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With a horrid shock of recognition, I suddenly realised what Stoke-on-Trent Bus Station reminded me of. As a one-time public transport officer in a local authority I, like most others, often experienced the depressing feeling of being unable to source enough funding to keep an originally good idea going. And it was that. The gulf […]
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 […]

4 months ago 73 votes
The Inbetweeners (Ebbsfleet International and Stratford International, UK)

Well then. At the end of the last article I promised to write about the stations on HS2 phase 1 assuming that I hadn’t been too enraged by the political fallout from hopefully soon-to-be-ex-prime minister Rishi Sunak’s cancellation of phase 2 of HS2. Reader, I have been enraged. I have had to have a very […]

11 months ago 106 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 46 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 81 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 73 votes

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Episode 3: Our Buildings, Our Selves, With Guests Paul Goldberger and Zach Mortice

The state of design journalism in the internet age.

2 days ago 4 votes
One-Nil to the Arsenal

When Arsenal striker Kai Havertz stepped up to take a penalty against Bournemouth last season, it felt like his career was a crossroads. The German forward had joined Arsenal from their London rivals Chelsea for a hefty £60 million transfer fee, but he still hadn’t found the back of the net. And critics were questioning

2 days ago 2 votes
As Los Angeles Burned, Architects Stepped Up

To mark National Volunteer Week 2025, we reflect on the overwhelming response by the architectural community who volunteered time and resources during and after January’s devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. In particular, we speak with Jessica Orlando of AIA Pasadena & Foothill Chapter, whose Ask an Architect program continues to match architects with homeowners seeking guidance as they rebuild homes, communities, and livelihoods.

2 days ago 4 votes
Reports of his death were greatly exaggerated…

A friend and colleague turned me onto AI obituaries. Think of them as interesting and amusing rather than morbid or morose. This one is from AI Copilot. John Massengale AIA CNU Celebrating a Visionary Mind in Urban Design and Architecture … Continue reading → The post Reports of his death were greatly exaggerated… appeared first on There are two types of architecture—good architecture, and the other kind.

2 days ago 4 votes
Broken Plexus (1 of 3): Designing a Recovery Workbook to Work Out Optimal Routines

Severe brachial plexus injuries (BPI) are relatively rare, which can make it difficult for sufferers to find useful resources. Broken Plexus is a three-part micro-series on assistive design, centered on (but not limited to) people with serious BPIs facing long-haul recoveries. The brachial plexus is a critical network of nerve pathways running between the spinal

3 days ago 2 votes