It’s Time for a New Definition of Architectural Beauty
02.06.2017
Elusive and subjective, it doesn’t encompass enough other important virtues.
Elusive and subjective, it doesn’t encompass enough other important virtues.
criticism
An Open Letter to AIA Executive Director Robert Ivy
01.20.2017
Dont resign: engage, resist and confront.
Dont resign: engage, resist and confront.
The Rise and Fall of New York’s Municipal Art Society
01.18.2017
How a once great civic organization was co-opted by the very forces it was supposed to watch.
How a once great civic organization was co-opted by the very forces it was supposed to watch.
Do Architecture Awards Matter?
01.16.2017
If they don’t – to the general public – then here’s how they could.
If they don’t – to the general public – then here’s how they could.
When Did “Context” Become a Dirty Word in Architecture?
01.09.2017
Playing well with your architectural neighbors was once an honorable tradition.
Playing well with your architectural neighbors was once an honorable tradition.
Is Architecture as Fractured as Our Politics?
01.05.2017
Despite signs of an emerging pluralism, there is still a clearly defined separation between the Blue Academic Elite and Red Building Architects.
Despite signs of an emerging pluralism, there is still a clearly defined separation between the Blue Academic Elite and Red Building Architects.
Never Built New York: Grand Architectural Visions, Dashed Dreams, and Good, Old-Fashioned Hubris
01.04.2017
A new book looks at some of Gotham’s most daring and, in some cases, insane unbuilt projects.
A new book looks at some of Gotham’s most daring and, in some cases, insane unbuilt projects.
Who Owns the View?
12.15.2016
Looking at 432 Park Avenue, while jogging around the reservoir in Central Park.
Looking at 432 Park Avenue, while jogging around the reservoir in Central Park.
Is Cost Architecture’s Weakest Link To Reality?
12.11.2016
Unless budgets become an integral part of architectural education and criticism, design will continue to live in an aesthetic bubble and fall easy prey to bean counters.
Unless budgets become an integral part of architectural education and criticism, design will continue to live in an aesthetic bubble and fall easy prey to bean counters.
Whatever Happened to “The Architects’ Architect”?
11.23.2016
The definition of this once-revered term has shifted to something a lot less about buildings.
The definition of this once-revered term has shifted to something a lot less about buildings.
The AIA’s Tone-Deaf Response to the Election of Donald Trump
11.15.2016
The mistake of treating it as a business-as-usual event when it was nothing of the kind.
The mistake of treating it as a business-as-usual event when it was nothing of the kind.
How an Architect “Reads” a Building (Non-Architects Edition)
10.26.2016
A how-to for people who want to talk and look at buildings like architects.
A how-to for people who want to talk and look at buildings like architects.
The Ethics of Rendering: Permissible Lies When Anything is Possible
10.17.2016
As architectural images become more real, their content becomes more fictional.
As architectural images become more real, their content becomes more fictional.
What Architecture Has in Common with Organized Religion
10.05.2016
Faith in both architects and clerics is rapidly waning.
Faith in both architects and clerics is rapidly waning.
In Architects We Trust? 10 Trusts Worth Busting
09.01.2016
How the profession sabotages its value and relevance.
How the profession sabotages its value and relevance.
10 Lessons Learned by Rereading Jane Jacobs
08.08.2016
Last week I was in the middle of packing and came across a well thumbed copy of The Death and Life of Great American Cities.
Last week I was in the middle of packing and came across a well thumbed copy of The Death and Life of Great American Cities.
Post Katrina: Why New Orleanians Overwhelmingly Choose Traditional Architecture
08.04.2016
Tulane geographer Richard Campanella takes a deep look at post-storm architecture in the Crescent City.
Tulane geographer Richard Campanella takes a deep look at post-storm architecture in the Crescent City.
Why Was Rem Koolhaas’ AIA Speech Not Widely Covered?
06.09.2016
There was a time, not too long ago, when a Koolhaas speech given to thousands of his fellow architects would constitute news. At least in the architecture press. Apparently, that time is not now.
There was a time, not too long ago, when a Koolhaas speech given to thousands of his fellow architects would constitute news. At least in the architecture press. Apparently, that time is not now.
Anatomy of an Architectural Photo Shoot
06.06.2016
We’ve been photographing the same “wood-grained wood-style wood-inflected engineered-wood” PLANK for oh god, like…. three point five hours.
We’ve been photographing the same “wood-grained wood-style wood-inflected engineered-wood” PLANK for oh god, like…. three point five hours.
Will Architecture Have Its Donald Trump Moment?
05.09.2016
There are two architectures. Not officially, yet, but the perception is real and growing that there is an architectural apartheid. There is an “inside” and an “outside.”
There are two architectures. Not officially, yet, but the perception is real and growing that there is an architectural apartheid. There is an “inside” and an “outside.”
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