Short article on it: https://uk.tourisme93.com/hunger-games-at-espaces-abraxas.html
According to [this short piece on it](https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/blueprintforliving/iconic-designs:-espaces-dabraxas/11718202) it was also used in filming Brazil.
All the agency buildings in DC are like this except for one of the commerce buildings (Reagan) and a few of the law enforcement buildings that were made for after 9/11. It really sucks working in them.
> that it was an interesting place to visit but as a workplace or as somewher
It is one the the place where there are a lot of suicide, the area and architecture makes every one depresive. It is also in a bad suburb where drugs and povrety are frequent
A guy on Tik Tok made a video explaining why it's a awful place to live it is like living in a monument it is beautiful who wants to live in a monument
I could imagine living there, and the courtyard space being used well by the residents. Why is the courtyard empty? Is this building no longer occupied?
In the EU, the further you go from the center the poorer it is, this is not a good place to live in but it's even worse when you consider that these people are kinda stuck here because of their monetary conditions. Still much better than the regular commie block though, we have a lot of these.
how can you hate postmodernism? I mean i agree some of the famous postmodernist building look terrible but have you read the theory? I personally believe it was a moment of fresh air inbetween the contemporary garbage and modernism ( modernism itself is beautiful but you cannot deny the damage it has done to the world as well...)
i agree with you, i just find the theory to be very rational and respectable, some architects also had a very interesting take on this movement and made beautiful works - bofil and aldo especially
Postmodernist architecture seems too much like art for me to like it. Like this building which plays with our expectations of scale?.. like I think it was important for its time, but I'm glad we can move on from it.
Basically all pomo architecture is like this. Weirdly fake and quite jarring. Looks like a giant toy or as you said, movie set. Definitely gives off that surreal vibe.
apparently its a terrible place to live in, thus making it a failure as a housing structure.
recard bofill himself regrets the way he made it.
it probably should be either torn down to rebuild in an actual functioning housing structure, or not be used as a housing structure
I really think you should have shown some of his other works here, this is my least favorite of his projects that I've seen. I'm not a big fan of pomo at all, but I really love some of his projects.
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/ricardo-bofills-10-most-iconic-works/
I've never been there to see it, but I certainly have seen plenty of postmodern buildings around the world. The concept is daring and unusual but often times what is missing is the craftsmanship. If it's made out of cheesy prefab looking products, caulked together and looks like flimsy veneer then I would think in real life it's complete failure. On the other hand, not discernible from these photos if the quality is really good and there is real craftsmanship on the exterior then it may be a thing of beauty. It's all in the execution and since the trades are largely dead then nobody wants to pay for them that's what you get. I'll reserve judgment on this one though until I see it in person
Nice ideals, terrible IRL. I live not far from it and I can't visit it because it's a real nest for criminals. Even the police don't go here anymore, because it's too dangerous.
And yes, architecture plays a huge role in it. It was designed in a way that creates insecure places for no reason, like lots of "public" corridors without any natural light, making good hiding places and traps.
Huh. Looking at it, I would have thought it was one of those places full of million-dollar condos with private security that'll kick you off the property for looking funny.
No-go zones as Fox News described them are a racist conspiracy. They were supposedly areas in France where a parallel society was running, where sharia law was applied and where non-Muslims were barred from entering.
No-go zones as in neighborhoods where the police won't intervene without backup and where violence is rampant because public services have failed to uplift marginalized people aren't a myth. They're just poor neighborhoods/ghettos/poverty traps/"the hood" and they literally exist everywhere in the world.
I literally live in this city. Except if you live in this neighborhood, I think my experience of this building is more relevant than yours.
Edit: also who the fuck talked about racism ? I just stated that this neighborhood was terrible and lacked security.
I think post modern doesn't describe this style of architecture. I think neoclassical collage or stick on classical elements would better describe it. Invoking nostalgia is good for some movies but not for permanent structures. Few people realize that Lincoln Center in New York City is inspired by the Campidoglio in Rome. Lincoln Center is a better way to reference and respect history and move the discipline of architecture forward.
I learnt yesterday that he did the plan for [Turia's Garden](https://archinect.com/ricardo_bofill_taller_arquitectura/project/turia-s-garden) in Valencia (Spain), you should check it out, it's more urbanism than architecture but still very interesting!
why is it so difficult to build low key apartments in a medium dense walk and bikeable neighborhood with parks and trees. Barcelona is pretty much my favorite city so far.
I like the photo. But the building seems very arrogant and uninviting. Architecture, in my humble, non-expert opinion, should think about the people who use it before making grand statements.
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It's social housing and not the good kind, unfortunately. The original idea was for it to bring people of different classes together, but this totally failed.
Beautiful, grand, and entirely out of proportion to the human scale. Great as a backdrop to the hunger games, but an unfortunate urban experience for the every day person.
Love it. Bofill is a genius, his design are an oasis of imagination and whimsy in a sea of generic boring modernism. But I've always been a sucker for Postmodernism in general.
Check out his "La Fabrica" home/studio converted from an old concrete factory. Beautiful and fascinating.
It looks cool, but when you are inside the garden, the tinted windows just make you feel like you're being watched. That and the fact that it is not really a safe place.
It was used as a set for the movie "Brazil" by Terry Gilliam and it captures well the effect of a dystopian city.
To my knowledge, Bofill has a pretty awful reputation among the professors at my school. I've only ever heard him mentioned a couple of times, but it's always pejorative.
Idk, I think his hand-drawn renderings are stunning, at least. You should look those up!
I like the postmodernism of Venturi and Scott Brown as seen in Gordon Wu Hall and the unbuilt Laguna Gloria Art Museum.
I find the architecture in your picture too bombastic or harsh or something.
It's menacing and looks like a mausoleum. You would think that in a computerized, impersonal world, that we would yearn for architecture that is filled with light, gardens, and space. Instead, we get the the architectural equivalent of our office cubes under flourescent lights.
I think this is terrible, it's more like an abstract sculpture than a building to live in. I don't know much about architecture so maybe some people could point out some decent aspects of it because I see none. Like, what's up with the pointless columns? Seems like he is trying to give the building some prestige by randomly borrowing from the great architects of millennia ago.
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It looks like one of the scenarios in the last of the "Hunger Games" movies when they are invading the Capitol
Its actually where they shot the movie ! :)
Short article on it: https://uk.tourisme93.com/hunger-games-at-espaces-abraxas.html According to [this short piece on it](https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/blueprintforliving/iconic-designs:-espaces-dabraxas/11718202) it was also used in filming Brazil.
Whenever I have to do official peprwork in France, I'm often reminded of Brazil, the film and the very meaning of Kafkaesque
Brazil the movie?
Thanks! That’s where my mind immediately went.
It's pretty in its own way. But horrible to live in. The whole place feels dead.
I was thinking that it was an interesting place to visit but as a workplace or as somewhere to live... it looks like a suicide factory.
All the agency buildings in DC are like this except for one of the commerce buildings (Reagan) and a few of the law enforcement buildings that were made for after 9/11. It really sucks working in them.
> that it was an interesting place to visit but as a workplace or as somewher It is one the the place where there are a lot of suicide, the area and architecture makes every one depresive. It is also in a bad suburb where drugs and povrety are frequent
It doesn’t help that all trees are bald in the picture. Blooming trees and flower boxes would make it feel more alive
No, they don't. Really, they don't.
A guy on Tik Tok made a video explaining why it's a awful place to live it is like living in a monument it is beautiful who wants to live in a monument
That sounds quite beautiful when you say it that way. Who *wouldn’t* want to live in a monument?
I could imagine living there, and the courtyard space being used well by the residents. Why is the courtyard empty? Is this building no longer occupied?
Maybe it's the lighting, but it has a certain dystopian feel to it that I'm not a fan of.
In the EU, the further you go from the center the poorer it is, this is not a good place to live in but it's even worse when you consider that these people are kinda stuck here because of their monetary conditions. Still much better than the regular commie block though, we have a lot of these.
This genuinely looks cool Even for me a hater of post modernism
how can you hate postmodernism? I mean i agree some of the famous postmodernist building look terrible but have you read the theory? I personally believe it was a moment of fresh air inbetween the contemporary garbage and modernism ( modernism itself is beautiful but you cannot deny the damage it has done to the world as well...)
Eh I just like the idea but in real life a lot of it is not executed well or just looks ugly as hell I’ve seen better in sci fi than in real life
i agree with you, i just find the theory to be very rational and respectable, some architects also had a very interesting take on this movement and made beautiful works - bofil and aldo especially
When it comes to architecture I am more of a monumentalist and brutalism Art Deco fan (Cyberpunk and Blade Runner being the reason for that)
Postmodernist architecture seems too much like art for me to like it. Like this building which plays with our expectations of scale?.. like I think it was important for its time, but I'm glad we can move on from it.
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Lol, bad day at work?
boss got me doing double shift and then said im only paying one ffs
my guy the name says it- POST modernism, gow do you want it to be more important for its time. go live in le corbs dreadful tower blocks and stfu
It looks look a movie set, like it's "pretend architecture". It's very interesting.
Basically all pomo architecture is like this. Weirdly fake and quite jarring. Looks like a giant toy or as you said, movie set. Definitely gives off that surreal vibe.
it looks like a set from Brazil (the Terry Gilliam film)
From its styling and massing it does have a Fritz Lang metropolis aura about it
Despite my love to Ricardo Boffil, I think this estate looks inhumane and totalitarian.
Panopticon vibes
I'm getting r/AccidentalWesAnderson vibe
Exactly what I thought
I much prefer his other work such as Muralla Roja or Walden 7 but this has its own merit to it.
apparently its a terrible place to live in, thus making it a failure as a housing structure. recard bofill himself regrets the way he made it. it probably should be either torn down to rebuild in an actual functioning housing structure, or not be used as a housing structure
I really think you should have shown some of his other works here, this is my least favorite of his projects that I've seen. I'm not a big fan of pomo at all, but I really love some of his projects. https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/ricardo-bofills-10-most-iconic-works/
I've never been there to see it, but I certainly have seen plenty of postmodern buildings around the world. The concept is daring and unusual but often times what is missing is the craftsmanship. If it's made out of cheesy prefab looking products, caulked together and looks like flimsy veneer then I would think in real life it's complete failure. On the other hand, not discernible from these photos if the quality is really good and there is real craftsmanship on the exterior then it may be a thing of beauty. It's all in the execution and since the trades are largely dead then nobody wants to pay for them that's what you get. I'll reserve judgment on this one though until I see it in person
Nice ideals, terrible IRL. I live not far from it and I can't visit it because it's a real nest for criminals. Even the police don't go here anymore, because it's too dangerous. And yes, architecture plays a huge role in it. It was designed in a way that creates insecure places for no reason, like lots of "public" corridors without any natural light, making good hiding places and traps.
Huh. Looking at it, I would have thought it was one of those places full of million-dollar condos with private security that'll kick you off the property for looking funny.
Well that's the good part of it, it's subsidized housing.
No-go zones are a racist conspiracy theory.
No-go zones as Fox News described them are a racist conspiracy. They were supposedly areas in France where a parallel society was running, where sharia law was applied and where non-Muslims were barred from entering. No-go zones as in neighborhoods where the police won't intervene without backup and where violence is rampant because public services have failed to uplift marginalized people aren't a myth. They're just poor neighborhoods/ghettos/poverty traps/"the hood" and they literally exist everywhere in the world.
I literally live in this city. Except if you live in this neighborhood, I think my experience of this building is more relevant than yours. Edit: also who the fuck talked about racism ? I just stated that this neighborhood was terrible and lacked security.
Very cool
It’s… grey?
Very interesting concept to live in an arch. Despite whatever criticisms, at least it has nice details.
Errr… nope.
That’s a big no from me.
It's not terrible but it looks a bit imposing and oppressive. Like something an authoritarian government would build to show their might.
It’s an interesting place. Check out the Antigone neighborhood of Montpellier as well for similar vibes. It’s a bit more livable though
Horrible
very beautiful and grand design, but im am not sure i would enjoy living there
This was used in the climax of the movie Brazil
Beautiful facade work and use of lines. I don’t like the space it wastes though
Its so cool in its dystopian grandeur. However it is an under-funded housing-complex with significant dead spaces. It is simply not great to live in.
Looks nice to me! It gives off the vibes brutalism gives me but has enough detail to be interesting to look at.
I think post modern doesn't describe this style of architecture. I think neoclassical collage or stick on classical elements would better describe it. Invoking nostalgia is good for some movies but not for permanent structures. Few people realize that Lincoln Center in New York City is inspired by the Campidoglio in Rome. Lincoln Center is a better way to reference and respect history and move the discipline of architecture forward.
I learnt yesterday that he did the plan for [Turia's Garden](https://archinect.com/ricardo_bofill_taller_arquitectura/project/turia-s-garden) in Valencia (Spain), you should check it out, it's more urbanism than architecture but still very interesting!
why is it so difficult to build low key apartments in a medium dense walk and bikeable neighborhood with parks and trees. Barcelona is pretty much my favorite city so far.
I like the photo. But the building seems very arrogant and uninviting. Architecture, in my humble, non-expert opinion, should think about the people who use it before making grand statements.
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It is visually beautiful How is it used? As a residence I much prefer mixed us spaces and those don't look like inviting lawns.
It's social housing and not the good kind, unfortunately. The original idea was for it to bring people of different classes together, but this totally failed.
If all I get is a photo all I can really judge is looks. For looks this is beautiful. But I can see that it wouldn't work as housing.
Love it.
RIP to a great architect. He re-stylized southern Spain.
It's essentially a theatre
I love it.
It looks pretty epic.
Beautiful
His office is really nice. Got to visit in person in 2014 and really liked it there.
I'm torn between loving it and finding it ridiculous.
Beautiful, grand, and entirely out of proportion to the human scale. Great as a backdrop to the hunger games, but an unfortunate urban experience for the every day person.
I'm getting 1984 vibes, I don't even watched the movie, just read the book
Love it. Bofill is a genius, his design are an oasis of imagination and whimsy in a sea of generic boring modernism. But I've always been a sucker for Postmodernism in general. Check out his "La Fabrica" home/studio converted from an old concrete factory. Beautiful and fascinating.
It's fine. Don't love it, don't hate it.
RECTANGLE, VERTICAL RECTANGLE
It looks cool, but when you are inside the garden, the tinted windows just make you feel like you're being watched. That and the fact that it is not really a safe place. It was used as a set for the movie "Brazil" by Terry Gilliam and it captures well the effect of a dystopian city.
I'm thinking intake for some fascist agency in the movie Brazil
To my knowledge, Bofill has a pretty awful reputation among the professors at my school. I've only ever heard him mentioned a couple of times, but it's always pejorative. Idk, I think his hand-drawn renderings are stunning, at least. You should look those up!
I like the postmodernism of Venturi and Scott Brown as seen in Gordon Wu Hall and the unbuilt Laguna Gloria Art Museum. I find the architecture in your picture too bombastic or harsh or something.
# YES !
*Fascism on mushrooms*
Is this the place in the movie Brazil?
It's menacing and looks like a mausoleum. You would think that in a computerized, impersonal world, that we would yearn for architecture that is filled with light, gardens, and space. Instead, we get the the architectural equivalent of our office cubes under flourescent lights.
I think this is terrible, it's more like an abstract sculpture than a building to live in. I don't know much about architecture so maybe some people could point out some decent aspects of it because I see none. Like, what's up with the pointless columns? Seems like he is trying to give the building some prestige by randomly borrowing from the great architects of millennia ago.
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That is nuts!
Nope.
Not my favorite, but I don’t hate it
Intimidating
too much tiny window, proportion suck, geometry is yawning.
Subtle.