PODCAST · arts
Design and Architecture
by KCRW
Host Frances Anderton looks at design and architecture from a Los Angeles perspective.
Episodes
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LA architect rebuilds after Woolsey Fire and reflects on living in the wildland-urban interface
Geoffrey von Oeyen completed a dream house for his brother, only to see it destroyed by the Woolsey Fire two years ago. As he nears completion on the rebuild, he reflects on living in the wildland-urban interface. Also, Janna Ireland is on a mission to tell stories about Black people and their...
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Roman Mars turns ‘99% Invisible’ city into a 100% visible book
Roman Mars has spent 10 years using his radio show “99% Invisible” to reveal the everyday quirks and delights of cities. Now he’s co-written a book called “The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design.” Mars talks with DnA about tales from LA, writing for print v....
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In an age of loneliness, Treehouse offers community that’s carefully curated and designed
Americans are experiencing an epidemic of loneliness. A coliving project in Hollywood was designed to remedy it. Then came a pandemic. Ten months after its opening, DnA explores the design of Treehouse with creative director Sean Knibb, architect Jeff Soler, and reporter Adriana Cargill. Some...
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Air conditioning becomes a weapon against infection, D.J. Waldie finds the soul in Los Angeles
Ventilation has become a life or death issue as as experts find that COVID-19 infections increase in poorly ventilated interiors. DnA looks into the extreme measures being taken to improve air conditioning and asks whether outside air is cheaper and healthier. D.J. Waldie has a writerly gift for...
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How Bill English helped create the computer mouse, and the effort to change the face of architecture
California has around 21,000 licensed architects, and 300 of them are Black. SoCalNOMA (National Organization of Minority Architects) hopes to change that through its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Challenge. SoCalNOMA President Lance Collins also talks about decolonizing architecture education...
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City of Santa Monica lets restaurants serve in parking lanes, taking on the primacy of the automobile
The restaurants on Santa Monica’s Main Street took a huge hit from the COVID-19 shutdown. So the city government, restaurant owners and nearby residents hatched a plan: get rid of parking and give over the space to diners. In doing so, they created European-style al fresco dining, and took on the...
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XPRIZE’s $1 million face mask contest, and the link between urban design and immunity
XPRIZE is offering $1 million to designers of a protective face mask that people will actually want to wear. Also, many buildings and neighborhoods are designed in a way that help cause chronic health conditions like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Dr. Richard Jackson, pediatrician and city...
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For an art conservator, it's hard to say goodbye to Confederate statues
Statues of slave traders and Confederate leaders are being toppled or defaced during protests following the killing of George Floyd. How does that feel to a conservator who has worked on some of them? Andrew Baxter installs and restores sculptures and monuments, including the statue of Robert E....
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How structural racism shaped LA, and what developers can do about it
Redlining, restrictive covenants, urban renewal, and building freeways through communities of color are all ways Los Angeles was shaped by structural racism. Now gentrification is a challenge. Real estate development consultant Judith Taylor explains how race has shaped place, and the work she is...
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Google and Twitter tell staff to keep working from home. What will happen to creative offices?
Big tech companies have remade the workplace in recent years with creative offices designed to stimulate disruption. Now Google and Twitter are telling employees they can keep on working at home — indefinitely. What does that mean for the workplace as a hub of ideas and socializing?
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Can LA be greener, cleaner, slower following COVID-19?
LA City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell talks about his plan to incentivize telecommuting after stay-at-home orders are lifted and other ideas for a greener, cleaner LA. Also, futurist Liam Young says there’s a path toward a slower pace and deeper humanity.
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Coronavirus tests the values of global cities like LA
The pandemic has brought many people pain and anxiety. To Wouter Vanstiphout, a professor of “design as politics,” it has also brought clarity about the weaknesses in the “shiny global city” and its culture, economy and values. Vanstiphout asks if cities based on tourism, fossil fuels and...
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Based on past pandemics, coronavirus will bring changes to buildings and cities
Pandemics can bring about innovation, especially in design and architecture. Sam Lubell talks to DnA about changes that may come to buildings and urban design in response to COVID-19.
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Interior designer Kelly Wearstler can help make your home work for you
You are working at home. But is your home working for you? Kelly Wearstler has some tips to improve your interior, at whatever scale.
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Kelly Wearstler shares tips from her interior design MasterClass
Kelly Wearstler has held reign in interior design since arriving in Los Angeles in the 1990s. She’s now teaching an online MasterClass. Her tips for improving one's space might be timely for people sheltering in place.
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Construction continues as coronavirus grinds economy to a halt
LA’s construction sites are still a hotbed of activity, deemed an essential service. Could they become hotbeds for COVID-19 too?
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White House urges Americans to wear face masks in public. Here’s how to make your own
The CDC is recommending that all Americans should wear cloth masks or other face coverings if they go out in public — amid new concerns that infected people with no symptoms can still spread COVID-19.
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Long-time champion of public space reflects on impact of coronavirus on city life
LA was once a destination for people who wanted to get away from crowded East Coast cities. The ideal was a single home with a yard and a car in the driveway. But over the last few decades, planners, designers and activists like Aaron Paley (co-founder of cicLAvia) have worked tirelessly to...
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Do handsewn face masks protect against coronavirus?
As hospitals, clinics and other community organizations face a shortage of masks during the COVID-19 outbreak, homebound sewers have stepped up to help, from DIY crafters to fashion companies. Are homemade masks helpful to medical staff?
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With spring design fairs and travel on hold, LA designers get creative with constraints
In a normal year, many Angeleno designers and showroom owners would be packing their bags soon to head to Milan for Salone del Mobile, the massive furniture fair. But now Italy is on lockdown, and the fair has been postponed, along with High Point Market in North Carolina and numerous other…
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Redesigning the California dream
Would you choose to rent or own a condo in a multifamily building, or own a single family home? If you are an Angeleno with the means, it is likely that you would choose the latter. After all, a house is a means to personal freedom, outdoor space, control over design choices, and accumulating...
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Paula Benson, movie design detective
Paula Benson says she is “a nightmare to watch a film with.” That’s because she’s always pausing the screen to check the decor, ponder who designed the furnishings and where to get them.
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Daniel Libeskind at the ‘Edge of Order,’ Sunset Magazine, and Sound Baths
Why does an architect have to be like a “camel in the desert?” Daniel Libeskind explains why in a conversation about his new book “Edge of Order.” He also shares thoughts about maintaining hope following trauma, not working for dictators, and why everyone should tap into their inner architect....
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Frieze and the art fair effect; Lita Albuquerque at Desert X Al Ula
Desert X started in Coachella Valley, and now it’s in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia. Los Angeles artist Lita Albuquerque shares why she chose to participate amidst a furor back home, saying she couldn't miss being in the country at a "historic moment" of dramatic change, especially for women. Frieze LA is...
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Architecture in Parasite; Movie villain homes
The movie “Parasite” is favored for many Oscars, including production design. Director Bong Joon Ho talks about telling a story of class through architecture, saying he gets “pathologically excited and euphoric” when he finds a good space. Eui-Sung Yi, LA-based Korean-American architect, reflects...
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Setting up shop at the Bradbury Building and Beverly Center
Two new projects are putting their own design or architectural twist on LA landmarks. We visit the famed Bradbury Building in downtown -- a popular location for shooting films such as "Blade Runner." There’s a new tenant here: the coworking space NeueHouse. Avishay Artsy recaps the history of the...
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Cross Colours; Fast fashion’s hidden costs
Remember Cross Colours? The LA-based urban streetwear line was a hit in the early 90s, with bright, bold designs and uplifting messages about unity. Now the label is back, and the California African American Museum is celebrating with a retrospective that shows its impact on the mainstream…
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New Hollywood royalty; Netflix goes solar; Santa Monica and well-being
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are stepping back from the British Royal Family. Will they become new Hollywood royalty? We look at the role Los Angeles may play in their lives, from shaping the couple’s influencer project to a being a possible new home. New homes built in California must have…
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Remembering “visual futurist” Syd Mead; hunting for vintage clothing at ThriftCon LA
Syd Mead envisoned vehicles, streetscapes and gadgets for Blade Runner, Tron, Aliens and many other films. He died December 30 at age 86. DnA pays tribute to this “visual futurist” who anticipated, and inspired, new technologies and the discipline of world building. And used clothing is a hot...
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Can you design your way out of smartphone addiction?
Your smartphone is addictive. Do you need to “Marie Kondo” your apps, put down the phone altogether, or use it as a “drug” dispensary? DnA takes a tour of hidden LA bars that ban phones, talks with a computer scientist who recommends “digital minimalism,” and meets an app entrepreneur who wants…
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Dar Williams on how to rebuild small town America
Singer-songwriter Dar Williams has spent years on the road and along the way she learned a lot about America’s small towns and what makes them thrive. She talks about her book, What I Found in a Thousand Towns, and plays songs that relate to those themes.
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La Brea Tar Pits; Cinderella Homes; General Hospital
The La Brea Tar Pits has a new design team that won’t uproot the mammoth family from its lake of tar. DnA talks to architects Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi of Weiss/Manfredi about how they plan to maintain the “thereness” and “spectacle” of the prehistoric site while making it more open and...
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UCLA’s graduate art studios; Where stuff goes after the thrift store
How do you make your own architectural statement on a street filled with eye-grabbing Eric Owen Moss buildings? Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee talk about bringing “decorum,” pillowed tilt-up concrete and hidden outdoor rooms to their subtle remodel of UCLA’s graduate art studios on Hayden Avenue in...
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More housing for rich LA cities; West Coast Craft
A dramatic decision by a little-known planning agency may impact how much new housing goes up in your city. The board of the Southern California Association of Governments, or SCAG, voted recently to allocate more housing in coastal, job-rich cities in Southern California rather than in rural...
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Ray Kappe; LA Auto Show colors; Le Corbuffet
Ray Kappe, creator of stunning homes and a highly original architecture school, has passed at age 92. DnA gives tribute to a well-lived life. Did you know that you can learn about the fuel usage of a car by its show color? We talk to “communication color” consultant Sabine Lapine. And, still...
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Streetlight competition; WALLS
The city of LA is launching a competition to design a new streetlight. LA's chief design officer Christopher Hawthorne tells DnA about the history of LA's streetlights, and what the city is looking for in a new streetlight. And when the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, there were only 30 walls...
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Marciano and ‘art labor’; Shortlisted!
Marciano Art Foundation is closing. The news came days after visitor services associates announced their intention to unionize. DnA attends a protest outside the Wilshire museum to hear about the role of low-paid labor in the highly lucrative world of contemporary art. Plus, more changes are…
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Creating buzz in the city: Ian Schrager; Horton Plaza
The co-founder of Studio 54 is opening a new boutique hotel in West Hollywood. Veteran hotelier Ian Schrager talks about his colorful life and career creating spaces to attract the in-crowd. And filmmaker Matt Tyrnauer tells us about the dramatic life and civic impact of Schrager. DnA also visits...
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Fighting the Getty Fire; the science of scary; Sneakertopia
The Getty Fire has spread to hundreds of acres, with tens of thousands of people forced to evacuate. But the Getty Center, with its priceless collection of art and artifacts, was designed to withstand the flames. Plus, how safe is the fire retardant that air tankers are spraying onto the flames?…
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Saudi Arabia invites dialogue with American artists and designers, but there’s pushback
Saudi Arabia has an image problem. But it has become a new frontier for American artists and designers. We look at the controversy surrounding site-specific art festival Desert X's planned expansion to Saudi Arabia, and we talk to an LA-based consultant for the futuristic megacity of Neom. Both…
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Building housing affordably; drag through the ages
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed 18 bills last week to boost housing production. Does this mean the housing crisis is solved? DnA talks to Angela Brooks and Larry Scarpa about the “elephant in the room” that was left out of the bills, and their NEST 'kit-of-parts' that they believe can build affordable...
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Coworking after WeWork; Autographs of LA
The coworking giant WeWork said it would raise world consciousness and rebuild cities, with help from architect Bjarke Ingels. Now it has pulled its IPO, after firing its CEO last week. Where does that leave WeWork and coworking spaces in general? We hear about LA's booming coworking scene, how...
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Huntington at 100, Notes on Decor
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens was established 100 years ago. But Henry Huntington’s footprint was far bigger than that. DnA looks at the man who was “probably the most important urban planner L.A. has ever had,” and at 1919, an exhibition about that turbulent year.…
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Climate activism goes mainstream, from Porsche to porn
Will an all-electric Porsche drive sports car lovers to embrace clean energy vehicles? Can an adult video site help clean up plastic trash in the oceans? DnA looks at the climate messaging coming from unexpected quarters, even as the White House tries to roll back environmental protections. And…
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Promenade 3.0; Kunlé Adeyemi
After it opened in 1989, Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade became one of the most popular shopping and entertainment destinations in the world. But the Internet has changed how we shop, watch movies and order food. So business leaders and designers have launched Promenade 3.0. Will lawn…
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Music Center Plaza; LA’s new tree czar
The Music Center Plaza, opened in 1964 with a design by architect Welton Becket, has been reimagined for pedestrians rather than cars. “We had to walk a line between preserving as best we could what was here, but making it work better for the changing urban environment that we have here,” said...
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Fifteen strangers share a house; Bird’s sustainability pitch
A large two-story Craftsman house on a residential street in Koreatown has been subdivided into 15 single-occupancy bedrooms and bathrooms, and common living and dining areas. “Cohaus” creates community and adds density without changing the architecture. But at least one neighbor is not happy…
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Reimagining Museum Row; upending the general contractor industry
Museum Row on Wilshire Boulevard is in the midst of some big changes, with major projects at the Petersen, Academy Museum, LACMA, La Brea Tar Pits and Craft Contemporary. Will these schemes be united, and how will they greet the street? And we'll hear about three architectural firms competing to...
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Sumptuous swimming pools; AfriCOBRA’s black power art
Summer in Southern California means swimming pools, and those glittering havens from the heat are celebrated in the new book “Splash: The Art of the Swimming Pool,” a collaboration between photographer Tim Street-Porter and his wife, the designer and writer Annie Kelly. Plus, we meet two artists...
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Dodger Stadium upgrades; an ADU is born
Let’s play ball! There’s a $100 million renovation coming to Chavez Ravine. Janet Marie Smith of the Dodgers gives us the rundown, and architecture critic Paul Goldberger discusses the evolution of the American ballpark. Plus, the city hopes Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs, can be an answer to...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Host Frances Anderton looks at design and architecture from a Los Angeles perspective.
HOSTED BY
KCRW
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Design and Architecture have?
Design and Architecture currently has 514 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Design and Architecture about?
Host Frances Anderton looks at design and architecture from a Los Angeles perspective.
How often does Design and Architecture release new episodes?
Design and Architecture releases new episodes frequently with a large back catalog of 514 episodes. Check the episode list for recent publication dates.
Where can I listen to Design and Architecture?
You can listen to Design and Architecture 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 Design and Architecture?
Design and Architecture is created and hosted by KCRW.
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