David Knight
@drdavidknight.bsky.social
Designer, teacher and writer. Director of DK-CM @dk-cm.bsky.social. Module leader and faculty at the London School of Architecture. South Downs and East London. Writing and drawing at The Spring Line: https://knightdavid.substack.com
The latest open day at the London School of Architecture was last night. It was great to see some study/precedent models emerging, taught by Hugh Strange - in particular this lovely pink fragment of Webb’s Red House.
January 21, 2026 at 5:38 PM
The latest open day at the London School of Architecture was last night. It was great to see some study/precedent models emerging, taught by Hugh Strange - in particular this lovely pink fragment of Webb’s Red House.
Reposted by David Knight
Water firms could be let off pollution fines as part of government overhaul
Water firms could be let off pollution fines as part of government overhaul
Exclusive: Campaigners claim changes will let companies ‘off the hook’, as government prepares to unveil new white paper for water industry
Water companies could be let off fines for polluting the environment under changes announced in the government’s new white paper.
The environment secretary, Emma Reynolds, hailed the changes as “once-in-a-generation reforms” featuring “tough oversight, real accountability and no more excuses”. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
January 19, 2026 at 10:40 PM
Water firms could be let off pollution fines as part of government overhaul
Reposted by David Knight
"This was not a settlement that was ever designed, rather it evolved out of a disparity between different understandings of space." I love @drdavidknight.bsky.social's humanistic, democratic writing on place and architecture & this is typically fascinating:
knightdavid.substack.com/p/other-plan...
knightdavid.substack.com/p/other-plan...
Other Plans #5: Hedgerow encroachment
A linear village ‘grown’ entirely within the boundary hedge of a Great Estate.
knightdavid.substack.com
January 12, 2026 at 9:08 PM
"This was not a settlement that was ever designed, rather it evolved out of a disparity between different understandings of space." I love @drdavidknight.bsky.social's humanistic, democratic writing on place and architecture & this is typically fascinating:
knightdavid.substack.com/p/other-plan...
knightdavid.substack.com/p/other-plan...
Back in 2011 I was thinking about how planning and design benefit from the unexpected, the accidental, and understanding limits. Still am really. Here is a visual essay from that time, commissioned by Sam Jacob and featuring some vintage (2010) phone photos.
knightdavid.substack.com/p/experiment...
knightdavid.substack.com/p/experiment...
Experiments in Freedom
Advocating for the unpredictable and emergent in planning and design. An archive piece from 2011.
knightdavid.substack.com
January 6, 2026 at 2:23 PM
Back in 2011 I was thinking about how planning and design benefit from the unexpected, the accidental, and understanding limits. Still am really. Here is a visual essay from that time, commissioned by Sam Jacob and featuring some vintage (2010) phone photos.
knightdavid.substack.com/p/experiment...
knightdavid.substack.com/p/experiment...
@dk-cm.bsky.social 's work creating and refurbishing public toilets is celebrated in the Guardian today. The piece includes our work on the listed Bruce Grove WCs but we will be celebrating our refurbished public toilets in Camber Sands in the coming weeks. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Ever been caught short? Here’s the good news: a great British toilet revolution could be on the way | Eddie Blake
Inspired by ministers and councils willing to spend a penny, architects are building beautiful, functional loos – a first step towards restoring civic pride, says architect Eddie Blake
www.theguardian.com
January 5, 2026 at 2:46 PM
@dk-cm.bsky.social 's work creating and refurbishing public toilets is celebrated in the Guardian today. The piece includes our work on the listed Bruce Grove WCs but we will be celebrating our refurbished public toilets in Camber Sands in the coming weeks. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Beautiful antidote to algorithmic Christmas rotations from Laura Cannell on @thequietus.com
thequietus.com/subscriber-a...
thequietus.com/subscriber-a...
Organic Intelligence LI: Laura Cannell's Guide to Early-ish Christmas Music | The Quietus
A December afternoon, and I’m watching the afternoon sky turn from light to dark grey to black. An overgrown holly bush waves vigorously at me through the window. It is a stark backdrop, but one softe...
thequietus.com
December 23, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Beautiful antidote to algorithmic Christmas rotations from Laura Cannell on @thequietus.com
thequietus.com/subscriber-a...
thequietus.com/subscriber-a...
Before the elaborate folds and crinkles of the Guggenheim et al dominated his office's work, there were decades of work by a relentlessly playful and experimental architect, forever improvising and testing. Thanks Frank Gehry.
December 8, 2025 at 9:41 AM
Before the elaborate folds and crinkles of the Guggenheim et al dominated his office's work, there were decades of work by a relentlessly playful and experimental architect, forever improvising and testing. Thanks Frank Gehry.
This was an excellent event and a lovely crowd, thanks Justin. Dear the Long Year is next on the pile.
London tomorrow, 2nd Dec. - Dr Hope Wolf and I in conversation for me new book, talking around ghosts, modernist art, psychogeography, Bohemians in London 1912, Arthur Machen, Ione de Forest, Aleister Crowley, Nina Hamnett, Spencer Gore, the New River and lots more. www.tinyurl.com/DTLYLondon
Dead The Long Year book launch: Justin Hopper and Hope Wolf in conversation.
Tuesday 2nd December 6.30-9pm Justin Hopper (The Old Weird Albion; Ghost Box Records) and Hope Wolf (Sussex Modernism) in conversation to mark the launch of Hopper's book Dead The Long Year, a histo...
www.tinyurl.com
December 6, 2025 at 6:49 PM
This was an excellent event and a lovely crowd, thanks Justin. Dear the Long Year is next on the pile.
Some heavy stuff on the workings of popular culture open.substack.com/pub/knightda...
Pop Power
On public planning and popular agency
open.substack.com
December 6, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Some heavy stuff on the workings of popular culture open.substack.com/pub/knightda...
Reposted by David Knight
* JOB ALERT *
Nature recovery and creating new wildlife havens sit at the heart of the National Park Authority's work 🦉
We're currently seeking a Strategy Lead for Nature Recovery.
Apply 👉 bit.ly/3K3QVpY
📷 Corinne Kozok
Nature recovery and creating new wildlife havens sit at the heart of the National Park Authority's work 🦉
We're currently seeking a Strategy Lead for Nature Recovery.
Apply 👉 bit.ly/3K3QVpY
📷 Corinne Kozok
November 24, 2025 at 3:24 PM
* JOB ALERT *
Nature recovery and creating new wildlife havens sit at the heart of the National Park Authority's work 🦉
We're currently seeking a Strategy Lead for Nature Recovery.
Apply 👉 bit.ly/3K3QVpY
📷 Corinne Kozok
Nature recovery and creating new wildlife havens sit at the heart of the National Park Authority's work 🦉
We're currently seeking a Strategy Lead for Nature Recovery.
Apply 👉 bit.ly/3K3QVpY
📷 Corinne Kozok
‘An urban rule, far from being a mere restriction on creativity, can on occasion be the most creative act.’ Other Plans #4 explores the portici of Bologna. open.substack.com/pub/knightda... #thespringline
Other Plans #4: Portici
A public network of privately-owned covered places; created by legislation and delivered by thousands of individual acts of construction.
open.substack.com
November 15, 2025 at 7:56 PM
‘An urban rule, far from being a mere restriction on creativity, can on occasion be the most creative act.’ Other Plans #4 explores the portici of Bologna. open.substack.com/pub/knightda... #thespringline
Loved this book: www.theguardian.com/books/2025/n...
Vaim by Jon Fosse review – the Nobel laureate performs a strange miracle
In the Norwegian master’s latest example of ‘mystical realism’, one man makes a dreamlike, hypnotic voyage through life
www.theguardian.com
November 12, 2025 at 8:05 AM
Loved this book: www.theguardian.com/books/2025/n...
I thoroughly enjoyed last night’s event at the Architecture Foundation where we spoke and listened to/about oral history at the Art Workers Guild - a screen-free conversation about conversation & the practising of history. Thank you Mary Chamberlain & Jerry White, and my cohost Cristina Monteiro.
October 22, 2025 at 11:16 AM
I thoroughly enjoyed last night’s event at the Architecture Foundation where we spoke and listened to/about oral history at the Art Workers Guild - a screen-free conversation about conversation & the practising of history. Thank you Mary Chamberlain & Jerry White, and my cohost Cristina Monteiro.
‘Where English churches imitate the sacred groves of the forest, early Cornish churches, with their ribbed and curved roof timbers, imitate boats or even the skeletons of fish.’ - Roger Deakin, Waterlog.
Its a nice thought - any Cornish churches that reinforce this idea greatly appreciated.
Its a nice thought - any Cornish churches that reinforce this idea greatly appreciated.
October 14, 2025 at 11:40 PM
‘Where English churches imitate the sacred groves of the forest, early Cornish churches, with their ribbed and curved roof timbers, imitate boats or even the skeletons of fish.’ - Roger Deakin, Waterlog.
Its a nice thought - any Cornish churches that reinforce this idea greatly appreciated.
Its a nice thought - any Cornish churches that reinforce this idea greatly appreciated.
Reposted by David Knight
The best gig I ever saw cost £4. Spiralling concert prices are a cultural disaster | John Harris
The best gig I ever saw cost £4. Spiralling concert prices are a cultural disaster | John Harris
Tickets for big tours have vastly outstripped inflation, while smaller artists and venues struggle. The magic is in danger of being snuffed out entirely, says Guardian columnist John Harris
www.theguardian.com
October 8, 2025 at 4:14 PM
The best gig I ever saw cost £4. Spiralling concert prices are a cultural disaster | John Harris
Reposted by David Knight
SPEAKING OUT: ORAL HISTORY FOR ARCHITECTS | With Cristina Monteiro I am hosting an exciting event for the Architecture Foundation, focussing on oral history in relation to place and architecture. With brilliant oral historians Mary Chamberlain and Jerry White. More info + tickets:
Speaking Out: Oral History for Architects | Architecture Foundation
A conversation with leading oral historians at the Art Workers Guild
architecturefoundation.org.uk
September 25, 2025 at 1:15 PM
SPEAKING OUT: ORAL HISTORY FOR ARCHITECTS | With Cristina Monteiro I am hosting an exciting event for the Architecture Foundation, focussing on oral history in relation to place and architecture. With brilliant oral historians Mary Chamberlain and Jerry White. More info + tickets:
@oldweirdalbion.bsky.social have you got, or have ever seen, a map of the land that Vera Pragnell bought/owned? I have all the historic mapping for the lifespan of the sanctuary in its pure form. but not its extents.
October 8, 2025 at 5:01 PM
@oldweirdalbion.bsky.social have you got, or have ever seen, a map of the land that Vera Pragnell bought/owned? I have all the historic mapping for the lifespan of the sanctuary in its pure form. but not its extents.
SPEAKING OUT: ORAL HISTORY FOR ARCHITECTS | With Cristina Monteiro I am hosting an exciting event for the Architecture Foundation, focussing on oral history in relation to place and architecture. With brilliant oral historians Mary Chamberlain and Jerry White. More info + tickets:
Speaking Out: Oral History for Architects | Architecture Foundation
A conversation with leading oral historians at the Art Workers Guild
architecturefoundation.org.uk
September 25, 2025 at 1:15 PM
SPEAKING OUT: ORAL HISTORY FOR ARCHITECTS | With Cristina Monteiro I am hosting an exciting event for the Architecture Foundation, focussing on oral history in relation to place and architecture. With brilliant oral historians Mary Chamberlain and Jerry White. More info + tickets:
My first childhood explorations of woodcraft described (with holiday photos taken by my Nan!) in a new essay The Remains of a Circle open.substack.com/pub/knightda...
The Remains of a Circle
Telling my daughter about the Order of Woodcraft Chivalry
open.substack.com
September 17, 2025 at 4:09 PM
My first childhood explorations of woodcraft described (with holiday photos taken by my Nan!) in a new essay The Remains of a Circle open.substack.com/pub/knightda...
Strange and wonderful things that happened in a New Forest woodland. knightdavid.substack.com/p/the-remain...
The Remains of a Circle
Telling my daughter about the Order of Woodcraft Chivalry
knightdavid.substack.com
September 10, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Strange and wonderful things that happened in a New Forest woodland. knightdavid.substack.com/p/the-remain...
Reposted by David Knight
Like Jeremy Corbyn and Sophie Ellis-Bextor, I grew up in Woodcraft Folk. Here’s how it changes children’s lives | Phineas Harper
Like Jeremy Corbyn and Sophie Ellis-Bextor, I grew up in Woodcraft Folk. Here’s how it changes children’s lives | Phineas Harper
The leftwing alternative to Scouts turns 100 this year. If Keir Starmer wants to empower Britain’s young people, it has much to teach him, says writer and curator Phineas Harper
www.theguardian.com
August 16, 2025 at 9:19 AM
Like Jeremy Corbyn and Sophie Ellis-Bextor, I grew up in Woodcraft Folk. Here’s how it changes children’s lives | Phineas Harper
A piece of my writing about the beautiful & influential Arquitectura Popular em Portugal (1961), exploring its role in subverting oppressive state power in dictatorship-era Portugal to develop a progressive, locally-inflected architecture in challenging times. open.substack.com/pub/knightda...
The Subversive Survey
What Arquitectura Popular em Portugal - a mid-century survey of vernacular architecture – can teach us about the potential of architectural research to shift culture.
open.substack.com
August 15, 2025 at 4:18 PM
A piece of my writing about the beautiful & influential Arquitectura Popular em Portugal (1961), exploring its role in subverting oppressive state power in dictatorship-era Portugal to develop a progressive, locally-inflected architecture in challenging times. open.substack.com/pub/knightda...
Found John I. Williams’ biography of CLR James both inspiring and enlightening. Like all good biographies it feels like a study of an era and a culture as much as of a single human. And who knew that much of The Black Jacobins was written in Portslade of all places?
August 14, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Found John I. Williams’ biography of CLR James both inspiring and enlightening. Like all good biographies it feels like a study of an era and a culture as much as of a single human. And who knew that much of The Black Jacobins was written in Portslade of all places?
Good stuff on the relevance of the club/trades hall model to contemporary venues and community spaces from @thequietus.com - class is an important consideration here. thequietus.com/opinion-and-...
How Community Ownership can Save our Grassroots Venues | The Quietus
The sprung wooden floor of The Trades Club in Hebden Bridge is no stranger to dancing. It’s hard to imagine today, but its modest upstairs hall was built in 1924 for graceful ballroom affairs – all wa...
thequietus.com
August 12, 2025 at 10:58 AM
Good stuff on the relevance of the club/trades hall model to contemporary venues and community spaces from @thequietus.com - class is an important consideration here. thequietus.com/opinion-and-...