A recent stroll through Minneapolis' downtown brought me face-to-face with the building pictured above. I think it's another condo building. Anyway, the concave wall caught my eye--a striking design!
Has anyone else noticed that condos--especially "luxury" condos--tend to follow certain design trends? Planners seem to have decided to equate modernist elements (clearly delineated rectangular forms, protruding triangles, non-functional overhangs, skewed lines) with high residential prices. Not that I'm complaining, per se, but it is a bit weird. Why not build a decent but otherwise plain building, and spend the leftover luxury funds on great cabinetry, flooring, and HVAC?
Actually, that's not a condo building at all but the new home for the Center for Music, a premier Twin Cities fine arts educational institution.
ReplyDeleteI'd love it if they'd spend less $$$ on design, more $$$ on sound proofing between condos. My wife and I briefly owned a condo in St. Paul and were treated to voluminous music from all sides. How 'bout some concrete between units?
ReplyDeleteBudget Luxury
ReplyDeleteI have to concur with one of the other posters, but with a slightly different angle. High-end condos are made with lower-end (not the lowest) construction materials. The quality of the craftsmanship is often lacking in the fit-and-finish department. It's the American model of greed at work: put the fewest dollars in for the biggest return. Personally, I wouldn't want to own some overpriced place where I'd have to hear my neighbor's radio all the time; or the door frames weren't measured right; or suddenly I get saddled with a huge maintenance fee for a new roof, because the original one was built on the cheap.
Where's the luxury? Luxury is for millionaires. When you've got that kind of dough, then you've got luxury and a hot wife, just like Donald Trump. So maybe the correct term should be "budget luxury."