Architecture Topics

1111 Lincoln Road is not the kind of building most people expect to become a landmark. It is, after all, a parking garage.

But in Miami Beach, Herzog & de Meuron turned that ordinary building type into one of the city’s most recognizable pieces of contemporary architecture.

In this episode, we tell the story of how developer Robert Wennett, architect Christine Binswanger, and Herzog & de Meuron transformed a difficult site at the end of Lincoln Road into a striking mix of parking, retail, residences, public space and event space.

We look at the ideas behind the exposed concrete structure, the dramatic double and triple-height floors, the relationship with the existing SunTrust building, and the unusual decision to place Wennett’s own home inside the garage.

We also explore how 1111 Lincoln Road helped reshape this part of Miami Beach and became a destination not just for architects, but for visitors, photographers, shoppers, diners and anyone interested in unusual places to see in Miami.

This is the story of how a parking garage became a Miami landmark.

Discover the history and architecture of the Lotus Temple in New Delhi, India, officially known as the Bahá’í House of Worship.

Designed by Iranian architect Fariborz Sahba, its 27 white marble petals transformed the sacred lotus into one of Delhi’s most recognizable landmarks.

This episode follows the project from the purchase of its site in Bahapur to Sahba’s search for a form that could represent spiritual unity without belonging to any single religion.

Explore the temple’s nine-sided plan, nine pools, natural cooling system and extraordinary concrete shell structure. Learn how engineers Flint and Neill calculated its complex curves, how Larsen & Toubro constructed them in reinforced concrete, and how Pentelic marble from the same quarries as the Pantheon in Greece, was cut in Italy before being assembled in India.

We also examine the Lotus Temple’s connection to Bahá’í architecture, its comparison with the Sydney Opera House, and how a building once considered virtually impossible to construct was completed in 1986 on time and below budget.

An episode for anyone interested in modern Indian architecture, structural engineering, sacred spaces, the Bahá’í faith, New Delhi history, or essential places to visit in Delhi.

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Discover the extraordinary story of Hagia Sophia, one of Istanbul’s most important architectural landmarks and one of the most influential buildings in world history.

Built in the sixth century, when Istanbul was still Constantinople, Hagia Sophia became the great cathedral of the Byzantine Empire under Emperor Justinian I. Its vast central dome, dramatic interior space and innovative structural design transformed the possibilities of architecture and made it one of the defining monuments of Constantinople.

In this episode, we explore how Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus created a building unlike anything the city had seen before, why its original dome partially collapsed, and how Hagia Sophia continued to evolve over the next 1,500 years.

We follow its transformation from Byzantine cathedral to Roman Catholic church, Ottoman mosque, museum and, since 2020, mosque once again. Along the way, we look at the Fourth Crusade, the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the conquest by Mehmed II, the architectural interventions of Mimar Sinan, the addition of minarets and Islamic elements, and the rediscovery of its Byzantine mosaics in the twentieth century.

Whether you are interested in Hagia Sophia, Constantinople, Byzantine architecture, Ottoman architecture, Istanbul history, historic mosques and churches, or planning a trip to Istanbul, this episode explains why the building remains one of the defining monuments of the city.

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The Citigroup Center, originally known as the Citicorp Center and now officially called 601 Lexington Avenue, is one of the most distinctive skyscrapers in Midtown Manhattan and one of New York City’s great stories of architecture and structural engineering.

In this episode, we explore how architect Hugh Stubbins and structural engineer William LeMessurier designed the 59-story tower around an unusual constraint: St. Peter’s Lutheran Church had to remain on the site. The solution produced the building’s famous elevated structure, enormous supporting columns, diagonal bracing and unmistakable 45-degree roof.

But shortly after Citicorp Center opened in 1977, LeMessurier discovered that a combination of quartering winds and changes made during construction could create a serious structural vulnerability. What followed became one of the most famous engineering ethics stories in modern architecture.

We trace the Citigroup Center from its 1970s design and construction through the structural crisis, secret reinforcement work, tuned mass damper, and its eventual place among the most recognizable landmarks of the New York skyline.

A story of skyscrapers, architecture, engineering, risk and responsibility in the heart of Manhattan.

The KIO Towers, officially known as Puerta de Europa, are two of the most recognizable buildings in Madrid. Standing at Plaza de Castilla on the Paseo de la Castellana, these dramatic leaning skyscrapers have become an unmistakable symbol of the Spanish capital.

In this episode, we explore the architecture and history of the KIO Towers, from Madrid’s expansion north and the transformation of Plaza de Castilla to the ambitious design by architects Philip Johnson and John Burgee. We look at how the towers were engineered to lean, the structural challenges hidden behind their simple form, the financial troubles that stopped construction, and how an unfinished corporate project eventually became one of Madrid’s most famous landmarks.

Whether you’re interested in modern architecture, skyscraper design, Madrid architecture and urban planning, or you’re simply planning a trip to Madrid and want to understand the buildings you’ll see around Plaza de Castilla and the Castellana, this is the story behind one of the city’s most unusual sights.

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Discover the story of the Louvre Pyramid, one of the most famous landmarks in Paris and an essential stop for anyone visiting the Louvre Museum. We explore how architect I. M. Pei transformed the historic Cour Napoléon with a modern glass pyramid, why the project caused such controversy, and how it eventually became one of the defining images of Paris.

From François Mitterrand’s Grand Louvre project to the vast underground entrance hidden beneath the courtyard, this episode reveals the architecture, history and engineering behind the Louvre Pyramid, the smaller glass pyramids and the inverted pyramid inside the Carrousel du Louvre.

A perfect listen for anyone planning a trip to Paris, looking for things to do near the Louvre, or interested in French history, Paris architecture, museums, iconic buildings and the work of I. M. Pei.

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As heatwaves become more frequent and cities grow hotter, air conditioning is becoming one of the most important architectural questions of our time. But the future of AC is not as simple as installing more machines everywhere.

In this final episode of The Architecture of Cool, we explore air conditioning, climate change, home comfort, urban heat, energy use, refrigerants, green roofs, street trees, passive cooling, district cooling, radiant cooling, and the challenge of keeping buildings comfortable in a hotter world.

From historic cities like Paris, Venice, Barcelona, and Rome to fast-growing hot-climate cities, the question is no longer whether we need cooling. The question is how we design better buildings, better streets, better rooftops, and better AC systems so comfort inside does not make the city outside hotter, louder, or harder to live in.

Air conditioning changed more than indoor comfort. It changed the way homes, apartments, facades, windows, ceilings, and cities were designed.

In this episode of The Architecture of Cool, we explore how AC entered domestic life, from window units in older apartment buildings to central air in modern homes and split systems in historic European cities.

A story about architecture, air conditioning, climate control, window AC units, central air, split systems, thermal comfort, domestic architecture, modern homes, urban buildings, and the complicated relationship between comfort inside and machinery outside.

Air conditioning is not just a modern convenience. It belongs to one of architecture’s oldest questions: how do we create shelter from the world outside?

In this episode of The Architecture of Cool, we explore climate control as a core part of architecture, from shade, walls, courtyards, wind, and water to the invention of modern AC in the early twentieth century.

This is a story about heat, comfort, cities, industry, and the moment buildings began to manufacture indoor weather.

Step into 1920s Chicago and discover the story behind the Carbide & Carbon Building, one of the most striking Art Deco skyscrapers ever built in the United States.

In this episode of Architecture Topics, we explore the atmosphere of the roaring twenties, the rise of skyscraper culture in Chicago, and the corporate ambition that transformed architecture into a symbol of power and modernity.

Designed by the Burnham Brothers and completed just as the Great Depression began, the Carbide & Carbon Building captured the glamour, optimism, and confidence of an era that believed the future would keep rising higher and higher.

From the origins of the modern skyscraper to the golden age of Art Deco architecture, this is the story of a tower that still defines the Chicago skyline nearly a century later.

If you enjoy stories about architecture, cities, history, and iconic buildings, follow Architecture Topics for new episodes every week.