Daniel Dyer

The standard criticism the contemporary use of traditional architecture, endlessly re-run today, is that it is somehow fake or 'pastiche'. The most sophisticated version of this argument says that contemporary traditional buildings actually use modern materials and structural forms (true) while appearing to use traditional ones (also true). It is thus systematically misleading. The key question here is whether there is really anything generally problematic about appearance and reality diverging in this way. I argue here that virtually all styles throughout history have in fact diverged this way, and hence that the pastiche argument proves too much: its adherent must condemn virtually the whole history of architecture, surely an insane conclusion.

‘Welcome to the region’s capital, you’ve been gone for so long…’ A banner held by the Newcastle fans as Sunderland come to play at St. James Park…

Jeff Bezos wants AI to approve Miami building permits in 10 seconds: “Miami should have an AI application that reads your building permit and it should give you a yes or a no in 10 seconds. Why does it take months and months and months to get a building permit? It doesn’t make any sense.”

London has almost completely stopped building new housing. Makes NYC look like a YIMBY utopia by comparison.

Is this London’s ugliest new building? Are any worse?

🚨 NEW: MPs and peers must vote on two options to restore the Palace of Westminster 1: Fully move-out for 19–24 years (£11-15bn) 2: Phased works over 38–61 years, in which the Lords move out to a conference centre and MPs use their chamber for 2 years from 2041 (£19-39bn)

🚨 NEW: MPs and peers must vote on two options to restore the Palace of Westminster 1: Fully move-out for 19–24 years (£11-15bn) 2: Phased works over 38–61 years, in which the Lords move out to a conference centre and MPs use their chamber for 2 years from 2041 (£19-39bn)