I own nothing. I am not associated with Andres Duany. Visit Andre Duany's website on: http://www.dpz.com/ It would be wise to start using classic styles again, we need to get over our post-WWII fear of classic and ornate things. modern architecture quickly becomes ugly to the general public after its newness wares off, then it just becomes an eyesore (except a few structures). The public has never fallen in love with modern architecture like they were 'supposed' to. The same with much modern art. "Have you ever looked at a bizarre building design and wondered, "What were the architects thinking?" Have you looked at a supposedly "ecological" industrial-looking building, and questioned how it could be truly ecological? Or have you simply felt frustrated by a building that made you uncomfortable, or felt anger when a beautiful old building was razed and replaced with a contemporary eyesore? You might be forgiven for thinking "these architects must be blind!" New research shows that in a real sense, you might actually be right." - Quinlan Terry

Comments

1. There are thirty million modernist buildings to prove it ... so true!
2. He speaks great truth, I just started studying architecture in September and I completely agree. Yes there are some wonderful Modern buildings but you have to be a genius to make them. With Classicism almost anyone can create a building that looks alright and is nice enough to live in, and those people that are genius can create buildings infinitely more stunning than most Modern designs. Think of Michelangelo, Vanbrugh, Lutyens; they all were masters of architecture and created buildings that took Classicism to its greatest heights, yet the local builder with the pattern book also produced beautiful buildings. Compare this to Modernism with the few good works of the like of Le Corbusier or Mies Van der Rohe, they did well, but the local architect with no pattern book almost always fails. In the past he would have copied but now he cannot as its 'unethical'.
   I think if architecture schools grounded students in Classicism in the first year of their studies, then let them go they're own way, not only would we have architects who could do competent Classical buildings but also much better modern ones.