All articles by Tarek Merlin
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CommentTell it to me straight
When did clients become scared of saying what they want? Tarek Merlin is getting a little tired of prevarication, procrastination 鈥� and endless competitions
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CommentPitt is miscast in his latest
Forget Seven Years in Tibet, if Brad Pitt is serious about a career in architecture he鈥檇 better start thinking about seven years in the classroom, says Tarek Merlin
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CommentBridget Jones鈥� diatribe
The pressure to conform causes singleton Tarek Merlin untold grief at his friends鈥� dinner parties. It also happens to be the single greatest blight on the built environment
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CommentPick and mix
There are just too many delicious goodies at this year鈥檚 London Festival of Architecture to take in without drawing up some kind of menu.
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CommentThrowaway remarks
Our throwaway society may find it hard to imagine a building made up entirely of recycled components, but that is just what we have to do, says Tarek Merlin
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CommentSpace heroes
Theatre Delicatessen offers a rare and brave example of how to put the interiors of derelict buildings to good use. Tarek Merlin explains why we should all follow suit
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CommentCan I have your attention, please?
It鈥檚 not so difficult to open young people鈥檚 eyes to the excitements of the built environment. All it takes is a little creativity, hard cash and the ability to surprise
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CommentNames can be hurtful
Nicknaming buildings just reduces complex ideas into simplistic soundbites. Having said that, the Vol-au-vent does seem quite appropriate for HOK鈥檚 vile Olympic stadium 鈥�
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CommentThe many lives of Richard Rogers
He may have made his name as an architectural disemboweller, but he has cemented it with a constantly evolving style and widening interests. Tarek Merlin assesses his career
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CommentIn praise of mess
Our cities and townscapes have to reflect the messy unpredictability of those who live in them. Attempts to impose order by micro-managing every masterplan will end in lifeless homogeneity 鈥� which is the enemy of beauty
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CommentGo on, shock me
Football chants, wearing Gilbert & George cufflinks, designing Middle Eastern cities of the future 鈥� it鈥檚 all so conformist. And when even virtual worlds smack of the pack mentality, something has to be done
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CommentSculpture clash
When it comes to public art, there are two schools of thought: 鈥榩lonk art鈥�, where you plonk down a slab by a big-name artist, and a more local, integrated approach. Tarek Merlin offers a few lessons on both methods
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CommentSpace race
There鈥檚 a yawning chasm between the type of homes developers are building, and the homes people want to live in. So how do we bridge the gap 鈥� and provide that all-important storage space?
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CommentFor goodness鈥� sake
The home buyer of the future is going to want to pay extra money for low carbon homes, because owning a good home makes people feel so much better about themselves
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CommentWhat do we do now?
To make it as an architect these days, you have to be a networking 鈥榓rchipreneur鈥� with a degree in economics. What happened to just designing things?
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CommentBeside the seaside
When cheap flights become a thing of the past, people will once again yearn for good old British seaside resorts. So it鈥檚 about time we turned them into places where people might actually want to stay 鈥�
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CommentNo need for this
Don鈥檛 be fooled by the chatter about sustainability 鈥� if you look at the way we actually do business, the waste piles up so fast you need wings to stay above it
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CommentAll mod cons
Tarek Merlin traces the erosion of his infatuation with modernism, which he believes has left a terrible legacy
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CommentChange the wallpaper
With a season-by-season, throwaway culture borrowed from Ikea and designer magazines, architecture is in danger of becoming a branch of the fashion industry