edifice complex

noun

edifice complex

noun

Etymology From the psychoanalytical sense of complex, and a pun on Oedipus complex.

1

Derogatory, Humorous The desire to construct or own spectacularly imposing buildings.

There may be fewer dictators these days, he says, but instead local authorities run by city politicians “want to follow in the footsteps of mad King Ludwig of Bavaria and indulge their edifice complexes”.2005, The Bulletin, numbers 6477-6485, page 63:
The McKees' Munster Mansion continues a long tradition of Texans with edifice complexes.2006, Jerome Pohlen, Oddball Texas: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places, page 63:

1 more example

When John Juliani described theatre in Canada as suffering from an edifice complex, he had in mind regional theatre companies that occupied buildings like the SLC.2013, Michael McKinnie, City Stages: Theatre and Urban Space in a Global City:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.