What Should Architecture Aspire To?

Note to Attendees: Please consider making a $5 donation to contribute to the running costs of this Meetup.

From cathedrals and temples to glass towers and concrete suburbs, architecture shapes how we live, think, and relate to one another. It reflects not only practical needs, but deeper values — beauty, power, identity, efficiency, permanence, even ideology. Every civilization leaves behind its architecture as a kind of self-portrait.

Yet modern architecture remains deeply contested. Some see contemporary design as innovative and liberating. Others see it as cold, rootless, and hostile to human feeling. Should architecture primarily serve function, or should it aspire to something higher? Can beauty be objective? And what responsibilities do architects have to the people who must live among their creations?

At our next Gold Coast meetup, we’ll explore one of the most visible but rarely examined aspects of modern life: what architecture should aspire to, and whether we are building environments that elevate or diminish us.

The questions we will address are:

1. Has modern architecture sacrificed beauty for efficiency?
2. Do modern cities feel human anymore?
3. Can architecture shape moral or cultural values?
4. Are we building for permanence or disposable convenience?

This event will be held at the Parkwood Tavern.
After the discussion, we’ll stay on for a meal and a drink together — a chance to continue the conversation in a more relaxed setting and support the venue.

PLEASE NOTE:
Please support the venue by purchasing a drink or meal during the event.
This is intended to be a good-natured but robust discussion. Please be respectful and prepared to have your ideas challenged. If you are easily offended, this event may not be for you.