Alan Gordon

London

Production Editor at The Architects' Journal

Production Editor at The Architects' Journal

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Articles

Sketchbook: Rory Chisholm

2 months ago | architectsjournal.co.uk | Alan Gordon |Rory Chisholm

Nailed to my living room wall is a piece of paper that’s bigger than the door it’s next to. The last large drawing I whittled away at lived in the middle of the floor for over a year; now there’s a one-year-old in the house this drawing has fled to the safety of higher ground. I’m in pursuit of ways to introduce primal architecture back into the contemporary city.
Architecture doesn’t have to be an old man’s (or old woman’s) game

Feb 19, 2025 | architectsjournal.co.uk | Toko Andrews |Alan Gordon

There’s one lecture that sticks in my memory from my time as an undergrad at architecture school. It was on professional practice in my second year and I remember it clearly. The lecturer stood in front of the assembled students and said: ‘If you’re interested in making money, then architecture is the wrong career for you.
Why is Labour failing to join the dots on housing delivery and the climate?

Jan 28, 2025 | architectsjournal.co.uk | Martha Dillon |Alan Gordon

By posting online a New Year’s ‘to-do’ list (pictured) with only six tasks on it, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) was asking for trouble. It could have been written at any point in the past 100 years. Dealing with structural injustices, boosting housebuilding and tackling poor housing quality are longstanding concerns. But times have changed and MHCLG doesn’t seem to be keeping up.
Last year’s resolution was to buy no new clothes. This year, I’m networking

Jan 20, 2025 | architectsjournal.co.uk | Toko Andrews |Alan Gordon

January is here, and with it comes the perfect opportunity to reflect on the year just gone and look ahead to what’s next. We architects thrive on cycles: concept to completion, review to reinvention. The start of a new year is a chance to look ahead to what’s coming, but also to pat yourself on the back for what went right. Big or small, I hope you take a moment to celebrate your 2024 wins. This January, I’m revelling in a bit of self-congratulation.
Three ways to demonstrate your value to clients

Jan 1, 2025 | architectsjournal.co.uk | Alan Gordon

Maybe their assumption was based on a cliché or a half-heard anecdote, and you probably didn’t completely correct them.It’s not their fault. Architects have a communication problem; we struggle to explain what we really do and how we do it. In a recent piece, I argued that architects should challenge the relentless pursuit of convenience and suggested that one antidote might be to better showcase our processes, warts and all. But how does one do that exactly?
Sketchbook: Richard Parr

Nov 25, 2024 | architectsjournal.co.uk | Richard Parr |Alan Gordon

You never really know something unless you look at it. For me looking involves examining and recording and it’s the eye … to hand … to paper which is the only successful medium. Taking a photo is not the same. Doodling I do while I am in meetings, on a call, or meandering through thoughts. Concise and quick, it often forms the basis of a project. I have a very three-dimensional mind and I explore spatially as I work.
The Secret Architect: Somewhere, over the rainbow

Oct 30, 2024 | architectsjournal.co.uk | Alan Gordon

‘So, when you say: “Figure out a concept design …” you mean, like, right now? From scratch?’We’re nine weeks into a 15-week process and I’m just double-checking I’ve understood my remit. The Associate Director presses his lips shut in an apologetic grimace, like we’re strangers passing in a hospital corridor. ‘Yeah, we just need something we can work with?
Sketchbook: Dimitris Argyros

Oct 30, 2024 | architectsjournal.co.uk | Dimitris Argyros |Alan Gordon

I am an architect, academic and researcher. A significant part of my job as an architect at Haptic and as a design tutor at UCL is to quickly communicate ideas to students, clients, engineers and consultants. Most projects I work on are complex, within large collaborative teams, so communication is paramount. Words can be open to misinterpretation. Drawings, digital and physical models are the most accurate ways to represent a spatial proposal. However, they take time to produce.
The Secret Architect: AI, take the wheel

Oct 13, 2024 | architectsjournal.co.uk | Alan Gordon

Source:&nbsp ShutterstockThe Secret Architect is wondering whether the daily ‘concept development’ Teams call is time well spent It’s not easy being a director. Not me, obviously, can you imagine? But I do feel for should-jump-before-he-gets-pushed Founding Director #2. He’s had a good run.
Student sketchbook: Siha Salim

Oct 10, 2024 | architectsjournal.co.uk | Alan Gordon |Siha Salim

I sketch to give my ideas physical life. We all perceive the world in a unique and multifaceted manner. My sketches serve as a manifestation of my thoughts. My subject matter is largely random, from capturing my father mid-stride, to observing my sister engaged in the most mundane tasks. Sketching allows me to discern details that often escape a cursory glance. How is her hand positioned? Does her hair fall into her face? Does his arm extend past his feet? How does that beam connect?