Growing up, I watched countless hours of HGTV with my mother. I also tagged along to dozens of open houses, even when we weren’t planning on moving any time soon. She loved looking at homes and critiquing their designs, and I would pretend to have an opinion while snacking on the complimentary cookies realtors put out for guests.
Today, I still don’t know very much about architecture or what makes a great building. But you don’t need to have much technical knowledge to be able to spot a monstrosity. We took a trip to the That’s It, We’re Architecture Shaming Facebook group and gathered some of their most atrocious pics below. From office buildings that look like they could fall down at any moment to bizarre bungalows, enjoy scrolling through these photos. And be sure to upvote the ones you can’t believe an architect signed off on!
#1 This
Image credits: Kevin Miller
#2 When Your Clients Are Dipsy And Laa-Laa From Teletubbies So That Their Antennas Won't Hit The Door Header
Image credits: Jillian Lin
#3 Waka Waka Waka!
Image credits: Marissa Richardson
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?”
#4 My Daughter Captioned This, "I Want Six Of Every Shape Window You Have
Image credits: Christie James
#5 Pretty
Image credits: Laura Andres
#6 When You Really Love Columns
Image credits: Jess Cruz Almero
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.
#7 Get A Load Of This Beauty!
The addition is bad enough… the paint job adds a lot.
Image credits: Fran Allison
#8 Is It Just Me Or Does This Look Like Somebody Gave It A Boot In The Rear?
Image credits: Rene Kreis
#9 Hi All! I Just Wanted To Introduce Myself And Share A Photo I Took Today. All I Can Say Is It's Well Built
Image credits: Lisa Asher
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.
#10 Being So Bold To Believe You Could Build Homes, Let Alone Giant Homes, On A Literal Beach, Is The Pinnacle Of Hubris
Outer Banks, North Carolina: six homes have collapsed already
Image credits: Alicia Mariah Elfving
#11 Look, If You’ve Got A Useless Space, Might As Well Make It Interesting!
Image credits: Marissa Richardson
#12 The Mind Reels
Image credits: Robin Rogers
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.
#13 Kaiser-Permanente Building In Timonium, Maryland With (In My Humble Opinion) Absolutely Hideous Exterior Cladding
Image credits: Aaron Emke
#14 Apartment Building In Poland
Image credits: Bang Chris Yan
#15 I Don't Think This Is Decorated Right. Not My Listing Nor Photo
Image credits: Kirsten Tautfest
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.
#16 Can You Make It More Diagonal?
Image credits: Matias Galarraga Green
#17 Seems Legit
Image credits: Alicia Mariah Elfving
#18 When You Can’t Tell Where The Original House Starts And Ends
Image credits: Alicia Mariah Elfving
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.
#19 The Sad Renovations Done In 2012 To The 16th Century Caldwell Tower In Scotland. The Addition Is Still There To This Day
Image credits: Sandra Segal
#20 House In The Orchard, Prague, Czech Republic
Image credits: Sandra Segal
#21 I Actually Love This Home
Image credits: Lolita Potts
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.
#22 The Fireplace In Little Moreton Hall (Built Between 1504 And 1610) Looks Wonky, But It's Actually Completely Straight. It's The Rest Of The Room That's Out Of Whack - It's One Of The Wonkiest Buildings In England
Image credits: Sandra Segal
#23 His Keeps Popping Up In My Feed For Ages.. (Stupidly I Clicked It That Probably Isnt Helping) I Guess They Are Having Trouble Selling This Hotel/Chapel
Image credits: Ently Lamar
#24 Prepping For Doomsday In Belgium
Image credits: Margit Klumpers
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!
#25 We Should Have Used Better Glue
Image credits: Sandra Segal
#26 I Saw This While In The Detroit Area Last Week. Not Sure What To Say. Not Sure What They Were Thinking
Image credits: Eric Woodfin
#27 Unknown Location (Seen On Several Polish Pages, But Not Sure It's In Poland)
Image credits: Sandra Segal
#28 Putting This In This Page Too. Abomination In Fayetteville, Ar. If It’s Gonna Be Bland Why Not At Least Be Symmetrical??
Image credits: Connor Gwin
#29 Step Right Up! Or...down
Image credits: Shawn Livingston
#30 Valley Architecture, Design By Mvrdv In Amsterdam
Image credits: Bang Chris Yan
