Hacker News Reader

I think what really sets Art Deco apart, and what makes it closer to what came before than what came after, are the decorative embellishments. These are what make the buildings engaging at the street level.

Can an architect here comment on the cost of such embellishments, such as terra cotta molding or mosaic friezes? Is it prohibitive, is it simply a "nice to have" that's never had for property developers, or is there a stylistic bias against embellishment?

View on HN

It’s a number of factors. School programs are biased against embellishment so there isn’t really a craft in the profession around those kind of stylistic detail, especially at graduate level. BIM software also plays a role. The trade is forever streamlining itself technically, and construction systems with their CAD part catalogs thin out selection. Depending on the development goals, throwback details may not fit with how they plan to market the building.

And pretty much all of the above contribute to added costs of perusing embellishment on the core and shell. Lack of design techniques, construction know how, and off the shelf options will drive prices up. Developers would prefer to spend money on interior build out because it sells sq footage.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com