All articles by Tarek Merlin

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    Tell it to me straight

    2008-12-05T00:00:00Z

    When did clients become scared of saying what they want? Tarek Merlin is getting a little tired of prevarication, procrastination – and endless competitions

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    Party on

    2008-10-17T00:00:00Z

    Why stop all the events and awards, just because there’s a crunch on? asks Tarek Merlin. Now is the time to work hard for your dirhams by getting some exposure

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    Pitt is miscast in his latest

    2008-09-12T00:00:00Z

    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

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    Bridget Jones’ diatribe

    2008-08-08T00:00:00Z

    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

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    Pick and mix

    2008-06-27T00:00:00Z

    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.

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    Throwaway remarks

    2008-05-16T00:00:00Z

    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

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    Space heroes

    2008-03-14T00:00:00Z

    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

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    Can I have your attention, please?

    2008-02-01T00:00:00Z

    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

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    Names can be hurtful

    2007-12-07T00:00:00Z

    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 …

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    The many lives of Richard Rogers

    2007-11-09T00:00:00Z

    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

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    In praise of mess

    2007-08-24T00:00:00Z

    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

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    Go on, shock me

    2007-06-22T00:00:00Z

    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

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    Sculpture clash

    2007-05-04T00:00:00Z

    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

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    Space race

    2007-03-16T00:00:00Z

    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?

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    For goodness’ sake

    2007-02-02T00:00:00Z

    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

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    What do we do now?

    2006-12-08T00:00:00Z

    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?

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    Beside the seaside

    2006-11-03T00:00:00Z

    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 …

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    No need for this

    2006-08-25T00:00:00Z

    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

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    All mod cons

    2006-06-30T00:00:00Z

    Tarek Merlin traces the erosion of his infatuation with modernism, which he believes has left a terrible legacy

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    Change the wallpaper

    2006-01-27T00:00:00Z

    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