About Buildings + Cities

In the final episode of our Lanuage Trilogy we talked about Charles Jencks's 'The Language of Post-Modern Architecture', first published in 1977, the book and argument developed over the course of the 1980s as ideas about post-modernism as an architectural style and set of principles formalised. We talked about Jencks's theorisation of architectural semiotics, his account of the failure of moderni...

In the second episode of our 'Language' trilogy, we discussed Bruno Zevi's 'The Modern Language of Architecture', first published in Italian as 'Il linguaggio moderno dell'architettura' in 1978, partly in response to Summerson's 'The Classical Language of Architecture' the subject of our previous episode. Zevi is a fascinating figure in 20th century Italian culture and politics. From a Roman Itali...

In this episode, the first of a trilogy, we talked about John Summerson's best-selling 1965 book 'The Classical Language of Architecture', developed out of a series of lectures he gave to the BBC. We talk about Summerson, one of the titans of mid-20th century British architectural history, his attitude towards classicism and his patrician tone. In the next two episodes we will be discussing Bruno...

This is a preview of a Patreon bonus episode. To listen to the rest, consider supporting the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/about_buildings In this penultimate bonus episode in our Piranesi series we talked about Piranesian vibes in literary and artistic culture, including forays into the work of Thomas De Quincey, Gustave Doré, Jorge Luis Borges, the graphic novels of François Schuite...

In the final part of our Piranesi miniseries we talked about his only building, the church of Santa Maria del Priorato, his theoretical writings, his proposals for interior design and furniture and his Carceri, the imaginary prisons which defined his legacy. If you'd like to follow along with the images of this episode, try watching it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/Rd2nwMAAx2E Edited by Matthew Llo...

In the penultimate episode of our series on Giovanni Battista Piranesi, we discussed his Ichnographia Campii Martii, one of his stranged and most inventive projects, a vast reconstruction of Ancient Rome, which blends together a little bit of archaeology with a massive injection of fantasy, plastering much of the open countryside around the city with endless, fractal Beaux Arts geometries. At arou...

In the second episode of our series on Giovanni Battista Piranesi, we discussed his multi-volume project, Le Antichità Romane de' tempo della prima Repubblica e dei primi imperatori, a deep study and representation of Roman Antiquity, channelled through his vivid imagination, mixing rigorous archaeological measurement and close attention to constructional details with romantic and fantastical visi...

In the first part of our new series on Piranesi we discussed his upbringing and background in Venice, his earliest travels to Rome and first work with Giuseppe Vasi and Tiepolo. We talked a little about the historical and cultural context of Piranesi’s work, before getting stuck into his Prima parte di Architettura e Prospettive  (1743) and  Varie Vedute di Roma Antica e Moderna (1745), and start...

To get full access to this episode, please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/about_buildings Taking cues from the 'Show and Tell' main episode, Editor Matt joined us for a bonus and brought along a couple of interesting buildings to discuss. The first, Santa Maria del Naranco, in Asturia Northern Spain, was built as a summer palace for King Ramiros I in 842 CE. It is a sur...

This episode takes a new format! Instead of fitting into a larger series or a particular theme, Luke and George simply chose two interesting pieces of architecture each that they wanted to discuss and draw out particular ideas or themes from. Let us know if you liked this format, and we will consider doing more of them in between regular episodes! In this episode, we discussed the Temple of Apollo...

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...

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 wil...

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 /...

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 definitio...

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: h...

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 f...

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 Histor...

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 e...

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...

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 l...

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/jQknKgoaQ...

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...

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). Watc...

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....

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. L...