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> A developer hires an international 'starchitect' like Viñoly to design them an office block because the architects reputation for design helps them to get away with a larger building on the site and therefore get more net lettable area for their investment in land.

Ah. I've always wondered why people pay "starchitects" to design horrible, hideous, poorly designed buildings. I've always figured that they were paying more to get something of worse quality, but figured that people were paying the premium just to be in vogue.

The reputation allowing them to get away with a bigger building on the same plot of land is a new explanation to me, and makes lots of sense.



>Ah. I've always wondered why people pay "starchitects" to design horrible, hideous, poorly designed buildings. I've always figured that they were paying more to get something of worse quality, but figured that people were paying the premium just to be in vogue.

"Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every 6 months" -- Oscar Wilde


That explains my grandparents remodeled their bathrooms every 6 months. (Yup, I guess that makes 'em hipsters.)

The way around hipster discontent is to stop caring; the only person you have to impress is yourself.


More expense is a bragging right and a substitute for thinking.

RFP should due-diligence recent projects to be sure they're not cutting corners. Also, shopping around for better results/value elsewhere.

(It makes you want to guard good value/$ firms that aren't big names.)




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