logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2020
43m 34s

Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi on Mak...

THE SLOWDOWN
About this episode
Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi, co-founders of the New York–based architectural design firm Weiss/Manfredi, talk with us about creating environments that encourage slowing down, why all five senses matter in architecture, and the surprising ways in which public spaces serve and support people in times of crisis.  
Up next
Dec 2023
Rebecca Solnit on Slowness as a Superpower
Rebecca Solnit, the author of books including “A Paradise Built in Hell” (2009) and “Orwell’s Roses” (2021) and the co-editor of the new collection of essays “Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility,” discusses the long view as a “mind-blowing” way of ... Show More
53m 6s
Nov 2023
Charlayne Hunter-Gault on History as a Compass for Navigating the Present
The civil rights activist, award-winning journalist, and former NPR and CNN foreign correspondent Charlayne Hunter-Gault talks about her book “My People: Five Decades of Writing About Black Lives”; why understanding history is like a form of armor in a world full of misinformatio ... Show More
30m 22s
Oct 2023
Sarah Lohman on Creating a More Affordable, Healthful, and Moral Food System
The culinary historian Sarah Lohman, author of the new book “Endangered Eating: America’s Vanishing Foods,” talks about the importance of engaging with local foodways, why “the idea that eating McDonald’s is universally bad is woefully unaware of class and racial conflicts,” and ... Show More
24m 57s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2019
The Architecture City: BLOX in Copenhagen
<p>The design of radical buildings in historic cities often stirs up debate. Are we afraid of architectural change? Do we eventually come to love these buildings? OMA architect and partner Ellen van Loon chats with DAC's Director Kent Martinussen and host Frederikke Aagaard about ... Show More
23m 37s
Jul 2024
How buildings can improve life — inside and out | Doris Sung
Architect and building tech innovator Doris Sung presents a compelling vision for reimagining building facades as active contributors to urban life and public health. Showcasing innovative technologies — like buildings that filter particulates out of the air and facades that reac ... Show More
11m 39s
Sep 2024
Architecture and the Internet
In the final episode of our miniseries on Architecture & Media we discussed architectural criticism in the age of the internet, the shifting landscape of architectural discourse, and the new ways of thinking about the built environment that it has brought. Support the SAHGB by be ... Show More
48m 7s
Jul 2024
Why am I afraid of this building?
Buildings inspire many emotions, like awe, serenity or even dread. CrowdScience listener Siobhan was struck by this as she passed a huge apartment block with tiny windows; it reminded her of a prison. So, she asked us to investigate the feelings that buildings can trigger. Archit ... Show More
26m 29s
May 2025
Carlo Ratti
Carlo Ratti is is an Italian architect, engineer and educator, and the curator of the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale. As the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale opens its doors, we speak with this year’s curator, Carlo Ratti—architect, engineer, and a leading thinker at the inte ... Show More
28m 56s
Jan 2021
Daniel A. Barber, "Modern Architecture and Climate: Design Before Air Conditioning" (Princeton UP, 2020)
Modern Architecture and Climate explores how leading architects of the twentieth century incorporated climate-mediating strategies into their designs, and shows how regional approaches to climate adaptability were essential to the development of modern architecture. Focusing on t ... Show More
1h 2m
Jun 2019
For Elizabeth Diller, New York City Is Beginning to Feel Like One Big Punch List
<p>When Elizabeth Diller graduated from Cooper Union with a degree in architecture in 1979, she had no intention of necessarily becoming an architect. In fact, the Polish-born, New York–raised Diller chose architectural studies simply to explore her interests in art and physical ... Show More
1h 19m
Jun 2023
How AI changes architecture as we know it
tail spinning
30m 36s
Sep 2024
Why cultural heritage is more than good architecture
tail spinning
31m 57s
Mar 2025
Eureka 433: Checkmate and the city
Ian Flood shares how a late-night chess game with his then-flatmate and fellow architect Chris Prosser sparked the idea to design sets inspired by city skylines, with pieces shaped like famous landmarks. He discusses how they founded Skyline Chess and grew it into a thriving busi ... Show More
4m 32s