Exterior judgement

Let's face it, we judge a building first by how it looks on the exterior. As discussed in class this week, facades seem to be the priority in the last decade of architecture. as technology has continued to progress. Even if the inside is mundane due to program, the architect may still have an opportunity to make something exciting happen on the outside. I'll admit, sometimes when I photograph buildings, I have to search around and find a place or angle to make the building look better than it really is...  I think architects should have fun when designing the facade while still keeping a balance of sustainability, cost, and beauty. Beauty can be found in simplicity as well. The Poetry Foundation in Chicago is an example of a simply designed facade that does a lot of work. As you can see in the image below, the facade is a screen that is pulled so far off the glass box that it creates a plaza on the corner, while still shading the building. I've also included an image of the Broad Museum facade because it's just pleasing to look at.

Poetry Foundation

Broad Museum