PODCAST · arts
About Buildings + Cities
by Luke Jones & George Gingell Discuss Architecture, History and Culture
A podcast about architecture, buildings and cities, from the distant past to the present day. Plus detours into technology, film, fiction, comics, drawings, and the dimly imagined future. With Luke Jones and George Gingell.
Episodes
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142 — Charles Jencks's 'The Language of Post-Modern Architecture'
In the final episode of our Lanuage Trilogy we talked about Charles Jencks's 'The Language of Post-Modern Architecture', first published in 1977, the book and argument developed over the course of the 1980s as ideas about post-modernism as an architectural style and set of principles formalised.…
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141 — Bruno Zevi's 'The Modern Language of Architecture'
In the second episode of our 'Language' trilogy, we discussed Bruno Zevi's 'The Modern Language of Architecture', first published in Italian as 'Il linguaggio moderno dell'architettura' in 1978, partly in response to Summerson's 'The Classical Language of Architecture' the subject of our previous...
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140 — John Summerson's 'The Classical Language of Architecture'
In this episode, the first of a trilogy, we talked about John Summerson's best-selling 1965 book 'The Classical Language of Architecture', developed out of a series of lectures he gave to the BBC. We talk about Summerson, one of the titans of mid-20th century British architectural history, his...
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*Preview* — Piranesi's Heirs Bonus Episode
This is a preview of a Patreon bonus episode. To listen to the rest, consider supporting the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/about_buildings In this penultimate bonus episode in our Piranesi series we talked about Piranesian vibes in literary and artistic culture, including forays into...
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139 — Piranesi 4 — The Prisons
In the final part of our Piranesi miniseries we talked about his only building, the church of Santa Maria del Priorato, his theoretical writings, his proposals for interior design and furniture and his Carceri, the imaginary prisons which defined his legacy. If you'd like to follow along with the...
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138 — Piranesi 3 — Ichnographiam Campii Martii
In the penultimate episode of our series on Giovanni Battista Piranesi, we discussed his Ichnographia Campii Martii, one of his stranged and most inventive projects, a vast reconstruction of Ancient Rome, which blends together a little bit of archaeology with a massive injection of fantasy,...
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137 — Piranesi 2 — The Antiquities of Rome
In the second episode of our series on Giovanni Battista Piranesi, we discussed his multi-volume project, Le Antichità Romane de' tempo della prima Repubblica e dei primi imperatori, a deep study and representation of Roman Antiquity, channelled through his vivid imagination, mixing rigorous...
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136 — Piranesi 1 — Prima Parte
In the first part of our new series on Piranesi we discussed his upbringing and background in Venice, his earliest travels to Rome and first work with Giuseppe Vasi and Tiepolo. We talked a little about the historical and cultural context of Piranesi’s work, before getting stuck into his Prima...
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*Preview* Show and Tell Bonus — Santa Maria del Naranco & Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park
To get full access to this episode, please consider supporting us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/about_buildings Taking cues from the 'Show and Tell' main episode, Editor Matt joined us for a bonus and brought along a couple of interesting buildings to discuss. The first, Santa Maria del...
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135 — Show and Tell — Enigmatic Ancient Pavilions
This episode takes a new format! Instead of fitting into a larger series or a particular theme, Luke and George simply chose two interesting pieces of architecture each that they wanted to discuss and draw out particular ideas or themes from. Let us know if you liked this format, and we will...
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134 — William Golding's 'The Spire'
In our final episode of 2025, we discussed William Golding's 1964 novel 'The Spire', a deeply psychological portrayal of the construction of a cathedral spire in the 14th century, heavily influenced by Salisbury Cathedral. One of the great architectural novels, this episode contains extensive...
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133 — Sigfried Giedion's Space, Time and Architecture — 4/4
In the finale of our series on Sigfried Giedion, we discussed the bait-and-switch coda of the book, where Giedion unexpectedly addresses questions of urbanism and town planning, via Haussmanisation, designs for Lyon by Tony Garnier, the Garden City movement, slab block modernism and Manhattan....
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*Preview* — Giedion's 'Mechanisation Takes Command' Bonus Episodes
Some clips from our Patreon bonus episodes on Sigfried Gideion's 'Mechanisation Takes Command'. If you've enjoyed the show, please consider supporting us on Patreon for full access to these bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/c/about_buildings Edited by Matthew Lloyd Roberts. Please rate and...
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132 — Sigfried Giedion's Space, Time and Architecture — 3/4
In part three of our discussion of 'Space, Time and Architecture', we finally got to the Spacetime and the architecture. We examined Giedion's thinking about many canonical works of the late-19th and 20th century, including the Chicago School, Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright; the emergence…
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131 — Sigfried Giedion's Space, Time and Architecture — 2/4
In the second part of our discussion of Sigfried Giedion's 'Space, Time and Architecture' we covered the canalpunk aesthetics of cast-iron bridges, the transformation of material technology in the 19th-century and the Chicago School, completing his teleological march up to modernism which we will...
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130 — Sigfried Giedion's Space, Time and Architecture — 1/4
In this first episode of a new series on Sigfried Giedion's 1941 book 'Space, Time and Architecture', we discussed the approach to architectural history and urbanism in the first part of this totemic publication which shaped modernist architectural culture. Giedion was a Jewish historian from a...
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*Patreon Bonus Unlocked* — WG Sebald's Rings of Saturn
This is an unlocked Patreon bonus episode from our series on WG Sebald (episodes 77 & 78 in the main feed), if you enjoyed listening to this episode, please consider supporting the show on Patreon for access to our entire back catalogue of bonus episodes. In this final bonus episode from our…
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*Patreon Bonus Unlocked* — Otto Wagner's Unbuilt Projects
This is an unlocked bonus episode from our series on Otto Wagner, released to mark the end of our Plečnik series. You can listen to the whole of our Otto Wagner series, episodes 79–83 on the main feed. If you want access to our full back catalogue of bonus episodes, please consider supporting the...
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*Preview* — 129.5 Plečnik Finale Bonus Episode
This is a clip from our latest Patreon bonus episode, if you'd like to hear our final thoughts on Plečnik in full, please consider subscribing at https://www.patreon.com/about_buildings — the show relies on listener support, and you'll get access to our full back catalogue of bonus episodes. In…
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129 — Jože Plečnik 6 — Slovene Acropolis
In the grand finale of our Plečnik series, we discussed the last of his projects for Ljubljana both realised and unrealised. In this episode we covered his Peglezen or Flat Iron Building, the National and University Library, his alteration of a former monastic complex called the Krizanke, his...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
A podcast about architecture, buildings and cities, from the distant past to the present day. Plus detours into technology, film, fiction, comics, drawings, and the dimly imagined future. With Luke Jones and George Gingell.
HOSTED BY
Luke Jones & George Gingell Discuss Architecture, History and Culture
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does About Buildings + Cities have?
About Buildings + Cities currently has 162 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is About Buildings + Cities about?
A podcast about architecture, buildings and cities, from the distant past to the present day. Plus detours into technology, film, fiction, comics, drawings, and the dimly imagined future. With Luke Jones and George Gingell.
How often does About Buildings + Cities release new episodes?
About Buildings + Cities publishes regularly with 162 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
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You can listen to About Buildings + Cities on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts About Buildings + Cities?
About Buildings + Cities is created and hosted by Luke Jones & George Gingell Discuss Architecture, History and Culture.
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