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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

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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 […]

5 months ago 77 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 109 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 48 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 84 votes

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Learning How to Talk About Architecture on Social Media

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2 days ago 1 votes
How the US Built 5,000 Ships in WWII

Among the most impressive manufacturing achievements of the US during WWII was the number of ships it produced.

2 days ago 1 votes
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In 2021, a Canadian farmer named Chris Achter responded to a buyer’s grain contract with a simple 👍 emoji. What followed wasn’t just a misunderstanding—it was a legal showdown that captured global attention. Achter, based in Saskatchewan, had a long-standing business relationship with the buyer. They often finalized grain deals over text. That year, when

3 days ago 1 votes
‘Architecture Is About Survival’: Archinect Talks With 2025 Venice Biennale Curator Carlo Ratti

The Venice Architecture Biennale, arguably the most iconic event in the architectural calendar, opens its 2025 edition to the public this week on May 10th. As crowds begin to descend on the Italian city and organizers and participants finish their final preparations, Archinect's Niall Patrick Walsh spoke with the biennale's curator Carlo Ratti on what visitors can expect from the event. In our conversation, Ratti unpacks his vision for the biennale as a living laboratory from which ideas and research can emerge to guide the evolution of the built environment; all themed along the exhibition's pillars of Natural, Artificial, and Collective intelligence. In addition, Ratti offers his thoughts on the curatorial process, common topics explored by participants, the future of biennales, and some final advice for those making the trip to Venice to see the event in person. The conversation, edited lightly for length and clarity, is published below.

3 days ago 1 votes
Designs to Heal the Singed Heart of Los Angeles

Rather than court “exercises in reconstruction,” a competition sought “acts of memory, creativity and hope.”

3 days ago 1 votes