Dr William Tozer | RIBA ANZIA 📍
@williamtozer.bsky.social
Critic, educator, researcher, architect | Posting daily about architecture | Bartlett UCL PhD | also studied RMIT, University of Auckland | Founder of William Tozer Associates @williamtozerassoc.bsky.social
Pinned
A very short bio, for this new platform:
I’m an architect with my own practice—studio is in London, but some projects are elsewhere.
I’ve taught in the UK and US, and written for architectural journals like ARQ, industry magazines like Detail and Monument, and a number of lifestyle publications.
I’m an architect with my own practice—studio is in London, but some projects are elsewhere.
I’ve taught in the UK and US, and written for architectural journals like ARQ, industry magazines like Detail and Monument, and a number of lifestyle publications.
Just saw a one-sentence journalist bio describing them as a ‘skilled and knowledgeable journalist’.
Similar vibe to fast food ads proclaiming their food, ‘fresh and tasty’ because it’s all they can really say, and people even need reassurance on that.
Similar vibe to fast food ads proclaiming their food, ‘fresh and tasty’ because it’s all they can really say, and people even need reassurance on that.
November 10, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Just saw a one-sentence journalist bio describing them as a ‘skilled and knowledgeable journalist’.
Similar vibe to fast food ads proclaiming their food, ‘fresh and tasty’ because it’s all they can really say, and people even need reassurance on that.
Similar vibe to fast food ads proclaiming their food, ‘fresh and tasty’ because it’s all they can really say, and people even need reassurance on that.
‘Through Ruys’s influence, this approach to gardening became the basis of the modernist garden aesthetic of the 20th century and onward.’
www.dwell.com/article/mien...
www.dwell.com/article/mien...
How to Build a Modernist Garden According to the “Mother” of the Genre
A new biography on renowned Dutch landscape architect Mien Ruys will have you on your way to cultivating a lush outdoor oasis of your own.
www.dwell.com
November 6, 2025 at 5:04 AM
‘Through Ruys’s influence, this approach to gardening became the basis of the modernist garden aesthetic of the 20th century and onward.’
www.dwell.com/article/mien...
www.dwell.com/article/mien...
‘ . . . the specific teachings of one ultra-Orthodox community have led to more generous council housing for everyone.’
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
‘Our hallway’s big enough to play football in!’ The council housing that feels like a holiday resort
Boasting two-sink kitchens, London’s Tower Court is tailored for the Haredi Jewish community – but its generous proportions and outside space for religious observance are a treat for all residents
www.theguardian.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:39 AM
‘ . . . the specific teachings of one ultra-Orthodox community have led to more generous council housing for everyone.’
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
Surely a large part of this is just survivorship bias. The ‘traditional’ buildings around us today are the best ones, which have survived demolition for that reason.
www.dezeen.com/2025/10/30/t...
www.dezeen.com/2025/10/30/t...
November 4, 2025 at 3:23 AM
Surely a large part of this is just survivorship bias. The ‘traditional’ buildings around us today are the best ones, which have survived demolition for that reason.
www.dezeen.com/2025/10/30/t...
www.dezeen.com/2025/10/30/t...
How does this article not make comparisons to Louis Kahn’s Yale Center for British Art? The university architect even mentions Kahn—all they needed to do was run with it . . .
www.dezeen.com/2025/10/31/a...
www.dezeen.com/2025/10/31/a...
Adjaye Associates-designed Princeton University Art Museum opens
The Princeton University Art Museum has opened, the first major project designed by Adjaye to open since he was accused of sexual misconduct.
www.dezeen.com
November 3, 2025 at 4:08 AM
How does this article not make comparisons to Louis Kahn’s Yale Center for British Art? The university architect even mentions Kahn—all they needed to do was run with it . . .
www.dezeen.com/2025/10/31/a...
www.dezeen.com/2025/10/31/a...
‘Build It Together highlights growing examples of good practice: flexible working, transparent promotion processes, and networks leading change from the ground up. ‘
www.riba.org/campaigns/po...
www.riba.org/campaigns/po...
October 31, 2025 at 4:53 AM
‘Build It Together highlights growing examples of good practice: flexible working, transparent promotion processes, and networks leading change from the ground up. ‘
www.riba.org/campaigns/po...
www.riba.org/campaigns/po...
‘To be truly local, architecture should prioritise process over product’
🤔
Curious to choose three distinctive-looking buildings to demonstrate the very polemical argument that process matters more than output, particularly style.
www.ribaj.com/intelligence...
🤔
Curious to choose three distinctive-looking buildings to demonstrate the very polemical argument that process matters more than output, particularly style.
www.ribaj.com/intelligence...
To be truly local, architecture should prioritise process over product
Piers Taylor highlights three projects that show why architects need to shift towards engaging more deeply with local conditions, people and ecologies
www.ribaj.com
October 30, 2025 at 5:05 AM
‘To be truly local, architecture should prioritise process over product’
🤔
Curious to choose three distinctive-looking buildings to demonstrate the very polemical argument that process matters more than output, particularly style.
www.ribaj.com/intelligence...
🤔
Curious to choose three distinctive-looking buildings to demonstrate the very polemical argument that process matters more than output, particularly style.
www.ribaj.com/intelligence...
London domestic architecture trends for 2025, for no particular reason whatsoever:
Round skylights, and spiral staircases.
And the fake exposed ceiling rafters won’t stop. Please, make it stop!
Round skylights, and spiral staircases.
And the fake exposed ceiling rafters won’t stop. Please, make it stop!
October 23, 2025 at 7:02 PM
London domestic architecture trends for 2025, for no particular reason whatsoever:
Round skylights, and spiral staircases.
And the fake exposed ceiling rafters won’t stop. Please, make it stop!
Round skylights, and spiral staircases.
And the fake exposed ceiling rafters won’t stop. Please, make it stop!
‘In the 1960s, home builders Pettit & Sevitt collaborated with Australian architects Ken Woolley and Michael Dysart to bring good architecture to the suburbs, delivering simple, functional, and affordable homes that respond to the natural landscape.’
www.dwell.com/article/new-...
www.dwell.com/article/new-...
A Suburban Home by the Eichler of Australia Is Revived for a New Generation
After inheriting the ’60s residence by midcentury builder Pettit & Sevitt, a family adds a second level and reverential finishes.
www.dwell.com
October 23, 2025 at 3:42 AM
‘In the 1960s, home builders Pettit & Sevitt collaborated with Australian architects Ken Woolley and Michael Dysart to bring good architecture to the suburbs, delivering simple, functional, and affordable homes that respond to the natural landscape.’
www.dwell.com/article/new-...
www.dwell.com/article/new-...
Just saw another one of those posts bemoaning the travesty that architects only design 5–10% of the built environment.
Architects need to remember that they’re the OG influencers of the building industry. We don’t have to design every building to have a huge impact.
Architects need to remember that they’re the OG influencers of the building industry. We don’t have to design every building to have a huge impact.
October 22, 2025 at 4:44 AM
Just saw another one of those posts bemoaning the travesty that architects only design 5–10% of the built environment.
Architects need to remember that they’re the OG influencers of the building industry. We don’t have to design every building to have a huge impact.
Architects need to remember that they’re the OG influencers of the building industry. We don’t have to design every building to have a huge impact.
October 21, 2025 at 3:04 AM
Real estate agents are so funny about architecture. Often list houses as ‘architect-designed’ without naming the architect.
Went to a viewing recently where they named the architect, but said it was disrespectful to take pictures of it. Architecture as commodity only, please.
Went to a viewing recently where they named the architect, but said it was disrespectful to take pictures of it. Architecture as commodity only, please.
October 19, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Real estate agents are so funny about architecture. Often list houses as ‘architect-designed’ without naming the architect.
Went to a viewing recently where they named the architect, but said it was disrespectful to take pictures of it. Architecture as commodity only, please.
Went to a viewing recently where they named the architect, but said it was disrespectful to take pictures of it. Architecture as commodity only, please.
‘Designing social housing for later life is too often reduced to a simple provision of service. Appleby Blue, however, is a provision of pure delight . . . high-quality spaces that are generous and thoughtful, blending function and community . . .’
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
Spa vibes with a grow-your-own-dinner option: Britain’s best new building is a revamped almshouse
With its shimmering ginkgo trees, tinkling pools and a rooftop garden, the Appleby Blue Almshouse housing complex for older people is a worthy winner of RIBA’s prestigious Stirling prize
www.theguardian.com
October 17, 2025 at 3:54 AM
‘Designing social housing for later life is too often reduced to a simple provision of service. Appleby Blue, however, is a provision of pure delight . . . high-quality spaces that are generous and thoughtful, blending function and community . . .’
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
Seems like a misread to say that this is a Y*MBY win. If the Y*MBY movement was focused on tactical high density housing around transport hubs, they’d have much broader support. Upzoning everywhere and letting the market decide is the Y*MBY platform.
www.dwell.com/article/what...
www.dwell.com/article/what...
October 16, 2025 at 4:35 AM
Seems like a misread to say that this is a Y*MBY win. If the Y*MBY movement was focused on tactical high density housing around transport hubs, they’d have much broader support. Upzoning everywhere and letting the market decide is the Y*MBY platform.
www.dwell.com/article/what...
www.dwell.com/article/what...
‘Tucked between joists above the ceilings are packs of BioPCM, an engineered wax that melts as it absorbs heat when the interiors are sultry, and solidifies, releasing warmth, as the rooms turn cold.’
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/r...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/r...
A Secret Sauce Keeps This Australian House Hot and Cool
www.nytimes.com
October 15, 2025 at 3:50 AM
‘Tucked between joists above the ceilings are packs of BioPCM, an engineered wax that melts as it absorbs heat when the interiors are sultry, and solidifies, releasing warmth, as the rooms turn cold.’
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/r...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/r...
‘For his part, Judd hated most architects. . . . Yet, when it came to trying to realise buildings himself, he would learn that the quest for pure autonomy of form, and his trademark flawlessness, wasn’t so easy.’
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
Leaky roofs, collapsed walls, mega debts: when art’s master minimalist Donald Judd tried architecture
Weary of the New York scene, and keen to focus on architecture, the artist started buying up properties to play with in a tiny Texas town. Trouble was, he couldn’t stop. We take the tour of his Marfa ...
www.theguardian.com
October 14, 2025 at 4:03 AM
‘For his part, Judd hated most architects. . . . Yet, when it came to trying to realise buildings himself, he would learn that the quest for pure autonomy of form, and his trademark flawlessness, wasn’t so easy.’
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
‘The problem isn’t the planning system. It’s a broken, profit-driven housing model that banks land and starves supply. Scrapping nature protections won’t build 1.5m homes, it will just bulldoze public trust and the countryside.’
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The Guardian view on Labour targeting nature: the problem isn’t snails, but a broken housing model | Editorial
Editorial: Rachel Reeves’s drive to speed up development is beginning to treat wildlife and the environment as expendable. Voters want homes built, but not at any cost
www.theguardian.com
October 13, 2025 at 3:50 AM
‘The problem isn’t the planning system. It’s a broken, profit-driven housing model that banks land and starves supply. Scrapping nature protections won’t build 1.5m homes, it will just bulldoze public trust and the countryside.’
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
‘A government spokesperson said: “The chancellor and the housing secretary are working together to reform the outdated planning system that’s been holding this country back – so we can build the 1.5m homes hardworking people need . . .”’
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Ministers to announce significant changes to UK’s planning system
Exclusive: Differences over changes to environmental and legal provisions to prompt economic growth hint at chaos at heart of government
www.theguardian.com
October 6, 2025 at 3:59 AM
‘A government spokesperson said: “The chancellor and the housing secretary are working together to reform the outdated planning system that’s been holding this country back – so we can build the 1.5m homes hardworking people need . . .”’
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
October 3, 2025 at 3:56 AM
‘He filed his first architectural patent in the late 1920s, several years before similar experiments by his better-known countryman Jean Prouvé’
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/01/r...
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/01/r...
In a Spanish Vineyard, an Unsung Engineer Finally Gets a Toast
www.nytimes.com
October 2, 2025 at 4:30 AM
‘He filed his first architectural patent in the late 1920s, several years before similar experiments by his better-known countryman Jean Prouvé’
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/01/r...
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/01/r...
‘For decades, the prototypical dream house was one you would hardly need to leave . . . Today, many Americans would say that their dream house is simply one they can afford.‘
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/08/r...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/08/r...
October 1, 2025 at 3:39 AM
‘For decades, the prototypical dream house was one you would hardly need to leave . . . Today, many Americans would say that their dream house is simply one they can afford.‘
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/08/r...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/08/r...
Really?! That’s a pretty wild interpretation of that rule.
September 30, 2025 at 4:28 AM
Really?! That’s a pretty wild interpretation of that rule.
‘Within the OECD, only Canada boasts a similar project, having recently launched its Housing Design Catalogue, offering 50 preapproved templates for terraces and townhouses.’
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
Australia has a $1 solution for the global housing crisis: a pattern book of architecturally designed homes
The NSW Housing Pattern Book is part of a broader push to densify cities without resorting to high-rise towers – and it has struck a chord well beyond Australia
www.theguardian.com
September 29, 2025 at 5:23 AM
‘Within the OECD, only Canada boasts a similar project, having recently launched its Housing Design Catalogue, offering 50 preapproved templates for terraces and townhouses.’
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
Loos was my doctoral subject, and that research informs a lot of what our practice does, but it was particularly satisfying to explore this further, even if we didn’t get shortlisted.
Our Powers of Ten competition entry is featured in the RIBA Journal.
The actual space we’ve designed will be familiar to anyone who’s experienced the mirrored illusion of space created by Loos’s Kärntner Bar, particularly after a few drinks.
www.ribaj.com/products/wes...
The actual space we’ve designed will be familiar to anyone who’s experienced the mirrored illusion of space created by Loos’s Kärntner Bar, particularly after a few drinks.
www.ribaj.com/products/wes...
September 26, 2025 at 4:51 AM
Loos was my doctoral subject, and that research informs a lot of what our practice does, but it was particularly satisfying to explore this further, even if we didn’t get shortlisted.