{"id":19619,"date":"2020-02-12T22:31:28","date_gmt":"2020-02-12T22:31:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=19619"},"modified":"2020-02-13T00:55:16","modified_gmt":"2020-02-13T00:55:16","slug":"why-so-many-architects-are-angered-by-making-federal-buildings-beautiful-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/why-so-many-architects-are-angered-by-making-federal-buildings-beautiful-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Why so many architects are angered by ‘Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kai Gutschow<\/a>, Carnegie Mellon University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Decades of federal architectural policy would be upended if the Trump administration follows through on an executive order<\/a> that was leaked to the Architectural Record on Feb. 4.<\/p>\n

Titled \u201cMaking Federal Buildings Beautiful Again<\/a>,\u201d it announces that the classical style of architecture \u2013 which refers to architecture inspired<\/a> by the monumental buildings of ancient Greece and Rome \u2013 will be the \u201cpreferred and default style\u201d for many federal buildings.<\/p>\n

Since then, the American Institute of Architects<\/a>, the Society of Architectural Historians<\/a>, the National Trust for Historic Preservation<\/a>, Docomomo<\/a> and the Architectural Lobby<\/a> \u2013 among many others \u2013 have publicly announced their opposition to the order.<\/p>\n

As a historian of modern architecture<\/a>, I share their suspicions. While the executive order certainly aligns with some of the administration\u2019s conservative priorities, I fear that it will ultimately stifle innovation and reverse recent federal support for architectural experimentation.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s in the executive order?<\/h2>\n

The order encompasses all federal courthouses and agency headquarters, all federal public buildings in Washington, D.C. and the surrounding area \u2013 what\u2019s called the National Capital Region<\/a> \u2013 and all federal public buildings that cost more than US$50 million to build. The order would apply to the design of all new buildings, as well as to all renovations or additions to existing buildings.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s meant to overturn the existing \u201cGuiding Principles for Federal Architecture<\/a>\u201d issued in 1962 by future Democratic Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Rather than dictating a single style, Moynihan\u2019s principles emphasize the importance of diverse \u201cdesigns that embody the finest contemporary American architectural thought.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, they specifically suggest that \u201cdevelopment of an official style must be avoided. Design must flow from the architectural profession to the government\u201d \u2013 which is exactly the opposite of what Trump\u2019s mandate is trying to do.<\/p>\n

So who\u2019s behind the executive order?<\/p>\n

It was drafted by the National Civic Art Society<\/a>, a conservative nonprofit that promotes the classical tradition in architecture, urbanism and the arts. The group considers modernist architecture<\/a> to be \u201ca failure\u201d and endeavors to \u201chelp architecture return to its pre-Modernist roots.\u201d The National Civic Art Society claims all forms of modern architecture \u201creject traditional standards of beauty and harmony. Indeed, \u2018beauty\u2019 is a forbidden word,\u201d and notes that some leading modernist architects were fascists, racists and evinced a \u201chatred of democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Classical\u2019 can mean many different things<\/h2>\n

Many U.S. government buildings \u2013 from the White House<\/a> to the Supreme Court Building<\/a> \u2013 were built in the classical style. According to the executive order, because the style alludes to the architecture of \u201cdemocratic Athens and republican Rome,\u201d it is able to \u201cphysically symbolize\u201d the nation\u2019s self-governing ideals. On the other hand, the order and the NCAS characterize buildings built since 1962 as \u201cundistinguished\u2026 uninspiring \u2026 and even just plain ugly,\u201d citing popular opinion polls as proof<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And yet, critics have been quick to point out that the classical style doesn\u2019t always symbolize democratic ideals of self-governance.<\/p>\n

Dictators, plutocrats and autocrats<\/a> have long used the classical style to connect the grandeur of the Roman empire to their own power. Hitler<\/a>, Stalin<\/a> and Kim Jong-Il<\/a> all favored classically inspired buildings.<\/p>\n

In the United States, there\u2019s a strong classical tradition in not just the capital but also in the South, where plantation owners were keen to build their mansions in the neoclassical style<\/a> \u2013 and where this architectural tradition is still alive and well. For example, we see it in buildings like the recently completed Federal Building and Courthouse in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Yet it\u2019s difficult to avoid the fact that many of these neoclassical estates \u2013 these purported symbols of democracy \u2013 featured separate quarters for slaves<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The Federal Building and Courthouse in Tuscaloosa, Alabama was completed in 2012.<\/span>
\nHBRA Architects<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Architect Phineas Harper also makes a subtle but important point<\/a> that today\u2019s love of classical and traditional architecture often masks a fondness toward traditional European culture \u2013 and, by extension, an aversion to \u201cthe other.\u201d He notes that classicism, traditional architecture and anti-modernist rhetoric frequently disguise xenophobic and violent impulses.<\/p>\n

More Obama backlash?<\/h2>\n

There could be a more straightforward reason for this executive order, however.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s order notes that it is simply about reviving the ideals of the Founding Fathers, and it\u2019s clear about its goal to overturn the 1962 guidelines that allowed controversial Brutalist structures<\/a>, such as the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, D.C., to be built.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The J. Edgar Hoover Building, which houses the headquarters for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, was built in the Brutalist style.<\/span>
\nUniversal History Archive\/Getty Images<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But since Trump entered office, he\u2019s sought to undermine, roll back and rewrite the legacy of his predecessor<\/a>, President Barack Obama. So it\u2019s plausible that the order is a direct reaction to a \u201cbuilding boom<\/a>\u201d that happened under President Obama and was funded via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. During this period, the Obama administration helped promote a diverse range of innovative and cutting-edge federal buildings, from Kieran Timberlake\u2019s U.S. Embassy in London to the new U.S. courthouse<\/a> in Austin, Texas.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The U.S. Embassy in London opened in 2018.<\/span>
\nJustin Tallis\/AFP via Getty Images<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

These structures combined provocative design with the latest advancements in security, while incorporating green building systems that reduced energy costs. Together, I believe they project the image of a technologically advanced and enlightened U.S. federal government.<\/p>\n

No matter your views on classical architecture, restricting designs to one particular style rejects the diverse tastes and ideals of the American people. Furthermore, this executive order would stifle innovation and progress in the architecture, engineering and construction industry.<\/p>\n

Because aesthetics and symbolism is so central to classical architecture, the buildings \u2013 almost by definition \u2013 are more costly and less energy efficient than so-called \u201chigh-performance buildings<\/a>,\u201d which focus on cost-effectiveness, safety, sustainability and accessibility, in addition to aesthetics. Through organizations such as the National Institute of Building Sciences<\/a> and their Whole Building Design Guide<\/a>, the federal government has, in recent years, been working to produce advanced buildings that set standards for the industry and the world.<\/p>\n

For these reasons, the administration\u2019s mandate for classical architecture constrains architecture\u2019s ability to innovate and tackle real world problems.<\/p>\n

[Insight, in your inbox each day.<\/em> You can get it with The Conversation\u2019s email newsletter<\/a>.]\"The<\/p>\n

Kai Gutschow<\/a>, Associate Professor of Architecture, Carnegie Mellon University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kai Gutschow, Carnegie Mellon University Decades of federal architectural policy would be upended if the Trump administration follows through on an executive order that was leaked to the Architectural Record on Feb. 4. Titled \u201cMaking Federal Buildings Beautiful Again,\u201d it announces that the classical style of architecture \u2013 which refers to architecture inspired by the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":19620,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[293],"tags":[190,7661,783,7660,366,1900,2239,7659,1602,3392],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19619"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19619"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19619\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19628,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19619\/revisions\/19628"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}