Buildings+by+Jess

All over the world, there are dramatic public buildings that reach to the sky and display fancy architecture far and wide to the citizens below. In medieval times such buildings were the greatest cathedrals of Europe created by craftsmen of local stone, but now today, high technology concrete and steel architecture rules the skyline. It seems that every country wants to have the tallest or most unique building in the world; the competition is intense. This competition for large public buildings seems to lack any functional purpose and only to be driven by the desire to have celebrity architectural status as a recognizable icon…. even if only for a fleeting moment in history!

Such buildings have advantages and disadvantages. One advantage is that the building may be pleasing to host many public events, especially if the ambience is comfortable and aesthetic. Secondly, a very successful fancy building can become an icon for the city; such as the Sydney Opera House in Australia, or Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament in London or the Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur. Also, often such fancy building developments occur in reclaimed areas of a city and so give a strong motivation to upgrade and re-grow the urban environment of a bad slum area of a city e.g. the Olympic site being redeveloped in East London, England.

However there are significant disadvantages! It is tax payers’ money that is being eaten-up for these “iconic dreams” instead of building schools, hospitals and homes for the poor. Next, it is the strongest members of the community who get to over-rule the weaker members and old land and buildings get force-purchased by the government or council with small compensation to the local people (for example the three gorges dam project in China). Another major disadvantage of big government projects are the opportunities created for corruption of officials and contractors taking bribes and large sums of tax payers’ money being stolen and wasted.

It is maybe reasonably important for each country to allocate a proportionate budget to build at least one impressive building in their capital city to develop national pride and public motivation, even if the country is a relatively poor third world developing nation. My preferred dream would be to have the impressive building to also have a practical purpose such as to be a successful school or hospital instead of the usual president’s mansion or presidential parliament!!!