Performance > Aesthetics

This is a fairly new retail area in north Austin. The storefronts face west. This overhang has two performance requirements: protect people from sun and protect people from rain. What does it say about the state of our society that an architect can design an “overhang” that does not address either of those requirements? And instead indulge themselves in their own silly notions of beauty and ego while ignoring the human experience. Look at how the fierce western afternoon sun blasts the glass. Thermally uncomfortable. Visually uncomfortable. Energy hog. Not durable. Unacceptable.

Photo by K. Simon