Chinese Architecture or Whatever.

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BarbaricManchurian

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Even my city in China is doing classic architecture better:

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Bonus shot of some real art deco. Beauty:

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Re: Liberty Mutual plans major Boston expansion

The Soviet Union was still producing relatively high-quality classicist architecture well into the 1950s, too. I would take cheap modernism as a tradeoff for democracy anyday.

On a related note, the Liberty Mutual building is much more stripped-down New Deal era classicism akin to many buildings in DC than it is deco.
 
Re: Liberty Mutual plans major Boston expansion

BarbaricManchurian said:
Even my city in China is doing classic architecture better:
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Let's not get carried away. Some ill-proportioned capitals, fluted pilasters, and clumsy-looking string courses do not equate to better classical architecture. Yes, someone made an attempt at including some details at different scales, but I wouldn't say it was someone who understands the order of classical architecture. I agree with some posters' criticisms of the new LibMu tower, but next to the Youth's Companion Building, your Chinese example would be all the more obviously a fake.
 
Re: Liberty Mutual plans major Boston expansion

Joe_Schmoe said:
I don't think even the architects themselves realized how brutalist the finished product would look.
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I'd like to believe that as well.

czsz said:
On a related note, the Liberty Mutual building is much more stripped-down New Deal era classicism akin to many buildings in DC than it is deco.
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I think both quotes above point out how well this building nails the monumental look. Vaguely classical, vaguely deco and overly blunt in detail, its spirit, however, lies with the WPA/fascist- and Vietnam-era notions of monumentalism much more than, say, the City Beautiful version.

But I like it. It's remarkable how well it blends with the existing neighborhood's character (for better or worse) and despite being a fairly straightforward design it presents plenty to chew on.
 
Re: Liberty Mutual plans major Boston expansion

resisttheist said:
Let's not get carried away. Some ill-proportioned capitals, fluted pilasters, and clumsy-looking string courses do not equate to better classical architecture. Yes, someone made an attempt at including some details at different scales, but I wouldn't say it was someone who understands the order of classical architecture. I agree with some posters' criticisms of the new LibMu tower, but next to the Youth's Companion Building, your Chinese example would be all the more obviously a fake.
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Well if you've seen examples of past faux-historical architecture in China you probably know that they tend to look extremely gaudy and cheap. This project surprised me with its very nice details (windows look great) and there's a lot of other good-looking classic architecture going up too (including a 250m+ skyscraper with art deco design, which may or may not turn out good)

Here's some more pics of good new classic architecture in my city: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=93527890&postcount=413
 
Re: Liberty Mutual plans major Boston expansion

Here's some more pics of good new classic architecture in my city: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpo...&postcount=413
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Cool pics. Looks like they're trying to build an Epcot Center version of Budapest. At least it looks like they spent money on the construction, which is more than we can say about Fan Pier or the new Bullfinch Triangle buildings.
 
Re: Liberty Mutual plans major Boston expansion

^^^
Very interesting pics indeed. Most will fit well here, actually...
But not too many people... Are these taken at 5am?
 
Re: Liberty Mutual plans major Boston expansion

What is the story behind the neo-classicism movement in Tianjan? Many of these buildings actually look well proportioned. There are a few misses, like the Mansard roof on the Haussmann-esque Second Empire building. Visually, I enjoy the attempts to incorporate the local flavor, such as the Chinese balconies or window treatments.
 
Re: Liberty Mutual plans major Boston expansion

GET BACK ON TOPIC TAKE IT SOMEWHERE ELSE
 
Re: Liberty Mutual plans major Boston expansion

He must be serious...caps lock was on.
 
Re: Liberty Mutual plans major Boston expansion

Do you think a Chinese investor will build a football stadium in the Seaport district to look like Soldier Field?
 
Re: Liberty Mutual plans major Boston expansion

AmericanFolkLegend said:
What do you guys think of Romney's VP pick?
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That question is totally off topic, I know, but I can't resist:

I wish the repub Pres/VP ticket was reversed. Ryan beats Obama's VP - no contest. I'm looking forward to the VP debate.
 
Re: Liberty Mutual plans major Boston expansion

bdurden said:
What is the story behind the neo-classicism movement in Tianjan? Many of these buildings actually look well proportioned. There are a few misses, like the Mansard roof on the Haussmann-esque Second Empire building. Visually, I enjoy the attempts to incorporate the local flavor, such as the Chinese balconies or window treatments.
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These buildings are being constructed in an area with a lot of existing classical architecture...Tianjin, like Shanghai had European concessions which left it with a rich legacy of Western architecture. Some projects have chosen to fit in with the surroundings instead of stand out, but there is definitely no shortage of projects with contemporary design. Not sure it's a "movement" yet, some projects in almost every city are contextual.

Mostly I love the fact that my city is not a complete shithole for the most part any longer!
 
Re: Liberty Mutual plans major Boston expansion

So the power conduit replacement project in Allston is coming along nicely. In addition, there is a new piece of art strung between bridges over the fort point. Oh, and Jurassic Park is a great great film, probably be my next bluray purchase, now that I own all the Star Trek films.
 
Re: Liberty Mutual plans major Boston expansion

I like that picture. Very expressive. We should make it into a standard post whenever a thread veers off topic.

Where was that train wreck?
 
Re: Liberty Mutual plans major Boston expansion

Smartiro said:
I like that picture. Very expressive. We should make it into a standard post whenever a thread veers off topic.

Where was that train wreck?
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Hopefully all these off-topic posts get cleaned up but...

When a thread goes off track on a forum it's referred to as "derailing" in the world of the interwebs, so there's a ton of meme pix out there for thread derailments. That one I posted is one of the most popular. No idea where or when the pic was taken.

Another good one is:
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