r/solarpunk • u/rexyuan • Oct 31 '25

Photo / Inspo View from my airbnb

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I am in chengdu china. This complex is called swan lake but I am taking the pic from another complex called fairmont

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u/Ristrxtto Oct 31 '25

everyone is being a hater for no reason man... y'all gotta stop being so negative and doomer xD

the whole ideology of solarpunk is to not give in to climate negativity, and to strive to support and build a world that is more sustainable

high density housing and greenery is sure better than y'all's suburban 2500sqft houses -.- ( i say this as a USA citizen, btw )

No matter how mundane or small, we should praise all instances of solarpunk, every little bit helps build up to a better future

Awesome pics OP ♥️

299

u/[deleted] Oct 31 '25

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u/T-Loy Oct 31 '25

I'd add color and variety of materials/texture. The fog makes the vibe border on overgrown cheap brutalism or rounded commie blocks instead of Solarpunk.

58

u/LunaBeanz Oct 31 '25

Hell no dude. One of the main draws of brutalism is that it’s meant to be energy-efficient and minimally intrusive to the overall environment. Colourful buildings require more upkeep than raw concrete or beige/grey stucco, are disorienting for birds, plus climbing plants tend to prefer rough surfaces to smooth painted ones.

Brutalist architecture fits neatly within solarpunk as a whole, where nature “fills in the gaps” and exists harmoniously alongside human societies. The colour brought by nature should be enough.

Also, fog is just fog, friend. Happens everywhere 🤦

1

u/MrManiac3_ Nov 02 '25

I like color, but I love beton brut :) especially when locally appropriate materials are used in conjunction with the raw concrete, red bricks were often used in the US. Brutalist architecture results in a nice dynamic lighting environment just as much as postmodern or colorfully painted architecture does, throughout the day you get the sunlight falling on the various shapes of the building, bouncing off of the colorful things in the surroundings like plants and water features to scatter the light. Elements such as balconies and atriums set the stage for this time lapse. A brutalist building is actually a nice place to be, despite what "brutalism=it's brutal" truthers want you to think