The Smell of Concrete After Rain
99% Invisible29 Apr 2020

The Smell of Concrete After Rain

There have been over 200,000 deaths as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. All have been tragic, but there are two people in particular we’ve lost due to COVID that were part of the world of architecture and design that we want to honor with a couple of stories today. First, we are mourning the loss of architect Michael McKinnell. Along with Gerhard Kallman, McKinnell designed the unforgettable Boston City Hall, completed in 1968. They won the commission for Boston City Hall after submitting their brutalist, heroic monument in a contest when Michael McKinnell was just 26 years old. It was always a controversial structure, much of the public found it ugly and too unconventional, but architects and critics tend to love it. This is the often the case with Brutalism in general and that is the subject of our first story starring Boston City Hall.

Another voice who is gone too early was Michael Sorkin. Sorkin was a designer and the Village Voice architecture critic in the 80s. He brought a totally new kind of approach to writing about buildings, one that focused on people and politics. We spoke with design critic at Curbed, Alexandra Lange, about Sorkin's work, and Roman Mars reads excerpts from one of his pieces called Two Hundred and Fifty Things an Architect Should Know.

The Smell of Concrete After Rain

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early.

Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Avsnitt(783)

Service Request #3: Why Is There So Much Litter in San Francisco?

Service Request #3: Why Is There So Much Litter in San Francisco?

Why did it take nearly a decade to redesign a city trash can, and why haven't more bins made the streets cleaner? What infrastructure mystery keeps you up at night? Submit your Service Request by reco...

31 Mars 28min

Constitution Breakdown #8: Jill Lepore

Constitution Breakdown #8: Jill Lepore

This is the eighth episode of our ongoing series breaking down the U.S. Constitution. This month, Roman and Elizabeth discuss Article V, which lays out the process to amend the Constitution. Then, Jil...

27 Mars 1h 6min

Service Request #2: Why Is This Red Light So Damn Long?

Service Request #2: Why Is This Red Light So Damn Long?

What the world's most advanced traffic system can—and can't—do for the city that invented gridlock. What infrastructure mystery keeps you up at night? Submit your Service Request by recording a voice ...

24 Mars 28min

Service Request #1: What Happens When I Call 311?

Service Request #1: What Happens When I Call 311?

The surprising power of a simple phone number to connect a community. What infrastructure mystery keeps you up at night? Submit your Service Request by recording a voice memo with your question and em...

17 Mars 34min

A Man, a Plan, a Canal—Mars!

A Man, a Plan, a Canal—Mars!

How one wealthy, amateur astronomer convinced the world Martians were real. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free tria...

10 Mars 32min

Where the F*** Are We?

Where the F*** Are We?

For centuries, the world's greatest minds were stumped by the deadly mystery of longitude, until an obsessive underdog entered the fray and changed navigation forever. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ ...

3 Mars 47min

Constitution Breakdown #7: California AG Rob Bonta

Constitution Breakdown #7: California AG Rob Bonta

This is the seventh episode of our ongoing series breaking down the U.S. Constitution. This month, Roman and Elizabeth discuss Article IV, which outlines the relationship between states and between st...

27 Feb 1h 17min

The Longest Fence in the World

The Longest Fence in the World

How a fence meant to protect sheep transformed the entire Australian landscape. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free ...

24 Feb 31min

Populärt inom Business & ekonomi

framgangspodden
badfluence
varvet
rss-jossan-nina
rss-borsens-finest
rss-svart-marknad
uppgang-och-fall
rss-dagen-med-di
rss-inga-dumma-fragor-om-pengar
lastbilspodden
fill-or-kill
borsmorgon
avanzapodden
bilar-med-sladd
tabberaset
bathina-en-podcast
rss-veckans-trade
kvalitetsaktiepodden
rss-kort-lang-analyspodden-fran-di
svd-tech-brief