Unfrozen

Dan and Greg interview Matt Nardella, founder of Moss Design, a Chicago design-build firm with an array of residential and commercial projects, and a bent for nudging clients and neighbors toward sustainability in small, but meaningful increments. Interviewee: Matt Nardella Intro / Outro: “Highway Chile”, by the Jimi Hendrix Experience Discussed: - NewSchool of Architecture San Diego - Architects as developers, contractors and multi-disciplinary designers - In praise of not designing projects on a spreadsheet (and finding the gray zones of zoning) - Credit due to: o Ted Smith > The Red Office o Jonathan Segal - Architect, Know (and Sell) Thyself! - The SCI-ARC Blowout - Ending brute-force office culture > how to not “punch down” - “We (architects) should be interviewing them (developers)” - Monocultures of design making people sick and unhappy? - Nightingale Housing, Melbourne - Jeremy McLeod and Maria Yanez - You don’t need to spend more money to achieve sustainability – you just need to seriously undertake site analysis and translate that into a building, while thinking like a builder and the client – or being both, potentially. - Want to build? Blog first! - “Granny flats” are back in Chicago and the city is building 9,000 new units in the West Looop – will that help the housing crisis? - On being a “bike warrior” - Are people in happy countries just driving less? - Vision Zero - The best way to make an argument for bike commuting is to just do it - Park(ing) Day

Building on the momentum of Episode 21, this special episode is a back-to-back Rees attack, with Greg and Dan both relaying their respective reports from the City of London’s raconteur-in-chief, from 2017 and 2013, respectively. Intro: "In the Engine Room," by Mike Watt The Engine Room Intermission: "Talk Talk," by Talk Talk The City and Color Commentary Outro: "My Favourite Buildings," by Robyn Hitchcock

Greg, fresh from a trip to London, shares with Dan updates and reminiscences of the hale old town in the throes of ever-later capitalism, doffing hats to its raconteur-in-chief, Peter Wynne Rees. -- Intro: “Hairdresser on Fire,” by Morrissey Discussed: Peter Wynne Rees The Square Mile (City of London) Skygarden shitshow at the Walkie Talkie – 20 Fenchurch Cities as information (gossip) machines Jamaica Wine House The George and Vulture Bank of England – John Soane The Royal Exchange – William Tite The Cheesegrater (The Leadenhall Building) – Rogers, Stirk Harbour & Partners The Lloyd’s Building – Richard Rogers NewCities Podcast interview with Peter Rees Heron (now Salesforce) Tower - KPF The Standard London St. Pancras Station King’s Cross Station The Blackfriar Sir John Betjeman Selhurst Park – Crystal Palace Club Canary Wharf 22 Bishopsgate (“The Wedge”) – PLP Architecture; née the Pinnacle (“The Helter Skelter”) - KPF Everything’s Iconic! Coal Drops Yard The Google “Landscraper” – Thomas Heatherwick and Bjarke Ingels Group When is the Urban Redevelopment Vibe Shift coming? Everyone wants a High Line The Compression to Now vs Decades of Urban Accretion Travel Challenge: the Stratford Olympic Site Assemble – acupuncture revitalization – Granby Four Streets, Liverpool Ricky Burdett, Professor of Urban Studies at the London School of Economics - Outro: “In the City,” by the Jam

Designers, urbanists, public policy advocates, and any others are who would join the Urban Technology Program at the University of Michigan are “hopeful monsters” & “strange creatures.” Meet their leader. Guest: Bryan Boyer, Director, Urban Technology Program, Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan // Co-founder, Dash Marshall Intro: “Hopeful Monsters,” by Charlie Nieland Discussed: · Architecture firms grow a spine (?) over Russia v. Ukraine: Is it a moral stand, or admission they won’t get paid? And yet, many are still working for the Saudis, on NEOM and such projects. · Helsinki Design Lab · Brickstarter · The Most Important Mile · Imagining Future Scenarios for Autonomous Vehicles · People Party- Generating scale figures for renderings that look like their communities · Brute-Force Architecture - “Look at all these things that we didn’t choose” >> Exhaust failure. If architecture labor was more expensive, would that be possible? · George Gilder and the Early Cloud – “Conserve what is expensive, waste what is abundant.” · Architechie · REEF · WSJ – REEF bought the wrong lots · Renew Newcastle (Australia) · Participatory City (London) · Outro: “Freedom of Choice,” by Devo

Brutalism has had a rough time over the past decade. Can it be redeemed before it’s too late? Originally published in The Faster Times on October 8, 2012 and on Unfrozen 1.0 on November 22, 2012. - Intro: “Creep,” by Radiohead - A Teardown? o [“Alma Matters,” by Morrissey] - Truthiness be Told - Brutalism is the Prog-Rock of Architecture o [“2112 – Overture,” by Rush] o [“The Wives of Henry VIII,” by o [“Aqualung,” Jethro Tull] o [“Sailing,” by Christopher Cross] - NU-Wave o [“Atomic,” by Blondie] - Dedicated Followers of Fashion o [“Dedicated Followers of Fashion,” by The Kinks] o [“Government Center,” by The Modern Lovers] - …And When You Smile for the Camera… o [“Peg,” by Steely Dan] - Outro: “Aqualung,” by Jethro Tull

Silicon Valley prides itself on "innovation" and "disruption," and its products are meant to drive "sharing" and "collaboration," but the architecture it builds can be stunningly conservative and insular. From the Unfrozen 1.0 post, May 28, 2013 -- Intro: “I Know Where the Summer Goes,” by Belle and Sebastian Too Much, the Magic Bus [“Magic Bus,” by The Who] Casual Collisions [“Strangers When We Meet,” by David Bowie] Will Code for Pizza [“Pizza Butt,” by MC Chris] Let’s Hang Out / Don’t Look at Me Arrested Development [“Arrested Development,” by David Schwartz] I Want The Best – Whatever That Is [“The Best,” by Tina Turner] He’s The Guru of the City / No One Told the Councilor [“I Know Where the Summer Goes,” by Belle and Sebastian] Stand In the Place Where You Are [“Stand,” by R.E.M.] I Liked It So Much, I Bought the City [“Viva Las Vegas,” by Elvis Presley] Outro: “Back in the Box,” by David Byrne

Greg and Dan, back at it again, talking about Olympics architecture and urbanism, the Housing Crisis 2.0, and the greatest hits from the 60s, 70s and 80s, come back to life as Zombie Capitalism. -- Intro: "Games Without Frontiers," by Peter Gabriel Outro: "Paper Money," by Montrose Discussed: · Beijing Olympics 2008 and 2022 games looking very different architecturally – no international superstarchitects The official attendees are largely debtor nations – and Russia China joins WTO 2001 > Beijing 2008 games the manifestation of that Beijing 2008 = Crystal Palace 1851 or Columbian Expo 1893 or maybe NYC 1939 Shuoguang Big Air by Team Minus Koolhaas “Content 2004,” – pivot to China away from WTC rebuild competition Skating oval by Populous Where’s Ma? · Other Olympic Riffs Montreal 1976 > Quebec secession > L.A. 1984 The day Modernism died = Biosphere fire Montreal 1976 Paris 2024 – Urban Air Mobility Los Angeles 2028 – The walkable games? · Safe as Houses? NAHB IBS Show Single family rentals Inflation Rents up above core inflation CBRE: wildcard scenario – multifamily asset class going from $7T to $37T Rent to Own, or Rent Forever? Mass-producing neighborhoods with fleet-level management of housing Housing became CRE Is this the point where we see 3D printing takes off? ICON homes inks deal with Lennar and BIG COBOD 3D live at World of Concrete ETH Zurich > Alien Rococo What is the future of the “starter home”? Rent control – Spain and St. Paul > Capital strike Tiger 21 · Greg’s book reccs: “Adam Smith” – Peter Goodman: The Money Game, Super Money, Paper Money Prefigured the 2008 financial crisis Averting Penn Central becoming the Lehman Brothers of the ‘70s OPEC and the oil crisis changed everything Beginning of the idea of housing as an inflation hedge

An interview with Sara Velas, founder, Velaslavasay Panorama, Los Angeles. Intro / Outro: “Heartaches,” Al Bowlly, Sid Phillips & His Melodians Discussed: Robert Barker Ruby Carlson Mush to the Movies with LAFF Magical Urbanism Unrestored Restoration Hauntology The Union Square Florist Shop: A Case of Spectral Immersion Luis Barragan Thom Andersen Mark Fisher Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon, Oakland, CA William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, UCLA Revolutionario Taco Charles Hood

A tour of the abandoned Pacific Electric Subway Terminal in downtown Los Angeles. From Unfrozen 1.0, originally posted May 11, 2012. Intro/Outro: "Do Not Feed the Oyster," by Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks Midsection: "Judge Doom," by Alan Silvestri and the London Symphony Orchestra

Unfrozen interviews Kate Wagner, creator and curator of McMansion Hell. Intro: "Suburbia," by Pet Shop Boys Discussed: - The special McMansion Hell that is Barrington, IL - Why surprise-visiting teachers in their suburban homes is a bad idea - The best the Metaverse can do is take us shopping at Wal-Mart and just browsing at H&M? - Best places to see a McMansion in the Wild - What it's like to be a critic during the media meltdown of the early 2020s - I'd rather be biking Outro: "Bicycle Race," by Queen

The sordid tale of a totally avoidable fire in the Hollywood Hills: a McMansion used as a set for a reality TV show goes up in smoke. From the Unfrozen 1.0 blog, Feb. 21, 2012 Intro/Outro: "On Fire," by Van Halen

Interview with Daniel Meyers and Traci Sym of +&> (Plus and Greater Than), an exhibition design firm in Portland, Oregon. Intro / Outro: "Are You Experienced?" by the Jimi Hendrix Experience Cover Art: "Tubes" by +&> (Plus and Greater Than) Discussed: - Cambridge Seven - High Museology versus Themed Entertainment - Exhibition design is really “schmoopy” - Encountering conflict is part of the training of performing artists, so it's good to have a theater person on your design team - Starting with a narrative rather than a site - Experiencing things that are not algorithmically selected for you - ABOTI - Always Be on Team Insurgent - The Real Dick Nixon, the Decemberists and Malkmus are all getting together on a Revolutionary War Memorial in South Carolina

A certain subset of architects and futurists have long obsessed with mass-marketing domes, foam houses, spheres, and combinations thereof. Could their time be nigh? From a story originally posted on Unfrozen 1.0, Sept. 3, 2012. -- Intro: "Xanadu," by Rush 1. All Yesterday's Tomorrows 2. An Architect to the Stars Dreams of Domed Domesticity 3. Sprung From the Foam [Musical interlude: "Xanadu," by ELO and Olivia Newton-John] 4. Domes as Doom Defense Outro: "Ridin' the Storm Out," by REO Speedwagon

Unfrozen interviews Lev Kushner, Partner, Department of Here, co-author of “The Dark Side of 15-Minute Grocery Delivery,” Bloomberg CityLab, Dec. 7, 2021, with Greg Lindsay

Greg and Dan host Eva Hagberg, author of “Dark Nostalgia,” “How to be Loved,” and the upcoming “When Eero Met His Match”. Intro: “The Letter,” by The Box Tops Topics: · Eero and Aline: “They met and immediately started banging”… and launched the modern world of Architecture PR · “Publicists make their jobs look a lot harder than they are” · Don’t piss off OTTO and ESTO · “I blew my entire advance on seven Iwaan Baan photos” · A Union SHoP? o Tyler Goss cut the cord · Architecture Twitter vs Instagram o Guest crit o Kevin Rogan o Michael “Freecondo” o “They were all talking about Henri Lefebvre, which makes me feel like a Boomer” o Dank Lloyd Wright o Zoolander’s Center for Ants o Boy’s Firm o The Architecture Lobby · The New Sincerity goes mainstream: Lesley Lokko curates Venice 2023 · Casting the “When Eero Met His Match” movie · “Letters are sexting through the centuries.” · Undoing the primacy of the image Outro: “We Used to Wait,” by The Arcade Fire

The complex (abridged) history of Eero Saarinen. From the Unfrozen 1.0 blog, an audio version of an article that originally ran on October 20, 2012 in The Faster Times, and on November 22, 2012 on Unfrozen. Music: "Jet," by Wings "Rescue," by Echo and the Bunnymen "Futurama," by Christopher Tyng "Mais que Nada," by Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 "Mork and Mindy," by Perry Botkin Jr. "Do the Whirlwind," by Architecture in Helsinki

It's a rambler, folks, but full of nuggets: Intro: "Tunnel of Love" by Dire Straits - Can BIG Transcend Bjarke? - Angry Foursomes, Unwieldy Threesomes in Rock and Architecture - Sole proprietors aspiring to be corporate - The Holland Tunnel aspiring to be the Lincoln Tunnel - A Section of Now at the CCA - Department of Care is a thing - Walton in Buffalo, Wu in Boston, call it a draw? - George Floyd died in a bike lane, or, infrastructure ain't shit without access - Clearing the block in Baltimore - Child care = infrastructure - Ballooning costs of built and social infrastructure - The Economist (subscription required) - California Dreaming > I want my TGV - Gateway Tunnel - GoJek, the Gateway Drug of Mobility Apps - GPIT - Ghost Kitchens in Dark Cities - CoMotion report card - Lindsay's Law - Wolf & Crane Outro: "Walking in LA" by Missing Persons

In which Greg and Dan discuss: CoMotion LA 2021, Conveyor-Belt Sushi, Sidewalk Labs' Mass Timber Factory, Carehaus at the CCA, Cold-Fusion Affordable Housing in the Great White North, the Benediction of St. Jane. Intro: "Going Mobile," by The Who Outro: "I Am a Tree," by Guided by Voices Links: Will Real Estate Ever Be Normal Again? - New York Times Magazine

Considering: the Munger Nightmare Dorm at UCSB, the Metaverse, Pokemon Go, how BIM, CAD and CATIA can play the god game too, Planetary Computation, Really Feeling the Room, Snow and Stars as Fungible Tokens, Climbing Up the Walls. Intro/Outro: "Climbing Up the Walls" by Radiohead Show notes/Links: Maybe the Munger Nightmare Dorm is the best we can do Zuckerberg’s endgame is monetizing everything The Intersection by Superflux Crypto Cities => CityDAO CAD’s Boring Future — And Why That’s Exciting The 2021 Gray Invitational City Bracket

Greg, Dan and special guest Alexandra Siebenthal, host of the Design in the City Podcast by RESITE, convene in Turin, Italy, to discuss their "redpill" moments that got them hooked on architecture and urbanism, and what they're looking forward to seeing at Utopian Hours, the urban design festival held 8-10 October, 2021. Intro/Outro: "Euro-Trash Girl" by Cracker

Greg and Dan successfully make it to the 2020 > 2021 Venice Biennale, on their fourth attempt, only to find it is closed on Mondays. Fortunately, there are other things to talk about and see. Intro/Outro: "Reverence" by Jesus and Mary Chain Links: Scuola Grande di San Rocco 2014 Venice Biennale - Elements of Architecture Eva Hagberg Basilica San Marco MOSE University of Oregon School of Architecture & Environment Rem Koolhaas Fondaco dei Tedeschi Palazzo Grassi San Giorgio Maggiore El Segundo refinery School of Rock St. Anger Master of Puppets Tintoretto Roman Abramovich Alan Faena Len Blavatnik The Billionaire’s Playlist, Connie Bruck, The New Yorker ReSite interview with Hashim Sarkis Open Collectives: Architecture for an Equitable Digital Economy in Chicago Architecture Biennial Prada Foundation, Milan Exhibit Columbus Bilbao Effect Guggenheim Bilbao Emmanuel Pratt Amanda Williams Theaster Gates Obama Presidential Center Sweet Water Foundation Rafi Segal Dyson Sphere Irene Lopez de Vallejo DiSCOs