Are there any styles of buildings and / or architecture that make you feel profoundly sad?

Answer 1

There is a new wave in architecture that is heavily developer and cost driven. A lot of the buildings are multi-family buildings of 4-5 stories, wood construction, built on concrete podiums. These buildings consist of long "double loaded" corridors with 1 and 2 bedroom apartments on either side and a courtyard in the middle, because this is the most efficient layout of a site.

The majority of these buildings do not relate specifically to the context or culture of the locale, and can be picked up and placed within any major metro. They also tend to use the cheapest materials, and start to look run down within 5-10 years.

While these buildings have it's upside (providing housing where needed), if you value great architecture, these buildings are not.