I like to think of firmitas and venustas as sublimated into utilitas rather than as opposing forces. You can obv. lean one way or the other depending on the purpose and location of the building. I feel like when they're viewed separately, it's kind of begging for an architect to prioritize their own career or vanity by making something artistic or overbuilt past its actual use. It's good when poor people can get what they need, and it's good when chocolate chip cookie warehouses don't last until the Earth falls into the sun. And there's nothing more oppressive to me than a stupid fucking architect working for a billion dollar company who decides to just grind at the daily lives of people for a century because some dumbshit feature looks really original

but if you can build sustainably and make it look nice without fucking people over more than a tiny tiny bit, that's great. Maybe youre building more of a monument that doesnt have a lot of use, and the cultural impact is more important than the fact you have to walk in a bit of a circle to go through the thing. Maybe you're building a fallout shelter. those are all uses