The worst building in Austin, TX

The worst buildings are not the “ugliest” buildings. Beauty is subjective. But building performance is NOT subjective. The laws of physics are not theoretical. Here’s an easy candidate for the worst building in Austin, TX - the Fairmont Hotel. All glass, unshaded, facing south - this is a good design for a greenhouse or an oven! But a horrible design for a building that is supposed to have people inside of it. Sure you can crank out the air conditioning and make it reasonably comfortable. But that’s so irresponsible - what an energy hog. Glare. Heat gain. Visual discomfort. No personality. It does not respond to the human experience. It does not respond to climate or solar geometry. We can do better. We must do better. To solve the sustainability crisis, we cannot accept buildings like this.

Photo by K. Simon