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Bored Panda

Gabija Palšytė

61 Times Architects Had A Vision But The Reality Was Not Exactly What They Expected

Sweden Architecture Gothenburg

It's the perfect blend of creativity, functionality and beauty. In theory, that's what architecture should be. And often, in glossy brochures or 3D renders, that's what it is. But sometimes life (read: construction) happens, and someone's best-laid plans go straight into the sewer.

For every project that goes according to plan, another is a disaster waiting to happen. The result? Expectation absolutely not meeting reality. Poor execution, tight budgets, construction mistakes, last-minute changes and miscommunication can all render a once-beautiful blueprint pretty much futile.

Bored Panda has compiled a list of some of the funniest Render vs Reality architecture design fails spotted in the wild. Some are ambitious, others bizarre. All are reminders that no matter how good something looks on paper, the universe often has a few hilarious tricks up its sleeve.

#1 Design Submitted By The Architect vs. How The Contractor Ends Up Building It

#2 Residence Trea In Istanbul, Turkey

#3 Växjö's New Municipal Building. Render vs. Real Building

#4 The New Hotel At Halmstad’s Travel Center. It Looks Like A Haunted Hotel

#5 The New Munch Museum In Oslo Opened, And It Might Not Look Exactly Like The Vision Picture

#6 Vågen Was Sweden’s Fifth Ugliest Building In 2022

#7 Vizag International Cruise Terminal In Visakhapatnam, India

#8 The Vision Of This Building Looked Great, But The Reality Is Very Disappointing

#9 Söders Höjder In Helsingborg, Sweden

The real building doesn't shine very much, and the reality is painful. Söders Höjder in Helsingborg is Sweden's third ugliest new building in 2023 and also the building with the year's worst fake view.

#10 I Wonder How The People Who Bought Apartments In This Apocalyptic-Leninist Bunker Nightmare Feel About Their Investment

#11 Tel Aviv University’s “Building Of The Future”

#12 A Different Angle But The Message Is Still Clear – Horrendous

#13 A Skyscraper In Warsaw, Poland

#14 “Bal Gown” In The Hague, Netherlands. It Had The Potential

#15 Pennsylvania's Previous Capitol Building

#16 Indian Infrastructure Architecture Planning And Execution

#17 Spektrum In Nya Hovas. Rendering vs. Actual Result

#18 The So-Called Stadsberget In Piteå. Although It Is A Parking Garage, The Illustration Shows A Car-Free Environment With A Lot Of Cyclists And Pedestrians

#19 The Same, But Different

#20 Royal Ontario Museum: Expectations vs. Reality

#21 The Elite Hotel Carolina Tower At Nya Karolinska In Hagastaden, Stockholm, Sweden

#22 An Expectation Image Of Metropolia’s Myllypuro Campus vs. An Image From Reality

#23 Rainbow Coloured Building

#24 The Picture In The Ad Clearly Is The Actual Building Behind It. [oc]

#25 Stanley Milner Library In Edmonton, Alberta

#26 Such A Big Difference Between The Rendered Photo And Reality. Prisma, Helsingborg, Sweden

#27 Located In Central Halmstad

In order to sell projects, they brighten up the facades and exaggerate the number of pedestrians and cyclists in their render. They also invent greenery that doesn't exist.

#28 If You Can't Design A Nice Building, You Can Always Try To Hide The Building Completely. Unfortunately, It's More Difficult In Reality Than In The Picture

#29 Vision vs. Reality. Platinan In Gothenburg, Sweden

#30 Funny How Buildings Just Change Color

#31 Glasiaren, Gothenburg. The Building Turned Into Something That Resembles An Old Refrigerator With Ugly Magnets

#32 A New Landmark Was Built In Kallhäll, Stockholm

The result angered the residents who had expected a white house. Those responsible replied that they saw no problem with the illustrations: "We have done what we said we would do. Not everyone can love a house."