Latest Episodes
Closed architecture
From space capsules to submarines and housing estates, we take a closer look at “closed” architecture. Plus: Josh Fehnert meets sir John Sorrell to talk creative education and his role in London’s forthcoming design festival and biennale.
Extra: Harbour intent
Thirty years ago Copenhagen turned around its decline after investing in infrastructure, including its then-redundant harbour. We explain the opportunities of water-side revival and why other cities should take note.
Women in design
We take a closer look at some of the 20th century’s female design pioneers. Plus: Josh Fehnert asks how infographics and illustration can unpack complex issues with ‘Weapons of Reason’ magazine’s Paul Willoughby.
Extra: Temperate House
Man-made structures are more often than not products to be enjoyed by, well, man. But humans aren’t the only species that benefit from considered architecture. We visit Temperate House in London’s Kew to find out how best to design a space that plants and people can enjoy harmoniously.
Meeting Yinka Ilori
We grab a seat with London-based furniture designer Yinka Ilori, plus consider the costs of keeping age-old buildings in good nick. Josh Fehnert also counts down the design headlines with writer Christopher Beanland.
Extra: Burberry’s brand boost
The unveiling of Burberry’s new logo recently turned a few heads. The revamp suggests a label taking a subtle new direction. But what does it tell us about the brand’s new chief creative officer Riccardo Tisci? And will the revamp achieve the desired result?
Do we need CBDs?
We talk to the architect behind a from-scratch city centre being built in China and to Monocle’s editor about how working patterns have changed the city. Plus: Josh Fehnert talks design headlines with the editor in chief of ‘Disegno’ magazine.
Extra: The Balkans’ solid effort
Towards a Concrete Utopia is the Museum of Modern Art’s retrospective on architecture and urban design in the Tito era. Could it revise negative perceptions of the postwar tower blocks in cities such as Belgrade, Sarajevo and Skopje? Monocle’s Guy De Launey reports from Ljubljana.
Library design: turning the page
The internet has forced libraries to adapt: what was once a space that merely lent out books has had to become a bona fide meeting place. We learn a few lessons in library design from bookish Finland and find out how Brazil is boosting literacy.
Extra: Funkhaus
Sitting on the banks of the river Spree, the Funkhaus was built in 1951 as a radio broadcast centre for the German Democratic Republic before being abandoned after the fall of the Berlin wall. Fast forward nearly 30 years and the building has been taken over by new owners who…
