Unfrozen

Daniel Safarik

5.0 (7)
Design
Updated Weekly

A podcast on architecture and urbanism.

Jul 6

124. Lost in Translation

Intro/Outro: “Kaze Wo Atsumete,” by Happy End Discussed: PittsburghMark HouserUnfrozen 81: Houser + Hytha = HighrisesCathedral of LearningThe Pittsburgh AgreementRichard Florida’s “Eds and Meds” theoriesPittsburgh Regional Transit’s former interurban trolley linesThe InclinesTokyoThanks, Points Guy!Shinjuku Park Tower / Park Hyatt (Kenzo Tange, 1994)Lost in Translation, Sofia Coppola, 2003Midtown Tower (SOM, 2007)Roppongi Hills (KPF, 2003)Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (Kenzo Tange, 1991)Imperial Hotel – Frank Lloyd Wright, 1922-1967; Mitsui Fudosan, 1970-present; next edition coming soon-ishHotel Okura (Yoshiro Tanaguchi, 1962-2019; Taisei Corp. 2019-present)Hong KongM+ (Herzog & De Meuron, 2XXX)Eric ChenShirley SuryaArchigram ArchivesNakagin Capsule TowerEric Ho, via Greg’s “Hacking the City: A New Model for Urban Renewal,” The New Republic, 10 December 2015Sao PauloDan’s Vertical Urbanism article on his tripCracolandiaJapan > Brazil polestarFasano Hotel Sao Paulo (Isay Weinfeld)Hotel Unique (Ruy Ohtake)SESC Pompeia (Lina Bo Bardi, 1986)KPF Tech WeekUpcoming Greg Lindsay / Brian Boyer White Paper for University of Michigan on “Chain Drain”Autodesk: time wasted communicating about constructionNavigant survey on RFIsMcKinsey survey on construction costsArgues for the need for a standard of governance and/or quality Can/should we Wal-martize our A/E/C supply chain?Pokemon Go’s 10th anniversary: 6 July 2026EU Digital Product PassportsLocal Law 97270 Park AvenueNYRA 50th Edition: Goldberger vs KrotovJamie Dimon’s back to office call – is any data being collected?Brian Potter, Construction Physics: “Welcome to Another Day in Katerra-dise” 9 June 2021Anori (born from Google X, The Moonshot Factory) and BIM 2.0The Lacaton & Vassal Model: Just Don’t Build ItGoogle repurposing lumber from the Moffett Field blimp hangars for its building in The Dalles, OregonFlorida + BCG: Rise of the Urban Knowledge CampusMass Design: Alan RicksHa/f Climate Design: Kelly Alvarez DoranBobby Fijan, American Housing Corp.WeWorkPhil Kirschner : The WorklineCanoaSidewalk TorontoThe Baumol Cost Disease EffectNiantic SpatialKeyhole (In-Q-Tel)Greg’s next appearance: FWD50 7 July 2026
May 27

123. Buttafuoco's Quandary: Pregaming the 2027 Biennale

-- Intro/Outro: “Got to Do It,” by Andrew W.K. -- Discussed: Amateur Architecture Studio: Wang Shu and Liu WenyuA surreal and uncanny live translation of the press announcement. Sample sentences, per AI:“Then tell your ego can contribute to tie your to the total, one lie or toggle lie or drone gorgeous, so it will usually kind of boil in here.”“So it a general fish on the Gita woman sound lion eating the Minion, and Villa means young Jewish show that comes in the currency.”“Yes, we shall defund the pushes away, and the way this would come dark.”Is this the China-max Biennale?Marco Polo reference (visited Hangzhou in 1275)Shades of Lacaton & Vassal, curators of the 2018 BiennaleShades of, and throwing shade at, Mindfulness City from the 2025 editionComplexity of taking on the US Pavilion responsibility in this timelineThe 2025 edition, PORCH: An Architecture of GenerosityOur somewhat lame attempt at Fantasy Biennale:Post-warfare architecture / rebuilding schemes from Ukraine or Gaza?One source of ideas: Constructing Hope: Ukraine | Chicago Architecture CenterExpected returnees:Francis KereLacaton & VassalProbably not Ma YansongProbably not Ai WeiweiQuestion mark over Russia and Israel pavilions, which were unoccupied and closed for renovations, respectively, in 2025The 2026 Art Biennale debacleDeath of curator Koyo KuohNo Golden Lions for nations accused of war crimesPotential Greg- and Michèle Champagne-led activation: EU-CAN Alliance:Greg: Classic OMA-AMO content, shitposting, that kind of thing. Michele: An alliance around new Bauhaus principles concerning housing.Exclusive first right of refusal obtained for Mind Enterprises performanceWill the menagerie of pavilions make space for protest and dialogue around the more controversial entrants?Sorkin’s take on the Rafi Segal-designed Israeli National Library and its cancellationAustrian pavilion bridge to the adjoining neighborhoodVenezia FCClosing of current arena on the Venetian lagoon, Stadio Pier Luigi PenzoOpening of a new stadium in MestreEnter the Canadians:Major investment from DrakeNew management from Toronto FCGiuseppe Saputo (Quebecois) owns Bologna FCFlashback to episode 119, Paul Goldberger’s interview and comments on the politics of sports and their arenasComo FC
May 4

122. All-American City

-- Intro/Outro: “Ya Got Trouble,” by Robert Preston (Original Cast Recording of “The Music Man”) - Discussed: “All-American City: Bluster, Boom and Bust in Wichita,” by Chase M. Billingham “The Midwest Revival: A Well-Kept Secret,” Alan Arenhold, in Governing, April 21, 2026 Unfrozen 118, “Migrant Midwest” Unfrozen 108, “NORTH” The Chisholm Trail Cessna Beechcraft Stearman Aircraft The Coleman Company White Castle Pizza Hut Spirit AeroSystems Wichita’s non-annexation agreement with the Aerospace Industrial District, renewed 2021 Overview | Aerospace | Industry... | Greater Wichita Partnership Rise of the Creative Class, by Richard Florida The Cheesecake Factory arrives in Wichita – stop the presses Jack De Boer Gilbert and Mosley chemical bloom,1986 “The Minnesota Guys” – David G. Lundberg and Michael Elzufon- Arrest for fraud “Harvard-educated” James Chung: 2015 Focus Forward Marshall Murdock and the Wichita Eagle “The City as a Growth Machine: Towards a Political Economy of Place,” (1976) by Harvey Molotch “Urban Fortunes,” (1987), Harvey Molotch and John Logan Markus Moos, University of Waterloo: “Youthification” Tulsa Remote Program Choose Topeka Program Modern Romance, by Aziz Ansari and Eric Kleinenberg Century II (1970), by John M. Hickman Wichita Public Library (1967), by Schaefer, Schirmer & Eflin Naftzger Park (2019 edition, Garver) Naftzger Park (1979 edition)
Apr 27

121. Dwelling on Earth

Intro/Outro: “Here on Earth,” by Love and Rockets -- “Dwelling on Earth,” by Stefan Al“Supertall,” by Stefan AlUnfrozen 29, “‘Al’ in on Supertalls”Etymology of “oikonomia” = “economy” in ancient GreekThe Nebelivka Hypothesis“The Poetics of Space,” by Gaston BachelardPierre Bordeau’s theory of “habitus”The Roman insulae“The Island at the Center of the World,” by Russell ShortoAngkor WatLidar scanningMesopotamia’s use of plaster leading to deforestationThe Frankfurt KitchenCommunal living at TU DelftBosco Verticale, MilanMjostarnet, Brummundal, NorwayICON Technology3D printing on the Moon
Apr 11

120. Lunch on a Beam

Intro: “Stop the Rock,” by Apollo 440 -- Discussed: “Lunch on a Beam: The Making of an American Photograph,” by Christine Roussel“The Art of Rockefeller Center,” by Christine RousselRockefeller Center historyTishman Speyer acquired in 2000Nelson RockefellerJohn D. Rockefeller Jr.The Ludlow MassacreJohn R. ToddRaymond HoodWallace HarrisonAndrew ReinhardDelirious New York (Rem Koolhaas) and “Manhattanism”Empire State (Empty State) BuildingIvy LeeMerle CrowellCharles Clyde EbbettsThomas KelleyWilliam LeftwichOccupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), est. 1971
Mar 31

119. Mussolini's Ballroom, or, The Leopards Ate My Face

Intro: “S.P.Q.R.” by This Heat Discussed: Paul Goldberger “Trump Will Destroy Washington if It’s the Last Thing He Does,” New York Times, March 13, 2026 More Times analysis on the White House ballroom plans Godwin’s Law Albert Speer Benjamin Latrobe Alternate venues, that would not require a new ballroom at the White House: National Building MuseumMellon AuditoriumMoynihan Train Hall Saarinen's Dulles Airport design “Fedlandia” – a plan to rebuild 230 acres of Federal downtown Washington East Potomac Golf Links Trump takeover plan, and the resistance National Garden of American Heroes Christopher Columbus statue, Baltimore White House ballroom architects James McCreryShalom BaranesArc de Trump – Justin Shubow Suit against Kennedy Center renovations Mamdani’s Trump-whispering to get funding for the Sunnyside Yards overbuild Dulles Airport overhaul proposals Original Dulles Airport mobile lounges John Foster Dulles Trump offer to release Gateway Tunnel funds in exchange for naming Penn Station after him Renaming of Palm Beach airport, after Trump Renovation and expansion of the US Embassy in Delhi, India (Edward Durell Stone > Weiss Manfredi) Penn Station reconstruction under Trump: Move Madison Square Garden?AECOM joint venture to lead project managementASTM + HOK + PAU Plan: Keep MSG, remove Hulu TheaterMoynihan Train Hall Ballpark: Baseball in the American City FIFA Sites include: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MAArrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MOSoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CAAT&T Stadium, Arlington, TXChuck Klosterman: “Football” as a “hyperobject” Milan San Siro (Stadio Giuseppe Meazza) NY Jets plan for West Side stadium Upcoming Goldberger book (11/17/2026): “The Imperfect City: Design, Serendipity, and the Real Life of Cities” -- Outro: “The Leopards Ate My Face,” by Franchesca Ramsey
Mar 30

118. Migrant Midwest

Intro/Outro: “America,” by Neil Diamond -- Discussed: Jonathan Burkham Migrant Midwest Ed Glaeser – “Human Capital Follows the Thermometer,” New York Times, April 19, 2011 Civic Federation’s report “Chicago's Budget Growth: 2019–2025” Minneapolis’ resilience and defense of its Somali community against ICE raids Springfield, Ohio – myths and realities about its Haitian population Milwaukee – population trends 1960-2024 Michigan governor Rick Snyder’s 2014 call for 50,000 visas Michigan’s population growth, 2021-2025 Nick Reding, “Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town” Canadian Provincial Nominee Program Backlash to the CPNP + no housing growth Canada’s population decline – 102,000 in 2025, the first since Confederation in 1867 Allan Mallach – Smaller Cities in a Shrinking World – Unfrozen 61 Jesse Keenan – North – Unfrozen 108 “Climate-proof Duluth” Daryl Fairweather, Redfin chief economist, new resident of Williams Bay, WI National Association of Realtors migration trends 2024
Mar 21

117. The Death and Life of Gentrification

Intro/Outro: “Depreston,” by Courtney Barnett -- Discussed: Japonica Brown-Saracino The Death and Life of Gentrification: A New Map of a Persistent Idea The Gentrification Debates Explicating Divided Approaches to Gentrification and Growing Income Inequality Sarah Schulman: The Gentrification of the Mind Ruth Glass and the coining of “Gentrification” as a term in 1964 Jane Jacobs: The Death and Life of Great American Cities Robert Goldman: Renovating Value: HGTV and the Spectacle of Gentrification Sharon Zukin: Naked City: The Death and Life of Authentic Urban Places Neil Smith: The Rent-Gap Theory Vida Gentefied The Curse Loretta Lees: Super-Gentrification Wendy Griswold: Regionalism and the Reading Class

5

out of 5

7 Ratings

A podcast on architecture and urbanism.

Creator

Daniel Safarik
Years Active

2021 - 2026
Episodes

124
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2026 Daniel Safarik