change the way we think about a doomed housing project in Naples or the most abhorred skyscraper in Paris?"

The cavalcade of equivocations features Daniel Libeskind, on behalf of Tour Montparnasse in Paris, France; Zaha Hadid, on behalf of the Orange County Government Center in Goshen, New York; Annabelle Selldorf, on behalf of the Empire State Plaza in Albany, New York; Ada Tolla, on behalf of Vele di Scampia in Naples, Italy; Norman Foster, on behalf of the Tempelhof Airport in Berlin, Germany; Amande Levete, on behalf of the BT Tower in London, United Kingdom; and Vincent van Duysen, on behalf of Centre Pompidou in Paris, France.

Friday, June 5, 2015 in The New York Times

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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