My last favourite architectural style is Art Deco which is essentially Art Nouveau traumatised by the experiences of WWI and massive industrialisation. Anything that came after that - institutionalised post-modern monstrosities commonly jumbled together under the monnicker of "International style" is the result of further traumatisation of the mass conscious by the horrors of WWII. Post-war architecture essentially represents caving in to the demands of speedy mass construction - obviously, you cannot make high-rise apartment blocks churned out by the thousand have the aesthetics of stately mansions of the horse and buggy days, or can you?
I'm romantic when it comes to architecture: I like beautiful buildings. Living in this day and age, it is hard to avoid being eclectic altogether, so it is sure no pain if a house recalls architectural influences from the past.
In my travels, two places earned my whole-hearted admiration for the aesthetical quality of modern time civil engineering: Morocco, particularly Marrakesh and Ouarzazate, and China. Both draw hugely on their cultural heritage, ending up having modern structures seamlessly blending with the historical parts. Both have employed their tradition-inspired modern styles on a large scale: in the whole city of Ouarzazate I saw no single building that falls out of the pattern.
Central planning must have done good to China: there are whole new development areas where modernity blends beautifully with tradition. The monochrome Ming palette greatly appeals to modern minimalist trends and Ming forms and shapes are easy to rendered with enforced concrete blocks.
A good example of the opposite is my dear Amsterdam. We have so many examples of fresh architectural graduates' eager ego-tripping in this city that now my sight simply ignores and skips those monstrosities.
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