In Episode 161 of the A is for Architecture Podcast , Dr Géraldine Borio - Swiss architect and assistant professor in the Department of Architecture at the University of Hong Kong - discusses her exquisite, enigmatic and hugely inspiring book, Looking for the Voids: Learning from Asia’s Liminal Urban Spaces as a Foundation to Expand an Architectural Practice , published by Park Books in 2023. Géraldine’s book explores architectural and urban interventions in residual and liminal spaces across Ba...
Jul 09, 2025•46 min•Ep. 161
In this, the 160th episode of the A is for Architecture Podcast , I was joined by Professor Christian Schmid, geographer, sociologist, urban researcher and until recently Professor of Sociology in the Department of Architecture at ETH Zurich. Christian’s scholarship is wide and deep and includes, among many other things, co-authoring the remarkable Switzerland. An Urban Portrait, with Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron among others whilst researcher at ETH Studio Basel in 2006. We met thought t...
Jun 25, 2025•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 160
In the this episode of the A is for Architecture Podcast , Emirati architect and co-founder of Holesum Studio , Azza Aboualam discusses her curation of Pressure Cooker , the National Pavilion of the United Arab Emirates' 2025 contribution to the 19th International Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale. Pressure Cooker examines the UAE’s evolving relationship with food production, focusing on how architectural interventions that synthesize indigenous and contemporary knowled...
Jun 11, 2025•40 min•Ep. 159
In the newest episode of the A is for Architecture Podcast , Paul Chatterton, Professor of Urban Futures at the University of Leeds, discusses parts of his quite recent book Unlocking Sustainable Cities: A Manifesto for Real Change (2019), published by Pluto Press. In the book, Paul argues against the contemporary city as is , suggesting instead that whilst they are presented as ever-improving hybrid spaces of choice and identity, of the authentic self, lived independently of the strictures of f...
Jun 04, 2025•48 min•Ep. 158
In this episode of the A is for Architecture Podcast , Gerard Reinmuth and Scot Balmforth, co-founders and directors of Terroir , speak about their practice in this, its 25th year of operation. Terroir are a collective of architects and urban designers based in Tasmania, Australia and Denmark, with a large portfolio of work that includes significant civic, recreation, health, education, housing and commercial work, such as the Penguin Parade, Philip Island, Victoria, the extension to the World M...
May 28, 2025•58 min•Ep. 157
In this episode of the A is for Architecture Podcast , the University of Edinburgh’s Richard J. Williams discusses The Expressway World , his brand new book with Polity Press. Richard is an old friend of the podcast, having recorded the first episode in the autumn of 2021. Back then, we spoke about Richard’s book on that bearded provocateur Reyner Banham who, among things, was known for his 1971 book, Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies. I guess Expressway World naturally springs fro...
May 21, 2025•59 min•Ep. 156
In this episode of the A is for Architecture Podcast , author, curator and currently director of the Farrell Centre at Newcastle University, Owen Hopkins discuss his recent book, The Manifesto House: Buildings that Changed the Future of Architecture , published by Yale University Press two days ago. The Manifesto House explores the history of architecture through the lens of individual houses that have acted as manifestos for new ideas, movements and ways of living. Looking at twenty-one houses ...
May 14, 2025•51 min•Ep. 155
In this episode of the A is for Architecture Podcast , Professor of Architectural History and Urban Studies at the University of Basel and urban theorist Kenny Cupers discusses his new book, The Earth That Modernism Built: Empire and the Rise of Planetary Design (University of Texas Press, 2024) . Kenny talks about the imperial legacies of modern architecture and infrastructure, examining how colonial and postcolonial systems of planning, construction and environmental control shaped a global vi...
May 07, 2025•50 min•Ep. 154
In this episode of the A is for Architecture Podcast , architect, scholar and author Tom Spector discusses his book, Architecture and the Public Good , first published by Anthem Press in 2021, and now out in paperback. Tom’s critical and philosophical exploration of the ethical foundation of the architecture profession and its role in serving the public, confronts the persistent tension within architecture between artistry and public service, arguing that this dual identity often undermines the ...
Apr 30, 2025•52 min•Ep. 153
In this episode of the A is for Architecture Podcast , I spoke with Chris L. Smith, Professor of Architectural Theory at the University of Sydney, to discuss his book, Architecture After Deleuze and Guattari (Bloomsbury 2023). We explore how the philosophies of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari have influenced architectural thought and practice, and the possibilities that we’re all Deleuzo-Guattarian architects now… Deleuze and Guattari’s significance for architectural theory and design practice...
Apr 23, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 152
In this episode of the A is for Architecture Podcast , I spoke with Associate Professor of Urban Planning at Hunter College, Stefan Al , and Professor at New York Institute of Technology, Tom Verebes , about their recent co-edited book, The Urbanism Reader: Design, Technology, Culture and the Future of Cities , published by Bloomsbury (2025). Orientated towards design in the contemporary city, The Urbanism Reader gathers together key texts that explore urban theory, planning and development pert...
Apr 16, 2025•50 min•Ep. 151
In this – the 150th! - episode of the A is for Architecture Podcast , I was joined by cultural theorist Justin O'Connor, Professor of Cultural Economy at the University of South Australia to discuss his 2024 book, Culture is not an Industry: Reclaiming Art and Culture for the Common Good , published by Manchester University Press. Unpacking and critiquing the concept of creative industries, Justin describes the historical transformation of urban space through local cultural initiatives and grass...
Apr 09, 2025•54 min•Ep. 150
In this episode of the A is for Architecture Podcast , architectural historian at the Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh, Dr Alistair Fair discusses his latest book, Building Modern Scotland: A Social and Architectural History of the New Towns, 1947–1997 , which he co-authored with Lynn Abrams, Kat Breen, Miles Glendinning, Diane Watters and Valerie Wright, and published with Bloomsbury in February this year. Scotland’s new towns—Glenrothes, Cumbernauld, Livingston, Irvine, and Ea...
Apr 02, 2025•56 min•Ep. 149
In this episode of the A is for Architecture Podcast, I spoke with John Boughton , social historian, writer and blogger. John has written the hugely insightful and important blog, Municipal Dreams since 2013, on which he explores the history, impact, and legacy of social and council housing in Britain, highlighting its architectural, political, and social significance. In 2018, his first major book, Municipal Dreams: The Rise and Fall of Council Housing , was published by Verso, followed in 2022...
Mar 26, 2025•54 min•Ep. 148
In this episode of the A is for Architecture Podcast, architect, urban designer and founder-director of ZCD Architects , Dinah Bornat , discusses her new book, All to Play For: How to Design Child-Friendly Housing (RIBA Books 2025). Drawing on research and real-world case studies, we discuss the crucial role of design in shaping inclusive, playful cities, and sustainable communities. Dinah describes why child-friendly housing that makes spaces for imaginative, creative play – essentially urban d...
Mar 19, 2025•54 min•Ep. 147
In this episode of the A is for Architecture Podcast, Shayan Adham - architect, scholar and founder of Layers Studio , a design practice based in Iran, discusses his work and thinking. This is a detour from the podcast’s normal mode, but a happy one. Shayan presents work which I read as both deeply cultural and cosmopolitan, rooted in a critical engagement with the space he operates from, and the global context of architectural knowledge and practice. From the shores of the Caspian Sea, Shayan's...
Mar 12, 2025•50 min•Ep. 146
In this episode of A is for Architecture , architect, historian, and scholar Stylianos Giamarelos, speaks about his recent book, Resisting Postmodern Architecture: Critical Regionalism Before Globalisation , published by UCL press in 2022. Postmodernism reshaped architecture in the late 20th century. Stylianos discusses how in turn, critical regionalism emerged in resistance to postmodernity’s eclecticism, and modernism’s cultural bulldozer, offering as it did (and perhaps still does) a more cul...
Mar 05, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 145
In this episode of A is for Architecture , urban sociologist Robert G. Hollands discusses some themes of his book, Beyond the Neoliberal Creative City: Critique and Alternatives in the Urban Cultural Economy , published by Bristol University Press (2023). We discuss the nature and problems of the "creative city" model, its impact on gentrification and inequality, and alternative urban strategies that promote grassroots initiatives and cultural sustainability. In the book, Robert exposes the cont...
Feb 26, 2025•56 min•Ep. 143
In the newest episode of A is for Architecture , Professor Chris Younès – philosopher, professor emerita at the National School of Architecture of Paris-La Villette and the École Spéciale d'Architecture, a Silver Medalist of the Academy of Architecture in 2005 and Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur in 2014 - discusses the 2024 edition of her book, Architectures of Existence: Ethics, Aesthetics, Politics (Routledge), translated by Cozette Griffin. Building around the notion of [an] ecosophy, Chris ...
Feb 19, 2025•52 min•Ep. 143
In the latest episode of A is for Architecture , Dr. Cameron McEwan , Associate Professor of Architecture at Northumbria University discusses some few of the ideas behind his book, Analogical City (Punctum Books, 2024), including the relationship between architecture, urban form, and the ways we think about and design cities. Drawing on Aldo Rossi’s concept of the analogical city, Cameron challenges us to rethink the role of history, memory and analogy in shaping the built environment. We discus...
Feb 12, 2025•57 min•Ep. 142
In this episode of A is for Architecture , I was joined by the University of Queensland’s Dr Dorina Pojani to discuss her book Trophy Cities: A Feminist Perspective on New Capitals (Edward Elgar Publishing 2021). We explore how new capital cities –Brasilia, Canberra, Abuja, Sejong, Astana and even Washington DC – are conceived of as totalized projects, dominant visions competing for prestige through iconic architecture and mega-projects - often at the expense of local communities. From gentrific...
Feb 05, 2025•51 min•Ep. 141
In this episode of A is for Architecture , I spoke to Álvaro Sevilla-Buitrago , associate professor of urban planning at the School of Architecture, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, about his book Against the Commons: A Radical History of Urban Planning (University of Minnesota Press 2022) . Challenging conventional ideas of shared urban space, Alvaro explores how planning has historically been used as a tool of enclosure, dispossession, and control—shaping cities to serve elite interests rath...
Jan 29, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 139
In this episode of A is for Architecture, I spoke with Pablo Meninato, Associate Professor of Architecture at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University, Philadelphia, about Urban Labyrinths: Informal Settlements, Architecture, and Social Change in Latin America (Routledge 2024), co-authored with Gregory Marinic. Exploring the complexities of informal urbanism, Pablo discusses how self-built settlements shape cities, challenge conventional architectural narratives, and drive soc...
Jan 22, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 139
For this episode of A is for Architecture I spoke with Dr Franca Trubiano, Associate Professor of Architecture at the Weitzman School of Design, University of Pennsylvania about her book, Building Theories: Architecture as the Art of Building , published by Routledge in 2022. Building Theories presents an historical evolution of architectural theory, tracing how ideas about building have been shaped by cultural, technological, and material advancements. It highlights the interplay between theor...
Jan 15, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 138
For the first episode of A is for Architecture’s 2025 offer, I was very lucky to be joined by the great architect, writer, theorist and educator, Bernard Tschumi . We discuss, among other things, his most recent book, Event-Cities 5: Poetics (MIT Press 2024). Globally celebrated for his innovative contributions to contemporary architecture and urbanism, Professor Tschumi has gained international acclaim through both his theoretical works, like The Manhattan Transcripts (1976-1981) and Architectu...
Jan 08, 2025•54 min•Ep. 137
For Episode 136 of A is for Architecture, I was joined by Guillaume Couche , the co-founder with Richard Shackleton of Oh Hi Tomorrow —a cutting-edge design practice redefining interface and interaction design - and the co-author of the recent book, Interface Design: Creating Interactions that Drive Successful Product Adoption (BIS Publications 2024), which he wrote with Richard. We explore the art and science of designing intuitive interfaces, the principles behind building products people use,...
Dec 18, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 136
In Episode 135 of A is for Architecture, Assistant Professor in Architectural History and Theory in the Department of Architecture at the University of Cambridge, Dr Fiona Smyth , discusses her book, Pistols in St Paul's: Science, music, and architecture in the twentieth century (Manchester University Press, 2024) ‘a ground-breaking account of the scientists and architects who pioneered acoustics in twentieth-century Britain’. As the publisher’s blurb elegantly puts it, ‘On a winter's night in 1...
Dec 11, 2024•44 min•Ep. 135
In A is for Architecture’s 134th episode, the writer, publisher, former editor of Country Life and visiting Professor of Architecture at the University of Cambridge, Clive Aslet, discusses his book, Sir Edwin Lutyens: Britain's Greatest Architect ? (Triglyph Books 2024) which describes the life, work and enduring importance of Edwin Lutyens, including the impact of Gertude Jekyll on his design imagination and Lutyens’ pivotal role in both illustrating the British imperial project, and memorializ...
Dec 04, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 134
In Episode 133 of A is for Architecture, I speak with architect, academic, and writer Lorens Holm . We explore the fascinating intersection of architecture, psychoanalysis, and the public realm, themes Lorens addresses in his book, Reading Architecture with Freud and Lacan: Shadowing the Public Realm , (Routledge 2023) where Holm examines how Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalytic theory can illuminate the way we design, inhabit, and interpret spaces. Reading Architecture with Freud and Lacan pres...
Nov 27, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 133
On Episode 132 of A is for Architecture I spoke with architect and architectural historian John Stewart, to discuss the intersections of art, architecture and society through his recent book, British Architectural Sculpture: 1851–1951 , published by Lund Humphries earlier this year. British Architectural Sculpture: 1851-1951 explores a century of architectural sculpture in the UK, highlighting its role in shaping the visual and cultural identity of British architecture, and providing insights in...
Nov 20, 2024•45 min•Ep. 132
