EP 261 Nikos Salingaros on What Went Wrong with Architecture

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Oct 3, 2024

In this discussion with Nikos Salingaros, an expert in architectural theory and urbanism, the problems with modern architecture come to light. He critiques the disconnection from human scale, arguing for biophilic designs that nurture well-being. Salingaros highlights the dangers of deconstructivism and the superficiality of postmodernism. They also delve into the role of AI in architecture, emphasizing human-centric approaches. The conversation wraps up with thoughts on grassroots movements in urban planning and the future landscape of architecture.

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Intro

00:00 • 5min

Architectural Evolution and Human Perception

05:01 • 17min

Architecture and Human Scale

22:22 • 7min

The Critique of Brutalism and Deconstructivism

29:47 • 4min

Architectural Aesthetics and Fractals

33:20 • 6min

Architecture, Emotion, and Human Well-being

39:25 • 16min

Reimagining Architecture: AI and Human-Centric Design

55:32 • 9min

The Dynamics of Urban Planning

01:05:01 • 16min

Examining the Yes in My Backyard Movement's Impact on Urban Development

01:20:38 • 2min

Reflections on the Future of Architecture and Urbanism

01:22:20 • 2min

Jim talks with Nikos Salingaros about architectural theory, urbanism, and urban planning. They discuss inherited knowledge, the capability to distinguish between ugly & beautiful buildings, John Vervaeke's 4 kinds of knowing, vertical vs horizontal design, how architecture went so wrong, backward evolution, a Messianic futurism cult, the destruction of living geometry, how the real estate racket works, biophilic design, the correlation between modern architecture & modern art, the human scale, James Gibson, the Fibonacci sequence, deconstructivism, architectural assassins, fractals in architecture, richness, interpretability, medical health, functional ornamentation, information overload, cultural continuity & erasure, the ruse of postmodernism, algorithmic design, the AI revolution in architecture, an opportunity for new entrants, wonderful modern buildings, failed typologies, urban planning, making several systems work together simultaneously, autopoietic systems, urban DNA, Jane Jacobs, the city as a living system, post-war zoning, peer-to-peer urbanism, why it hasn't worked, the "yes in my backyard" movement, the future of architecture, and much more. Episode Transcript A Pattern Language, by Christopher Alexander JRS EP 227 - Stuart Kauffman on the Emergence of Life The Death and Life of American Cities, by Jane Jacobs How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They're Built, by Stewart Brand "P2P Urbanism," by Nikos Salingaros “Form, Language, Complexity: Unified Architectural Theory” - Syllabus and Course Videos Dr. Nikos A. Salingaros is Professor of Mathematics and Architecture at the University of Texas at San Antonio. An internationally recognized Architectural Theorist and Urbanist, his publications include seven books on architecture and design, two of them co-authored with Michael Mehaffy. Salingaros collaborated with the visionary architect and software pioneer Christopher Alexander over more than twenty years in editing Alexander’s monumental four-volume book The Nature of Order. Salingaros won the 2019 Stockholm Cultural Award for Architecture, and shared the 2018 Clem Labine Traditional Building Award with Michael Mehaffy. Salingaros holds a doctorate in Mathematical Physics from Stony Brook University, New York. He has directed and advised twenty-five Masters and PhD theses in architecture and urbanism.