Manifesto | Architecture is a Scam: The Truth They Don’t Want You to Know

The Great Architectural Illusion

We were told that architecture was about vision, innovation, and serving the people. That architects are creative geniuses, shaping the future, designing for the greater good. But let’s get real architecture today is a game of money, power, and exclusion. The ones who need architecture the most? Ignored. The ones who profit from it? Calling the shots.

This isn’t just a critique it’s an exposé. Architecture is a scam. But maybe, just maybe, we can rewrite the rules.

The Biggest Lies in Architecture

1. The Myth of the Architect as a Visionary

Hollywood sells us the idea of the lone genius architect, sketching their masterpiece in a dimly lit studio. In reality? Most architects are pawns in a system controlled by developers, corporations, and bureaucrats (Till, 2009). You’re not designing a utopia you’re figuring out how many luxury apartments can fit into an investor’s budget.

o    Example: Zaha Hadid’s Heydar Aliyev Center—brilliant design, built on exploitative labour practices that the architect distanced herself from (Moore, 2016).

2. The Lie of Sustainable Architecture

“Sustainability” is the industry’s favourite buzzword. But behind the greenwashed marketing?

• Glass skyscrapers with LEED certifications that waste insane amounts of energy.

• Luxury eco-developments that price out locals.

• Carbon-neutral buildings that conveniently ignore the emissions from their construction (Gissen, 2018).

o   Example: The Bosco Verticale in Milan—a so-called “green” skyscraper that serves the elite while masquerading as an environmental solution (Mostafavi, 2017).

3. The Fantasy of Public Space

They tell us cities are designed for people, but let’s be honest public spaces aren’t actually public. They’re designed for control, surveillance, and exclusion.

• Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS) exist so corporations can dictate who belongs and who doesn’t.

• Anti-homeless architecture ensures that only the “right kind” of people stay in a space.

• Gentrification disguised as revitalization pushes out communities in favour of boutique cafés and overpriced lofts (Harvey, 2012).

o   Example: Paternoster Square in London—a major city plaza that looks public but is privately owned, meaning protests and gatherings can be shut down instantly.

4. The Illusion of Architectural Progress

We celebrate “cutting-edge” architecture, yet cities repeat the same mistakes gentrification, displacement, profit-driven design.

o   Example: The “Bilbao Effect”—sold as a model for urban renewal, but in many cases, signature projects displace local communities without long-term benefits (Jencks, 2005).

So, What Needs to Change?

If architecture is a scam, it’s time to rewrite the script.

1. Architecture Must Serve People, Not Profit

• Design should prioritize housing, accessibility, and public good over luxury developments.

• Community-led planning should replace developer-driven urban sprawl.

2. Sustainability Must Be Real, Not Marketing

• The most sustainable building is the one that already exists adaptive reuse should be the standard.

• Sustainable design should be accessible, not just a luxury add-on for the rich.

3. Public Spaces Must Be Truly Public

• Cities need to protect public spaces from privatization.

• Design should make cities more inclusive, not exclusive.

4. The Architectural Industry Must Break Free from the Starchitect Model

• The obsession with celebrity architects fuels a toxic system of exploitation and gatekeeping.

• Architecture should celebrate collaboration, grassroots design, and real social impact.

Time to Reclaim Architecture

Architecture doesn’t have to be a scam. It can be a tool for justice, sustainability, and real progress but only if we stop worshipping the system that keeps it broken. We don’t need more glossy renders and billionaire-funded towers. We need architecture that serves people, not profits. The system is flawed but that’s an opportunity. If we tear it down, we can build something better.

References:

• Gissen, D. (2018). Sustainable architecture's shortcomings. Architectural Design, 88(6), 22–28.

• Harvey, D. (2012). Rebel cities: From the right to the city to the urban revolution. Verso.

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

• Moore, R. (2016). The starchitect problem: How architecture lost its way. The Guardian.

• Mostafavi, M. (2017). Ecological urbanism. Lars Müller Publishers.

• Till, J. (2009). Architecture depends. MIT Press.

  
  

Image References:

o    Heydar Aliyev Center Zaha Hadid Architects| The Plan. [Photograph]. Pinterest. https://i.pinimg.com/736x/7b/9c/98/7b9c983d9eaa3f16283f42b9f0b90d21.jpg.

o   The Bosco Verticale in Milan. [Photograph]. Pinterest. https://i.pinimg.com/736x/de/0c/32/de0c3221fb1d3407820a471cef81a0e9.jpg .

o   Paternoster Square in London. [Photograph]. Pinterest. https://i.pinimg.com/736x/77/2e/10/772e10a41755f3c16c47ba13248dcb8d.jpg.

o   Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. [Photograph]. Pinterest. https://i.pinimg.com/736x/cd/9a/cf/cd9acfd4027039a2027d4628746fbddb.jpg.