Beauty in the eye of the beholder

I just love the V&A Dundee and I rather liked the Black House. The only one I thought was 'ordinary-looking' was the Blood Transfusion Centre, though it could be brilliant inside or viewed from another angle.

Overall, I thought the buildings were fascinating. I do like that architecture can push at boundaries and present innovative solutions.

Oh dear!

Some of them look fine, but the question is, do they work? Are those floor to-ceiling-window offices light but not glaring, warm but not roasting? Do they make people nervous on the higher floors?
I can't believe the pointy projections on the school will stop even a drop of rain and not a breath of wind, to permit the planned outside working. It wouldn't work here in South West England, never mind in Scotland.
And when, like Doramarr, I went to the Bilbao Guggenheim last year, I was deeply disappointed. Access was via long flights of marble steps. The walls were curved, useless for displaying paintings. It was as if the architect had decided the building was to be the art, not the contents.
But my new conversion and extension beside my family's house is a triumph of multi-purpose, compact, easy to run, design. So not all new architecture is bad!

Agree with you, is it an age thing do you think? Do we prefer the old and familiar to the new and challenging, do they take us out of our comfort zone. I like some modern architecture, but the history of older buildings appeals greatly.

Weird, aren't they? Is that the buildings or the architects? Both, I suspect. I fear that many modern buildings are difficult to love.

I'm looking forward to seeing the V&A next week. The only other one I'd give the time of day to is the Willow restoration.

I love modern architecture, and in particular liked the V&A in Dundee, and the school. I agree with you DoraM, some modern public buildings such as the Guggenheim can breathe new life into a run down area.

Love all things Mackintosh, as for the rest

I don't wonder Prince Charles despairs of modern architecture. Only 2 on that list that are not actually scary.

Everyone's opinion is valid and welcome. I hope the children don't fall down those enormous steps and - given the horizontal rain we sometimes get in Scotland - I'm struggling to see how much extra outdoor space those tilted wings will actually give. I'd love to be proved wrong, of course.

I like them, especially the V&A Dundee and Broomlands primary school. They are innovative and thoughtful, I think, and entirely fit for purpose. I like the spiky roof at the school, which provides shelter for outdoor learning. I recently visited the Guggenheim in Bilbao, which has provided the impetus- and the tourist money-for a lovely regeneration of what was a dreary post- industrial area bordering the river. I think good architecture has the ability to do this, and improve the lives of the people who live there. I hope the children have a lot of fun in their new school!

Gosh! - I do see what you mean - they are all truly horrid. Dear me.