Unfrozen

Discussed:

• A Canadian Centre for Architecture exhibition, reviewed, and high praise for its bookstore
• The St. Joseph's Oratory
• Unified Theory of Montreal - 
  • Expo 67
  • The Quiet Revolution of Quebec in the 1960s
  • Habitat 67
  • Death of Modernism was the Biosphere fire, 1976
  • Is Montreal the Canadian Berlin? Poor but sexy?
  • Jane Jacobs was a closet Quebecois secessionist?
• Hype-r-mediocrity: Moon Swatch, Watches are "investments"?
• Billionaire Boy's Club (Drop Culture) - Business 2.0
• Globalization embiggened or not during the pandemic work-from-home phenom?
• Microsoft's collective brain damage due to lack of soft connection
• Junk space incarnate - COVID testing centers in dead storefronts
• S,M,L,XL
• NukeMapper
• War Games at Sandia Labs
• Chateau Montebello - The world's largest log cabin

Featuring the music of:

• Of Montreal (Athens, GA): "Don't Let Me Die in America"
• Men Without Hats (Montreal): "Safety Dance"
• Rush (Toronto): "2112: The Temples of Syrinx"
• Expo 67 (???): "Montreal Lumiere"
• Fischerspooner (New York): "Emerge"
• Gary Numan (London): "War Games"
• Sparks (Los Angeles): "All That"

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

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

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.

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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

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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

The German publishing house DOM has released more than 130 Architectural Guides to regions, cities and countries around the world, as well as one guide to the Moon. Unified by a spare, colorful, graphic convention, inside each guide is a devoted curator’s unique take on the 20th- and 21st-century architecture of the locality. Unfrozen interviews Bjorn Rosen, Publishing Director, for insights on the history and philosophy of the DOM Guides.

Intro: “Around the World,” by Daft Punk

Outro: “She’s a Rainbow,” by the Rolling Stones

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

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

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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