The Ins and Outs of Architecture
A fan of Frank Lloyd Wright? Or maybe fascist architecture? Do you love ancient Greek orders, or do you prefer your buildings to simply gesture toward the classical past (we’re looking at you, postmodernism). The editors at JSTOR Daily enjoy thinking about the built environment, and it shows in our archives. Here, we’ve gathered a couple dozen of our favorite stories about buildings, landscape, and the designed environment. Whether you’re looking for a manifesto or just want to discover a new architect, you’re likely to find what you’re looking for in this collection.
As always, our stories are based on peer-reviewed scholarship. Links to the underpinning research are embedded in our stories. Look for the red J icon! It marks the articles that are free to read and download.
The Taj Mahal Today
April 9, 2024
In parallel with the recent shift in political attitudes toward Islamic heritage, India’s most famous monument may need to find a new place in history.
The Artists Who Hated the Eiffel Tower
February 17, 2023
Now an icon of modernism and avant-garde design, the Eiffel Tower was once seen by Parisian writers and artists as a blight on the cityscape.
Marion Mahony Griffin, Prairie School Architect
July 11, 2023
A founding member of the Prairie School, Mahony defined the movement’s now-familiar aesthetic for a global audience.
What Makes a “Beautiful” Federal Building?
March 5, 2020
A new draft executive order requiring classical architecture in government buildings negates principles established during the Kennedy administration.
Exploring the Avant-Garde Architectural Manifesto
February 7, 2023
More than a century later, the architectural manifesto continues to hold our attention, emphasizing a charged moment when society was breaking with the past.
Paul Revere Williams: An Architect of Firsts
February 13, 2024
The first African American architect licensed in the state of California, Williams blazed a trail to the (Hollywood) stars.
Lessons in Mannerism at the Palazzo del Te
August 13, 2024
The offbeat and unexpected Palazzo del Te, designed by Giulio Romano for Federigo II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, has become an icon of Mannerist architecture.
Why Architects Need Philosophy to Guide the AI Design Revolution
July 18, 2024
Architecture in the age of AI—argues professor Nayef Al-Rodhan—should embed philosophical inquiry in its transdisciplinary toolkit.
The Tiny House Trend Began 100 Years Ago
February 9, 2024
In 1924, sociologist and social reformer Caroline Bartlett Crane designed an award-winning tiny home in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
What Makes a Glass House the Ideal Home for a Communist Gynecologist?
June 14, 2017
Paris’s Maison de Verre is a marvel of modernist architecture whose rarely seen interior was constructed to foster sociality.
A Mughal Mosque in Kenya
March 2, 2024
Built for Punjabi migrants brought to Africa by the British and modeled on Mughal architecture, the Jamia Masjid in Nairobi serves Kenya’s Muslim minority.
Solar Housing Is Actually Kind of Retro!
May 27, 2021
The domestic fuel scarcity of World War II led to innovation in home heating—especially passive solar technology.
Vernacular Architecture in Wales
January 27, 2023
The pioneering collection of farm and craft buildings at the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff preserves traditional design and building techniques.
Building the Olympic Games
July 9, 2024
A close connection between architecture, athletics, and the urban fabric is central to the idea of the modern Olympic Games.
Is This a Gay House?
January 8, 2021
The British aristocrat Horace Walpole's villa Strawberry Hill was said to be evidence of his "degeneracy."
The Crucial American Warehouse
August 31, 2018
In 19th-century America, the changing economy called for warehouses, which in turn created the warehouse districts that defined many cities.
Eileen Gray: Architect In Her Own Right
March 12, 2024
Without formal training as an architect, Gray created magnificent designs that sensitively blended traditional craft with a modern aesthetic.
Why We Love/Hate Brutalist Architecture
January 9, 2024
Developed in response to the post-World War II housing crisis, the once celebrated Brutalism quickly became an aesthetic only an architect could love.
The Lasting Influence of Denise Scott Brown
December 12, 2023
Recognizing Scott Brown’s work is necessary for understanding American architecture in the second half of the twentieth century.
The Unusual, Unexpected Erechtheion
November 14, 2023
The Parthenon embodies the ideals of perfection Classical Greeks sought from architecture. The neighboring Erechtheion offers something else.
Searching for Queer Spaces
September 12, 2023
The dominant heteroview of architectural history means we may lose our queer spaces and their histories before we even know they exist.
Hassan Fathy and New Gourna
August 8, 2023
Fathy rejected European ideas of modernism, arguing that Egypt could draw on its own regional histories to develop a national aesthetic.
Fascist Architecture in Rome
June 6, 2023
In Mussolini's Rome, the built environment struck a balance between the romance of the ancient past and the rationalism of avant-garde modernism.
The Real Reason Why NYC’s Skyscrapers Are Where They Are
August 9, 2017
Why does Manhattan have two business separate districts? Turns out that it's not because of the usual story about bedrock depth.
Arakawa and Gins: An Eternal Architecture
May 14, 2024
With the Reversible Destiny Foundation, architect-philosophers Arakawa and Gins created disquieting designs meant to defeat mortality.
Lina Bo Bardi: Architect of Brazilian Modernism
May 2, 2023
A community-oriented architect, Lina Bo Bardi embraced the principles of modernism to design public buildings that remained connected to Brazil’s past.
On The Black Skyscraper: An Interview with Literary Critic Adrienne Brown
December 7, 2016
Early skyscrapers changed the ways we see race, how we see bodies, how we perceive and make judgments about people in the world.
Whence Warchitecture
September 10, 2024
The targeted destruction of the built environment during the Bosnian War led to the emergence of a new term in the discourse of urbicide: warchitecture.
China’s Historic Preservation Challenges
April 4, 2023
Beijing’s hutongs are disappearing quickly. Is there a way create safe housing, preserve historic buildings, and meet the city's financial needs?
The Enduring Appeal of Architect Geoffrey Bawa
June 18, 2023
Bawa's global travels helped him to create buildings and landscapes that are inextricably linked to Sri Lankan sensibilities and craftsmanship.
Red House: The Perfect Home for a Victorian Socialist
May 8, 2023
Subject to myriad interpretations over the last 150 years, William Morris’s Gothic-inspired home has been an enduring influence on Anglo-American architecture.
The Evolution of Zaha Hadid, Architect
March 7, 2023
An unconventional architect who started her career as an outsider, Hadid became a leading figure in architecture and design in the twenty-first century.
Architecture as Nationalism in Accra, Ghana
August 20, 2016
Recent interest in Ghana’s thriving cultural production make the city’s distinctive historical architecture even more relevant.
Casa Malaparte Is a Strangely Awesome House
April 26, 2020
Built by a fascist-turned-communist writer in the 1940s, it belongs to no one architectural style. But the views!
Tearing Down Nakagin Capsule Tower
December 6, 2022
Japanese Metabolists argued that architecture should be adaptable, changing as a city changed. Why, then, is this icon of Metabolism being dismantled?
Latin America Revisits Its Modern Architecture
October 25, 2022
As preservationists grapple with crumbling monuments in Brazil and Peru, they’re also confronting the progressive agendas that originally shaped the buildings.
J. B. Jackson and the Ordinary American Landscape
September 27, 2022
Jackson’s creative mind analyzed the landscapes of everyday life to understand the modest worlds—present and past—of regular people.
Recreating Notre Dame
April 17, 2019
The famous Paris cathedral was built over many centuries, reflecting the growth and evolution of Paris itself.
The Race to Be the Tallest Building in the World
June 11, 2024
Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Tower is poised to become the world’s tallest building. What’s behind the century-plus drive to build ever taller skyscrapers?
“Burned House” Mystery: Why Did This Ancient Culture Torch Its Own Homes Every 60 Years?
August 24, 2023
The arsons were no accident, archaeological evidence suggests.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fraught Attempt at Mass Production
June 6, 2019
The famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright famously loathed commercialism, and yet he (reluctantly) designed commercial homewares to be mass produced.
Frank Lloyd Wright at 150
June 8, 2017
Frank Lloyd Wright remains the most famous American architect even though he was born just two years after the end of the Civil War.
A Phrenologist’s Dream of an Octagon House
March 22, 2019
Orson S. Fowler thought houses without right angles would offer a better life, but his own architectural experiments did not end well.
Casa Luis Barragán, Sacred Space of Mexican Modernism
September 19, 2018
A tour of the Mexican modernist architect Luis Barragán’s house and studio reveals a surprise with a touch of the divine.
San Gimignano’s Fascist Redesign
March 24, 2015
The politically-influenced redesign of the famed towers of San Gimigano.
Rediscovering the Guastavinos
November 13, 2014
Rediscovering the Gustavinos contributions to architecture.
Homes of The River Gods: The History of American Mansions
October 1, 2014
Mansions hold a special place in the American imagination, and dates back to colonial days.
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