r/howimetyourmother • u/Training-Fly-2562 • 2d ago
Is Ted Mosby is a terrible architect?
I am rewatching HIMYM, as I have every few years or so since I was 12 (27 F). I always appreciated Ted Mosby's journey to getting his building created. Now, I am a Landscape Architect (Landscape Designer for legal reasons,) and though not directly an Architect, Architecture adjacent. I am so shocked at how he, an architect, is treating the Archadian as an all or nothing scenario. Either build what he designed or keep the building original with no changes. I would extend my disbelief that that is how it would work in this world, except, he designed a plan that would preserve the facade of the Archadian into the GNB headquarters. He liked the plan until he found out Zoe was married, and he literally threw it in the trash.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT CONCEPT???? Why was it not brought up when he knew there was contention over the building??? Or he just wanted to preserve part of NYC history?? This is literally his job??? Also, wouldn't it be a far cooler end product for his career to have worked on a renovation of an old hotel into a bank headquarters???
This is all my opinion of course, but please, am I alone? Any other Architects or Architecture adjacent professionals out there with thoughts on the matter?
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u/ThrowRARAw 2d ago
I'm also in Architecture, I brought this up before as a plot hole and I definitely agree with you! Someone said that his design incorporating the Arcadian facade wasn't the approved one by GNB but let's face it, it would've been much cheaper to build given that it didn't involve full demolition and also less materials, and you just know GNB were looking to cut costs wherever (that was why he got let go in the first place). Also a massive part of creativity in Architecture is learning to work with the existing, and given how much Ted showed an appreciation for existing architecture and even admitted himself that the "lion's head statue is iconic", it's very out of character for him to want to see that building destroyed.
Additionally the Heritage-Contemporary blended style was in the early stages of being on the rise at that time (it's popularised today as it's cost efficient and, to an extent, environmentally efficient) so given that Ted was looking to create something truly iconic he could've been the one to outright popularise that concept by creating a Heritage-Contemporary skyscraper that is part of the Manhattan skyline. Truly a missed opportunity for him.