Blog

Architecture's Arch Nemesis

Architecture's Arch Nemesis

After only 25 years, one of the ugliest examples of modern architecture is slated for a $270,000,000 renovation. Mettre du rouge à lèvres à un cochon. Designed by Danish architect Johann Otto von Spreckelsen, La Grande Arche de la Défense strove to be the modern equivalent of the famed L'Arc de Triomphe. In it's short but dubious history, it has been plagued by a crumbling carrera marble exterior, an unsafe roofdeck viewing platform, a gloomy interior and a series of gaffs including the imprisonment of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in a restroom.

Read More at The Guardian  Other Entries