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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 Stanley Milner Library In Edmonton, Alberta

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

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

#4 Vizag International Cruise Terminal In Visakhapatnam, India

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

#6 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

#7 Växjö’s New Municipal Building. Render vs. Real Building

#8 Residence Trea In Istanbul, Turkey

#9 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

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

#11 The Same, But Different

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

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

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

#15 Royal Ontario Museum: Expectations vs. Reality

#16 Rainbow Coloured Building

#17 Pennsylvania’s Previous Capitol Building

#18 Indian Infrastructure Architecture Planning And Execution

#19 Indian Infrastructure Architecture Planning And Execution

#20 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.

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

#22 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.

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

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

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

#26 A Skyscraper In Warsaw, Poland

#27 Funny How Buildings Just Change Color

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

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

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

#31 Sven-Harry’s Art Museum In Vasaparken, Stockholm

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

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

#34 Indian Infrastructure Architecture Planning And Execution

#35 The Plans For The Marble Arch Mound On The Left Regarded Spectacular In Comparison With The Way It Had Really Been Constructed

#36 Sara Cultural Center In Skellefteå, Sweden. In Reality It Looks Very Sad

#37 This Is A Building Concept For A Hofbräuhaus (German Beer Garden-Type Restaurant Chain) In Buffalo, But Failed To Be Built Correctly Or Finished At All

#38 This Monstrosity Of Selma Center In Gothenburg, Sweden

#39 Malmö’s New District Court In Sweden. Vision vs. Reality

#40 Totalitarian New Box In Kungsängen, Sweden. The Gray Color Looks Way Worse Than It Should Be

#41 The Vision And Reality Of Kv. Poolen The New Bathhouse In Frösunda, Sweden

#42 The Render One Looked Way Better. Scandic Central In Örebro, Sweden

#43 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.”

#44 Elbe Philharmonic Hall. In The Renders Of This Project, Hinged Glass Facade Resembles A Perfect Blanket, Almost Weightless. However, In Reality The Facade Does Not Show The Same Effect

#45 From Render To Reality

#46 Citygate (Getingboet) In Gothenburg, Sweden. Those Windows Look Really Different

#47 Kalmar House Stella In Sweden. At Least They Tried?

#48 Vision Picture For Brandbergen Centre. It Didn’t Turn Out Exactly As Planned

#49 Reality Is Bleak Compared To The Rendering World

#50 Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Headquarters: Expectation vs. Reality

#51 The Project vs. The Result. From A Gov Building In Spain

#52 The Airbnb vs. The Ad!

#53 When You Want To Build A Triumphal Arc But Your Budget Is 50$

#54 The Real Estate Listing Photo vs. Reality. (Gray Building Has Been There Since 2016.)

#55 The Completed Mast Quay Phase II Built-To-Rent Development Is Substantially Different From The Scheme That Was Originally Permitted

#56 In The Renderings, There Are Significantly More People Than Cars On The Roads, But In Reality It Is The Opposite