A is for Architecture

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 1951, shortly after Evensong, the interior of St Paul's Cathedral echoed with gunfire. This was no act of violence but a scientific demonstration of new techniques in acoustic measurement. It aimed to address a surprising question: could a building be a musical instrument? […] the scientists, architects and musicians who set out to answer this question […] would come to define the field of 'architectural acoustics'.  Fiona can be found on the Cambridge University website, and on her research website too. The book is linked above +  Music credits: ⁠Bruno Gillick

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 memorializing it’s fallen.   Lutyens (1869–1944) was a renowned British architect celebrated for his enormous body of work which straddled the Victorian and early modern period, and incorporated country houses, war memorials, and monumental projects like New Delhi's Rashtrapati Bhavan, Castle Drogo in Devon, the Cenotaph in London and the Midland Bank in Manchester. Known for good nature, and his prodigious work rate, there is a case to be made – and Clive makes it well – for Edwin Lutyens to claim the crown of Britain’s greatest architect. Lutyens' work exemplifies timeless elegance and architectural ingenuity. Beyond the binary of modern or not, ethical or not, Lutyens work stands alone, more than an emblem of its time. Have a listen and find out why. Clive can be found on his personal website and on Instagram. The book is linked above. +  Music credits: ⁠Bruno Gillick

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 presents an argument for how architecture shapes—and is shaped by—our unconscious desires, cultural narratives, and societal structures. Lorens also sheds light on the public realm and how the unconscious both informs it but is in particular ways also part of it. From this, we discuss what it means to read architecture not just as physical space but as a layered text of human experience. Lorens can be found on his University of Dundee website, on LinkedIn and even Instagram. The book is linked above, and you can also find his 2010 book Brunelleschi, Lacan, Le Corbusier: Architecture, Space and the Construction of Subjectivity on the Routledge website. Are you an architect? A psychoanalytic thinker? Or just curious about the deeper meanings of the spaces we live in? This one’s for you. +  Music credits: ⁠Bruno Gillick

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 into the aesthetic and functional dialogue between sculpture and architecture. It examines key figures, styles, and the integration of sculptural art into public and private buildings during this transformative era. The book focuses on the collaboration between architects and sculptors, emphasizing how these partnerships influenced architectural innovation and inflected design styles, from the Gothic Revival, Art Deco and interwar and postwar modernism. The book describes how sculptures enriched facades, interiors, and urban spaces, whilst examining the broader social, economic, and artistic contexts that framed the evolution of this unique art form. A lush book, and a podcast episode to match.  John can be found on his personal website and on LinkedIn. The book is linked above. +  Music credits: ⁠Bruno Gillick