https://blog.guernier.nz/blog/auckland/Recent content in Auckland on Tom Guernier's BlogHugoen-NZCopyright © 2026, Tom Guernier.Sat, 20 Dec 2025 00:15:13 +0000https://blog.guernier.nz/notes-on-facadism/Sat, 20 Dec 2025 00:15:13 +0000https://blog.guernier.nz/notes-on-facadism/<p>If you wander around central Auckland, before too long you&rsquo;ll notice a strange architectural phenomenon. There are plenty of old buildings, and some newer ones, but also some strange mutated combos of the two, with a thoroughly modern building having the facade of an older one seemingly glued onto it.</p> <img src="https://blog.guernier.nz/images/facadism-1.png" alt="An example of facadism. The facade of a 19th century commercial building attached to a modern glassy structure." style="width:100%; height:auto;"> <blockquote> <p>A particularly blatant example <em>396 Queen Street, Auckland; image from Google Streetview</em></p>