The UBL Tower in Karachi, a glass and steel building, stands out among the surrounding architectural aesthetic The word ‘aesthetics’ has become synonymous with classy, elegant, fashionable and trendy nowadays. It is used carelessly and loosely, at times, when describing a work of art, a building, a painting, a sculpture, an interior or a dress. I say ‘carelessly’ and ‘loosely’ because I doubt if the users of the word actually understand its origin, its theoretical basis, its associations and the larger social and political realm associated with it. Being an academic and practitioner in the field of architecture, I think it is important to generate an informed discourse around ‘aesthetics’ in any design-related field and to create awareness of the various dimensions of this term.