Lifestyle

Making Modern Architecture More Functional and Less Phony

Published

4 years ago

February 28, 2021

Modern architecture is becoming overly decorative at the expense of functionality. Folks continue to add faux touches or cheap materials to structures only for decoration and appearance. The following should help you see why modern architecture needs to change and go back to being functional.

Usefulness

Many nonfunctioning building elements are potentially hazardous and unhealthy. For instance, windows that can’t open from the inside. In the event of an AC malfunction on a hot summer day, functional windows help maintain airflow while waiting for air conditioning repair technicians. They also provide a means of escape in case of fire or other threats from within the building itself.

Interest

More people are interested in genuine architectural designs that are functional. It seems people want to feel like they are getting the most out of their investment, and this is something architects need to keep in mind when designing their next building. Folks who want functionality in every corner of their design are willing to pay for this, which should help reverse the current trend. In residential design more than ever, daring and stunning design are demanded by homeowners. Second hand stay markets like AirBNB and VRBO have made unique homes easy to monetize on a nightly basis, encouraging daring design instead of the same old single-family home.

Wise

Installing elements without purpose is starting to look like a waste of money to some folks. The problem is folks have gotten used to some of these elements as part of a home or commercial building. If they’re going to install them anyway, they might as well be useful. Power outages and other malfunctions are still possible, so having something like a natural fireplace as a backup makes sense.

Why Did it Become Phony?

There are several reasons why architecture became less functional and more decorative. The following are some of those reasons:

Inexpensive Materials

One reason contemporary architecture is overly decorative is that affordable material is available. Manufacturers continued to create more affordable materials that made it easier for folks to design buildings without expensive materials like brick. It should be pointed out that while brick is costly, it’s quite functional. For example, it seems to retain heat much better than other building materials.

Simplicity

The other reason architecture has gotten so decorative is that it’s easier to create buildings that look like they have functional additions, like windows that don’t do anything but look like a window. There are many examples of similar additions that remind you that this is a home or a building without really serving a function. Simplicity continues to rise in popularity because it’s cheaper to design and build.

Technology

Another reason homes and buildings have several different nonfunctional elements is because of technology. For example, creating heat using electricity or gas lines made it possible for folks to avoid the need for chimneys. Still, a lot of people install chimneys even if there isn’t a need. They install them because it makes their property look luxurious; sometimes, they even install a digital screen to replace firewood.

It’s easy to see why the phony elements became popular, but it’s easy to see why there’s a movement pushing back. There’s no telling which side will win; maybe it’ll be both, but it’s good to pay attention.

Lifestyle

Derik Fay: The Quiet Architect of Impact-First Entrepreneurship

Published

7 days ago

May 8, 2025

Michelle Langton

In an era where noise often overshadows results, Derik Fay is quietly shaping a different kind of legacy — one built not on showmanship, but on undeniable substance. For more than two decades, Fay has engineered the rise of over 30 companies across industries as diverse as real estate, technology, healthcare, and entertainment. Yet his name rarely leads headlines — not because he hasn’t earned it, but because he never needed it to validate his success.

Growing up in Rhode Island, Fay learned early that the world rarely hands out opportunity; it must be seized, created, and multiplied. While many of his peers pursued traditional paths, he took a risk that would define the rest of his life: at just 22, he founded 3F Management, a venture firm with an entirely different mission — to build companies that would outlast trends, outperform markets, and, most importantly, out-impact their competition.

Instead of obsessing over short-term wins, Fay approached entrepreneurship like a craftsman. Much like Henry Ford, who famously said, “A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business,” Fay built companies that weren’t just profitable — they were purposeful. Every venture was designed to create real, sustainable value, both for shareholders and for the communities they served.

Through his relentless focus on structure and leadership, Fay’s ecosystem of businesses now touches thousands of lives daily — from employees finding new opportunities to entrepreneurs gaining the mentorship they never had before. But unlike typical moguls who boast about headcounts, Fay views every job created as a ripple in a larger mission: empowering individuals to write better futures for themselves.

Where others have scaled fast and crashed harder, Fay’s model thrives on foundations few are patient enough to build anymore. His method is slower, smarter, and almost surgical: find what others overlook, fix what others fear, and grow what others abandoned too early. It’s this principle that led him to not just build companies — but to resurrect them, reimagine them, and sometimes even walk away if the mission no longer aligned with the impact he envisioned.

Fay’s philosophy extends far beyond boardrooms. Philanthropy isn’t a checkbox at the end of his success story — it’s embedded into the way he scales. His ventures are built with giving back written into their DNA, from local community initiatives to broader mentorship platforms that help emerging entrepreneurs get their first real shot at success. His life’s work is proof that wealth and generosity are not mutually exclusive — they are, in fact, essential partners.

Today, while newer generations of entrepreneurs hustle for likes and magazine covers, Fay’s name is whispered in rooms where real power moves. His reputation — built quietly but relentlessly — is that of a man who delivers, builds, and elevates without the need for public validation.

In a business world increasingly built on spectacle, Derik Fay reminds us that the most lasting legacies are forged not in the glare of the spotlight, but in the thousands of lives changed quietly along the way.

For more insights into Derik Fay’s ventures and philanthropic efforts, visit www.derikfay.com and follow him on Instagram @derikfay