SCAD Architectural History Department

"At what point do we respect architecture and history over people’s living conditions?"

Le Corbusier’s social housing was meant to be the dream. In a summer of extreme heat, it is a nightmare | Anna Richards When temperatures get to 40C inside, and French building regulations won’t even allow shutters, these tenants’ listed homes are simply unlivable, says Anna Richards, a journalist based in Lyon

‘"You must trust the process. If you’re not going to trust me, I can quit. . . .’”

Exclusive | Owning a rare Frank Lloyd Wright home isn’t the paradise you’d imagine — but that isn’t stopping some buyers Frank Lloyd Wright remains a major figure in the history of American architecture. But when it comes to maintaining his surviving homes — well, that remains a major pain in the neck.

"His greatest legacy may not simply be the remarkable books he left behind, but the generations of architects, historians, and readers who now see American modernism—and particularly the architecture of California—with greater depth, complexity, and appreciation because of his work."

The man who changed how we see American modernism. Discover the legacy of Thomas S. Hines, the architectural historian who reshaped American modernism. Read how his scholarship changed architecture.

"The villa defies any definition: its organic volumes seem to embrace the morphology of the site, yet at the same time they emerge strongly from the landscape. . . ."

At the foot of Mount Etna lies an experimental villa forgotten for fifty years In 1973, Giuseppe Fanfoni designed Villa Finocchiaro, a house with a strong sculptural character suspended between organicism and a space age imaginary. Today, it has been restored faithfully following the original design.

". . . while Notre Dame, damaged by fire in 2019, was the subject of a concerted national rebuilding that allowed it to reopen five years later, Mackintosh’s masterpiece still languishes more than a decade on, and seems no closer to being restored as a working art school."

‘Future generations will curse us for its loss’: can nothing save Glasgow School of Art, Mackintosh’s masterpiece? Stratospheric costs could prevent the fire-damaged landmark from returning to its former glory. Now, unless a wealthy patron is found, the building seems destined for ‘soulless’ facade retention or ‘curated decay’

"The difference is that the first was still an inhabited space, while the second has become a stage set."

Was Rome a better city when you could park in front of the Pantheon? A new book revisits photographs of Rome from the 1960s and 1970s to explore a city overwhelmed by cars, yet perhaps more deeply lived in by its residents.

"The grass that was laid to replace the flowerbeds and paths has shorter roots, so it burns more quickly when temperatures are high and dry, creating a contrast and temporarily revealing the swirling patterns of the first Duke's original garden underneath. . ."

Chatsworth's parched grass reveals 'lost' 17th Century garden The hot weather uncovers the outline of The Great Parterre, an ornate garden designed in 1699.

"The historic building in Philadelphia welcomed visitors again on July 1 after being closed for decades, since around 2002, marking a new chapter for a site that helped shape the nation's early economic system."

First ever US bank building reopens following $43M restoration The building's “extraordinary architectural beauty" has been carefully restored, the architect behind the project told Newsweek.

"Patient rooms will become hotel rooms, and the famous sun balconies will be reopened."

Snøhetta is reimagining Aalto’s Paimio Sanatorium Finland’s Paimio Sanatorium designed by Aino and Alvar Aalto will be reimagined by Snøhetta as a new “wellness” destination and diplomacy summit. The former tuberculosis clinic finished in 1933 will combine “hospitality, wellness, cultural spaces, and arenas for international dialogue.”