Tarek Merlin
CommentPitt is miscast in his latest
Forget Seven Years in Tibet, if Brad Pitt is serious about a career in architecture he’d better start thinking about seven years in the classroom, says Tarek Merlin
CommentBridget Jones’ diatribe
The pressure to conform causes singleton Tarek Merlin untold grief at his friends’ dinner parties. It also happens to be the single greatest blight on the built environment
CommentPick and mix
There are just too many delicious goodies at this year’s London Festival of Architecture to take in without drawing up some kind of menu.
CommentThrowaway remarks
Our throwaway society may find it hard to imagine a building made up entirely of recycled components, but that is just what we have to do, says Tarek Merlin
CommentSpace heroes
Theatre Delicatessen offers a rare and brave example of how to put the interiors of derelict buildings to good use. Tarek Merlin explains why we should all follow suit
CommentCan I have your attention, please?
It’s not so difficult to open young people’s eyes to the excitements of the built environment. All it takes is a little creativity, hard cash and the ability to surprise
CommentNames can be hurtful
Nicknaming buildings just reduces complex ideas into simplistic soundbites. Having said that, the Vol-au-vent does seem quite appropriate for HOK’s vile Olympic stadium …
CommentThe many lives of Richard Rogers
He may have made his name as an architectural disemboweller, but he has cemented it with a constantly evolving style and widening interests. Tarek Merlin assesses his career
CommentIn praise of mess
Our cities and townscapes have to reflect the messy unpredictability of those who live in them. Attempts to impose order by micro-managing every masterplan will end in lifeless homogeneity – which is the enemy of beauty
CommentGo on, shock me
Football chants, wearing Gilbert & George cufflinks, designing Middle Eastern cities of the future … it’s all so conformist. And when even virtual worlds smack of the pack mentality, something has to be done
CommentSculpture clash
When it comes to public art, there are two schools of thought: ‘plonk art’, where you plonk down a slab by a big-name artist, and a more local, integrated approach. Tarek Merlin offers a few lessons on both methods
CommentSpace race
There’s a yawning chasm between the type of homes developers are building, and the homes people want to live in. So how do we bridge the gap – and provide that all-important storage space?
CommentFor goodness’ sake
The home buyer of the future is going to want to pay extra money for low carbon homes, because owning a good home makes people feel so much better about themselves
CommentWhat do we do now?
To make it as an architect these days, you have to be a networking ‘archipreneur’ with a degree in economics. What happened to just designing things?
CommentBeside the seaside
When cheap flights become a thing of the past, people will once again yearn for good old British seaside resorts. So it’s about time we turned them into places where people might actually want to stay …
CommentNo need for this
Don’t be fooled by the chatter about sustainability – if you look at the way we actually do business, the waste piles up so fast you need wings to stay above it
CommentAll mod cons
Tarek Merlin traces the erosion of his infatuation with modernism, which he believes has left a terrible legacy
CommentChange the wallpaper
With a season-by-season, throwaway culture borrowed from Ikea and designer magazines, architecture is in danger of becoming a branch of the fashion industry