Sam Jacob
"Alongside every dream home is its nightmare twin"
Opinion: fiction is essential reading for architects because it explores ideas about homes and buildings that are "normally repressed," argues Sam Jacob in this latest column. More
"These flip flops are politics disguised as leisurewear"
Opinion: in this week's column, Sam Jacob investigates how flip flops from a street market have taken their place alongside placards and banners as objects of protest in the recent Bangkok election demonstrations. More
"Architecture might have to become less architectural"
Opinion: in his latest column, Sam Jacob argues that architects "might have to learn from communications agencies, advertising and design" in order to regain the social significance they once enjoyed. More
"Christmas decorations are winter as skeuomorphism"
Opinion: Sam Jacob argues that as climate change pushes the reality of winter further from the idealised version that appears in Christmas decorations, they begin to represent "a hangover of a vanishing idea remade through other technologies." More
"It's time to refigure the design problem of the London street"
Opinion: as a sixth cyclist dies in London in two weeks, Sam Jacob argues that roads should be designed "in a way that incorporates intelligence as well as brute engineering" and asks:" "Who is the city for?" More
"The history of human culture is written not in text but in objects"
Opinion: in his latest Opinion column, Sam Jacob argues that objects tell us more about ourselves than literature or imagery and sets out his manifesto for "a culture of design informed by archeology and anthropology". More
"The digital is a lens through which we can view the entire history of design"
Opinion: in his latest column, Sam Jacob argues that hyper-realistic environments created by digital games like The Room give us a new perspective on the history of design. More
"The beach is part of the same landscape as the city"
Opinion: after returning from a two-week break, Sam Jacob reflects on the phenomenon of the modern beach holiday and argues that it is just as artificial as everyday working life in the city. More
"We are surrounded by zombie architecture"
Opinion: Sam Jacob argues against the resurrection of Crystal Palace in London and urges us to "resist the pull of loss and nostalgia". More
"Protest by way of marketing prevents us achieving anything"
Opinion: in this week's column Sam Jacob argues against what he calls PRotest, proposing that new forms of outcry through marketing and the media are confusing and "only make us more alienated". More
"Cute nostalgia sits strangely with Brutalism"
Opinion: Sam Jacob ponders the paradox of solid, concrete Brutalist architecture printed onto soft furnishings in this week's column. More
"Cities are being redrawn according to Google's world view"
Opinion: in the second of two columns exploring the impact of digital culture on design, Sam Jacob looks at how Google Maps is reshaping cities while Apple, Facebook and Amazon are reshaping the natural landscape by building their own headquarters as self-contained ecosystems. More
"Prism is the dark side of design thinking"
Opinion: in the first of two columns about the impact of digital culture on design, Sam Jacob asks what America's Prism surveillance program tells us about design thinking. More
"There's no fun, no risk and no imagination in luxury design"
Opinion: instead of serving up "mundane and predictable" cliches, the world of luxury design should be tempting us with things we never knew we wanted, argues Sam Jacob in his latest column. More
"The Hot Dog Stuffed Crust Pizza is a product of the zeitgeist"
Opinion: a pizza crust stuffed with a hot dog could be the ultimate expression of contemporary design culture, suggests Sam Jacob in this week's opinion column. More
"Money acts as a piece of national pageantry"
Opinion: as the Bank of England unveils the design of its new £5 note, Sam Jacob ponders the historic and cultural symbolism of money in this week's opinion column. More
"Architectural education must change"
Opinion: in this week's column Sam Jacob argues that architectural education is in crisis and must become more accessible. More
"Extending copyright for design condemns us to mid-century modernism"
Opinion: in his latest Opinion column, Sam Jacob argues that the UK government's plans to extend the copyright term for design "protect existing interests instead of promoting innovation". More
"There’s no column in the spreadsheet for ideology"
Opinion: in this week's column, Sam Jacob argues that great architecture can't be evaluated in terms of money or cultural entertainment, but must "speak directly to ideology and love". More
"Unboxing videos represent a form of design criticism"
Opinion: in this week's column, Sam Jacob explains why YouTube movies of consumers ritualistically unpacking their purchases "bring a sharp eye to the designed world". More