The Architect
Views from the drawing board, featuring contributions from some of the profession’s best minds
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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 see what I hoped would be some amazing slides and details of this arch minimalist’s work. The lecture hall was packed to the brim with barely standing room in the aisles. We all waited in eager anticipation.
Peter Zumthor walked onto the stage... Read More >
Recent Articles:
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 >
The staircase leading to Chapterhouse Exploring the city of Wells in pursuit of the steps to heaven 6th September 2018
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 >
My favourite buildings: Maison de Verre Simon Silver, a main board Director of Derwent London Plc, discusses one of his favourite buildings 5th September 2018
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 >
Some thoughts on Louis Kahn and the Yale Centre for British Art Kahn is the acknowledged twentieth century master at expressing mass 17th August 2018
Architects have different obsessions and ultimately these obsessions are expressed in their built work. Some, for example, become concerned with mass and others with lightness. Architects from the modern movement were often more focused on Read More >
The true wonders of the world were built by market forces There would have been no incentives to build qanats had there not been private property rights 13th July 2018
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 >
A pristine Roman sculpture, almost too good to be true It is believed that this statue once adorned a rich mausoleum 4th July 2018
In 2013 archaeologists from MOLA discovered an extraordinary Roman sculpture on the last day of excavation for the development of Motel One. In this article the astonishing story of the sculpture is revealed.
Working on a site in the City of Read More >
The responsibilities of architects in relation to their clients Thoughts raised by a recent trip to Spain 2nd July 2018
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 >
Learning from Las Venice The history of Venetian architecture 16th May 2018
Venice is extraordinary for many reasons but it is unique because it is a city that is built on water. It has its own singular way of building; however, it is the light that has captured the imagination of writers and artists for so many Read More >
Blueprint for the modern embassy The British Embassy in Sana’a, Yemen 30th April 2018
The recent completion of the hugely expensive new US Embassy in London and the continued controversy around the US decision to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem brings back memories of our own British Embassy project in Yemen; one of the first of Read More >
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
The first new interpretation of a Roman ruin in London for nearly 20 years, London Mithraeum opened to the public in November 2017. The ruins of the mid-3rd century temple were discovered in September 1954 on a former WWII bomb site at the start Read More >
‘Blob’ architecture in the Engadine valley Extreme buildings and extreme sports in St. Moritz 15th March 2018
After a break of a year, it is always a shocking experience to stand at the top of the Cresta run again, preparing to hurl myself head first down an ice chute at over seventy miles an hour. Existential questions that my mind asks like ‘why are Read More >
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 >
City thoughts: part one How did the Great Fire of 1666 shape London's architectural history? 14th December 2017
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
Over many years of working on numerous projects, I have always drawn inspiration from the work of some of the great architects from the past (borrowing from the past to enhance the future). Probably one of the most influential of these was Mies Read More >
The surprising nature of property development Alan Waxman explains how a recent opportunity came about 4th December 2017
The excitement of property development for me is that you never know where an opportunity might present itself.
One of my most unexpected projects came off the back of a chance meeting with a very charming young lady whom I met at Read More >
Architecture without architects On Scandinavian design influences and how our surroundings affect us 2nd November 2017
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 >
Scotland: town versus country Travels from Amhuinnsuidhe Castle to the V&A Dundee 20th October 2017
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 >
Tolerance and the accommodation of change AHMM's Simon Allford on architecture's relation to our changing society 12th October 2017
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 >
How does it make you feel? On architecture, space and affective experience 15th September 2017
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 >
California fairy tales Travels in Wyntoon, Disneyworld and downtown Los Angeles 15th August 2017
I have just returned from my old and dear friends’ week-long 25th wedding anniversary celebration at Wyntoon, the 60,000 acre Hearst estate located near Mt. Shasta in Northern California. William Randolph Hearst, the famous tycoon and Read More >
Architecture on the small screen Reflecting on the evolution of Grand Designs 27th July 2017
There are mixed feelings in the design and architectural fraternity about television programmes which chart the journey of a construction project. Thankfully, the early superficial make-over versions which relied rather too much on masking tape Read More >
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 >
