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The debate between architects and architectural writers has been raging for decades: How can we describe the complex built environment in words without getting stuck in a maze of soundbites, cliches and esoteric phrases? Robert Campbell, an acclaimed critic who wrote for Architectural Record, coined “ArchiSpeak” to describe the obscure language architects use to describe their work to clients or the general public.

Phaidon’s 10x10_3, a volume that features 10 of the world’s most renowned writers on emerging architecture firms, shows how it is possible to write succinctly about buildings and designers without losing those who are not interested in architectural design. The texts of this distinguished group of journalists, curators, and architects can be analyzed to identify certain stylistic and linguistic traits that can serve as a guide for how good architectural writing is produced. Here are 10 points to consider.

1. Take a Personal Viewpoint

Bart Goldhoorn, founder and publisher of Russia’s leading architecture magazine, Project Russia, engages his readers instantly by using intimate imagery and adopting a first-person viewpoint. When describing the innovative approach of CEBRA’s avant-garde designers, he confronts his preconceptions:

“A decade back, when I thought of Danish architecture, my imagination was filled with quiet, pipe smoking, corduroy-clad, men who produced responsible, ecologically sound, architecture that had a light touch of postmodernism. One could at best expect neat modernism. The CEBRA architects do not conform to this image of Danish designers .”

Goldhoorn creates a detailed image of a stereotype in architecture before destroying it. He waxes lyrical about the “wild landscape” of CEBRA Bakkegard School Extension in Gentofte. The author’s personal and honest perspective gives the project description a powerful edge.

2. Use Visceral Images

Words that evoke emotional images in the reader’s mind are the best way to frame architecture, as it is a highly visible construct. Shumon Basar, a London-based writer/curator and former Zaha Hadid Architects employee, describes an installation created by OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen in highly evocative terms.

“Hundreds of thousands of colorful confetti was scattered across the floor. It looked like a carpet made of detritus of paper, all delicately disorganized. A few black chairs were scattered around. The pavilion was almost empty. There were no signs of the usual feverish need to explain, display, disclose, or divulge .”

This poetic observation about After The Party, an artwork that examines the fleeting nature of the Venice Architecture Biennale, alludes to the broader philosophies behind this experimental practice. It encourages us to mentally engage with the firm’s many-layered works.

3. Ask rhetorical questions

Most architectural journalists are wary of Betteridge’s law, which states that any headline ending in a question can be answered with the words no. However, there are certain instances where questions can strengthen an argument. The introduction of New York-based critic and architect Joseph Grima to his analysis of BIG’s rise is an example.

“To understand the true measure of the accomplishments of Bjarke Ingels … consider this: when was the last time reporters from every corner of the world were seen scrambling to cover the opening of a building by a thirty-three-year-old architect?”

This question does not need to be answered; its sole purpose is to highlight BIG’s unmatched achievements as a young company. Grima is elated to describe the concept behind BIG’s groundbreaking Mountain housing project. Grima recounts BIG’s brilliant idea of “spreading the housing over the parking like jam onto bread.”

4. Mastering Metaphors and Synonyms

Andrew Mackenzie, the editor-in-chief of Architectural Review Australia, illustrates this point with his description of a project by Klein Dytham Architecture: Andrew Mackenzie demonstrates the point by describing a project designed by Klein Dytham Architecture.

The Leaf Chapel is a good example. It’s a wedding chapel designed as two leaves. The one is stationary and made of glass, while the other is perforated steel. It lifts when the groom lifts the veil on his bride .”

Referencing leaves and bridal veils can help readers visualize the chapel’s uniqueness, even if they will never be able to visit it.

5. Personification

You can elevate your writing by using abstract, playful adjectives, idioms, and other linguistic gymnastics. Carlos Jimenez, an architect and professor, uses such linguistic gymnastics in his article about the SGAE headquarters by Anton Garcia Abril and Ensemble Studio.

The use of words and phrases like “tumbling,” ‘held captive’ and ‘dancing,’ gives the architecture a dynamic and human-like quality and captures the drama and tension of a building with weight, tension and dramatic contrasts of scale.

6. Set the Scene

In a single sentence, a carefully constructed description of the building’s context provides a wealth of insight into its social, economic and cultural background. Andrew Mackenzie’s introduction to McBride Charles Ryan’s QVII Apartment Building is a great example.

“In the suburbs of Melbourne, amongst the worker cottages, max-lot townhouses, and Regency-style rip-offs is a small, sheltered haven, a budget-job of plain, unaffected English.”

After setting the scene, Mackenzie describes the project’s “material versatility and civic face.” This description is enhanced by the vivid description of its surrounding context.

7. Start with a Quote

This “play” should not be used too often. Opening with a quotation can have a real impact on describing an architect’s works, especially if the architect made a powerful statement that could provide context for upcoming articles. Joseph Grima quoted Minsuk Cho, a professor at Mass Studies, to engage the reader with the plight and struggles of youth in his native country.

Minsuk Cho, a Korean architect who spoke in a recent interview about the challenges architects face in his homeland of Korea, said: “I believe there is a battle going on in the young generation’s mind.” What is “Koreanness” at this time? What is the relationship between us and this tradition, this architectural identity of this culture?”

Grima then goes on to explain Cho’s quest for answers to these questions, using radical projects like Seoul Commune 2026 – a vision for the future of this rapidly changing metropolis. This opening captures, directly from the source of the work, the ambitious and ‘big-picture’ thinking of the groundbreaking Korean company.

8. Use Some Dry Wit

 Shumon Bazar’s opening line for his piece on Aranda Lasch illustrates this point.

Aranda Lasch has committed a crime. As everyone knows, however, crime pays .”

The clever appropriation of an old modernist saying takes a playful jab at the common theoretic hang-ups of architects while framing Aranda Lasch immediately as mischievous rebellions of the profession. This frame not only makes one smile but also gives weight to Bazar’s article on the experimental work of this avant-garde design studio.

9. Inject Emotion

Architecture is a very emotional profession, as any architect will tell you. But it’s not just about the work in the studio. Great buildings inspire passion, delight and even love. Kengo Kuma identifies the strength of Emotion found in Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP Architects’ work:

Nakamura sings the praises of his beloved. He built a gabled form that looked like a wooden island cottage when he fell for wood. He knew that the best way to express his love for timber was through shape .”

Kuma’s emotive language captures Nakamura’s poetic undercurrents and describes succinctly how they manifest themselves physically within each project.

10. Do it Your Way

There is a strong argument for creative freedom, even though it is important to have a good vocabulary, a clear sentence structure, and succinct writing when writing about architecture. Each of us sees the built landscape differently. This can lead to powerful and provocative prose. Ai Weiwei, a Chinese artist who reflects on the role architects played in the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake, is a powerful example.