How to Be a Better Architect Than Me
12.14.2023
My recent talk to high school seniors.
My recent talk to high school seniors.
Essays
How Architects Deal With Demolished Designs
11.30.2023
Buildings don’t belong to architects, but to the culture that created them.
Buildings don’t belong to architects, but to the culture that created them.
An AI Experiment: Why Do Lawyers Make More Than Architects?
11.20.2023
We asked ChatGPT a question that has plagued the profession for decades.
We asked ChatGPT a question that has plagued the profession for decades.
Why Time Is a Problem for Architects
11.08.2023
For many, it’s a lurch between copying the past or pretending that time doesn’t exist.
For many, it’s a lurch between copying the past or pretending that time doesn’t exist.
Living in the Face of Fear: The Heterotopic Hope of the Maggie’s Centers
11.07.2023
The UK cancer centers are an incredible legacy for its co-founder, Maggie Keswick Jencks.
The UK cancer centers are an incredible legacy for its co-founder, Maggie Keswick Jencks.
The Challenge of Creating a Women-Friendly Architecture School in Afghanistan
11.02.2023
Years of effort have been undone by political strife, while earthquakes have further destroyed heritage structures.
Years of effort have been undone by political strife, while earthquakes have further destroyed heritage structures.
On Winning—and Not Winning—Design Competitions
10.11.2023
It’s the Competition Conundrum: You Can’t Lose If You Don’t Play.
It’s the Competition Conundrum: You Can’t Lose If You Don’t Play.
The Creative Power Produced by Embracing Paradox
10.04.2023
There is a keen sense of insight that comes from being in the in-between spaces of a largely binary culture.
There is a keen sense of insight that comes from being in the in-between spaces of a largely binary culture.
Does Brooklyn’s New Brooding Monolith Deserve Kudos?
10.02.2023
Closer in, SHoP’s Brooklyn Tower reveals texture, color, and personality, but for many it’s a bleak middle finger on the skyline.
Closer in, SHoP’s Brooklyn Tower reveals texture, color, and personality, but for many it’s a bleak middle finger on the skyline.
Money and the Conundrum of Architects Who Don’t Build
09.19.2023
The identity is a little different than the actual grind.
The identity is a little different than the actual grind.
What Does Midcentury Modern Even Mean These Days?
09.06.2023
When a style becomes historical, its meaning becomes slippery.
When a style becomes historical, its meaning becomes slippery.
Revisiting Brooklyn’s Barclays Center—a Telling Landscape
08.29.2023
The arena and plaza have become notably more commercialized since 2012, while the towers lag in affordability and represent a modular failure.
The arena and plaza have become notably more commercialized since 2012, while the towers lag in affordability and represent a modular failure.
In Praise of a Great Mentor: Working With Geoffrey Bawa
08.24.2023
Life-long lessons from the father of Tropical Modernism.
Life-long lessons from the father of Tropical Modernism.
Harvard Design Magazine #50: ChatGPT to the Rescue
08.22.2023
An alumnus of the GSD takes a treacherous trek through the dense and glossy 50th anniversary issue.
An alumnus of the GSD takes a treacherous trek through the dense and glossy 50th anniversary issue.
What Primitive Huts Teach Us About Architecture
08.21.2023
An enduring ‘origin myth’ continues to inspire contemporary designers.
An enduring ‘origin myth’ continues to inspire contemporary designers.
Architecture Always Reflects the Values of Its Current Culture
08.08.2023
What we build is who we are.
What we build is who we are.
The Uneven—but Important—Legacy of Prince Charles, Architecture Critic
07.19.2023
While his design prescriptions were too narrow, his critique of modern planning principles still holds resonance.
While his design prescriptions were too narrow, his critique of modern planning principles still holds resonance.
Encounters With Damian: Columbia University’s Homeless Neighbor
07.17.2023
Near and around campus, the juxtaposition between privilege and poverty is glaring.
Near and around campus, the juxtaposition between privilege and poverty is glaring.
Architecture and the God Problem
07.10.2023
Defining divinity and higher powers, in the context of design, is often fraught.
Defining divinity and higher powers, in the context of design, is often fraught.
From Venice to Detroit: Laboratories of the Future, Reconsidered
06.18.2023
Optimism and action trump didactic scolding every time.
Optimism and action trump didactic scolding every time.
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