Failed Architecture
Failed Architecture is a podcast about architecture and its relationship with the real world. It opens up new perspectives on the built environment to explore the meaning of architecture in contemporary society. The show challenges mainstream spatial trends and looks at alternative realities beyond the architectural community. Episodes combine personal stories with research and reflection, emphasizing social justice, climate justice, pop culture, subculture, and representation. It also considers what happens to buildings after they are completed.
Afleveringen
Refugee Containment in Greece's Closed Controlled Access Centres
[You can find a transcript of this conversation in the article version posted on our website] This episode focuses on Greece’s so-called new generation refugee camps, officially known as Closed Controlled Access Centres or CCACs. These are high-tech compounds located on islands such as Samos and Lesvos used to process, detain, and surveil people on the
Borders of Possibility w/ Gabriella Sánchez
[You can find a transcript of this conversation in the article version posted on our website] This episode is an unpacking of migration and border management with a focus on the US-Mexico border and European externalisation practices. Written and narrated by journalist, jurist and urbanism specialist Nuria Ribas Costa, it features an in-depth interview
Amsterdam's New Wave of Cooperative Housing w/ Andrea Verdecchia from Time to Access
[You can find a transcript of this conversation in the article version posted on our website] In an article published in the Guardian earlier last year Jon Henley reported on the state of the housing crisis in Amsterdam. The article’s title took a quote from one of the people that Henley interviewed: “Everything is just on hold”. For a lot of people in
A Just Transition For The Building Sector w/ Architecture Lobby's GND Working Group
For this episode, our editor Charlie Clemoes talks to Adare Brown, Elisa Iturbe, Geneva Strauss-Wise, Josh Barnett, and Ryan Ludwig from the Architecture Lobby’s Green New Deal Working Group. The Architecture Lobby (TAL) is a grassroots organization of architectural workers that advocates for just labor practices and an equitable built environment. Foun
Riding for Deliveroo w/ Callum Cant (pt.2)
We continue the conversation with Callum Cant about his book Riding for Deliveroo, which, as the name suggests, documents his experience riding for the UK-based food delivery startup Deliveroo, in a bid to understand the new form of “algorithmic management” that the company represents. In the first conversation, we started by having Callum talk in […]
On Discomfort: Episode 7 w/ Exutoire, Juana, María Victoria and María
For Breezeblock #40, editors Maria Mazzanti, Juana Salcedo, and Maria-Victoria Londoño talked with Exutoire (Bui Quy Son and Paul-Antoine Lucas) about queer architecture practices, non-conforming gender and dissident methodologies and utopian futurities. In their conversation, they touched upon what are the norms and normativity in architectural practic
Riding for Deliveroo w/Callum Cant (pt.1)
When the gig economy hit cities across the world in the early 2010s, gig companies promised flexible working hours to their “contractors” and on-demand ease to their customers. In reality, the companies and their algorithms have induced a monumental change in patterns of work and consumption, recomposing commercial districts in pursuit of more efficient
On Discomfort: Episode 6 w/ Sidra Kamran, Juana, María Victoria and María
For Breezeblock #38, editors María Victoria Londoño-Becerra, Juana Salcedo, and María Mazzanti discuss with Sidra Kamran questions on public space, domestic space, and workspaces for women workers in Pakistan. In the conversation, they explore what forms of experiences and encounters appear in these different spaces and how they shape connections betwee
Sobre la Incomodidad: Episodio 5 w/ Iván Argote, Maria Victoria, Juana y María.
Para el Breezeblock #37, las editoras María Victoria Londoño-Becerra, Juana Salcedo y María Mazzanti hablan con el artista colombiano Iván Argote sobre como su obra se aproxima a diferentes tensiones entre espacio público, monumentos y memoria colectiva. El Breezeblock #37 es la quinta edición de la serie de podcasts On Discomfort (sobre la incomodad) y
On Discomfort: Episode 4 w/ Todd Brown, Juana, María Victoria and María
Listen to this episode and subscribe to the FA podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Overcast, or wherever else you usually get your podcasts. For Breezeblock #36, editors María Victoria Londoño-Becerra, Juana Salcedo, and María Mazzanti discuss with Todd Brown how architecture in its different scales is perceived as racialized. During th
Unionising Architectural Workers in NL & The Qatar Legacy w/ Zamaney Menso (FNV)
For this episode, Maastricht-based editor Charlie Clemoes spoke to Zamaney Menso, Director of the Bouwen section of the FNV (Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging, in English the Building Section of the Federation of Dutch Trade Unions). The FNV is the largest trade union in the Netherlands and its Bouwen section serves architects, as well as construction w
On Discomfort: Episode 3 w/ Sasha Plotnikova, Juana, María Victoria and María
Listen to this episode and subscribe to the FA podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or Overcast. For Breezeblock #34, editors María Victoria Londoño-Becerra, Juana Salcedo, and María Mazzanti discuss with Sasha Plotnikova her most recent article: A Cage by Another Name, where the author delves into the carceral logics behind the LA’s tiny home v
Architectural Workers Organising in Europe w/Marisa Cortright (pt.2)
This episode is the second of a two-part interview with Marisa Cortright (the first episode is available here). Marisa is the author of the Failed Architecture article “Death to the Calling: A Job in Architecture is Still Just a Job” and, more recently, Can This Be? Surely This Cannot Be?, a book composed of three essays on […]
Architectural Workers Organising in Europe w/ Marisa Cortright (pt.1)
Listen to this episode and subscribe to the FA podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Overcast, or wherever else you usually get your podcasts. This episode is the first of a two part interview with Marisa Cortright, author of the Failed Architecture article “Death to the Calling: A Job in Architecture is Still Just a Job” […]
FURIA/ w Felipe Arturo
Listen to this episode and subscribe to the FA podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or Overcast. Continuando con la serie de conversaciones, podcasts y artículos sobre protesta y espacio público en Bogotá, la editora María Mazzanti habló con el artista colombiano Felipe Arturo sobre la exposición FURIA, Efectos palpables de los afectos (político
Stop Building Prisons w/ Sashi James, Maggie Luna, Avalon Betts-Gaston
Listen to this episode and subscribe to the FA podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or Overcast. For Breezeblock #30, editor christin hu chats with community organizers Maggie Luna, Avalon Betts-Gaston, and Sashi James about their recent action at HDR (Henningson, Durham, Richardson), one of the largest architecture firms in the world, who are r
On Discomfort: Episode 2 w/ René, Juana, María Victoria and María
Listen to this episode and subscribe to the FA podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or Overcast. For Breezeblock #29, editors María Victoria Londoño-Becerra, Juana Salcedo, and María Mazzanti discuss with FA editor René Boer his upcoming book: The Smooth City*.Framed in the conversations around discomfort and space*, the editors talk about how t
On Discomfort: Episode 1 w/ Juana, Maria Victoria and María
Listen to this episode and subscribe to the FA podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or Overcast. In Breezeblock #28, editors María Victoria Londoño-Becerra, Juana Salcedo and María Mazzanti introduce a new series of Brezeblocks about the concepts of comfort and discomfort and how they are entangled with dynamics of power and the production of sp
Huellas de Desaparición w/ Manuel Correa (Forensic Architecture)
Listen to this episode and subscribe to the FA podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or Overcast. Para el segundo episodio de FA Breezeblocks en español la editora María Mazzanti habló con Manuel Correa, artista Colombiano que hace parte del equipo de Forensic Architecture. En el podcast Manuel y María discuten sobre la exposición Huellas de desa
#15 Design Justice w/ Quilian Riano
Listen to this episode and subscribe to the FA podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or Overcast. On June 8th 2020, architecture and design organisations joined countless others to mark their alignment with the Black Lives Matter protest movement by responding to the hashtag BlackoutTuesday with a black square. For the most part, their anti-racis
Stories on Earth: Rhino: An Alternative Story w/ Anna Maria Fink & Mizt aan de Maas
Listen to this episode and subscribe to the FA podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or Overcast. We’ve reached the final instalment of interviews with the participants of the Stories on Earth project, an experiment that brings together spatial designers and writers to devise new spatial narratives that accommodate the inherent interrelationship
Stories on Earth: The Great Reanimation w/ Bassem Saad & Ameneh Solati
Listen to this episode and subscribe to the FA podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or Overcast. We continue our coverage of Stories on Earth, an experiment that brings together spatial designers and writers to devise new spatial narratives that accommodate the inherent interrelationship between humans and the non-human. Together, these artists
Stories on Earth: Sacred Planetary Garden w/ Karin Lachmising and Angelo Renna
Listen to this episode and subscribe to the FA podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or Overcast. We continue our coverage of Stories on Earth, an experiment that brings together spatial designers and writers to devise new spatial narratives that accommodate the inherent interrelationship between humans and the non-human. Together, these artists
Stories on Earth w/ Chiara and Daphne
Listen to this episode and subscribe to the FA podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or Overcast. Stories on Earth is an experiment that brings together spatial designers and writers to devise new spatial narratives that accommodate the inherent interrelationship between humans and the non-human. Together, these artists have crafted three stories
Protestas en Colombia y Legitimidad Narrativa w/ Juan Corcione
Listen to this episode and subscribe to the FA podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or Overcast. Para este Breezeblock (el primero en español) la editora María Mazzanti habló con Juan Corcione, publicista y académico colombiano que trabaja sobre cultura visual, teorías de la imagen y políticas del placer y el ocio. Juan ha venido reflexionando
#14 La Ciudad es Nuestra, La Noche es Nuestra
Subscribe or listen: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Stitcher / Overcast
(This podcast is in Spanish)
The notion that public space is for everyone, a place where we are all equal, has been used ambivalently to legitimize the exclusion of marginalized and vulnerable populations and to defend their presence in these spaces. Authorities and other social groups,
Swarming the Red Light District w/ Floor, Tools For Action, Juli Salamanca & Papaya Kuir
This spring, FA initiated ‘Situations’, an event series aiming to take critical reflections on architecture and space from the digital realm to the real world. Breezeblock #21 was recorded shortly after the second Situation ‘Swarming the Red Light District With Sound’, when our editor René Boer hosted a conversation with some of the organisers and parti
Private Views w/ Andi Schmied
For Breezeblock #20, FA NYC editor Michael Nicholas spoke to Andi Schmied, whose book Private Views documents her experiences being shown around high-rise luxury apartments in New York disguised as a Hungarian billionaire. Through transcripts of conversations with brokers, photos of views not intended to be seen by the public, and a number of essays fro
#13 Heroin is Everywhere Now and It's Everyone's Problem
Subscribe or listen: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Stitcher / Overcast
Heroin is an urban thing. That's the image we've been fed by movies, music, literature, news, public service announcements, and school curricula ever since it became a subject of moral panic over a century ago. The problem is, heroin was only ever a drug of the city because this image h
Paint Your Town Red w/ Rhian E. Jones
Local government budgets were among the first to be hit by austerity measures imposed by the UK government after the global financial crisis of the late 2000s. With seemingly little room for manoeuvre, councils were forced to close libraries and community centres, sell off their fixed assets, and outsource social care, catering, park maintenance and oth
Radio Alhara, Sonic Space, Beyond Palestine w/ Elias & Yousef Anastas
For Breezeblock #18, FA organiser René Boer talks to the founders of Radio Alhara, architects Elias and Yousef Anastas, on the one year anniversary of their radio project. It was launched in Bethlehem at the start of the global lockdown and by now has become a sonic public space reaching well beyond the confines of Palestine.
Trad Day w/ Michael, Kevin + Joshua (pt.2)
In this follow-up of Breezeblock #15, FA editors Michael Nicholas, Kevin Rogan, and Joshua McWhirter dive into the weird world of traditional architecture revivalism, or ‘trad arch’ for short. Where the first part of this discussion focused on a critique of the intellectual undercurrents of the trad arch movement, here, the editors explore how the trad
On Political T̷e̷m̷p̷e̷r̷a̷m̷e̷n̷t̷ Action w/ Marianela D'Aprile
A few weeks ago, Yale Architecture professor Keller Easterling penned an article titled ‘On Political Temperament’, which became the subject of heated conversation about the role of architecture theory in discussions of politics. In response, Marianela D’Aprile wrote ‘Not Everything is Architecture’ for Common Edge. For Breezeblock #16, FA editor Michae
Trad Day w/ Michael, Kevin + Joshua (pt.1)
In this first installment of a two-part episode, FA editors Michael Nicholas, Kevin Rogan and Joshua McWhirter discuss the weird world of traditional architecture revivalism, or ‘trad architecture’ for short. Starting with a critique of pop philosopher Alain de Botton’s recent article ‘Why is the Modern World so Ugly?’, the three editors examine the sur
UVW SAW, Union Organising, COVID Safety w/ Keri Monaghan
Last week members of trade union United Voices of the World — Section Architectural Workers (UVW SAW), walked out of two architectural offices over COVID-19 safety concerns. For Breezeblock #14, FA’s Charlie Clemoes interviewed UVW SAW elected organiser Keri Monaghan to discuss the strike, the recent work of UVW SAW in its first year as […]
Design, Mass Protests, Political Dissent w/ Jilly Traganou
FA editor Joshua McWhirter speaks to Jilly Traganou, editor of the recently published book ‘Design and Political Dissent: Spaces, Visuals, Materialities’. Near the end of a year filled with mass protests on streets across the United States and the world, Jilly talks about some of the book’s themes and their significance during a moment when many archite
The Future of Amsterdam's Red Light District w/ René + Charlie
In the 12th Breezeblock episode, FA editors Charlie Clemoes and René Boer discuss the future of De Wallen (aka Amsterdam’s Red Light District), which is under increasing threat from the so-called “smooth city”: the safe, clean, well-functioning and homogenous urban environment that has been taking over cities around the world in the past few decades.
In
A City of Our Own w/ Chiara + María
For #Breezeblock 11, FA editors Chiara Dorbolò and María Mazzanti discuss Failed Architecture special series A City of Our Own: Urbanism for the 99%.
Land Reparations w/ kuwa jasiri indomela
Breezeblock #10 acknowledges that land reparations have remained largely unaddressed by the architecture profession, despite the glaring adjacency of building, landscape, and planning to land and the colonial concept of property. What do land reparations really mean for the many communities who have been harmed in different ways by white supremacy?
Havi
Buildings Don't Matter, Too w/ Bassem + Kevin
Breezeblock #9 departs from the fact that in the early days of the protests following the death of George Floyd the Philadelphia Inquirer published a cover story written by Inga Saffron whose headline made the infamous claim that “Buildings Matter, Too”. Responding to the article, our editors Bassem Saad and Kevin Rogan discuss the value of looting and
Digital Activism, Women Architects, Pritzker Prize w/ Arielle Assouline-Lichten
For Breezeblock #8, FA editor María Mazzanti spoke with Arielle Assouline-Lichten about the invisibility of women architects, Denise Scott Brown and the Pritzker Prize, and Wikipedia editing activism.
India, Migrant Workers, COVID-19, Pune w/ Shruti Hussain
In the seventh Breezeblock episode, FA editor Charlie Clemoes speaks to Pune-based architect, journalist and researcher Shruti Hussain about the current situation for migrant workers in India amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Moving an Entire City, Kiruna w/ Carlos Mínguez Carrasco
For Breezeblock #6, FA’s founding editor Michiel van Iersel and architect Anne Dessing discuss the Swedish city of Kiruna with Carlos Mínguez Carrasco, curator of the exhibition Kiruna Forever at ArkDes Sweden’s National Centre for Architecture and Design.
Kiruna is experiencing one of the biggest urban transformation projects in recent history. The cit
Informality, Lockdown, Bogotá w/ Juana + María
For Breezeblock #5, FA editors Juana Salcedo and María Mazzanti discuss the situation in Bogotá since the COVID-19 lockdown, especially as it affects the large informal sector of the Colombian economy.
Tenants' Crisis, Rent Abolition, LA w/ Sasha Plotnikova
In Breezeblock #4, FA editor Charlie Clemoes talks to Los Angeles Tenants’ Union (LATU) organiser Sasha Plotnikova about the situation for tenants in LA amid the current Covid-19 pandemic crisis, as well as discussing the organising efforts of LATU in recent years, the prospects for a permanent rent strike, and how to get involved in tenant organising.
Sirens, Sonic Warfare, NYC w/ Leijia Hanrahan
In the third Breezeblock episode, FA editor Christin Hu talks to Leijia Hanrahan about sirens, their role in enforcing control and their heightened presence in the New York City soundscape since it became a coronavirus hotspot.
#12 When Beyoncé Seized the Louvre
Paris’ famous Louvre Museum was forever transformed in Summer 2018 when it was spectacularly appropriated by megastar power couple Beyoncé and Jay-Z, by way of a music video for their single “Apeshit”. Timed to coincide with Everything is Love, their surprise joint album as The Carters, the video saw the couple, and Beyoncé in particular, performing in
Myth of Community, Luxury Isolation, NYC w/ Kevin + Charlie
In the second Breeblock episode, FA editors Kevin Rogan and Charlie Clemoes talk about Kevin’s recent article for Failed Architecture The City and the City and Coronavirus.
Covid-19, Ongoing Construction, Istanbul w/ Eda + Charlie
In the first Breezeblock episode, FA editors Eda Hisarlıoğlu and Charlie Clemoes talk about the spatial effects of both Covid-19 and ongoing construction in Istanbul.
#11 Architects Unionise!
We tend to think of architects as professionals rather than workers. Architects design, create, delegate, follow a special calling, but they’re not often seen as “working for a living”, and they’re certainly not much like the workers who actually construct or extract the resources for the buildings they design. And yet, architectural work in the twenty
#10 Mecca to the Max: The Holy City Transformed
Mecca is the holiest city in the Islamic religion and the birthplace of the prophet Mohamed. Located just off Saudi Arabia’s western coast, all Muslims are required to visit at least once in their life if they are physically able to. With air travel becoming easier, the number of pilgrims has been rising rapidly over the last few decades, with a record
#09 Listen to the City, It's Trying to Tell You Something
Contemporary urban discourse relies overwhelmingly on visual representation. While it may be more effective both in conveying the actual appearance of a particular urban space and in communicating the intentions of the architect and the planner, this kind of representation leaves little room for individual interpretation and cannot possibly capture the
#08 Speer in Qatar or: How Architects Stopped Caring and Learned to Love the Client
Albert Speer is one of the most infamous architects in history. During his time working for the Nazi Party he was responsible for designing the Reich Chancellery and the Zeppelinfeld Stadium in which the Nuremberg rallies took place, as well as being in charge of Germany’s war production during the Second World War and having responsibility for the plan
#07 Incompiuto: Italy's Most Prominent Architectural Style
Italy’s landscape is dotted with unfinished structures. For a myriad of reasons, the construction of these buildings and pieces of infrastructure stopped half-way, leaving the often concrete and often striking remains of hitherto incomplete plans. The ‘Incompiuto Siciliano’ (Unfinished Sicilian) project has been mapping and researching these many struct
#06 Architects in Calais: On Border Systems and Self-built Cities
The area around Calais, a town in northern France, has for many years been a major transit point for refugees on their way to the United Kingdom. During the recent peak in the number of refugees, the French and British authorities increasingly fortified this border landscape, forcing those on the move to build increasingly permanent shelters for themsel
#05 London Undone: Gaika and Ash Sarkar Discuss the City's Past, Present and Future
In this episode, we use the work of London-based rapper Gaika to explore the subject of London, talking to both Gaika and Ash Sarkar, a senior editor at Novara Media who has previously collaborated with Gaika, about the city’s near future and its recent past. Gaika’s work covers a lot of themes, but his ‘Security’ and ‘Spectacular Empire’ projects are a
#04 Alexandra Lange: Judging Architecture and How We Design for Kids
Alexandra Lange has been writing about architecture and design for over two decades. Her articles span a wide range of subjects, from building reviews and calls for preservation to furniture, fashion, and women in architecture. After writing for such media outlets as Metropolis, Dezeen, The New York Times, Places Journal, Architect Magazine and The New
#03 Modernism Distorted: Selling Utopia From Kleiburg to Keeling House
Stereotypes regarding Modernist architecture, and in particular the negative discourse on Amsterdam’s Bijlmer estate, have been quite crucial in shaping Failed Architecture’s way of thinking in its early years. Can we really blame the architecture for what went wrong? How can an entire neighbourhood, where thousands of people continue to live their live
#02 City Gameplay: The Influence of Video Games on Our Urban Experience
Video games have changed the way we interact with space. From their very inception, these increasingly complex virtual worlds have been forcing new perspectives and new ways of interacting with the world beyond. Once they were able to represent cities, their role in shaping our everyday urban experience became even more acute, thrusting players into env
#01 Data Space: The Architecture and Impact of Data Centres
Instagram photos, public transport information, streamed music and Netflix movies seem to appear out of thin air on your phone, don’t they? Well, getting them onto that screen isn’t as light and easy as it feels. There is, in fact, an immense and decidedly heavy infrastructure powering the cloud. More and more architecture is being designed and built to
Aanbevolen
Afvallen met Etenslessen van Marjena Moll
Honing voor de Ziel, korte hypnoses voor een snelle reset van je zenuwstelsel.
The Data Edge: AI, Procurement and FM
Kind van de Staat
Dé podcast van Dorine Holman&, literair agent/impresariaat
Krant Solutions 2026
Leaders in Finance Podcast
AVROTROS Vrijdagconcert
In Transformatie Therapie
LYNX Beleggerspodcast
Dutch News Stories - B1
Loket voor het Leven
