Architecture Criticism

Close-up of white building with orange arch details against blue sky in Palm Springs, California

Architecture Is for Everyone

An architecture critic disavows ‘gatekeeping’ in the field.

April 10, 2023 - The Nation

Exterior of Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, Texas

Critiquing an AI-Generated Architecture Critic

Artificial intelligence is being used to generate all kinds of content. Can it successfully replace architecture critics, or does understanding place require physical presence?

January 23, 2023 - The Dallas Morning News

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago's Esteemed Architecture Critic, Blair Kamin, Moves On

One of two architecture critics working at major daily newspapers to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, Blair Kamin announced his retirement last week via Twitter.

January 11, 2021 - Blair Kamin via Twitter

Boston, Massachusetts

Design Review: Boston's Posh New High Rise

One Dalton Street, the third tallest building in Boston, is almost complete.

July 2, 2019 - The Boston Globe

Dallas Cowboys headquarters

Review: A 'Football Oz' in North Texas

The Star, the corporate headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys, opened in 2017, but this week it finally got the architecture review treatment from an unflinching critic.

July 25, 2018 - The Dallas Morning News

Gateway Arch

Design Review: Revamped Gateway Arch an Urban Success

Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Blair Kamin assesses the remodeled Gateway Arch in St. Louis, prior to its big public opening on July 3.

June 7, 2018 - Chicago Tribune

Philadelphia

Review: Philadelphia's Iconic Love Park Gets a Major Makeover

Architecture Critic Inga Saffron gives a less-than-stellar review of the newly revealed revamp of Philadelphia's Love Park.

April 26, 2018 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Swiss National Museum

Rejecting Flashy Forms, New Architecture Embraces the 'Boring'

Christopher Hawthrone discusses the rise of a "quiet style" in architecture that returns to basic shapes and resists the urge to look futuristic.

November 25, 2017 - The Los Angeles Times

Suburbia

McMansion Hell Blog in Legal Hot Water with Real Estate Site Zillow

[Updated June 29, 2017] It's been a mixed bag for viral sensation McMansion Hell. The same day as a feature video by The Washington Post, the news broke that the website is facing potential legal charges from real estate site Zillow.

June 27, 2017 - The Verge

Streetcar

San Francisco's Plans for Market and Van Ness Reach a Crossroads

San Francisco Chronicle urban design critic John King reveals more than one layer of planning significance from a project proposed near one of the city's most prominent, but underutilized, intersections.

March 14, 2017 - The San Francisco Chronicle

710 Freeway Extension

From the Ashes of the 710 Extension: A Bold Plan for Southern California

An architecture critic spots an opportunity to think big after Caltrans finally ditched a plan to extend the I-710 Freeway through several Southern California cities.

December 10, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

Grand Central

Mr. Kimmelman's Metropolis

The New York Times architecture critic is making good on his promise to focus on the social context and redemptive qualities of urban architecture and design. A recent lecture in Denver identified several imperatives for the planning profession.

December 7, 2015 - Dean Saitta

Model Neighborhood

Is Older Necessarily Better? The Immaculate Conception Theory of Neighborhood Origin

Critics often assume that newer buildings are inferior to old. The same was said when the old buildings were new.

September 27, 2015 - City Commentary

The Past and Future of Architecture Criticism

How much do the challenges of the built environment require a thoughtful and informed media? What is the role of traditional architecture criticism in the world of aggregators, snark, and armchair urbanists?

July 21, 2015 - Neiman Reports

Architecture Critic Finds Faults in Chicago Placemaking

Architecture Critic Blair Kamin wants more from Make Way for People, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's placemaking program, and finds faults with the Lincoln Hub as an example of tactical urbanism.

July 7, 2015 - Chicago Tribune

Critic: Development Proposal to Close for Comfort to Philadelphia's Rodin Museum

Architecture Critic Inga Saffron decries the development proposal making progress through the approval process in Philadelphia—a large, glassy residential building that would encroach on the tiny serenity of the Rodin Museum.

January 16, 2015 - Philadelphia Inquirer

Friday Funny: Critics Skewer High-Rise-with-a-Mouth in San Francisco

Kriston Capps shares the creative work of a couple of arm-chair architecture critics who took to Photoshop to express their opinions about the Snøhetta-designed tower proposed for One Van Ness in San Francisco.

January 9, 2015 - CityLab

Critic: Improve Lighting to Improve Dallas Walkability

Architecture Critic Mark Lamster sets aside the complex issues of lane configurations and traffic calming to focus on a key aspect of walkability: proper lighting.

November 24, 2014 - The Dallas Morning News

Revealed: Proposed Designs for Chicago's Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Beijing's MAD Architects have unveiled their preliminary design for Chicago's Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, inspiring no shortage of commentary in the process.

November 5, 2014 - Curbed Chicago

Why America Need Architecture Critics like Philadelphia's Inga Saffron

The writing of Inga Saffron "makes an ardent plea for more critics willing to take up the mantle of urban citizenship," according to a recent article in The Architectural Review.

June 12, 2014 - The Architectural Review

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