Exploring how context, movement and everyday life shape architecture.
The Pedestrians a Street Count Cannot See
A pedestrian count records the people who arrive. It cannot, by itself, explain who has stopped coming. That distinction matters when a city decides whether a crossing deserves imp
Walking and the Streets We Remember
On a San Francisco street, children remembered the brickwork around a tree. On a nearby street with heavier traffic, residents recalled their surroundings largely as a corridor fil
Can a Better-Looking Street Become Harder to Recognise?
Imagine returning to a familiar street after its renovation. The paving is cleaner. The shopfronts match. New lighting gives everything a consistent appearance. But the corner you
A Walkable City Needs Somewhere to Go
At Higashi-sanchome in Shibuya, a small triangular site beside elevated railway tracks holds a bright red public toilet. Nao Tamura’s design, opened in 2020, gives three separate
Why Are the Neighbours Meeting Outside the Common Room?
Imagine arriving home with shopping bags. Two neighbours are talking near the lift. You recognise one of them, exchange a few words and briefly join the conversation. Elsewhere in
Why Did the Conversation Stop?
Imagine two friends leaving an exhibition together. They are still discussing something they have seen when the corridor narrows beside a freestanding sign. One moves ahead of the
The Shops Are Close. Why Does the Walk Still Feel Difficult?
Imagine someone preparing to walk to the neighbourhood shops. The distance is short. The pavement is continuous, and there is a safe crossing. From a plan, the journey looks straig
The End of the Interior Designer?
If a client can create convincing interiors, what will they need a designer for? A reflection on experience, young designers and the human purpose guiding AI.
Oxford Street Is Making Room for Walking. Dubai Can Find Its Own Way.
London’s decision to remove traffic from part of Oxford Street is something I welcome. From 26 October 2026, the stretch between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street is sched
Designing for the Moment Things Go Wrong
Most of the time, we encounter design when everything is working. A door opens. A car stops. An aircraft lands. We notice the shape, the movement and how easily something fits into
A Small Home Should Offer More Than a Place to Fit
A compact apartment can fit every function on paper and still ask its residents to rearrange daily life around the furniture. Using an illustrative Hong Kong layout with a separate
A Good Tenant Cannot Fix a Bad Mall Experience
Recently, I passed by B1Mall again and noticed that one of the shops I really liked had closed. Grandiose. I used to visit it often. It had many qualities you would expect from a s