The Everyday Architecture That Go Unnoticed

When you get to see something often, they will start to blend in with the background and fade from view. We start to not think about them as much or appreciate the little ways in which they add a subtle touch into our daily lives.

With architecture, the things that often catch our eye are eye-popping monuments and structures that decorate the skies or urban spaces. But there is something to be said about the ordinary architecture with which we get to interact every day of our lives. They too have something to contribute in our lives, as in fact, they are often built for utility. But they never receive particular attention. So here are a few examples of such architecture that go unnoticed.

To appreciate the charms of small structures, it is useful to remind ourselves that we primarily interact with architecture from a ground level rather than the god’s-eye view employed in films and renderings. The architecture of day-to-day urban life is driven by utility and merges so integrally into our tasks that we barely notice it as architecture.
There have been visionary architects who have recognized and celebrated the underrated nobility of everyday life, and there are some superlative little wonders scattered around our cities.

(Image credit: Coyau/Wikimedia Commons)


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Hello,

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@zavatone God I disagree with you. I've been to Shanghai in 2004 and, allthough it has changed a lot since then, I have fond memories of it's skyline and energy.

Pudong is the perfect sci-fi city. It doesn't mean it should be replicated everywhere, but Montreal could use some of that...
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yafortier - curiously, why do you like it? The item I am referring to is the molecule like tower that has a ball and stick structure. It's obviously cast concrete and its structure doesn't really serve a purpose except to look different. It takes up space and visually affronts the form follows function approach.

In the Shanghai of last year, I'm sure the skyline is more developed then when you were there in 2004. Building is going on at an insane rate. But what really confused me is that many of the new buildings have hats or structures on the top that look like headgear. It's completely weird.
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