Samuel Hughes
scp-hughes.bsky.social
Samuel Hughes
@scp-hughes.bsky.social
Head of Housing at the Centre for Policy Studies. Fellow of Create Streets. Interested in architecture, urbanism, history, philosophy, policy.
Northdown Road, Islington, 2008 to 2019.
August 5, 2025 at 12:16 PM
This famous office building in Hamburg has 2800 exactly similar windows, the sole variation being the arching on the top floor. A reminder that reproducible elements are not necessarily boring, provided they are nested in an intelligent design.
July 23, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Until 1853, Berlin had a system of 'reverse zoning' intended to foster urbanistic grandeur. It ordained a *minimum* height of three storeys in central areas, while lower buildings were reluctantly tolerated in the suburbs.
July 15, 2025 at 9:49 AM
Potsdam. 2.5-3.5 storeys, stone paving, no setbacks, continuous build line, cars as guests. Vernacular 'baroque', pastels, stucco, tall casements. The parking spaces have been repurposed for seating and planting, creating an 'urban garden' despite the absence of front gardens.
July 14, 2025 at 10:50 AM
'Adaptive reuse' at Arlington Cathedral in Virginia. The community wanted to change the style of their church building, but they chose to retain the structural frame and merely re-dress it with new facing materials and details, saving its embodied carbon.
July 14, 2025 at 10:49 AM