In our final episode of 2025, we discussed William Golding's 1964 novel 'The Spire', a deeply psychological portrayal of the construction of a cathedral spire in the 14th century, heavily influenced by Salisbury Cathedral. One of the great architectural novels, this episode contains extensive spoilers, so we recommend reading it or listening to the audiobook before you listen to this episode! Find this episode on YouTube to follow along with the images: https://youtu.be/Z2bjd950HOQ?si=yZ0nUn31nY...
Dec 18, 2025•1 hr 2 min
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 urbanism and town planning, via Haussmanisation, designs for Lyon by Tony Garnier, the Garden City movement, slab block modernism and Manhattan. Follow along with images on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1d8rDIt0mIw We hope you enjoyed this series. We will be back soon with a discussion of William Golding's 'The Spire'! Edited by Matthew Lloyd Roberts. ...
Dec 03, 2025•44 min
Some clips from our Patreon bonus episodes on Sigfried Gideion's 'Mechanisation Takes Command'. If you've enjoyed the show, please consider supporting us on Patreon for full access to these bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/c/about_buildings Edited by Matthew Lloyd Roberts. Please rate and review the show on your podcast store to help other people find us! Follow us on twitter // instagram // facebook We’re on the web at aboutbuildingsandcities.org This podcast is powered by Pinecast ....
Nov 28, 2025•4 min
In part three of our discussion of 'Space, Time and Architecture', we finally got to the Spacetime and the architecture. We examined Giedion's thinking about many canonical works of the late-19th and 20th century, including the Chicago School, Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright; the emergence of ferro-concrete in France with Perret and the bridges of Swiss engineer Robert Maillart and definitionally Modernist works by Walter Gropius, Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe and Alvar Aalto. To follow ...
Nov 18, 2025•1 hr 7 min
In the second part of our discussion of Sigfried Giedion's 'Space, Time and Architecture' we covered the canalpunk aesthetics of cast-iron bridges, the transformation of material technology in the 19th-century and the Chicago School, completing his teleological march up to modernism which we will discuss in the next episode. To follow along with the images, you can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Z2NCz-xl7V8 Edited by Matthew Lloyd Roberts. Support the show on Patreon to receive ...
Oct 15, 2025•49 min
In this first episode of a new series on Sigfried Giedion's 1941 book 'Space, Time and Architecture', we discussed the approach to architectural history and urbanism in the first part of this totemic publication which shaped modernist architectural culture. Giedion was a Jewish historian from a family of Swiss industrialists, born in Prague who studied under Heinrich Wölfflin in Munich. He was a founding member of the Congrès Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne or "CIAM" who left Europe for Am...
Sep 29, 2025•48 min
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 episode, please consider supporting the show on Patreon for access to our entire back catalogue of bonus episodes. In this final bonus episode from our series on WG Sebald, we discussed his two books 'The Rings of Saturn' (1995) and 'On the Natural History of Destruction' (1999). Both texts return to key themes of Sebald's writing: The Rings of Saturn i...
Sep 10, 2025•1 hr 3 min
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 Otto Wagner series, episodes 79–83 on the main feed. If you want access to our full back catalogue of bonus episodes, please consider supporting the show on Patreon! We are going on a summer holiday, but will be back at the end of September with new episodes on Sigfried Gidieon's 1941 book 'Space, Time and Architecture'. Edited by Matthew Lloyd Robe...
Aug 27, 2025•47 min
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 https://www.patreon.com/about_buildings — the show relies on listener support, and you'll get access to our full back catalogue of bonus episodes. In our final bonus episode on Jože Plečnik, we discussed a few more of his projects, including 'Many Houses under One Roof', a unique unbuilt proposal for mass housing in post-war Ljubljana which imagined a ...
Aug 08, 2025•5 min
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 covered his Peglezen or Flat Iron Building, the National and University Library, his alteration of a former monastic complex called the Krizanke, his proposed extensive restoration of Ljubjlana Castle with monumental staircase from the triple bridge, and lastly his megalomaniacal idea for the Slovenian Parliament. A final bonus episode reflecting on our ...
Jul 23, 2025•1 hr 20 min
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 weirs, bridges and sluices which control its flow, the iconic triple bridge, and the various market buildings which face onto the riverside. To follow along with images for this episode, check out the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jQknKgoaQKI Edited by Matthew Lloyd Roberts. Support the show on Patreon to receive bonus content for every s...
Jun 30, 2025•47 min
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 Chamber of Commerce, the Triglav Insurance Company Palace and Congress Square. In the next episode we will discuss his designs for the city's riverfront. To follow along with the images which accompany the discussion, watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/te2VWMNoHx4 Edited by Matthew Lloyd Roberts. Support the show on Patreon to receive bonu...
Jun 20, 2025•53 min
In the third episode of our Plečnik miniseries we talked about a couple more churches and the cemetery of Ljubljana. Specifically we discussed: the Church of St Michael, Črna Vas or the Church of St Michael in the Marsh (Cerkev sv. Mihaela na Barju); the Church of St Anthony of Padua, Belgrade (Црква Светог Антуна Падованског) and Žale Central Cemetery, Ljubljana (Centralno pokopališče Žale). Watch this episode on YouTube to follow along with images: https://youtu.be/m2Lhu-3TpuE Edited by Matthe...
May 27, 2025•52 min
In the second episode of our miniseries on Jože Plečnik, we discussed four of his early church buildings, each representing a unique interlacing of early Christian architecture, 20th century classicism, and his idiosyncratic approach to style, detailing and planning which give all his buildings such a unique atmosphere. In this episode we discussed: St. Bartholomew's Church, Ljubljana (cerkev sv. Jerneja) Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Our Lord, Prague (Kostel Nejsvětějšího Srdce Páně) Churc...
May 08, 2025•51 min
This is the first episode in a new series about the Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik, who blended inspiration from deep antiquity with the modern sensibilities he learnt as a student of Otto Wagner (subject of a previous ABC miniseries episodes 79–83). Here we discussed his upbringing and education, time in Italy and his idiosyncratic classical sources from Etruscan deep time and late antiquity. Later his career and earliest commissions in Vienna and Prague, especially the Zacherlhaus, Church of...
Apr 24, 2025•1 hr 43 min
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 YouTube to follow along with the images: https://youtu.be/mhoIymTPnRg In the final part of our series on Rem Koolhaas's SMLXL, we discussed 'XL', including their unsuccessful competition entry for Parc de Vilette and the essay 'Generic City'. Discussions of Singapore, Atlanta and Yokohama are available on our Patreon. Our next series which will begin n...
Mar 27, 2025•1 hr 7 min
In Part 3 of our series on SMLXL we talked through 'L', including the essay on BIGNESS, including unbuilt schemes for the Très Grande Bibliothèquethe in Paris, the Karlsruhe Zentrum fur Kunst und Medientechnologie and the Zeebrugge Sea Terminal. To follow along with the images, check out this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/cuzdCPh-iIs We previously discussed some of these projects in episode 48 and bonus episode 48.5 (unlocked!), albeit less in the context of SMLXL as a publication. Edited...
Mar 05, 2025•1 hr 11 min
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/about_buildings In this bonus we talked about the book-within-the-book, the series of quotations and definitions which run the breadth of the alphabet through SMLXL. It includes the usual Koolhaasian mixture of high and low culture, actress's memoirs, advertising, technical manuals, pornography and even Luke's dad! Edited by Matthew Lloyd Roberts. Supp...
Feb 20, 2025•7 min
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 Parliament, the Netherlands Dance Theatre, an unbuilt hotel in Morocco and the Rotterdam Kunsthal. Follow along with images on YouTube: https://youtu.be/cqlABdVpeZ8 Edited by Matthew Lloyd Roberts. Support the show on Patreon to receive bonus content for every show. Please rate and review the show on your podcast store to help other people find us...
Feb 12, 2025•1 hr 12 min
SMLXL (1995) was the brainchild of Rem Koolhaas, principal of OMA, rhetorically and stylistically a rejection of the norms of architectural monographs, this 1400 page silver brick was one of the most iconic art books of the 1990s. It is a strange piece of architectural publishing, and very 90s, a mixture of post-modern literary sensibilities, greasy full bleed photography and polemic against Koolhaas's teachers and peers. We will talk about the book part-by-part over the next 4 episodes, with bo...
Jan 22, 2025•1 hr 12 min
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 now, an archaeology of the present, a dissection of the Now. We took some suggestions and requests from our Patrons, and followed them from recent discoveries at the National Gallery to Kengo Kuma and the Las Vegas Sphere. Some of the stories we talked about: National Gallery: https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2024/08/27/sainsbury-wing-contractors-fin...
Dec 31, 2024•1 hr 4 min
In this episode we discussed The Study of Architectural Design (1926) by John F. Harbeson, a remarkable guide to the Beaux-Arts method of architectural education, with its many idiosyncratic terms of art and the astonishing drawings produced as part of its relentless programme of competition exercises. Do you know your Parti from your Poché? Do you know your way around a Class A? Does Mosaic leave you baffled? Look no further for a guide to all things Beaux Arts. You can follow along with the sl...
Nov 14, 2024•1 hr 36 min
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 museum kindly allowed us to record this episode. We also talked about Pitzhanger, his country house in Ealing, and the development of his unique collecting practice. To follow along with the images we discussed and see clips from our visit, check out this episode on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/gOzIg5kB2Hg You can see the full length video tou...
Oct 02, 2024•1 hr 48 min
This is a cilp from our latest Patreon bonus episode, a discussion of Soane's contemporary reputation, particularly satirical and critical writing in the periodical press, not least by his estranged son George! You can listen to this episode in full on our Patreon feed: https://www.patreon.com/about_buildings Edited by Matthew Lloyd Roberts. Support the show on Patreon to receive bonus content for every show. Please rate and review the show on your podcast store to help other people find us! Fol...
Aug 27, 2024•9 min
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 Gallery, perhaps the first purpose-built public art gallery in the world. Then we discussed his church buildings in Marylebone, Southwark and Bethnal Green respectively. Watch on YouTube to see the images as we discuss them: https://youtu.be/8IFQjALMaW8 Edited by Matthew Lloyd Roberts. Support the show on Patreon to receive bonus content for every show. ...
Jul 30, 2024•39 min
In the fifth part of our series on John Soane, we discussed his designs for speculative housing developments in central London, another building in the middle of the city for the Bank of England's National Debt Redemption Office, and his various hypothetical schemes for transforming the city with a thick encrustation of Corinthian columns. We also discussed his work for the Royal Hospital Chelsea, some of which survives to this day. We talked about John Gwynne's 'London & Westminster Improve...
Jul 08, 2024•51 min
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 of confusing canceled schemes, designs by committee, thwarted architectural vision and some of the most electrifying lost interiors of 19th-century London. As always, you get get a better sense of the images we discuss by having a look at this episode of the show on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/xxeGY4LsHdM Edited by Matthew Lloyd Roberts. ...
May 30, 2024•1 hr 21 min
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 of England. This vast administrative complex signalled the transformation of London into the capital of a modern imperial state, but by the 1930s, after just a century of its existence, the bank had outgrown Soane's intricate and weighty toplit classicism and the whole thing was demolished. We attempt here to imagine and reconstruct what it was actu...
Apr 29, 2024•1 hr 44 min
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 career-defining job as surveyor to the Bank of England. These include several built and unbuilt schemes for country houses, a proposal for a pair of enormous prisons in strict geometrical manner, and several rural outbuildings in a rustic classicism that draw upon the founding myths of architecture. Images for this episode can be found on our YouTub...
Mar 25, 2024•58 min
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 bricklayer, apprentice of George Dance, winner of a studentship at the Royal Academy, and later with his Design for a Triumphal Bridge, winner of the Royal Academy and a travelling scholarship to Italy, enabling him to join the aristocratic young men of Britain on their Grand Tour. Over the rest of this series we will discuss is iconic works: the Bank of ...
Mar 05, 2024•1 hr 9 min
