Star Chen asked:

Is the Auckland sky tower beautiful?

I am an architecture student in New Zealand. I felt it is hard to design a buildings when I fail to know
about what feeling people have towards buildings. For instance, what shape, what colours, what
scale or any other things that affect people's feeling in different ways.

Can you tell me about the feelings people have? (intimate, comfort, graceful, subtle, calm or any
feeling from people you could think of).

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I haven't been to New Zealand, but a sky tower may be thought to be beautiful architecture if it is
elegant. It is possible to appreciate tall glass tower blocks but this sort of structure doesn't draw you in
to look more closely. A response which draws you in needs structural detail. Old buildings with
gargoyles and intricate stone work are beautiful because they admit of interested and prolonged
contemplation or the aesthetic gaze of pleasure.

One theory of aesthetic appreciation which applies to architecture is that interest and enjoyment is
more intense if there is an historical background to set a current structure against, but it should still be
a structure is worthy of interest and appreciation in itself. The non-intricate art deco structure is the
precursor of the minimalist modernist sky scraper and on the historical background view of
appreciation, it might be said that the modern sky scraper does not even have an interesting historical
precedent.

Beauty should not depend upon the fact that its features allow it to stand out rather than blend in. So
for shape, colour and scale, beauty can be achieved by creating something which complements the
surroundings. Otherwise, it might simply be "surprising" or "different".

A building is for use but I'm glad that you don't feel it should be purely functional and that feelings
don't matter. Most people would like comfort, subtlety and calm — but intimacy might not be right for
an office block! Space, natural light and real air are what I go for. Tall stifling buildings with
claustrophobic lifts, strip lighting and double glazed windows which cannot be opened are unnatural
— and a lot of people complain about this.

Rachel Browne