Trump ordered that new federal government buildings must be beautiful

Washington – Outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered by executive order that all future federal government buildings must be "beautiful" and, if possible, built in a style inspired by Greek and Roman architecture, similar to the White House or the Capitol building. The decree has been criticized by some experts who describe the central determination of the architectural style of buildings as undemocratic, BBC reported.

According to Trump's order, federal buildings in the metropolis of Washington, D.C. built recently are "a mismatched blend of classical and modernist design". The government, according to him, has "mostly ceased to build beautiful buildings," and a lean towards classical and similar architecture should therefore "be encouraged, rather than discouraged".

The first draft of the measure was published by the White House earlier this year in February, when it was immediately criticized by the professional organization of American architects, AIA. The original proposal aimed to outright ban modernist designs for future federal buildings; the current one merely states that classical architecture is the preferred style.

"Although we are shocked by the administration's decision to issue a decree regarding the appearance of (federal buildings), we are pleased that the order does not go as far as we initially thought," stated AIA head Robert Ivy in a statement. However, the organization added that people living in specific areas should have the "right and responsibility to decide for themselves what architectural design best meets their needs".

American architecture critic and Pulitzer Prize-winner Paul Goldberger stated that the government's "official style decree is not fully in accordance with liberal democracy of the 21st century".

One White House official told Bloomberg that according to public opinion polls, most Americans prefer traditional designs of American government buildings over modernist realizations from recent decades.