This Internet comment is fairly typical of the general feeling:
This building and space feel like something straight out of a Eastern European Soviet bloc country. I think Kim Jong-un would be impressed! It's hard to believe a city so beautiful would chose such ugly architecture for it's government.
That said, it's exacerbated by the huge bare surrounding expanse in a northern city that's cold and windy for a significant chunk of the year. There's work going on at the moment. I'm pretty sure I'll never like the architecture but with a reasonable exterior space it may be more tolerable.
This building and space feel like something straight out of a Eastern European Soviet bloc country. I think Kim Jong-un would be impressed! It's hard to believe a city so beautiful would chose such ugly architecture for it's government.
That said, it's exacerbated by the huge bare surrounding expanse in a northern city that's cold and windy for a significant chunk of the year. There's work going on at the moment. I'm pretty sure I'll never like the architecture but with a reasonable exterior space it may be more tolerable.