Talk:Architecture

I.M. Pei

Pei has designed a number of well-known things around the world: see Suzhou#Museums for some.

Does he deserve a paragraph or a section here? Do other well-known architects? Pashley (talk) 20:20, 1 July 2014 (UTC)

The article is pretty thin, so I say a "notable architects" section with lists of where to see their most famous works might make sense if we keep the focus on the buildings, rather than writing biographies of the architects. Frank Gehry and Frank Lloyd Wright probably also warrant a mention. -- Ryan • (talk) • 20:44, 1 July 2014 (UTC)

I agree, though I won't volunteer to write it. Architects like Wright or w:Christopher Wren, or people in related fields like w:Isambard Kingdom Brunel and w:Henry Moore, might even get their own itineraries if someone wanted to write them. Pashley (talk) 21:18, 1 July 2014 (UTC)

I created a "notable architects" section with one entry, Architecture#I.M._Pei, Hopefully others will expand it. Pashley (talk) 00:22, 2 July 2014 (UTC)

I think w:Oscar Niemeyer could be added to the list as well. Texugo (talk) 15:32, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

Fortresses?

Should we have a section on Fortresses? Castles? Walls? Hadrian's Wall, Great Wall, what else?

I think places like Palmanova might be linked from this article, but I'm not sure where or what else might be linked. Pashley (talk) 01:07, 15 July 2014 (UTC)

Sure, or indeed a separate article or two (one for forts, another for walls is easily imaginable). Some of the castles would also be covered by Gothic architecture, but there are many, many other styles, of course. Ikan Kekek (talk) 02:05, 15 July 2014 (UTC)

Art Deco architecture

I'm thinking of starting a topic on Art Deco architecture, but in looking through Commons' Category:Art Deco architecture, I'm realizing that it's everywhere and therefore a vast topic. Perhaps before the topic is started, we should agree on a list of particularly notable art deco structures that would be worth a special trip, or worth special notice during a trip to the cities in question. And then there's the issue of neo-Art Deco structures, which would arguably include the Jin Mao Building in Shanghai. When I was in Shanghai, I saw that as somewhat of an homage to the Chrysler Building in New York, which I'd put first on my list of art deco structures worth noting, but when I look at photos now, I also see the influence of pagodas on the building. In any event, what other art deco structures should be listed with links in an Art Deco architecture article that could be to some degree patterned after the Gothic architecture article? Ikan Kekek (talk) 09:03, 27 July 2014 (UTC)

I would include Napier. It is a town which has many Art Deco building having been rebuilt after a 1931 earthquake. AlasdairW (talk) 09:10, 27 July 2014 (UTC)

Yes, good one. I've seen photos. Ikan Kekek (talk) 09:59, 27 July 2014 (UTC)

I think the drag in Miami Beach would definitely qualify. Texugo (talk) 00:56, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

Anyway, maybe it would be best to focus on places which have either a concentration of art deco buildings (Miami Beach, etc.) or extremely famous examples (empire state building, etc.). Texugo (talk) 02:05, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

Yes, I agree, but I don't know what's famous everywhere. But you guys have given me some good starting ideas. I'll do a little research on how to describe Art Deco architecture so that readers have something more to go on than my "I know it when I see it" sense, and then I'll start the article (unless someone else starts it first). Ikan Kekek (talk) 02:33, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

I started the topic. Right now, the photos go past the text, but way more text is needed. I didn't even begin discussing Europe, because I don't know where to start. Same with Canada, in fact. So please help with any knowledge you have. Ikan Kekek (talk) 07:02, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

World's tallest needs updating

I don't have time to do it at the moment, but I noticed that the World's tallest section is out of date. The towers section is lacking at least Tokyo Skytree, and I don't know if the buildings section is current or not... Texugo (talk) 15:29, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

Star Trek

Chinese Star Trek fan build office in shape of the USS Enterprise, in Fuzhou Pashley (talk) 18:41, 3 June 2015 (UTC)

That would be novelty architecture wouldn't it? Hobbitschuster (talk) 19:08, 3 June 2015 (UTC)

Architecture styles

Hi, I've just added few more styles to make list complete. I think articles about these arch. styles should be created. What do you think? Do you have in mind some other styles which can be created?

Nice, but I doubt the list is now complete. For one thing, I don't see any oriental styles.

For both the styles and the well-known architects section, I think it is less important to have a full list than to create reasonable content for what is there. Can some of these be filled in a bit? Are there places described in our existing articles that should be linked to, e.g. Prora? Pashley (talk) 01:34, 26 October 2015 (UTC)

You are right, it isn't complete at all. I added just western styles, I don't know much about oriental styles and they seems quite complicated and really diverse. At least, I have added Islamic architecture, Mughal architecture and Eastern Orthodox church architecture. But I don't know if are these articles about styles necessary and useful, I don't want to make another Wikipedia... In my opinion, articles about architecture styles make much more sense for individual countries or regions (like best of baroque architecture in Italy or something like that...) And honestly, I don't really know what is "well known architects" part good for. --Prazak123 (talk) 08:15, 26 October 2015 (UTC)

I think such articles could be fine if someone has the knowledge & inclination to write them, & takes some care to make them relevant to travel. However, I doubt that will be the case for most of them. More often, we can just link to a section of an existing article like Mughal_Empire#Mughal_architecture, either with a piped link or by creating a redirect.

Where there is no good place to link to & no separate article yet, it would be good to add about a paragraph here for each style with links to notable examples. Pashley (talk) 13:15, 26 October 2015 (UTC)

I didn't notice Rococo, Neo-Classic or Federal styles, among others. But I don't think we want to go crazy with these articles. They need work by people who know something about these styles and where there are great examples of them, and who want to take the time to write good, instructive but travel-oriented articles about them. Ikan Kekek (talk) 01:51, 27 October 2015 (UTC)

Someone (I think the Telstra IP user) just added a red link to Victorian architecture. I don't see what the point of the list is. It's neither instructive, close to exhaustive, nor even in anything close to a strict chronological order. I would suggest we delete all the red links or move them to Requested articles, put the links to articles about specific architectural styles or types in a "See also" list and remove or at least greatly truncate this section. -- Ikan Kekek (talk) 22:32, 10 February 2017 (UTC)

I second that motion. Hobbitschuster (talk) 00:27, 11 February 2017 (UTC)

I did conservative edits. Please do more if you are so inspired. Ikan Kekek (talk) 09:24, 11 February 2017 (UTC)

Destinations as in cities?

I think this article would benefit from a list of destinations for those with an interest in architecture. Most huge cities will have some places of interest, but I'm sure some towns have more to offer than others? JuliasTravels (talk) 16:10, 1 December 2015 (UTC)

"Modern" architecture?

What is "Modern" architecture? Whatever it is, doesn't it have to be a larger set within which Art Deco is a subset? I'm not sure it's a useful term for our purposes. And even if the term were "Modernist architecture", it really would have to include Art Deco, which to my understanding was inspired in significant part by the Machine Age and the celebration of the modern worker and influenced by Cubism, a Modernist style of art if there ever was one. Ikan Kekek (talk) 13:16, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

Less-known architecture

Atlas & Boots fairly often has good stuff. Here's one: 10 unknown architectural wonders. Pashley (talk) 14:22, 22 December 2015 (UTC)

Ernst Neufert?

Is this guy worth adding? I'd say no, just add a section for his teacher Gropius, with a mention of the student. Pashley (talk) 12:42, 24 September 2016 (UTC)

Norman Foster

Any signature buildings of this architect worth noting here? ShakespeareFan00 (talk) 11:06, 9 October 2016 (UTC)

I like the dome of the Reichstag, but man oh man is the Hearst Building the scourge of people living in that area! Absolute ruination of what was supposed to be a grand Art Deco skyscraper but ended up with only the base when they lost their shirts in the 1929 stock market crash, so I understand.

But whether to note buildings of individual architects is really a question of how long and detailed we want this article to be. I'd say sure, plunge forward, and if it gets too long, perhaps buildings of certain famous architects could get their own travel topic. For example, I could easily see the likelihood of I.M. Pei enthusiasts traveling far and wide to see some of his most important work. Ikan Kekek (talk) 12:02, 9 October 2016 (UTC)

Ordering the list of architects?

I think we should order the list of famous architects somehow. Maybe in alphabetical or chronological order? ϒpsilon (talk) 19:38, 18 December 2017 (UTC)

I think that chronological order would be good. AlasdairW (talk) 07:46, 19 December 2017 (UTC)

I have put them in chronological order by date of birth. Pashley (talk) 13:49, 4 October 2019 (UTC)

Limes attest?

Huh? explaination please. Baozon90 (talk) 13:12, 3 October 2019 (UTC)

How about if you explain what specifically you are talking about. Ikan Kekek (talk) 16:30, 3 October 2019 (UTC)

In the "Ancient Buildings" section, there is "Later generations even mistook those accomplishments for superhuman feats as names like "Devil's Wall" for the Limes attest.". This may be referring to w:Limes Moesiae, but it needs to be rephrased. AlasdairW (talk) 21:17, 3 October 2019 (UTC)

I have changed it to "Later generations even mistook those accomplishments for superhuman feats, as seen in names like "Devil's Wall" for the Limes Sarmatiae in Budapest." AlasdairW (talk) 21:47, 3 October 2019 (UTC)

CN Tower?

screw'em  :)

CN Tower's management company claims that any picture of the landmark building is a trademark violation. We have a photo of the tower in this article, likely others in Toronto or one of its districts, probably some on Commons.

Should any of those be removed? Where is the right place for discussion? Should we ask WMF Legal about this?

My reaction is "screw them"; I'm trying to think of more places where a tower photo could reasonably be added. Pashley (talk) 19:28, 4 October 2019 (UTC)

• Yeah, I've heard similar bullshitic claims about Brussels's Atomium monument, a fine piece of architecture that maybe deserves mention in this article. If only to "screw them". Ibaman (talk) 20:17, 4 October 2019 (UTC)

The way to deal with a lack of freedom of panorama is to upload photos locally under the site's exception doctrine, with a warning on the file page that the images cannot be used for commercial purposes - just like we have to do ASAP with various images from Taiwan. Ikan Kekek (talk) 02:40, 25 February 2023 (UTC)

Scope and structure?

The topic is central to Wikivoyage, but the article seems very unorganized now. The categorization of buildings is not systematic, and the selection of architects is arbitrary. Should we consider the creation of more sub-articles for different styles, or building categories? /Yvwv (talk) 17:33, 23 August 2020 (UTC)

We already have several sub-articles, shown in the Architecture#Architectural styles section. By all means, start others as warranted. Your other points deserve deeper pondering, so I'll try to come back to this. Ikan Kekek (talk) 20:19, 23 August 2020 (UTC)

I agree with you that the selection of buildings is arbitrary and not in all cases intuitive. Why, for example, is the Prophet's Mosque in Medina not mentioned under Islamic buildings? Ikan Kekek (talk) 06:25, 6 June 2021 (UTC)

White space

I really don't like the very long white space between the paragraphs on Oscar Niemeyer and those on I.M. Pei. Squeezing two thumbnails on the side of the page with white space next to it is not at all in keeping with Wikivoyage:Image policy (specifically, guidelines at Image policy#Minimal use of images) or Wikivoyage:Style. I frankly thought at first that the article had ended and the images were extending below the end of the article. Can't we have a normal distribution of images and simply identify the name of the architect (where known) in every caption? Ikan Kekek (talk) 06:22, 6 June 2021 (UTC)

I've done some edits that I think improve this some. Likely more could be done.

Most of these photos have "300px"; remove that to make them smaller? Pashley (talk) 12:15, 6 June 2021 (UTC)

If need be. You definitely improved things somewhat, but I still don't like any more white space than necessary, and the section on Alfred Waterhouse, with a very large amount of white space just in order to keep photos next to the coverage of particular architects, is a clear violation of Wikivoyage style, as laid out in Image policy#Minimal use of images. As we don't do this in other articles (where, for example, thumbnails of all the sights are not in the "See" section, but instead, distributed throughout the article), we shouldn't do it in this one, either. Ikan Kekek (talk) 12:34, 6 June 2021 (UTC)

I'm still not happy with the white space and believe we should indicate architects of pictured buildings in the captions, not so much through where they're placed. Ikan Kekek (talk) 07:15, 18 August 2021 (UTC)

Tallest towers - time to update for 2021

The list in the article calls 2018 "current". This is a good quick reference. Should we add Petronius (oil platform), or is an oil rig not a tower? If we deem it a tower, it wouldn't be easy for ordinary tourists to visit. There are other tall oil platforms, etc. Ikan Kekek (talk) 07:13, 18 August 2021 (UTC)

One to add?

A Trailblazing Black Architect Who Helped Shape L.A. Pashley (talk) 11:40, 30 September 2021 (UTC)

Added to list, but not much detail. Pashley (talk) 05:47, 1 October 2021 (UTC)

Skylines

Should we mention skylines specifically in this article? People like watching "Top 10/20 skylines" videos on YouTube, and there's no doubt that many people visit cities to see their skylines. Skylines are usually not just architecture, though: they can include mountains and/or bodies of water. But perhaps we should have an article about skylines, or at least a section about them, recommending particularly iconic and beautiful skylines of big and smaller cities. A whole bunch come to mind right away: New York, San Francisco and Chicago are obvious in the U.S., but also Pittsburgh. Florence, Rome, Jerusalem, and of course the ultra-modern Gulf cities' skylines. Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur...there are a lot of places with memorable skylines. What do you all think? Ikan Kekek (talk) 02:38, 25 February 2023 (UTC)

Sure. There's also Taipei with Taipei 101 towering above the other buildings, Sydney with the Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House, Auckland in with the Sky Tower, Toronto with the CN Tower, Seattle with the Space Needle and of course the City of London with The Gherkin. Tokyo is huge so there are multiple skylines but I guess the most iconic will be the one with Tokyo Tower. The dog2 (talk) 17:43, 28 February 2023 (UTC)

@SHB2000:What do you think of the Skylines of Melbourne and Brisbane. I added information about Sydney and Perth already. Melbourne and Brisbane have decent skylines, but I'm not sure if there is anything that makes them stand out. The dog2 (talk) 20:57, 25 October 2023 (UTC)

We have the Chicago skyline guide. The Södermalm heights tour combines a walking tour with a skyline. /Yvwv (talk) 09:59, 26 October 2023 (UTC)

Melbourne's skyline is worth a mention for similar reasons to Perth, but I'm not an expertise on skylines to be able to add anything, unfortunately. While I'm not sure about Brisbane, the skyline of the Gold Coast (Surfers Paradise, not CBD/Southport – see banner on SEQ) does stand out from any other skyline for its coastal location. --SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 10:15, 26 October 2023 (UTC)

@SHB2000: Why don't you have a go at writing about what you can? Adelaide's skyline in nothing spectacular, so I'm not inclined to write about it. Sydney, Melbourne and Perth all have much nicer skylines. I'll try to think of something for Melbourne, but I was 7 years old when I visited Brisbane, so I'm afraid I'm not qualified to write about it. The dog2 (talk) 15:20, 26 October 2023 (UTC)

Yeah, I'll do so when I get home. I just felt too exhausted to write anything yesterday :-(. --SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 20:37, 26 October 2023 (UTC)

I wrote what I could for GC. --SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 10:32, 27 October 2023 (UTC)

Pictures

Per Wikivoyage:Image policy#Minimal use of images, bunching up a group of photos and leaving a substantial amount of space empty of pictures is against guidelines, and what's even more jarring is the white space I referred to in the #White space thread above. I will get rid of that soon if no-one else does anything about it. Ikan Kekek (talk) 07:03, 1 August 2023 (UTC)