Final answer:
Alain de Botton's statement suggests that bad architecture is a highly visible and permanent representation of architectural misjudgment, leading to long-term implications for both community and surroundings. Architecture profoundly affects society and can go from criticized 'mistakes' to celebrated landmarks over time.
Step-by-step explanation:
When Alain de Botton refers to 'bad architecture as a frozen mistake writ large,' he implies that poor architectural decisions have long-lasting and prominently visible consequences. Architecture is not simply about creating structures but involves intricate considerations of aesthetics, functionality, and integration with the surrounding environment. Bad architecture, therefore, becomes a permanent, unchangeable record of poor judgment that affects not only the immediate users but potentially a wider community.
Examples of the implications of architectural choices can be seen in varying philosophies such as Wang Anshi's radical reforms in the Song Dynasty or Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's minimalist approach with the motto 'less is more.' Opposite to minimalism, Postmodernism as referenced in the deconstruction of the Beaubourg celebrates complexity and contradiction. All of these examples illustrate that architecture has profound impacts on society's perception and interaction with their built environment.
A famous instance of widespread initial criticism is the Eiffel Tower, which de Botton might agree was perceived as a 'frozen mistake' in its early days. However, opinions on architecture can evolve, and mistakes may be retroactively embraced as iconic. This illustrates the subjective nature of architecture and the permanence of its impact once constructed.