An Impractical Architect

“The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one’s real and one’s declared aims, one turns as it were instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish spurting out ink.” ― George Orwell.

Sharing with you something that we’ve been thinking about for years…

@CharlestonArchi Excellent news! That's such a relief.

For legal reasons, we retract the below recommendation to avoid this classical architectural design program. It's been pointed out that he has extensive classical architectural design experience, it says so on his website. We return to highly recommending ACBA classical design.

In very exciting news, and we must hope it becomes reality, Quinlan Terry is working on a project in Oxford to replace the Clarendon Centre with multiple new buildings and a pedestrian-only square. More info here: oxfordclarion.uk/the-clarion-10…

@CharlestonArchi On a broader note, I worry about modernists teaching classicism. I'm no genius, but every modernist I meet seems to think they know more about it than I do. It was kinda funny at first but now I think they sincerely believe it.

@CharlestonArchi For the record, I wanted say that the educational model at ACBA sounds amazing. Combining heritage skills and classical/traditional architecture on the one campus is so inspiring. It feels like this is their unique selling point and to erode that in any way would be a huge loss.

DO NOT ATTEND @ACBACharleston for architecture. Strongly recommend against. They replaced their classically trained head with A) a modernist B) completely illiterate in classical design. Recommend retracting applications at once and going elsewhere.

Every modernist I meet seems to think they know more about classical and traditional architecture than I do. I'm no genius but I find their condescension deluded and embarrassing.

The architectural profession and architectural education is owned by the modern building products and technologies industry lobby.

“The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one’s real and one’s declared aims, one turns as it were instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish spurting out ink.” ― George Orwell.

@JacobAShell I asked grok "can you create a realistic rendering from this architectural drawing?"

I like this 2009 neo-trad proposal for a new Boston City Hall, replacing the 1960s Brutalist behemoth.

@Trad_Arch_Bdays St. Colman's Cobh, Ireland. My local! 😍

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Happy birthday, Edward Welby Pugin. March 11, 1834 in Ramsgate, UK. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._W._Pug… 1/

@Great_Houses Be sure to tell my cousins I say hello.

Borris House - seat of the MacMurrough Kavanagh family for over 500 years

A postgraduate degree in Traditional Architecture and Urban Design leading to ARB accreditation csca.aha.cam.ac.uk/a-postgraduate…

@GavinLundy 100%!

111 Union Street should be replaced by a larger and grander building that meets the roofline of its neighbour. It should be built in a Glaswegian Victorian style. It’s possible, despite what weirdo architects and the developer lobby will tell us.

@c_k_lynch Must visit the old family seat one of these days.. 😃

Arrived at Borris House - seat of the McMurrough Kavanagh family for over 500 years

@Suffragent_ Across the street I think

This is the Grade II-listed building destroyed by the Glasgow fire, yesterday. It was designed by Sir John Burnet, who also created part of the British Museum and the Selfridges building on London's Oxford St. His timeless work is now lost to a vape seller. Tragic.🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

@CharlestonArchi I think it's this one.. across the street..

Rebuild it as it was where it was and it will not be lost it will be rebuilt.

Whatever his practical shortcomings, I miss the courtesy & elegance of @BarackObama but I fear this Presidential Library is Sith Lord Architecture: ugly, inhumane, overpowering, the type of place and shape that, statistically, most people find unpleasant & disempowering.

@thewaronbeauty @pierre_arts Sad truth is that restoring it sympathetically would be running contrary to decades of architectural conservation legislation.. starting with the 1964 Venice Charter. retrospectjournal.com/2025/02/23/the…

@pierre_arts How is this legal?

On croit toujours avoir atteint le pire en matière de vandalisme du Patrimoine… Après la cathédrale d’Angers défigurée, voici le dernier exemple au château de Tournepuits (Guînes), purement et simplement massacré

@BarackObama Such a shame it's so ugly though.. reminds me of this youtu.be/uvU5dmu4sl8?si…

Today, Michelle and I are proud to announce that we will be hosting the dedication ceremony for the Obama Presidential Center on June 18th in Chicago, and welcoming the public on June 19th. We can’t wait for you to visit. Go to obama.org to learn more.