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There’s an image that’s stuck with many of us from the early pandemic: dozens of cargo ships anchored off the coasts of US ports, stacked high with hundreds of thousands of containers filled with goods, just sitting there in a traffic jam. At the same time, grocery store shelves sat empty of essentials like flour,
5 months ago

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More from 99% Invisible

Secret Mall Apartment

The new documentary Secret Mall Apartment is about a group of artists who built, you guessed it – a secret apartment, inside of the mall. We interviewed the group’s ringleader Michael Townsend a few years back, and after the story, we’ll have an update about what’s happened since then. Plus, mall history with Alexandra Lange.

5 days ago 2 votes
Beautiful West Oakland, California

When you cross the Bay Bridge from San Francisco to Oakland, one of the first things you notice is the massive industrial cranes that line its shores. Those cranes have become a symbol of Oakland – one way the city showcases its importance and connection to the global economy. Every year, billions of dollars’ worth

a week ago 9 votes
What We’re Reading

After we finished up The Power Broker, a bunch of people were asking us what other books we’d been reading. A group of us got together and presented some of our recent favorites, and the choices were so good and surprising and charming, we’re now sharing it widely. To hear new 99PI episodes ad-free (and

2 weeks ago 6 votes
A Beetle By Any Other Name

In a limestone cave deep in Central Slovenia, an unremarkable insect lives in complete darkness. This tiny beetle, barely visible to the naked eye, has no eyes and a brownish-yellow coloration—adaptations to a life spent entirely underground. The beetle has survived for approximately two million years in this harsh environment, yet in the past century,

3 weeks ago 14 votes
The Brutalists

From Henry Fonda in 12 Angry Men to Tom Hanks in Sleepless in Seattle, from Charles Bronson in Death Wish to Luke Wilson in My Super Ex-Girlfriend, there have been countless architect characters onscreen. It’s not that watching someone design a building is particularly cinematic. But it is a romantic profession that lends itself to

a month ago 21 votes

More in architecture

Preserving Common Food as a Defensive Strategy: the Ghorfas of Southern Tunisia

The ghorfas (in arab غرفة [ghurfa], meaning “room”) are common granary chambers found mostly in southern Tunisia and certain areas of Libya and associated with Berber populations. In more recent times, they have also been used as dwellings. They consist of barrel-vaulted rooms measuring 4 to 5 metres in length and 2 metres in height, […]

15 hours ago 3 votes
Secret Mall Apartment

The new documentary Secret Mall Apartment is about a group of artists who built, you guessed it – a secret apartment, inside of the mall. We interviewed the group’s ringleader Michael Townsend a few years back, and after the story, we’ll have an update about what’s happened since then. Plus, mall history with Alexandra Lange.

5 days ago 2 votes
Copper Kitchen Cabinets Add To The Refined Rustic Feeling Inside This Renovated Historic Loft

MU Architecture has shared photos of a renovated historic loft in Montreal's Old Port that seamlessly blends heritage with modern design.

5 days ago 8 votes
Lessons From Katrina for Citizen Planners in L.A., Asheville, and Florida

Planning’s “me-centered” ethos needs to become a “we-centered” approach.

5 days ago 7 votes
A Modern Cabin Perched On The Edge Of Rocky Cliffs

PIN Architects has shared photos of a small modern cabin they completed in Turkey, that’s located on the slopes of a deep valley surrounded by rocky cliffs and olive trees. The cabin, entirely made of steel, has facades that are fully glass, with solid wall applications in a few areas where needed. The cabin is […]

6 days ago 9 votes