Mundane

Watching Paul Goldberger on "The Colbert Report" last night reminded me of how important it is to continue this dialog about glorious architecture. "Why Architecture Matters" is going to be a good read, as soon as I can get my hands on a copy. Nonetheless, this topic is what frustrates so many architects: Why are there so many under-cooked designs across the planet, when somehow those buildings must have been designed by someone that went to architecture school? Unfortunately we live in a rather mundane architectural world from day to day. Only select residential areas of cities have great housing stock and cities concentrate great architecture in their business sectors. So, should we glorify the mundane or have mundane glory?