Falling in Love with Ugliness, Why Design Matters

Beauty is in the Eye of the (Architectural) Beholder

Ugly buildings. You know the ones. The ones that make you stop mid-walk, mouth slightly open, wondering who approved this? The ones that get featured in online rants about the worst architecture ever, sandwiched between nuclear bunkers and failed ‘futuristic’ city projects.

But here’s the plot twist some of those “ugly” buildings? They’re icons now. Brutalism, once dismissed as cold and dystopian, is being romanticized on TikTok. Postmodern monstrosities that made critics weep in the ‘80s? They’re now ironically chic. The question is: Why do we love to hate bad design… and then end up loving it anyway?

Let’s talk about the architecture we’ve rejected, reclaimed, and ultimately fallen for and why “ugly” might just be the best thing to happen to design.

Why We Hate “Ugly” Buildings in the First Place

Let’s get one thing straight: ugliness isn’t an accident. It’s a cultural, social, and psychological phenomenon. We label buildings as “ugly” because they disrupt our expectations. Architecture isn’t just about aesthetics it’s about what makes us feel comfortable, nostalgic, or even powerful.

1. The Comfort of Symmetry and Familiarity

Humans love symmetry (Palmer & Griscom, 2013). It’s why classical architecture, with its perfect columns and balanced proportions, has remained the gold standard for beauty. A chaotic, off-balance building? That just makes our brains itch.

2. The Fear of the New

Every major architectural movement was hated at first.

• Eiffel Tower? Called a “tragic lamppost” when it was built in 1889.

• Brutalism? Critics thought it looked like “nuclear fallout housing” in the ‘70s.

• Guggenheim Museum (Bilbao)? Some people compared it to a crumpled tin can before it became a world-renowned landmark.

The truth is, we reject what we don’t understand until time, nostalgia, or a well-placed rebrand changes our minds.

3. The Emotional Impact of Materials

Ever wonder why people hate concrete-heavy Brutalist buildings but swoon over a glass skyscraper? Material psychology is a thing. Studies show that rough, unfinished materials can feel cold and oppressive, while smooth, reflective surfaces seem modern and elegant (Pallasmaa, 2005). But does that mean a raw concrete masterpiece is inherently “uglier” than a slick, soulless glass tower? That’s up for debate.

Ugly Buildings We Love Now (But Hated Then)

Some of the most iconic structures in the world were hated at first sight only to be rebranded as bold, visionary, and culturally significant.

🏆 Brutalism: From “Concrete Monster” to Cool Kid Aesthetic

What was once considered cold, soulless, and totalitarian is now an edgy, avant-garde aesthetic. The Barbican Centre (London) and Boston City Hall went from urban nightmares to hipster darlings. Gen Z loves the vibe. Instagram loves the aesthetic. Brutalism had its revenge arc.

🏆 Postmodernism: The Clown of Architecture

Buildings like Michael Graves’ Portland Building and Philip Johnson’s AT&T Headquarters were considered a joke when they were first built. Too colourful! Too weird! Too unserious! But in an era of maximalism and irony, Postmodernism is getting the last laugh.

🏆 The Guggenheim Effect

When Frank Gehry dropped the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, critics were not impressed. The asymmetry! The chaotic curves! The absolute drama of it all! And yet, it went on to redefine contemporary architecture and revitalize an entire city’s economy.

Ugly buildings, it turns out, aren’t just forgiven they become icons.

The Case for Ugliness: Why It Actually Matters

So, what’s the lesson here? Should every architect throw away their design principles and embrace chaos? Not quite.

But here’s why ugliness is important:

1. Ugly Buildings Challenge the Status Quo

“Ugly” architecture shakes things up. It forces us to question why we like what we like. It makes us rethink beauty, function, and creativity. Without rule-breakers, we’d still be living in neoclassical cookie-cutter cities.

2. Ugly Architecture Becomes Interesting Over Time

History has a way of redeeming things. What’s considered jarring now may be groundbreaking later. Think of it this way, the buildings we hate today might just be the ones future generations will fight to preserve.

3. Ugliness Makes Architecture Democratic

Not every building is designed to be a work of art sometimes, it just needs to be affordable, experimental, or practical. If we only built what was universally “beautiful,” we’d stifle architectural diversity.

Are We Just Being Too Harsh?

Here’s the real takeaway, ugliness is just another word for unfamiliarity. The buildings we dismiss today might be the ones we romanticize tomorrow. If history tells us anything, it’s that architecture’s biggest sins often become its greatest triumphs.

So next time you see a building that makes you cringe, ask yourself, Is it really ugly, or is it just ahead of its time?

References:

• Palmer, S. E., & Griscom, W. S. (2013). Accounting for taste: Individual differences in preference for symmetry. Cognition, 126(2), 254-270.

• Pallasmaa, J. (2005). The eyes of the skin: Architecture and the senses. Wiley.

• Jencks, C. (2005). The iconic building. Rizzoli.

• Articles from Dezeen, ArchDaily, and The Guardian on controversial buildings and their evolving reputations.

  
  

Image References:

o   Michael Graves’ Portland Building. [Photograph]. Pinterest. https://i.pinimg.com/736x/4f/e1/7c/4fe17ca0183a9129d49f44f30f17635e.jpg.