Some pictures that show an old building that proves how bad today's houses are designed:





Nowadays people would use the same space for 6 floors or even more....I wonder why people don't build houses anymore with higher ceilings like "in the old days"

Its not usually the architects, most are told what to do with such tight specifications that it doesn't allow their creativity to be used and some hate what they're being told to design, especially when it ruins a character building. Sadly, its very few who have the luxuary and freedom to design whatever they want.

1. It is the fault of the planning officers.....they are too strict as far as locations are concerned and building on "farm land" and too lax as far as the looks of buildings are concerned. Either they are too conservative and want all buildings to look the same or they just look at the regulations and have no general vision for the overall skyline or look of a town.

2. Of course the flats would also be more expensive....but it would be worth it...some people would be willing to spend more I think, if they have more space.

Maybe it is because in the "old days" people who built houses were rich and had no time pressure .... now all building companies have no money and are under pressure by the banks to build and sell houses within 3 months or something...

But this would also mean, not single family houses were allowed to be built anymore. For instance in Greater London, there is 90% of single family houses a and some 2-4 storey houses.......the majoriy of all buildings are not very tall. Then there are some few really tall buildings with many floors...but not very beautiful. (e.g. when you look out of the window in the tube between Tunham Green and Hounslow). Sometimes I wonder which architects have designed them and whether they feel ashamed of their own work.....

In my humble opintion, I think buildings like that:



or that:



should never have been giving a planning permission.....and these are not the worst examples...just haven't found any pictures on google that are really bad.

The first one as well?

The biggest problem is, that most of those buildings will never be replaced and stay there forever.....so often there is no such thing like a "temporary building" to cover some urgent needs. I think those buildings will also be there in 50 years or even 100.

But even now there are some buildings under construction...that might look "modern" but really sterile and clinical and have nothing unique about them. Anf if you look at the old buildings next to them, you notice every house looked different then......

I know it would also be bad from an architectural point of view to try and mimick the old styles.....but I haven't seen a "modern building" so far that really convinced me.

Design specifications will always be sacrificed first where the budget dictates. We'd love to build St Pauls, but Tower Hamlets is cheaper. The other major factor is, we cant build vast georgian or edwardian houses because its simply not what the government wants and its the governmetn that grant planning permission. the government commissioned the barker review that states we need 200,000 new houses a year, oh and by the way, they also want all new houses built to be carbon neutral by 2016. The simple truth is major housebuilder contractors like Wilson Bowden Barratt, redrow, wimpey etc will start punching out cheap, identikit timberframe houses on greenfield sites where possible. The barker review says it wants 60% of these new houses to be built in brownfield sites. But building on old industrial land in city centres is automatically going to tack on 40% to the cost. And carbon neutralisation will be achieved by a mixture of community offsetting and sustainable products that if you actualy take a quick look at their manufacture and supply chain, they emit more carbon than standard materials. Well thats my little rant about the barker review over.

Back when those old big houses were built, the British Empire ruled the planet. That's why rich people's houses were massive. We ain't at the top of the tree no more.

Samatron the old thread gravedigger.

Anyway high ceilings as loved by Toby are great in theory, takes an age to heat my house though and as the world gets more energy concious they aren't going to be on anyone's agenda.
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