Theory of Architecture

Geoffrey West is a theoretical physicist whose current interests are in using universal scaling laws to understand quantitatively the structure and dynamics of social organizations, such as cities and corporations, including the relationships between economies of scale, growth, innovation and wealth creation and their implications for long-term survivability and sustainability.

Nicholas Boys Smith is the Founder & Chairman of Create Streets, a social enterprise and multidisciplinary consultancy specialising in urban design, planning and regeneration. He was also Chair of the Advisory Board for the Government’s Office for Place & is an Academician of the Academy of Urbanism.

Dr. Chanuki Illushka Seresinhe is a leading figure in the data science community. She currently holds the position of Chief Data and Technology Officer at Boon, an organisation that integrates AI, psychology, and human expertise to address and solve meaningful societal challenges. Additionally, she is the co-founder of Beautifulplaces.ai, an initiative dedicated to generating informative data on the aesthetics of outdoor spaces. In her prior commercial role at Zoopla and Hometrack, Dr. Seresinhe leveraged machine learning and AI technologies to enhance user experiences and property valuations in the UK property market. Chanuki's commercial experience was first established during her tenure as a commercial data scientist at Channel 4, which laid the groundwork for her subsequent role as the Director of Data Science at Culture Trip. This podcast was recorded in June 2023.

Ann Sussman, RA, is an architect, author and researcher. Her books, including Cognitive Architecture and Urban Experience + Design, reveal the unconscious tendencies at work when we navigate the world around us. These ‘hidden’ predispositions reflect our long evolutionary trip per recent research in psychology and neuroscience, and can help explain why we favour certain urban conditions and building configurations and shun others. Understanding ourselves better, Sussman believes, can lead us to build more humanely and ultimately, more successfully for people.

Cleo Valentine is a systems designer, neuroarchitectural researcher and doctoral candidate at the University of Cambridge, Department of Architecture. She is also an associate at Cambridge Architectural Research Ltd. where she provides consultancy services on public health and architecture.

Niall McLaughlin is a Stirling Prize winning Irish architect based in London and Professor of Architectural Practice at the Bartlett School of Architecture.

Mark Foster Gage is an American architect, writer, and theorist based in New York City where he runs his practice, Mark Foster Gage Architects. He is an associate professor at the Yale School of Architecture where his academic focus is on aesthetic philosophy.

Adam Nathaniel Furman is a British artist & designer of Argentine & Japanese heritage based in London. Trained in architecture, Adam's atelier works in spatial design and art of all scales from video and prints to large public artworks, architecturally integrated ornament, as well as products, furniture, interiors, publishing and academia.

Dr Nikos Salingaros is a mathematician and polymath known for his work on urban theory, architectural theory, complexity theory, biophilic design, and design philosophy.

Dusty Gedge is a Green Infrastructure Professional, Speaker, Photographer and Nature Conservationist, as well as President of the European Federation of Green Roof Associations (EFB) and founder of Livingroofs.org. This conversation is all about green roofs, green walls and green infrastructure.

Dr Timothy Brittain-Catlin is Course Leader for the MSt Architecture Apprenticeship at the University of Cambridge. He has also just published a new book, 'The Edwardians and their Houses', the first radical appraisal of the subject for 40 years.

Towards a Holistic Architecture: What is a holistic architecture and how might we best investigate how to achieve it?

'The New Sympathy: An Exploration of How Emerging Theories in Scientific, Mathematical and Psychological Understanding of the Natural World are Affecting the State of Ornament in Architecture'.

Dr Eleanor Ratcliffe is a Lecturer in Environmental Psychology at the University of Surrey, specialising in restorative environments, place attachment, soundscapes, connectedness to nature, aesthetics, consumer behaviour, user experience and designing for wellbeing.

Dame Laura Lee is CEO of Maggie's, a charity providing drop-in support centres for cancer patients, each designed by a different architect.

Dr Rosemary Hill is a writer, historian, independent scholar and author of 'God’s Architect', a biography of the Gothic Revival architect, A.W.N. Pugin and 'Stonehenge', a history of one of Britain’s greatest and least understood monuments. In this episode we cover Pugin, Stonehenge and clothes.

This is an article all about beauty entitled 'What do people like about old architectural styles and how can they be incorporated into contemporary designs?'

Phineas Harper is Director of Open City, the organisation which runs the annual Open House weekend. He also curated the 2019 Oslo Architecture Triennale and has previously worked for the Architecture Foundation and the Architectural Review.

In this article I talk about why the planning system needs to undergo radical digitisation and suggest some policies that might help in that process. And please vote in the RIBA Elections!: www.architecture.com/elections

This is an article I wrote back in 2016 entitled 'Public Engagement in Architectural Awards' which is still very relevant.

Nicholas Ray is co-author of the book 'Philosophy of Architecture' and is an architect in practice in Cambridge where he taught before joining the University of Liverpool. His theoretical pre-occupations over a period of more than 40 years have resulted in publications on Alvar Aalto, Rafael Moneo, Cambridge contemporary architecture and architecture's ethical dilemmas.

My third architectural book recommendation is 'The Sympathy of Things' by Lars Spuybroek. Here I talk in more detail about this book and what makes it essential reading for all architects and architecture students.

My second architectural book recommendation is 'A Pattern Language' by Christopher Alexander et al. Here I talk about how this book is useful to architects and architecture students and why you should read it.

In the first of a series of short episodes I talk about the first book that should be on your architecture reading list, 'A Theory of Architecture' by Nikos Salingaros, and why it is so important and useful for architects and architecture students.

Dr Karamia Muller is a lecturer in architecture at the University of Auckland and is the first Samoan woman to get a PhD in architecture. In conversation with Bruce Buckland, Director of Buckland Architects.