About Buildings + Cities
Episodes
134 — William Golding's 'The Spire'
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In our final episode of 2025, we discussed William Golding's 1964 novel 'The Spire', a deeply psychological portrayal of the construction of a cathedr...
133 — Sigfried Giedion's Space, Time and Architecture — 4/4
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the finale of our series on Sigfried Giedion, we discussed the bait-and-switch coda of the book, where Giedion unexpectedly addresses questions of ...
*Preview* — Giedion's 'Mechanisation Takes Command' Bonus Episodes
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Some clips from our Patreon bonus episodes on Sigfried Gideion's 'Mechanisation Takes Command'. If you've enjoyed the show, please consider supporting...
132 — Sigfried Giedion's Space, Time and Architecture — 3/4
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part three of our discussion of 'Space, Time and Architecture', we finally got to the Spacetime and the architecture. We examined Giedion's thinkin...
131 — Sigfried Giedion's Space, Time and Architecture — 2/4
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the second part of our discussion of Sigfried Giedion's 'Space, Time and Architecture' we covered the canalpunk aesthetics of cast-iron bridges, th...
130 — Sigfried Giedion's Space, Time and Architecture — 1/4
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this first episode of a new series on Sigfried Giedion's 1941 book 'Space, Time and Architecture', we discussed the approach to architectural histo...
*Patreon Bonus Unlocked* — WG Sebald's Rings of Saturn
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an unlocked Patreon bonus episode from our series on WG Sebald (episodes 77 & 78 in the main feed), if you enjoyed listening to this episo...
*Patreon Bonus Unlocked* — Otto Wagner's Unbuilt Projects
27 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is an unlocked bonus episode from our series on Otto Wagner, released to mark the end of our Plečnik series. You can listen to the whole of our ...
*Preview* — 129.5 Plečnik Finale Bonus Episode
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is a clip from our latest Patreon bonus episode, if you'd like to hear our final thoughts on Plečnik in full, please consider subscribing at htt...
129 — Jože Plečnik 6 — Slovene Acropolis
23 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the grand finale of our Plečnik series, we discussed the last of his projects for Ljubljana both realised and unrealised. In this episode we cover...
128 — Jože Plečnik 5 — The River & the City
30 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
More Plečnik in Ljubljana! Here we talked about his approach to the Ljubljanica, the river that runs through the middle of the city, including the we...
127 — Jože Plečnik 4 — Ljubljana Façades and Insurance Palaces
20 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the first episode of our Plečnik series on his work for Ljubljana, we discussed a few of his less well known works, including his work for the Cha...
126 — Jože Plečnik 3 — More Churches and a Cemetery
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the third episode of our Plečnik miniseries we talked about a couple more churches and the cemetery of Ljubljana. Specifically we discussed: the C...
125 — Jože Plečnik 2 — Four Churches
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the second episode of our miniseries on Jože Plečnik, we discussed four of his early church buildings, each representing a unique interlacing of ...
124 — Jože Plečnik 1 — From Sezessionstil to Deep Time
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is the first episode in a new series about the Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik, who blended inspiration from deep antiquity with the modern se...
123 — Rem Koolhaas’s SMLXL — 4/4
27 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you want access to the full version of this episode, subscribe to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/about_buildings Watch this episode on You...
122 — Rem Koolhaas's SMLXL — 3/4
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In Part 3 of our series on SMLXL we talked through 'L', including the essay on BIGNESS, including unbuilt schemes for the Très Grande Bibliothèquet...
*Preview* — SMLXL Dictionary Bonus Episode
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is a preview of a bonus episode available on our Patreon feed, please support the show on Patreon for full access: https://www.patreon.com/c/abou...
121 — Rem Koolhaas's SMLXL — 2/4
12 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In episode 2 of our series on SMLXL by Rem Koolhaas, OMA and Bruce Mau, we talked about 'M', including a Panopticon prison, an extension for the Dutch...
120 — Rem Koolhaas's SMLXL — 1/4
22 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
SMLXL (1995) was the brainchild of Rem Koolhaas, principal of OMA, rhetorically and stylistically a rejection of the norms of architectural monographs...
119 — Architectural Vibe Check
31 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In our last episode of 2024 we thought we would do something a little bit different, and talk about where we think architectural culture is at right n...
118 — How to be a Beaux-Arts Architect
14 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we discussed The Study of Architectural Design (1926) by John F. Harbeson, a remarkable guide to the Beaux-Arts method of architectura...
117 — John Soane 7 — The Museum
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the final episode of our series on Sir John Soane we discussed his house and museum on Lincoln's Inn Fields in the centre of London, where the muse...
*Preview* — Soane's Reputation Bonus Episode
27 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This is a cilp from our latest Patreon bonus episode, a discussion of Soane's contemporary reputation, particularly satirical and critical writing in ...
116 — John Soane 6 — Monuments
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the sixth part of our series on John Soane, we discussed some major monumental buildings in and around London. We began with Dulwich Picture Galler...
115 — John Soane 5 — London Improved
08 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the fifth part of our series on John Soane, we discussed his designs for speculative housing developments in central London, another building in th...
114 — John Soane 4 — Westminster
30 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this fourth episode of our miniseries on John Soane, we discussed his projects conducted over many years in and around Westminster. This is a tale ...
113 — John Soane 3 — The Bank of England
29 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the third episode of our ongoing series on John Soane, we discussed his magnum opus, and one of the most entrancing lost buildings ever: The Bank o...
112 — John Soane 2 — Rustic / Classical
25 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In episode 2 of our series on John Soane, we discussed the projects he worked on after returning from his Grand Tour of Italy, but before he got his c...
111 — John Soane 1 — 'Visions of Early Fancy'
05 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We're back!! In this first episode of our new series on John Soane (1753–1837) we discuss his origins: the child prodigy draughtsman, son of a brick...
110 — Rem Koolhaas's Delirious New York — 3/3
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The final part of our series on 'Delirious New York'! We discussed the culture clash between European high modernism and Manhattanism. We also discuss...
109 — Rem Koolhaas's Delirious New York — 2/3
06 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In our second episode on Rem Koolhaas's Delirious New York, we covered his discussion of three heroic skyscrapers of Manhattanism's golden age: The Em...
108 — Rem Koolhaas's Delirious New York — 1/3
02 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the first of a 3-parter, we began our discussion of 'Delirious New York' (1978) by Rem Koolhaas, a 'retroactive manifesto' for Manhat...
Bonus Unlocked — 97.5 — Neom
28 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is an unlocked Patreon bonus episode from last year. To get access to all our bonus content and support the show, please subscribe for just £3 a...
107 – Stewart Brand's 'How Buildings Learn' — "What Happens After They're Built"
08 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this one-off summer episode we discussed 'How Buildings Learn' (1994) by Stewart Brand. The book is concerned with the whole lifespan of buildings,...
106 — Antoni Gaudí 7 — La Sagrada Familia
06 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the final episode of our Antoni Gaudí series, we discussed his magnum opus, one of the most famous buildings in the world: La Sagrada Familia. How...
105 — Antoni Gaudí 6 — Colonia Güell
22 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of our ongoing series on Antoni Gaudí we discussed the unsolved mystery of the Colonia Güell Church. Perhaps the most enigmatic of G...
104 — Antoni Gaudí 5 —Güell Projects
24 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this penultimate episode of our series on Antoni Gaudí, we dicussed projects he developed in his later career for Eusebi Güell. We talked about t...
103 — Antoni Gaudí 4 — Casas Calvet, Batlló & Milà
06 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the fourth episode of our series on Antoni Gaudí, we discussed two of his large projects in Barcelona. Casa Calvet was built 1898–1900, in many ...
102 — Antoni Gaudí 3 — Going Gothic
08 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In our third episode on Antoni Gaudí we discussed some of his work that draws on traditions of Gothic, catholic and medieval architecture. Specifical...
101 — Antoni Gaudí 2 — Palau Güell
17 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the second episode of our series on Gaudí we discussed the remarkable Güell Palace, Barcelona, a work of total design with an unlimited budget bu...
100 — Antoni Gaudí 1 — Bad at School
19 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the first episode of our new series on Antoni Gaudí, we attempt to place him in the history of 19th-century Spain: a time of civil war, booming in...
99 — Philip K. Dick's Ubik — Gnostic Paranoia
30 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we discussed 'Ubik' (1969) by Philip K. Dick, a piece of iconic science-fiction set in a world of psychic corporate espionage and dead...
98 — The Primitive Hut — The Design of the First Building
20 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we discussed the idea of 'The Primitive Hut' in 18th and 19th century architectural theory. A vision of the first building was used by...
97 — Richard Rogers' Reith Lecture — Cities for a Small Planet
06 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this one-off episode we discussed the late Richard Rogers, particularly his Reith Lectures, given for the BBC in the mid-90s on the subject of the ...
96 — Andrea Palladio 6 — Venetian Churches
05 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the final episode of our series on Palladio we discussed four of his great church designs: The facade of San Francesco della Vigna The monastery...
95 — Andrea Palladio 5 — Quattro Libri
17 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Andrea Palladio's Quattro Libri is one of the most influential and important architectural books ever published. We discuss the four books of architec...
94 — Andrea Palladio 4 — Civic Buildings
13 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Some of Andrea Palladio's most powerful and enduring work was carried out for his home city of Vicenza. We discuss some of his civic projects, and his...
93 — Andrea Palladio 3 — Palladian Palazzi
07 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Though less wholly innovative than his villas, Andrea Palladio's palazzi for the nobility of Vicenza are still full of fascinating ideas, from the tre...
92 — Andrea Palladio 2 — Greatest Villas
17 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Andrea Palladio created a new style of classical domestic architecture in his villa designs in the 1540-60s. We talk about some of the big hits: - Vil...
91 — Andrea Palladio 1 — The Most Imitated Architect in History
21 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We're starting a series exploring the work of Andrea Palladio. In his own time, Palladio was a prominent architect based in 16th century Vicenza. Subs...
90 — Carlo Scarpa — 4/4 — All I Want Is A Pharoah
09 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We round off our series on Carlo Scarpa with two projects for Italian consumer electronics dynasties — the Olivetti corporation, for whom he designe...
89 — Carlo Scarpa — 3/4 — Castelvecchio, Invented History
10 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Castelvecchio Museum (1959-73) in Verona is an elaborate spatial narrative, weaving together historic structures and ingenious design elements to ...
88 — Carlo Scarpa — 2/4 — Querini Stampalia, Venetian Sci-Fi
14 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We talked about Carlo Scarpa's work at the Querini Stampalia foundation (1959-63), a palazzo-museum in Venice. Scarpa's interventions are focussed on ...
87 — Carlo Scarpa — 1/4 — Not Every Architect is an Artist
15 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In our first episode on Carlo Scarpa, we're trying something new! We've made a video to accompany the episode that you can find on our YouTube Channel...
86 — Ian Nairn — 3/3 — Nairn on TV
17 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the final episode in our series on Ian Nairn, we discussed the 1967 book 'Britain's Changing Towns' and the BBC television work that has granted Na...
85 — Ian Nairn — 2/3 — Nairn's London
03 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the second episode of our series on Ian Nairn, we talked about Nairn's London, the 1966 architectural guide to the city which was the critic's magn...
84 — Ian Nairn — 1/3 — Subtopia
12 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The first episode in our new series on the work of architectural critic Ian Nairn. In this first episode we discussed his breakout work for the Archit...
83 —Otto Wagner — 5/5 — Proto-Modernist
07 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our final episode on Otto Wagner considers his relationship to modernism, asking whether Wagner was a predecessor to modernism. We discussed his most ...
82 — Otto Wagner — 4/5 — Secession
10 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the penultimate episode in our series on Otto Wagner, we discussed Wagner's most famous projects, the art nouveau works produced at the height of t...
*Preview* — 81.5 — Klimt
29 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This is a preview of our latest bonus episode on Gustav Klimt and the Vienna Secession, get access to the full episode on our Patreon. In this episode...
81 — Otto Wagner — 3/5 — On the Stadtbahn
18 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talked about the middle stage of Otto Wagner's career, primarily his work on the infrastructure of the city of Vienna. Visit our i...
80 — Otto Wagner — 2/5 — The Style Question
31 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In our second episode on Otto Wagner, we discussed a couple of Wagner's early buildings, specifically the Landerbank in Vienna and the Rumbach Street ...
79 — Otto Wagner — 1/5 — Ringstraße Rent Palaces
18 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This is the first episode in our new series on Otto Wagner. In it we discussed 19th century Vienna, an ancient city wracked by extremes of urbanisatio...
*Preview* — 77.5 — Patrick Keiller Bonus Episode
10 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This is a preview of a bonus episode we published on Patreon as part of our series of WG Sebald's 'Austerlitz', subscribe to our Patreon to subscribe ...
78 — WG Sebald's 'Austerlitz' — 2/2 — Locked Rooms
04 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our second episode on WG Sebald's 2001 novel 'Austerlitz', encountering strangely preserved rooms, nightmarish dream landscapes, gigantesque 19th cent...
77 — WG Sebald's 'Austerlitz' — 1/2 — In the Nocturama
31 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In our first episode of 2021 we discussed 'Austerlitz', the final novel by W.G. Sebald. It's the story, at the most basic level, of an architectural h...
*Preview* — 76.5 — Robert Moses Bonus Episode
28 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is a preview from our latest Patreon Bonus Episode – subscribe to our Patreon for just $3 a month to listen to the whole episode! Thank you to ...
76 — Jane Jacobs — 2/2 — Unslumming and Gentrification
10 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Our second episode on Jane Jacobs' canonical work, 'The Death and Life of Great American Cities'. In this second half we further discuss her vision fo...
75 — Jane Jacobs — 1/2 — Eyes on the Street
25 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The first episode in a two-part series on Jane Jacobs, a profoundly influential writer, thinker and campaigner on issues of urbanism, whose magnum opu...
74 — Monasteries — 3/3 — Fourier, Narkomfin, La Tourette
27 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The final episode in our series on the deep history of the monastery. Modernity has arrived and monasticism is living a strange afterlife. First, we d...
73 — Monasteries — 2/3 — The Apostolic Life
25 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In our second episode on Monasteries we're talking about Carthusians, millenarian religiosity, the co-option of radicalism by the mainstream, baroque ...
72 — Monasteries — 1/3 — Cluniacs and Cistercians
19 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this new 3 part series we’re trying something a little bit different, we’re going to try and think about the monastery from deep time up to the...
71 — Christopher Alexander — 2/2 — Pattern Language
10 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In our second episode on Christopher Alexander, we discuss 'A Pattern Language', the book he wrote with Murray Silverstein and Sara Ishikawa, publishe...
70 — Christopher Alexander — 1/2 —Notes on the Synthesis of Form
17 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is the first episode of a new series on Design Theorist, Architect, Mathematician and Computation Fan, Christopher Alexander. Alexander studied M...
69 — Zaha Hadid — 4/4 — The Parametric Years
17 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this final episode on Zaha Hadid we discuss a small fraction of the huge number of projects that ZHA produced from the early noughties up to Zaha's...
68 — Zaha Hadid — 3/4 — Vitra to Cardiff
03 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The third part of our ongoing series on Zaha Hadid! In this episode we discuss the early buildings of the practice, including IBA housing in Berlin, V...
Bonus Unlocked — 48.5 — OMA — Bigness
22 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
UNLOCKED PATREON BONUS This unlocked bonus episode comes from our Patreon feed, where we post extra content and bonus discussions with every episode o...
67 — Zaha Hadid — 2/4 — The Peak
14 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In our second episode on Zaha Hadid, we're covering the rest of the 1980s, from the competition to design the Peak Leisure Centre in Hong Kong, to the...
66 — Zaha Hadid — 1/4 — AA Days
08 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In our first episode on Zaha Hadid, we dive into the spell-binding work of one of the most famous, controversial and interesting architects of her gen...
65 — Andrei Tarkovsky — 3/3 — Nostalghia and The Sacrifice
17 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In our final episode on Andrei Tarkovsky, we discuss the two films he directed after leaving the Soviet Union: Nostalghia (1983) and The Sacrifice (19...
64 — Andrei Tarkovsky — 2/3 — Stalker
28 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In our second episode on Soviet director and auteur Andrei Tarkovsky we discuss his most well known film and possibly his magnum opus, Stalker (1979)....
63 — Andrei Tarkovsky — 1/3 — Setting the Stage
03 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this first part of our new series on legendary Russian director Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky we discuss his early films: Ivan's Childhood (1962), A...
62 — Leon Battista Alberti — 2/2 — Building the Quattrocento
09 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
62 — Leon Battista Alberti — 2/2 — Building the Quattrocento Having discussed his magnum opus, 'De Re Aedificatoria' in the last episode, here w...
61 — Leon Battista Alberti — 1/2 — De Re Aedificatoria
05 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this first episode of a two parter, we tackle the original big beautiful bouncing boy of the Italian Renaissance, Leon Battista Alberti, and his 14...
60 — Reyner Banham — 2/2 — Design By Choice
10 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In our second and final episode on Reyner Banham, we discuss his pivot to Los Angeles, his love affair with Archigram, his theories of Megastructure, ...
59 — Reyner Banham — 1/2 — Science for Kicks
22 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As requested by the listeners, part one of a two parter on Reyner Banham! Banham was an architectural critic, historian, scenester and prophet of the ...
58 — The Reactionaries — 3/3 — The Empire Strikes Back
19 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In our final episode on Reactionaries, we explore the politics and theory that underpinned the reactionary rejection of Modernism in the 70s and 80s. ...
57 — The Reactionaries — 2/3 — Caesar's Palace without the Fun
01 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In our second episode on Reactionaries, we explore the rejection of modernism by traditionalist architects and theorists in England after the Second W...
Conversation 3 — Dulwich Picture Gallery — Soane in The Colour Palace
27 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This is the audio from our live panel discussion at Dulwich Picture Gallery, where we were joined by the gallery's assistant curator, Helen Hillyard, ...
56 — The Reactionaries — 1/3 — Interwar Anxieties
17 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Come and see us record a live episode at Dulwich Picture Gallery on the 26th June! We'd love to meet you! Modernist Architecture has always had more t...
55 — Katsuhiro Otomo's 'Akira' — 3/3 — Good for Health, Bad for Education
30 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this concluding part of our discussion, we interview Anna Mill, artist of ‘Square Eyes’ about Akira from the point of view of an illustrator, a...
54 — Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira — 2/3 — Exploding Neo-Tokyo Twice
15 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In the second part of our discussion, we talk through the whole, incredibly epic six-volume manga 'Akira' from start to finish. Music is from the sou...
53 — Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira — 1/3 — Radio School
01 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Katsuhiro Otomo’s vast magnum opus ‘Akira’ (1982-90) is one of the landmarks of late 20th century science fiction — a story of psychic battles...
52 — Nicholas Hawksmoor's Churches — 2/2
15 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We conclude our discussion of the churches of Nicholas Hawksmoor in London, featuring discussion of church politics, 'the primitive church of the earl...
51 — Nicholas Hawksmoor's Churches — 1/2
25 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Nicholas Hawksmoor, born in 1661, built six churches in London between 1711 and his death in 1736. Vast, white, monumental and enigmatically detailed,...
50 — 19th c Machine Utopias — 2/2 — Looking Backwards
11 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The second part of our discussion of the utopias and dystopias of the late 19th century 'machine age'. Including a discussion of Edward Bellamy's 'L...
49 — 19th c. Machine Utopias 1/2 — Darwin Among the Machines
26 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We start a two-part discussion of the utopias and dystopias of the late 19th century 'machine age,' when new technology seemed to be remaking the worl...
48 — OMA 1989 — Going Big
11 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Rem Koolhaas and the firm he founded with three partners in 1975 — Office of Metropolitan Architects, OMA — are fascinating, critical and provoca...
47 — Venturi Scott-Brown & Learning From Las Vegas
28 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We continue our discussion of the theoretical works of Robert Venturi with this episode on ‘Learning from Las Vegas — The Forgotten Symbolism of A...