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It is 1961. At Benson Airfield in south Oxfordshire, a test car driver employed by the Roads Research Laboratory is revving the engine of his Morris Oxford and preparing to release the handbrake. With his car (unbalanced atop due to the addition of a large road sign attached to its roof) aiming towards a small […]
over a year ago

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More from The Beauty of Transport

Never(?) Decreasing Circles (Railtrack/Network Rail major station logos, UK (continued))

One of the most enduringly popular articles on this website (at least in terms of clicks and re-posts) is a very early one, from 2013. It concerns the graphic identities created for Railtrack’s major stations by Citigate Lloyd Northover. These ones… Firstly – have I really been writing this website on and off for that […]

7 months ago 91 votes
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a year ago 124 votes
High Speed at High Speed (Tianjin West station, China)

In scale and speed of construction, Tianjin West seems almost impossible – especially when viewed from Britain. It is, therefore, the perfect embodiment of China’s high speed rail network, on which the station can be found. It is also, I am sorry to say, the antithesis of the development of high speed rail in the […]

a year ago 57 votes
Chemical Attraction (Hackney Wick station, London, UK)

It is hard to overstate the impact Hackney Wick station makes on a visitor, as well as the unexpectedness of it doing so. Reopened in 2018 after a complete rebuild, it is one of the most photogenic small stations on the British rail network. Yet somehow, it seems to have slipped somewhat under the radar; […]

a year ago 97 votes
Clean Lines and Integrated Transport (Florastrasse transport hub, Adliswil, Switzerland)

The thing about Switzerland’s affordable, hyper-reliable, hyper-integrated and hyper-ubiquitous public transport system is that the regard in which its phenomenal operational expertise is held can overshadow the architectural successes it also demonstrates. Even when transport architecture does enter consideration, thanks to Switzerland’s reputation for scenic delights it can be hard to shift the mental picture […]

a year ago 87 votes

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In Montreal’s lush Outremont district, a 1950s home by architects Morin & Cinq-Mars has undergone a transformative expansion. Atelier Chardonnat and Salem Architecture led the renovation, preserving its Frank Lloyd Wright–inspired heritage while introducing Japanese and Scandinavian influences. The result is a warm, modern sanctuary on Mount Royal, where every detail connects to nature and calm.

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Should the Federal Government Sell Land?

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3 days ago 3 votes
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