054 RADICAL THINKING


Left Rathbone Market is the third phase of a significant regeneration project in London’s Canning Town


Right The exterior of the Grove Cottage project, showing the rear of the building and the garden


Bottom right The exterior of Project Orange’s Nissen-type barn, a clever and dynamic ecological home


Who are the radical thinkers who inspire you now? (Not necessarily forever or for a lifetime – just now!)


For the past six years, I have been teaching critical practice at the new London School of Architecture, so have had to do a lot of reading. I have been touched by the observation that architecture is a project of ‘futurity’ and so we need to find better ways of imagining the future. Te emerging genre of Climate Fiction (Cli-Fi) can be a really useful tool to charge the imagination. Te Ministry for the Future, by Kim Stanley Robinson, paints a picture of both catastrophe and regeneration. I recommend it to everyone I meet.


Who outside the industry can architects and designers learn from?


One of the key messages coming out of Cop-26 and other global think tanks is that in order to tackle the massive issues ahead, we cannot work in isolation, and that collaboration is critical in achieving joined up progressive thinking. For too long, architects have seen themselves in control.


What will lead the way for more radical thinking in your field?


In theory, it should be political leadership that changes the way this country thinks about infrastructure and design. In practice, we are a very long way from this being the case, so we need to believe in people power. We are now talking about grassroots voices such as Extinction Rebellion and Architects Declare who dare to challenge the status quo.


Could you recommend a book/article/blog that inspired your thinking?


For anyone wishing to remind themselves about the simple truths around the climate emergency, I recommend How to Save our Planet – the Facts by Professor Mark Maslin. It is a short paperback with only single sentence paragraphs. It is devastatingly stark, though offers redemption: ‘Te future awaits those with the courage to create it.’


Could you name two buildings/pieces of furniture that you consider radical designs of their time, or perhaps still to this day? Tere is a danger of naming ‘icons’, which is part of the problem. And, of course, any exemplar can be shot down for not being perfect. Today, radical architecture should not be about shape-making, but about shaping society and establishing a circular relationship with the planet. I am therefore going to nominate Passive House Standards; a system rather than a building which offers a new framework for thinking about energy and our homes.


I think best... when writing.


I think most... when about to fall asleep (which is clearly not great for sleeping!).


I think best... when with other people holding a stimulating conversation.


Te thought that keeps me up at night... is how to galvanise people to act in order to reduce the effects of CO2


Te thought that gets me out of bed... is the wonderment of the natural world.


in our atmosphere.


JACK HOBHOUSE


RIGHT AND OPPOSITE PAGE: PAUL DIXON


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