Peter Buchanan
Peter Buchanan is a London-based architecture writer and lecturer and former AR Deputy Editor. He is best known for his series of critical essays for The Big Rethink published by The Architectural Review and for his books on architecture
Stories
Milton Keynes and the urbanism of innocenceSubscription
The advertising campaign for Milton Keynes is very revealing, ignoring essential values of city living and urbanity in favour of images stressing seclusion, ease of escape to the countryside, and a consumer future displaying the bland sensible products that reflect the cautious, non-commital ‘functional’ aesthetic of its architecture
Rush to judgement: failure to learn from the lives of buildingsSubscription
The scandalous failure to revisit and learn from the lives of buildings seriously diminishes the potential of architecture
Dutch care: Herman Hertzberger's architecture and influenceSubscription
Thirty-three years on from his original critique of Hertzberger’s De Overloop care home, Peter Buchanan contrasts the architect’s altruistic approach with the ego-driven generation that followed
From the Archive: The nature of Andy GoldsworthySubscription
From AR February 1988, the ephemeral, delightfully moving sculptures of Andy Goldsworthy exist beyond their original fleeting moment as photoworks
Ministry of Social Welfare in The Hague, the Netherlands, by Herman HertzbergerSubscription
The Ministry of Social Welfare stands in opposition to the placeeroding internationalist pressures of the ’80s, the decade over which its design was developed.
Can early acclaim for an architect be a handicap - even the kiss of death?Subscription
Too many architects once heralded as rising stars have seen their work descend into caricature and recycled motifs.
Empty gestures: Starchitecture's Swan SongSubscription
Architecture must move on from pandering to preposterous concepts in an adolescent search for momentary excitement. But to do this will require a more critical perspective from architectural academe and the media
David Mackay (1933-2014)Subscription
Peter Buchanan pays tribute to the architect-planner who revivified Barcelona with Oriol Bohigas and Josep Martorell
The Big Rethink revisited: Becoming EarthlingsSubscription
Reflecting on The Big Rethink series of essays, Buchanan argues for a new culture integrating understandings of ecology, evolution and identity
Becoming Human by Design Subscription
Although timely, urgent and deserving of attention, Tony Fry’s book is a difficult and demanding read
