[tomxor]

> I’ve been in old beautiful office buildings in NYC and modern ugly office buildings and the modern buildings usually have a much better working environment and layout.

I'm not literate in architecture, but there is one dimension that seems prominently easy to identify to me: with the singular "brutalism" at one end; and an open ended array of ornate at the other.

I think the "modern" functional office building architecture you refer to are close to the brutalism end (but not at it), and therefor not a fair comparison. These mansions are quite far form it, whoever is designing them cares about the aesthetic, but regardless of your taste they seem to lack something... cohesion and thoughtfulness perhaps, they want to be something but they don't seem to know what - it makes them feel fake.