The Architect
Views from the drawing board, featuring contributions from some of the profession’s best minds
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Peter Zumthor: A controversial figure
13th August 2019
Uncompromising in his vision, architect Peter Zumthor faces his toughest challenge to date
Not long after his celebrated thermal baths were completed, Peter Zumthor, a reclusive Swiss architect, gave a rare lecture at the Royal Institute of British Architects. Everyone was eager to see details of the minimalist’s work and hear what he had to say. The lecture hall was packed to the brim, with barely standing room in the aisles; everyone waited in anticipation.
Peter Zumthor walked onto the... Read More >
Recent Articles:
Experiencing the architectural highs and lows of South America 1st July 2019
Much as I believe in Samuel Johnson’s maxim, that a man bored of London is bored of life, I still find an escape from London invigorating. It offers clarity as well as new insights. Accordingly I recently escaped with a few friends for an Read More >
A sense of the sublime 10th June 2019
Unusual, yet awe-inspiring, the Ronchamp chapel has to been seen to be believed
I must confess that I am slightly privileged by the fact that, working constantly with architects, I am occasionally offered trips to see buildings of interest, Read More >
Case Study Houses 17th May 2019
There is often a great desire for the keen student of architecture to see buildings in the flesh rather than as idealized photographic images which are so accessible in books and, especially now, on the internet. So how do you see the Read More >
Peter Zumthor, the architect monk 5th April 2019
Not long after his celebrated thermal baths were completed, Peter Zumthor, the idiosyncratic reclusive Swiss architect, gave a rare lecture in the elegant basement lecture hall at the RIBA. I had only recently qualified and I was eager to Read More >
A king among cloud busters 27th March 2019
How a whisky magnate’s daughter fought to build a skyscraper that still takes the breath away
I must confess that I am not a huge fan of skyscrapers – or ‘cloud busters’ as they were first described in Chicago in the 1920s. Read More >
The houses that sugar built 6th March 2019
The early history of the Caribbean (and especially Barbados) is well told in the book Sugar Barons by Matthew Parker. Even by the cruel standards of the time, the descriptions of the treatment of indentured servants and slaves (who were Read More >
THE STIRLING PRIZE A look at how the 'Oscars of Architecture' actually works 16th November 2018
The RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) Stirling Prize, named after the renowned architect James Stirling, was introduced in 1996 and is presented to "the architects of the UK building that has made the greatest contribution to the Read More >
Richard Rogers’ house for his parents in Wimbledon A look at this prescient, exciting and now, historic building 5th November 2018
I have met Richard Rogers on a number of occasions and I can say for a fact that he is an utterly charming man. When my wife and I were courting, many years ago, we found ourselves walking through Chelsea one summer evening. I was eager to Read More >
New Parliament Building in Malta by Renzo Piano Malta abounds with sites and architecture of historical interest 28th September 2018
Malta was once a glamourous destination. This small rock, south of Sicily, had been a British dominion since 1800 and since at least World War II had been the playground of the British Armed forces. It was no accident that Princess Elizabeth Read More >
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A few days ago I escaped the metropolis and headed for an impromptu but long desired trip to the West Country. I knew little of my destination except that there was a particular flight of stairs, that I knew only from a black and white photo, Read More >
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Pierre Chareau is not a name that springs to mind when contemplating the great architects or designers from a previous era. Whilst Chareau is best remembered for his furniture designs, this singular French architect did help construct, in my Read More >
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The pyramids of Egypt are astonishing feats of human engineering. The Great Pyramid of Giza was the tallest structure in the world built by man for more than 3,800 years. Most structures built today would collapse if left unattended for several Read More >
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Working on a site in the City of Read More >
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Much has been written in the Spanish press recently about the Valle de Los Caidos (the Valley of the Fallen), the monument to those who died in the Spanish Civil War (1936-9) which is a one hour drive north of Madrid near the Escatorial Palace, Read More >
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Blueprint for the modern embassy The British Embassy in Sana’a, Yemen 30th April 2018
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Cardboard Architecture Rebuilding a cathedral with natural resources 30th March 2018
This piece is written from ‘Fiddlesticks’, one of the busier bars in Christchurch, New Zealand, having visited a remarkable building today: the Transitional Cathedral, also known as the 'Cardboard Cathedral'.
I wasn't sure Read More >
London Mithraeum: a Roman ruin re-imagined MOLA archaeologists recreate Temple of Mithras 23rd March 2018
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‘Blob’ architecture in the Engadine valley Extreme buildings and extreme sports in St. Moritz 15th March 2018
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MY FAVOURITE BUILDINGS Beinecke Library, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut (completed 1963) - Gordon Bunshaft (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill) 12th February 2018
My visit to Yale was not to study a post graduate degree but happily for me to look at the extraordinary range of Modernist Architecture over the length and breadth of their campus.
I was aware that Yale, which boasted one of the best Read More >
Some burning questions about fires in buildings The National Trust's identity crisis, Victorian vandalism and is rebuilding the right answer? 7th February 2018
Clandon was a Grade I listed early 18th century house near Guildford in Surrey owned by the National Trust. On April 29th, 2015 an electrical fault occurred in an old electrical distribution board in the basement and a fire started. The board was Read More >
City thoughts: part three A great tradition of ideas 27th December 2017
Read part one
Read part two
Earlier this year at Zaha Hadid's memorial service, as speeches, including one by her friend Lord Palumbo (all ill-assisted by unnecessary artificial amplification), echoed incoherently around the great vessel Read More >
City thoughts: part two On architectural details and the role of history 21st December 2017
Read part one
For most of the two millennia that have ensued since its founding, the City of London has experienced numerous crises whose import and impact far outweigh the minor financial ripples that our media message as crises. It is Read More >
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At this time of year, we are inundated with nostalgic images of a Victorian Christmas set in a Dickensian London where the real horrors and poverty of that age are banished from the chocolate box imagery. Which makes me wonder what details of the Read More >
Buildings I love The Barcelona Pavilion, by Mies van der Rohe 5th December 2017
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This title has been borrowed from Bernard Rudofsky, a Moravian-born American writer, architect, and social historian who published an influential book of the same name in 1964. It has the subtitle 'A short introduction to non-pedigreed Read More >
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It is incredibly spoiling to be flown privately. It removes so much of the hassle of travelling especially at each end of the journey. There is no checking in, no personal bag searches and no stepping through machines at the behest of officials. Read More >
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My first column for The Property Chronicle offers a welcome chance to reflect on matters beyond the moment. Which is useful as learning from the past enables us to design for a building’s uncertain future. There is much to consider as it is Read More >
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I’m regularly appalled at the banality of post-match - or at least post-achievement - interviews of sports people still dripping from their efforts. As if it isn’t enough to hijack them before they’ve caught their breath, they are then Read More >
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Designing for humans An architect's duty 10th July 2017
Above: University of Winchester building project (copyright: Design Engine Architects, used with permission)
This week, I took part in a thought-provoking debate in the new Blavatnik School of Government in Oxford. The evening was hosted by Read More >
Fields of least resistance Richard Rose-Casemore considers the pros and cons of building on greenfield sites 25th June 2017
So, I sit in my tiny garden on a sunny Sunday in reflective mood wondering what on earth is happening to our towns and cities in the race to achieve impossible housing targets. Two cities close to my own heart, Exeter and Winchester, are Read More >
Basement wars Architect Houston Morris goes underground to ask why subterranean extensions have become so popular 15th June 2017
Anyone who has visited the below ground troglodyte houses of Cappadocia, a region of central Turkey, knows that these ancient habitations are as impressive as they are unusual. They are mostly cut out of the rock face of a steep mountain. They Read More >
On design awards Richard Rose-Casemore considers trophies, design narratives and the merits of architecture prizes 9th June 2017
There was a feature on TV this week about the grotesque golf trophies that the unfortunate professional is forced to model in front of the cameras should he or she triumph on tour. These ranged in design from various enormous jewel-encrusted Read More >
Musings on the life of Zaha Hadid Houston Morris draws on his personal recollections to explain how the late architect has influenced the industry 17th May 2017
Image (c) iStockphoto
I first came across ‘Zaha’ when I was a student at the Architectural Association (known as the AA) in the early 1990s. She was always known just as Zaha. She never required a last name as everyone knew who she was. Read More >
