The hottest Architecture Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

🔅 Lesley Lokko's Architectural Revolution & Kenya's IMF Lifeline

baobabnewsletter • 58 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
🌍 World Politics Architecture Geopolitics Mining Wealth
  1. Lesley Lokko is the first African woman to win the prestigious RIBA gold medal and is revolutionizing the architectural world through academia and diversity.
  2. Kenya received a significant financial boost from the IMF to tackle economic challenges and debts, emphasizing the country's resilience amidst crises.
  3. Red Sea ship diversions due to conflicts in the area have increased fuel demand in African ports, creating congestion and soaring prices.

Little boxes — and they all look just the same

City Hall Watcher • 98 implied HN points • 27 Feb 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Architecture City Planning Urban Design Development Aesthetics
  1. Toronto's architecture is becoming more monotonous due to recent provincial legislation affecting design approvals for buildings.
  2. City Hall is preparing for a by-election to replace Mayor John Tory, with the process set to begin after Pride weekend.
  3. The development pipeline in Toronto has seen a significant increase in proposed residential units, reaching a record high in 2021.
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🗓 Your invitation to weekly craftsmanship topics

🔮 Crafting Tech Teams • 59 implied HN points • 08 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Software Engineering Architecture Design
  1. Weekly craftsmanship topics cover Modern Frontend Engineering Culture and Software Engineering Fundamentals Series. They delve into architecture, design techniques, and XP disciplines.
  2. Upcoming events include discussions on Modern Frontend Development and Object-Oriented Programming systems.
  3. Subscribe to Crafting Tech Teams for a 7-day free trial to access full post archives and continue learning about these topics.

The New API

The API Changelog • 3 implied HN points • 03 Jan 25
🕹 Technology APIs Development Software Integration Architecture
  1. The new API is all about flexibility. It will change itself to fit what users need instead of sticking to old rules.
  2. Users can communicate with the new API using any format or style they like, whether it's REST or GraphQL. It adapts automatically to what makes sense for each user.
  3. Developers won't have to worry about the technical details as much. They can focus on creating useful features because the API will manage itself behind the scenes.

Zombie Buildings

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 339 implied HN points • 11 Aug 22
🎭️ Culture Architecture Urbanism History Art Sociology
  1. Zombie buildings are old structures that remain even after the original buildings are gone. They often have unique stories behind them.
  2. Some examples include columns from demolished churches and schools that have been repurposed or displayed. They serve as reminders of the past.
  3. These remnants show how buildings can have a lasting impact on a city, even if the buildings themselves are no longer standing.

Think Slow, Act Fast

burkhardstubert • 99 implied HN points • 08 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Software Development Project management Architecture Agile methodologies Continuous Delivery
  1. Thinking slowly helps you plan better before jumping into action on projects. It's important to take the time to think through complexities and potential issues.
  2. Projects often fail when teams rush into coding without adequate planning. This can lead to messy products that are hard to maintain and costly to fix.
  3. Effective planning should involve experimentation and iteration, similar to how Pixar develops movies. This approach helps to refine ideas early and reduce risks down the line.

Human Habitrails

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 199 implied HN points • 12 Jan 23
🎭️ Culture Urban planning Architecture History Society Humor
  1. Seattle has a lot of tunnels that help move things like sewage and trains, with over 40 miles of tunnels under the city. These tunnels have been built since the 1880s and include some famous ones like the Lake City Trunk Sewer.
  2. Many pedestrian tunnels exist in Seattle, connecting different buildings and areas. Some of these tunnels are accessible and can help people navigate safely without going outside.
  3. There's a lot of talk about secret tunnels in Seattle, especially in Chinatown, but many of these stories are more myth than fact. However, there are still some interesting historical stories about tunnels used for transporting goods.

The Wells of Venice

Of All Trades • 12 implied HN points • 10 Feb 25
💾 History Engineering Architecture Urban planning
  1. Venice faced a big problem getting fresh water because it is surrounded by saltwater. To solve this, the people invented clever rainwater cisterns and wells.
  2. The Venetian wells used a special system that filtered rainwater to keep it clean. This made clean drinking water available despite the challenges of their environment.
  3. These historical wells show human creativity in solving problems. They remind us that, even without modern technology, people in the past found smart ways to adapt to their surroundings.

#109 Make do and mend

Design Lobster • 299 implied HN points • 16 May 22
🪑 Design Restoration Creativity Architecture Quotes
  1. Repairing and maintaining items can lead to creative and bold outcomes, reinventing things in original ways.
  2. Fixes and repairs can actually enhance designs, making them more beautiful and functional.
  3. Design is often about redesign, inheriting previous design choices and revisiting them with new perspectives and intentions.

Why Cities?

The New Urban Order • 79 implied HN points • 31 May 23
🎭️ Culture Urbanism City life Architecture Community History
  1. The narrative around cities and urban living is evolving, with a renewed focus on improving quality of life and addressing why people choose to live in cities today.
  2. Major cities are facing challenges as online cultural offerings and retail experiences compete with the unique aspects of city living, emphasizing the need for cities to enhance their distinct urban forms and community connections.
  3. Investing in public transit, affordable housing, historic architecture, and community spaces are vital for cities to attract and retain residents, especially essential workers, and maintain a sense of place and connection in a rapidly changing world.

A Transient Time Capsule

Iterare • 78 implied HN points • 24 Mar 23
🏝 Travel Adventure History Exploration Architecture
  1. Visiting historical sites can provide a sense of perspective on the transient nature of life and legacy
  2. Embrace the present moment and cherish the memories created, as they are unique and fleeting
  3. Our actions may not leave a lasting impact beyond a few generations, so focus on making meaningful memories in the present

Infrastructure and Business Logic in Serverless: Exploring the Relationship

The Serverless Mindset • 78 implied HN points • 14 Jul 23
🕹 Technology Infrastructure Serverless Development Architecture
  1. Finding the right balance between infrastructure and business logic in serverless architecture is crucial.
  2. Serverless offers a sweet spot between simplicity and control, allowing for understanding and informed decision-making by developers.
  3. The relationship between infrastructure and business logic in serverless architectures is complex, and finding the right balance is key to creating scalable and resilient systems.

Apple Boylston Street

Tabletops • 78 implied HN points • 02 May 23
💼 Business Retail Construction Architecture Technology History
  1. Apple's store designs appear effortless and are iconic in urban settings.
  2. The process of building an Apple store involves overcoming obstacles like public approval and construction delays.
  3. Apple Boylston Street is unique and was the largest store in the U.S. at the time, showcasing distinctive architectural features.

Mirage at Apple Park

Tabletops • 78 implied HN points • 05 Jun 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Sculpture Architecture Design Visual Arts
  1. Mirage at Apple Park is a public sculpture made of cast-glass pillars from deserts worldwide, creating a stunning visual during the day and a gentle glow at night.
  2. Apple Battersea in London is Apple's 40th store in the UK and is located in a redevelopment area with offices and apartments.
  3. Apple Watch Pride Edition is celebrated in stores with new displays featuring colorful geometric shapes, and Apple Camp offers kids aged 8-12 a chance to design inventions on iPad.

#114 Sunshine design ☀️

Design Lobster • 239 implied HN points • 25 Jul 22
🪑 Design Architecture User Interface
  1. Anisotropic design describes virtual objects with appearances that change based on viewing angles, potentially revolutionizing user interfaces.
  2. In architecture, utilizing features like rotating roof-light covers can transform everyday actions like adjusting light into magical experiences.
  3. Great design, like well-placed sunlight on a building, has the power to enhance and reveal beauty in the environment, much like other forms of art.

Unpacking Okta's Tech Architecture | Monica Bajaj - VP Developer Experience & Mark T. Voelker - VP Architecture at Okta

platocommunity • 39 implied HN points • 01 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Architecture Engineering Tech stack Scaling Documentation
  1. Okta believes in leveling up both the tech stack and the people stack for successful architecture.
  2. The Architecture Charter at Okta involves setting clear guardrails and handholds to empower engineers to make informed decisions.
  3. Writing things down, utilizing frameworks like RFCs and Requests for Discussion, is crucial for communication and knowledge sharing in the organization.

Lobster long-read #2: Digital Mannerism

Design Lobster • 698 implied HN points • 15 Dec 20
🪑 Design Architecture Typography Modernism
  1. Design in digital interfaces has evolved from skeuomorphism to flat design to neumorphism, combining elements of the real world with digital aesthetics.
  2. The history of architectural movements like Modernism and Post-modernism can provide insights into the evolution of digital design trends, such as Flat Design and the potential for a Digital Baroque.
  3. Current trends in neumorphism in interface design show a shift towards expressive and 3D elements within the constraints of digital screens, akin to the principles of architectural Mannerism.

📩 Your invite to the live streams—Wed: Tailwind Thu: Refactoring

🔮 Crafting Tech Teams • 39 implied HN points • 22 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Livestreams Software Engineering Architecture
  1. There are live streams on Wednesdays focusing on Tailwind and on Thursdays with Software Engineering Fundamentals Series.
  2. The streams cover fundamentals of architecture and design techniques, with plans to delve into XP disciplines in February.
  3. Upcoming events include live coding sessions on NextJS, React, and Tailwind, as well as discussions on the Economics of Refactoring.

Demystifying API Gateways: What They Are & Why They Matter

Engineering At Scale • 75 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🕹 Technology APIs Microservices Architecture Security Performance
  1. API Gateway acts as an intermediary in microservices, handling client requests, and routing them to the appropriate microservices, simplifying communication for clients.
  2. API Gateway enhances security by authenticating and authorizing requests, provides rate-limiting to prevent attacks, and improves performance through caching and protocol conversion.
  3. Downsides of API Gateways include increased latency due to an extra hop, potential single point of failure, and added complexity to the system architecture.

The Imitation Shame

Cosmographia • 119 implied HN points • 03 Dec 22
🏝 Travel City Architecture
  1. The post discusses the contrast between different architectural styles in Budapest, showcasing a mix of Baroque, Communist Brutalism, Neo-Classical, and Neo-Gothic.
  2. The visuals shared in the post provide a glimpse of Budapest's rich architectural history and its evolution over time.
  3. The article is accessible to paid subscribers, indicating exclusive content and benefits for those who subscribe to the platform.

Starting off 2024: Invitations for Soft skills & OOP Encapsulation

🔮 Crafting Tech Teams • 39 implied HN points • 02 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Engineering Soft skills Design Architecture
  1. The focus for 2024 is on developing human and soft skills alongside Software Engineering Fundamentals, starting with architecture and design techniques.
  2. The XP disciplines will be covered in February, building on the foundational knowledge of architecture and design.
  3. The importance of human skills alongside technical skills in technology will be discussed in an upcoming stream on Jan 3rd.

Google Cloud's Core Principles of System Design [System Design sundays]

Technology Made Simple • 59 implied HN points • 04 Sep 23
🕹 Technology System Design Cloud Computing Documentation Architecture
  1. A robust system design should be secure, reliable, scalable, and independent, allowing for iterative changes without disruption.
  2. Document everything to help visualize deployments, collaborate effectively, and guide future design decisions.
  3. Simplify system design, use fully managed services, decouple architecture, and strive for a stateless architecture to improve reliability and scalability.

5 Fresh Cities I'm Watching

The New Urban Order • 59 implied HN points • 14 Sep 23
🏝 Travel Cities Urbanism Architecture Culture Design
  1. The author is following five fresh cities for their urban development and innovative approaches.
  2. These cities include a North American city repurposing vacant office buildings, an Eastern European city with a dynamic mayor focusing on city design, an Asian megacity with unique urban planning narratives, a city challenging London to become the U.K.'s cultural hub, and an African city undergoing transformation with pedestrianization and tech sector growth.
  3. The author's work revolves around exploring cities with forward-thinking mayors and unique urban development models.

Lesson Plan: Model Home

The Field Trip Newsletter • 58 implied HN points • 17 Apr 23
🚌 Education Geography Art Architecture Design Literature
  1. The lesson plan focuses on teaching children about different housing styles around the world
  2. Children are encouraged to create a blueprint design of their own home and build a model home from another part of the world
  3. Additional ideas include hosting a mini film festival, studying global weather patterns, and building structures from around the world

Prism Lights

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 239 implied HN points • 26 May 22
🎭️ Culture Architecture History Urbanism Art Light
  1. Prism lights were created after the Great Fire of 1889 in Seattle to bring light to underground spaces under sidewalks. They were designed to let natural light into these areas.
  2. There are thousands of prism lights in Seattle, especially in the Pioneer Square area, but many are damaged or replaced by hard materials. This shows how important it is to preserve these historical features.
  3. Prism lights can also be found in other cities like London and New York, dating back to the late 1800s. However, modern building owners often cover them up because it's cheaper than keeping them intact.

🔮 E05: The Future of Edge AI: "Brain-inspired" Neuromorphic Computing

Let Us Face the Future • 178 implied HN points • 23 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Research Hardware Architecture Market Trends
  1. Neuromorphic computing is inspired by the biological brain and integrates memory and processing, leading to more efficient computing systems.
  2. Neuromorphic chip designs are expected to win 20% of the edge AI hardware market by 2030.
  3. RRAM development is crucial for viable neuromorphic chip production, enabling cost-effective fabrication and addressing memory technology requirements.

5 Historic Quirks to Spot in... the Olympic Park

Londonist: Time Machine • 39 implied HN points • 24 Nov 23
🏝 Travel Historical Landmarks Architecture
  1. Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park has many unique and interesting architectural features like the pringle-shaped velodrome and the Orbit tower.
  2. The park also contains lesser-known historic quirks and hidden spots worth exploring.
  3. To learn more about the 5 historic quirks in the Olympic Park, consider subscribing to Londonist for a 7-day free trial.

At First You Don't Succeed

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 119 implied HN points • 17 Nov 22
💾 History Urban Development Architecture Engineering Photography Local history
  1. Building projects can face lots of unexpected problems, like the Montlake Cut in Seattle, which had issues with the ground underneath.
  2. Sometimes things just don't work out on the first try, as seen when workers had to build new cofferdams multiple times before finally succeeding.
  3. Patience and safety are important, especially in big projects, as rushing can lead to dangerous situations for workers.

VFYW: A False Flag Operation

The Weekly Dish • 49 implied HN points • 27 Jan 24
🏝 Travel Destination Architecture Culture Photography Adventure
  1. The View From Your Window contest featured a diverse range of animals and hints from different parts of the world.
  2. Participants shared personal anecdotes related to their travels to India, and memories connected to past contest locations.
  3. Sleuths analyzed clues in a submitted photo, deciphering that the location was in New Zealand despite some misleading elements.