That’s It, We’re Architecture Shaming has only been around since July 2024, but the community has already amassed an impressive 28K members. It has a simple goal, as it’s described as a “silly shaming group for people who want to point and laugh at terrible buildings!” And it’s clear that the members won’t run out of content any time soon.

There’s been 74 new posts in the group in the past month, and 72 new members joined in the last week. It’s a wholesome community that’s not meant to hurt anyone’s feelings, but they are looking to get a kick out of some of the questionable and creative choices that architects around the world have made. Perhaps this list will even inspire you to join and start posting photos of homes you drive past every day that make you wonder, “Who the heck designed that?”   

As with most things, you can easily argue that design is subjective. Sure, your house might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but that doesn’t mean that it’s objectively ugly or bad. Right? Well, some architects would say that objectively bad choices definitely do exist. And according to Vera Iconica Architecture, there are a few reasons why making good design decisions is important.

First of all, architecture is a great way to create beauty. Everyone wants to live in an environment that’s pleasant to look at, so having gorgeous homes, offices, government buildings, etc. surrounding you can have a huge impact on how you feel while moving through the world.  

Filling your city with stunning architecture is also a great way to attract tourists. People travel from all over the world to see the Taj Mahal, the Great Pyramids, Sacré-Cœur, the Empire State Building and more. If your city invests in beautiful buildings, the entire globe will want to appreciate them. 

At the same time, these buildings can be a great way to show different cultures to the rest of the world. Nowadays, we can find generic buildings popping up everywhere, but if your country or city has a specific design style, it will always be unique and representative of what life there is like.     

Good architecture can also increase residents’ quality of life. When people are surrounded by well designed spaces, they are encouraged to spend time in them, rather than just bolt home as fast as they can right after work. When architecture puts wellness first, Vera Iconica notes that people are inspired to build stronger communities. At the same time, office buildings that have plenty of natural light, good air and water quality, great ventilation, and thoughtful design can have a huge impact on how employees feel while working.     

And if you’re one of the 136 million Americans who commutes to work every morning, having a pleasant journey can greatly impact how you feel when starting your day. I typically take one route to work in the morning by bus and a different route while walking home in the evening, and I always enjoy taking a moment to admire the stunning buildings and river my city has to offer. Humans want to live in beautiful places, and we should be afforded that luxury.  

On the other hand, Architizer notes on their site that bad architecture might actually be harmful for our health. They provide examples of reflective buildings that become extremely hot when hit with sunlight or buildings that harm us indirectly, such as filling us with negative feelings. For example, if you look out your living room window to see an ugly, huge grey building that blocks all sunlight from your street, you might not be too happy to open the shades. 

Bad architecture can also be harmful when it’s simply confusing. If you can’t find the front door, can’t navigate through the building without feeling like you’re in a labyrinth or have to walk up an extremely narrow flight of stairs to reach your office, you probably won’t be thrilled about visiting that space. It’s important that architects keep aesthetics, functionality and how people will feel about the environment in mind when designing a building.   

Are you enjoying these photos of atrocious buildings, pandas? Keep upvoting the ones you can’t believe are real, and feel free to call out any more buildings you hate in the comments below. Then, if you’re interested in even more structures that deserve to be shamed, you can find another Bored Panda list on the same topic right here!