George Kafka

Athens, London

Writer at Freelance

Writer, editor and curator looking at architecture and cities. Future Observatory Curator @designmuseum.

Articles

Centre Médico‑Chirurgical in Kaya, Burkina Faso, by Nomos

Oct 2, 2024 | architectural-review.com | Amadou ZEBA |George Kafka

In Kaya, Burkina Faso, Nomos has overseen the expansion of a medical centre using Nubian vaults and banco techniquesIn Kaya, a city in central Burkina Faso, 100km or so from the capital Ouagadougou, a woman has travelled more than 300km to receive treatment at a new medical facility. She has a problem with her foot, and is examined in the Centre Médico‑Chirurgical (CMC) Kaya’s new banco (mud brick) building, completed earlier this year. She is satisfied with her treatment.
Life lesson: Le Vau Pavilion in Paris, France, by L’Atelier Senzu

Sep 30, 2024 | architectural-review.com | George Kafka

L’Atelier Senzu’s pedagogical pavilion is the first loadbearing rammed earth building in Paris‘For rammed earth, you always need good boots and a good hat.’ David Dottelonde of L’Atelier Senzu is not providing safety advice for construction workers, but explaining the visible exterior elements of Pavillon Le Vau, a charmingly squat structure nestled in the forecourt of the École Élémentaire Publique Le Vau, in eastern Paris.
Untapped - Marianne Krogh

Sep 6, 2024 | untappedjournal.com | Marianne Thode Krogh |George Kafka |Clayton Aldern

Not long ago, I worked closely with the architect Søren Pihlmann when he was transforming a villa just north of Copenhagen. I was the client, he was the architect, and, because architecture is also my field—I am an art historian, writer, and curator—we decided to frame our collaboration as a project where we both would both contribute to the processes essential for its artistic development.
Sometimes, Democratic Design Doesn’t “Look” Like Anything

Aug 26, 2024 | untappedjournal.com | Zach Mortice |Shane Reiner-Roth |Michael Webb |George Kafka

There is a lesser-known shadow twin to Daniel Burnham’s epic 1909 Plan of Chicago, which synthesized many elements of contemporary urbanism we have come to expect from cities: comprehensive parks and highway systems, an orderly street grid, preserving the city’s waterfront as a public amenity, and coherent neighborhood-scaled civic centers.
What Does Your Home Say About You?

Aug 19, 2024 | untappedjournal.com | Shane Reiner-Roth |Michael Webb |George Kafka |A Thread

In the early 1960s, the Better Homes & Gardens Decorating Book was a common guide for “homemakers,” the primarily female cohort sustaining the single-family homes that dotted the suburban American landscape. “It’s your home,” the interior design catalog assured its audience.
Is Building Better Cities a Dream Within Reach?

Aug 12, 2024 | untappedjournal.com | Michael Webb |George Kafka |A Thread |Alexandra Lange

Enrique Peñalosa Londoño is a pragmatic politician who combines idealism with a firm grasp on reality. He was twice elected mayor of Bogotá, the fast-growing capital of Colombia, and fought special interests to transform it for the better.
The Value of Unbuilt Buildings

Aug 4, 2024 | untappedjournal.com | George Kafka |A Thread |Alexandra Lange |Ian Volner

“We don’t receive many awards,” says Pier Vittorio Aureli, taking to the lectern at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) alongside Martino Tattara, with whom he founded the architecture practice Dogma, in 2002. Dogma was the recipient of the 2023 RIBA Charles Jencks Award, which is named after the late influential theorist and architect Charles Jencks and that is awarded annually to architects for making a significant contribution to theory and practice in architecture.
The Perils of the Landscapes We Make

May 6, 2024 | untappedjournal.com | Karrie Jacobs |Jarrett Fuller |Eva Hagberg |George Kafka

Roughly a decade ago, I interviewed an engineer named David Winter about the trio of newly constructed hills on Governors Island. Today the hills, thick with vegetation, look like they’ve always been there.
Using Simple Tools as a Radical Act of Independence

Apr 29, 2024 | untappedjournal.com | Jarrett Fuller |Eva Hagberg |George Kafka |Mimi Zeiger

A few months ago, I needed to make some changes to my website. What started as simple content edits—updating my biography, adding projects to my portfolio—quickly spiraled into a bigger project. New content types required new templates. My website is hand-built; I don’t use a content management system or an off-the-shelf-platform. Before I knew it, I was staying up late, rethinking the content architecture from the ground up.
Why Can’t I Just Go Home?

Apr 29, 2024 | untappedjournal.com | Eva Hagberg |George Kafka |Mimi Zeiger |Marianela D’Aprile

I recently counted the number of places I’ve lived in since I graduated from college, 20 years ago, and the number is 31. The list includes entries like “Park Slope random apartment I forgot about,” “tent,” “Eastern Parkway with ex-husband,” and “Eastern Parkway alone.” The last two are listed separately because they were wildly and incontrovertibly different places, even as they may have shared the same geographic location and the same four walls.