Modernist Architecture has a Dirty secret: Many of the Buildings were too Innovative

And now they’re falling apart. The Getty Institute announces funding to help conserve 13 modernist buildings, from a flying saucer-shaped concrete memorial in Bulgaria to sphere-topped towers in Kuwait City.

Some of the most unique pieces of modernist architecture from the 20th century are also the most endangered. Bold, and often comparatively weird, the modernist architecture of the mid- to late-1900s is now falling apart. With new and experimental forms that resist traditional conservation efforts, the buildings are victims of their innovation.

But they’re not lost causes just yet. Funding from the Getty Institute has just been awarded to help develop conservation plans for some of the world’s most extraordinary examples of modernist design.