Question for Architects and/or Interior Designers

[armpitsOFmight]

Do you take into consideration how window curtains will affect the aesthetics from 100-3000 feet away from your building? I don't think the Harbor Towers are that bad @ street level, but are fucking ugly when you look at them from a boat near the airport. I think white pull-down window curtains are to blame for this tragedy.

 

[kennedy]

I agree, but I think it's less up to aesthetic and more up to function and tenant use. No one wants the entire city peering into their condo or whatever at night, and they'd like to keep the glare out during the day. Of course, better colored blinds would be effective, or even better, neutral mesh screen curtains. Probably more expensive, though.

 

[Patrick]

In my opinion, the HTC towers are hideous and would be worse looking without the white color of the curtains interspersed throughout an otherwise drab concrete set of structures. My guess is that Kennedy is correct in assuming that curtain use is a matter left entirely up to tenants, who legally own everything from the walls of their condo in, but nothing outside of their unit. Architects could probably have mitigated the issue you raise by designing window openings a bit differently, so that curtains would not be so visable, by tinting the window glass or setting the curtain rod area back a bit, but I'm no expert.