Honestly I still find it very depressing. After doing some sparse googling it also doesn't seem like concrete buildings are much cheaper? Maybe there's a longevity angle to the prefabs you mention?
But now that you point it out I really think it is the concrete that bothers me. I wish it was less blocky, bigger windows, maybe wood paneling? I'm really not sure.
There's a bunch of similar housing in Germany that (ironically) was constructed by the US military to house its soldiers. It's now all been turned into apartments. The insides are less nice (I know someone who used to live in one) but the outsides are pretty much identical.
Part of the aesthetic is tied to the prefab concrete designs, so yes you could paint it. Also there was some color on this building
Honestly I still find it very depressing. After doing some sparse googling it also doesn't seem like concrete buildings are much cheaper? Maybe there's a longevity angle to the prefabs you mention?
But now that you point it out I really think it is the concrete that bothers me. I wish it was less blocky, bigger windows, maybe wood paneling? I'm really not sure.
There's a bunch of similar housing in Germany that (ironically) was constructed by the US military to house its soldiers. It's now all been turned into apartments. The insides are less nice (I know someone who used to live in one) but the outsides are pretty much identical.