The Liverpool Everyman Theatre has its name lit up in designer Jake Tilson’s Merseyside Neon font, each letter nearly as tall as an Aintree pony. The trend for supergraphics continues. Architects have always wanted to show and tell. One of the disruptive developments of modernism is how much architectural vocabulary of the 19th century has been ditched in both style and building technology; the distinction between a colonnaded portico of a civic building and the developer’s vernacular of Victorian housing has blurred. Look at the Scottish Crime Campus: public building or office block? It is both of course. But any building type can now be inexpensively stuck together with a frame and clip on cladding. Any building can be designed as a shed. You just have to work out the correct signage. Is it a Venturi and Scott Brown duck? Or supergraphics? Or can a colonnade be pilastered (get it?) to the facade?
Most popular
- Sustainability review: what have been architects’ biggest ch...Sustainability review: what have been architects’ biggest challenges in 2023?
- Green House by Hayhurst & Co named RIBA House of the Year 20...Green House by Hayhurst & Co named RIBA House of the Year 2023
- Navigating the Building Safety Act's position of Principal D...Navigating the Building Safety Act's position of Principal Designer
- Myth and imagination party in the Latvian woodsMyth and imagination party in the Latvian woods
- Pyramid of Tirana repurposed as symbol of Albania’s futurePyramid of Tirana repurposed as symbol of Albania’s future
- What can architects learn about billable work in the RIBA Bu...What can architects learn about billable work in the RIBA Business Benchmarking report?
- Out with the new, in with the old-newOut with the new, in with the old-new
- Green House, north LondonGreen House, north London
Related
Latest articles
Opportunities Hub: Find a project that fits your practice
Latest: Architect for Stratford’s Carpenters Estate, Phase 2
In association with Häfele
Back to black
Designers are specifying architectural ironmongery, fixtures and fittings in deep, dark finishes for their hotel commissions
- Region:
- United Kingdom
Playful home sits discreetly within traditional Czech facade
Studio Circle Growth adopts local style, sustainable materials – and fun
- Region:
- Europe