An Architect's Perspective

In this episode, I visit Villa E-1027, the seaside house designed by Eileen Gray and built in 1929 on the Côte d’Azur. Known for its sensuality and quiet radicalism, the house challenges many assumptions of early modernism — especially its relationship to the body, to comfort, and to intimacy.Unlike the “machines for living in” of her male contemporaries, Gray’s design is deeply personal, profoundly tactile, and structurally inventive. From the pivoting screens to the custom furniture, every detail is tuned to the rhythms of life.This is Sensual Modernism in action - modern architecture that values emotion as much as function.Key Topics: ● Why Villa E-1027 remains a radical example of domestic architecture● Eileen Gray’s attention to tactility, light, and comfort● The philosophical split between Gray and Le Corbusier● How modernism can accommodate softness, privacy, and sensuality● The legacy of E-1027 in architectural historyHost Info James Hamilton, founder of James Hamilton Architects. Trained at Cambridge and Harvard, James brings a practitioner’s eye to every episode - offering grounded insight, clear storytelling, and a deep respect for the buildings under discussion.Quotes from the Episode: On design and emotion: "This isn’t a house you move through — it’s one you feel your way around." On Gray’s legacy: "She built spaces that cared for the person inside them. That’s more radical than steel or concrete." On atmosphere as structure: "Light and air aren’t afterthoughts. They’re structural." Website: www.jameshamiltonarchitects.comInstagram: @jameshamiltonarchitectsProduction: OneFinePlay.com

In this episode of An Architect’s Perspective, I’m joined by architect and designer EvaJiřičná to revisit Villa Tugendhat, Mies van der Rohe’s 1930 masterwork in Brno. Weexplore how the house’s radical openness, material refinement, and structural precisionhelped shape the language of early modernism - and how its influence continues to ripplethrough contemporary architecture.Eva reflects on her visits to the house, her Czech roots, and what Mies’s architecture taughther about space, clarity, and light. This is a conversation about discipline, elegance, and thequiet ambition of one of modernism’s most iconic homes.Key Topics:- Mies van der Rohe’s revolutionary use of glass and steel- Spatial clarity as a form of elegance- The ethics of early modernism — simplicity as principle- How Villa Tugendhat influenced Eva Jiřičná’s own design philosophy- Restoration, memory, and the architectural legacy of modernismGuest Info:Eva Jiřičná is a Czech-born architect and designer known for her precision, use of glassand steel, and elegant spatial compositions. She has worked across Europe and isinternationally recognised for her commercial and residential projects.Quotes from the Episode:On early modernism:"It wasn’t about aesthetics. It was about how people could live — with honesty, with clarity,with light."On Mies’s restraint:"To use marble, steel, and glass — but with such discipline. That’s where the beauty lies."On architectural legacy:"The house doesn’t shout. It speaks quietly, with conviction. That’s the kind of modernism Ibelieve in."Website: www.jameshamiltonarchitects.comInstagram: @jameshamiltonarchitectsProduction: OneFinePlay.com

This episode of An Architect’s Perspective takes you directly inside Villa Tugendhat, Mies van der Rohe’s landmark of early modernism, completed in 1930 in Brno, Czech Republic. It’s a house that stripped away ornament and introduced a new kind of spatial order — radical in its time, and still breathtaking today. I walk the site, tracing how Mies used structure, material, and movement to create a home of extraordinary grace. The famous retractable glass wall, the flowing interior plan, and the onyx partition all speak to a design philosophy that values restraint, logic, and light. This is early modernism before the clichés — architecture as clarity, not austerity. Not a machine for living, but a place for thinking, pausing, and seeing. Key Topics: ● The use of structural grids to shape movement ● Light as an architectural material ● The philosophical underpinnings of Mies’s design ● What Villa Tugendhat reveals about early modernist priorities ● Architecture as experience, not statement Quotes from the Episode: On structure and space: "The grid here isn’t restrictive. It’s musical — it gives rhythm, not rigidity." On the retractable glass wall: "With one movement, the house opens to the garden. It’s theatrical, but also utterly practical." On design intention: "Mies didn’t just make a house. He made a way of thinking visible." Production: OneFinePlay.comWebsite: www.jameshamiltonarchitects.com Instagram: @jameshamiltonarchitects

In this episode, I sit down with Ab Rogers, designer and son of Richard Rogers, to revisit the house he grew up in - Wimbledon House, a prototype of high-tech modernism designed by his father in 1968. This conversation moves between memory and material. Ab shares what it was like to live inside a building that was also an architectural experiment - a modular steel frame dropped into a garden, with transparent walls and exposed services. We talk about what the house meant then, and how it feels now. How it blurred the lines between home and studio, and how its spirit — open, adaptable, unpretentious - still shapes Ab’s own approach to design today. Key Topics: ● Growing up inside Richard Rogers’ radical domestic experiment ● The house as a testing ground for flexibility and transparency ● How the logic of industry met the softness of family life ● Living with architecture that doesn’t hide its workings ● Ab’s reflections on high-tech modernism - and where it led Guest Info: Ab Rogers is a designer, educator, and creative director. He is the founder of Ab Rogers Design and was formerly Head of Interior Design at the Royal College of Art. He grew up in Wimbledon House, which was designed by his father Richard Rogers. Quotes from the Episode: On the house as idea: "It was a place where architecture and family life happened at the same time — and didn’t always agree." On openness: "You couldn’t hide anything. Emotions, furniture, structure — it was all part of the architecture." On growing into the space: "I thought it was normal. Only later did I realise we were living inside a prototype." Website: www.jameshamiltonarchitects.com Instagram: @jameshamiltonarchitects Podcast Production: OneFinePlay.com

I visit Wimbledon House — a quiet prototype that helped define the high-tech modernist movement. Designed by Richard Rogers in 1968 as a home for his parents, this isn’t a flashy building. But it’s radical in its restraint. Steel frame, panelled infill, exposed systems — a house built like a kit-of-parts, dropped into a leafy London suburb. It’s modular, demountable, and endlessly adaptable. But it’s also deeply personal. Wimbledon House translates the principles of industrial logic into the intimacy of domestic life. This film-based episode walks you through its structure, its rhythm, and the quiet conviction behind every detail. Key Topics: ● The origins of high-tech architecture ● Domestic scale as a testing ground for big ideas ● Transparency, honesty, and the ethics of exposure ● The house as a flexible system ● Richard Rogers’ early thinking in built form Links and Resources: ● Watch the film: Wimbledon House ● Explore: High-Tech Modernism theme overview ● Download: ‘What High-Tech Got Right’ — a guide to materials, systems, and ethics Quotes from the Episode: On exposed structure: "Nothing is hidden — the frame, the services, the seams. It’s all part of the architecture." On domestic radicalism: "This house doesn’t impose. It suggests. It proposes a new way to live." On flexibility: "Architecture here isn’t fixed. It’s responsive, adaptable, alive." Website: www.jameshamiltonarchitects.com Instagram: @jameshamiltonarchitects Podcast Production: OneFinePlay