Sage Pho Maximus says: I am not an architect... I... AM A POET. And yet there is something poetic in scope about the phenomenon that announces itself thus: “Lo! I am Pretentious Architecture”. The very physical appearance of reaching for the stars, of vertigo; the archi-poet reaching for the status of neo-feudal ubermensch - how I envy his sheer gall.


Pompidou Centre: Paris
The Pompidou Centre was built in the 1970s by architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers as a hub for contemporary art. The most noticeable feature of the building is its visible external organs, free from traditional aesthetic constraints, which leave all of the interior space available for puzzling art.
Sage Pho Maximus says: How they teased my sophisticated intellect at the run-down state school I was forced to attend. “Ooh, la-dee-da Pompidou Centre” the ruffians would mock. Needless to say it came to be my favourite building.


Guggenheim Museum: New York
Completed in 1959, the Guggenheim is one of the most famous creations of architect Frank Lloyd Wright. It is one of the premier modern art galleries in the world.
Sage Pho Maximus says: High-falutin’, outside and in. Admirable.


The Trump World Tower: New York
Another Donald Trump creation, the Trump World Tower overlooks the U.N in New York. It is one of the most luxurious residential towers in the world with four bedroom condos going for over $14 million. Ouch.
Sage Pho Maximus says: Pretentious in the bad way. The distasteful way. The Phil Collins of skyscrapers.

Sears Tower: Chicago
The Sears Tower enjoyed a brief reign as the world's tallest building between 1973 and 1996. It was designed by some swish architects and got off in the ground in record time.
Sage Pho Maximus says: More about pretense than pretentiousness. Managed to be the tallest building on Earth by token of having a huge great ariel atop it.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa: Italy
Construction got going on the Tower in 1173 and continued for about two hundred years. For over eight hundred years smart guys have been inventing nifty gizmos to stop this lovely piece of history from toppling on its ass.
Sage Pho Maximus says: Came before the true age of Pretentious Architecture. Bonus points, though, for its arch-PoMo resemblance to a giant chap-stick.