"As architectural drama The Brutalist does not wholly convince"
The Brutalist leads the Oscar nominations but as a film about architecture it's a little underwhelming, writes Will Wiles. More about "As architectural drama The Brutalist does not wholly convince"
"Megalopolis is a reminder that the heroic conception of the architect is an intoxicating one"
Francis Ford Coppola's bizarre new epic movie about a visionary architect has been panned by critics. Will Wiles asks what it all says about the profession's role within contemporary popular culture. More about "Megalopolis is a reminder that the heroic conception of the architect is an intoxicating one"
"The architecture does matter in the storming of the National Congress"
The bemusement of the rioters who made their way into Brasília's National Congress this month pointed to an increasing disaffection with architectural symbols of power, writes Will Wiles. More about "The architecture does matter in the storming of the National Congress"
"Architects can rest easy that AI isn't coming for their jobs just yet"
Despite the justified controversy surrounding AI art, architects need not worry about being usurped by software that can generate images of buildings, argues Will Wiles. More about "Architects can rest easy that AI isn't coming for their jobs just yet"
"Let's save some of the Whitechapel Fatberg"
The 130-tonne "fatburg" discovered below the streets of east London earlier this month serves as a reminder of how sophisticated Victorian engineering has liberated people from having to think about waste, says Will Wiles. More about "Let's save some of the Whitechapel Fatberg"
"IKEA's Frakta has broken through into design consciousness"
IKEA's blue bag is the perfect pop-culture reference for a generation stuck in a rotation of rental flats, says Will Wiles in his latest Opinion column. More about "IKEA's Frakta has broken through into design consciousness"
New Year's resolutions for architecture and design in 2017
With 2016 coming to an end, Will Wiles doses out his New Year's resolutions for architecture and design in 2017, which include resisting the hygge trend and finally taking responsibility for the climate. More about New Year's resolutions for architecture and design in 2017
"John Pawson said children love minimalist spaces. And he's right"
Brutalist or minimalist architecture is better suited to families with children than you might think, says Will Wiles in his latest Opinion column. More about "John Pawson said children love minimalist spaces. And he's right"
"EU design displays the best and the worst of doing things by scrupulous consensus"
Opinion: on the Brexit battleground, fluffy design nostalgia is being pitched against the EU's bland passports, forgettable glass buildings and uninspiring flag. This could all have been avoided, says Will Wiles. More about "EU design displays the best and the worst of doing things by scrupulous consensus"
"Mythbusters was a miniature weekly Enlightenment for the modern material world"
Opinion: Discovery Channel series Mythbusters ends this month after 13 years. Will Wiles explains why its high-octane science experiments made viewers think more about the material world than any other TV show. More about "Mythbusters was a miniature weekly Enlightenment for the modern material world"
"No one thinks of themselves as designing clutter"
Opinion: IKEA has declared "peak stuff" and Apple's sales are levelling out. Something is awry in the consumer design market, says Will Wiles. More about "No one thinks of themselves as designing clutter"
"New Year's resolutions for architecture and design in 2016"
Opinion: as 2015 draws to a close, Will Wiles offers five New Year's resolutions for architecture and design, ranging from less Zaha-bashing to abandoning the idea of favela chic. More about "New Year's resolutions for architecture and design in 2016"
"Foster and Aravena are moving architecture out of the shallows and into deeper water"
Opinion: while many architects are designing slippery "architexture", Norman Foster and Alejandro Aravena are unlikely allies in the pursuit of real architecture, says Will Wiles. More about "Foster and Aravena are moving architecture out of the shallows and into deeper water"
"Prison Architect is a graveyard for the utopian spirit where noble ambitions go to die"
Opinion: controversial computer game Prison Architect offers a grim lesson for real-world architects, whose good intentions often count for nothing, says Will Wiles. More about "Prison Architect is a graveyard for the utopian spirit where noble ambitions go to die"
"Creatives are mythologised as the tooth fairies of urban renewal"
Opinion: London's creative classes are caught up in an urban renewal hamster wheel that's affecting property prices across the capital – and there's no way off without leaving the city entirely, says Will Wiles. More about "Creatives are mythologised as the tooth fairies of urban renewal"
"Can design reclaim and redeem the humble souvenir?"
Opinion: designers could offer beautiful, meaningful and lasting alternatives to the mass-produced souvenirs offered inside London's tourist shops, says Will Wiles. More about "Can design reclaim and redeem the humble souvenir?"
"Who would defend the elevated urban motorway?"
Opinion: the elevated highways that cut through major cities around the world were once heralded as harbingers of modernity, but are now seen as pollution-generating, space-guzzling monsters. Will Wiles wonders if they're really all that bad. More about "Who would defend the elevated urban motorway?"
"Postmodernism was typecast as soon as it made it out of the Italian magazines"
Opinion: why did the Postmodernist design movement flounder at the end of the 1980s? Will Wiles finds the answer in popular Hollywood movies. More about "Postmodernism was typecast as soon as it made it out of the Italian magazines"
"The control room is a highly charged mythic space"
Opinion: when the team behind the Rosetta space mission landed Philae on a moving comet last week, they celebrated in a grey control room – the kind of uniquely bland space that has been the backdrop to some of the 21st century's most iconic moments, says Will Wiles. More about "The control room is a highly charged mythic space"
"Have we reached peak peak?"
Opinion: with the opening of the latest attention-grabbing attraction at a skyscraper in Melbourne, Will Wiles asks if the advent of Google Maps has created a public too jaded to simply appreciate a spectacular view. More about "Have we reached peak peak?"