Building Soul - with Thomas Heatherwick

Description

Contributed to this series first aired on BBC Radio 4.

Episode 1: How To Ditch Boring And Humanise Our Cities

hould the buildings that surround us be more interesting and diverse? Givers, not just takers. Could cities be filled with curves and creativity? An adventurous urban landscape that makes everyone happier and healthier.

In this final part of the series, designer Thomas Heatherwick puts forward his manifesto for a future where places are built around the idea of emotion as a function - full of character, built to last, and designed to serve the passers-by. This isn’t romantic thinking. It’s a practical vision for a better future that benefits everyone. A call to humanise our world.

Episode 2: The Cult of Modernist Architecture

Why and when did our buildings become so boring? Anyone exploring the streets of our oldest cities can see this wasn’t always the case.

In part 2 of this series, Thomas Heatherwick argues that a cult of Modernism took hold of the architectural establishment in the 20th century, with an obsessive focus on form follows function at the expense of visual complexity and delight. Is one man, known as Le Corbusier, really responsible for creating our age of boring buildings?

Join Thomas as he challenges the architectural establishment to stop slavishly following Le Corbusier’s vision long after it ran out of steam. Thomas also argues that the legacy of modernism conveniently suits developers whose primary concern is the maximisation of short-term profits, at a huge cost to the environment as well as to our civic identity and personal wellbeing.

Episode 3: How To Ditch Boring And Humanise Our Cities

Should the buildings that surround us be more interesting and diverse? Givers, not just takers. Could cities be filled with curves and creativity? An adventurous urban landscape that makes everyone happier and healthier.

In this final part of the series, designer Thomas Heatherwick puts forward his manifesto for a future where places are built around the idea of emotion as a function - full of character, built to last, and designed to serve the passers-by. This isn’t romantic thinking. It’s a practical vision for a better future that benefits everyone. A call to humanise our world.

Period	3 Oct 2023 → 17 Oct 2023
Degree of Recognition	National