#203: THE DESIGN ROUNDTABLE ASSEMBLES

March 21, 2025

As a young architect, I didn’t find much mentorship, collaboration or community—nor much support, professionally or personally. Perhaps it was the roaring 80s and sluggish 90s, and the invasive competitive nature of our industry—the egos and ambition. Yes, even an architect of merely 25 years can carry an entitled, though misguided, bulk of arrogance.

Recently, I looked at my cohorts, and simply thought this: We are colleagues, not competitors. Based on this, I founded the Design Roundtable.

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#202: TO BE OR NOT TO BE CONTEXTUAL

February 28, 2025

Context is discussed often in architecture. A project’s surroundings—whether a fabric of Cape Cod homes, a conglomerate of steel and glass high-rises, or the industrial vibe of a warehouse district—are a critical item on the design agenda. Should the architect mimic this context, use it as a point of departure, or ignore it and stand in protest?

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#200: THE MYTH OF THE MULTI-HYPHENATE

January 31, 2025

For my 200th essay (I congratulate myself for this achievement), I look inward: What does it mean to be accomplished, if one ever is?

J. Lo (as in Jennifer Lopez) is often called a “triple threat” or a more popular label, the “multi-hyphenate”—as in singer-dancer-actress, as in singer hyphen dancer hyphen actress. But I question her multi-use of hyphens.

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#199: JAPANESE DOZEN

January 17, 2025

This past November, I spent 10 days in Japan, my first time. Through a whirlwind of architectural sites, cultural discoveries and culinary adventures—I had the best of times, of which I present here twelve.

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#198: THE MOST COMPELLING BUILDINGS OF 2024

January 3, 2025

2024 was a good year of good work. The ten buildings listed below are forceful architectural designs, hailing from Australia, Belgium, India, Mexico, Spain and the UAE. Four projects are from China, and unintentionally, none from the U.S. Perhaps my tastes for the “best of” lean towards international voices or maybe we American architects need to catch up. Nonetheless, here we go.

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© Poon Design Inc.