Barnabas Calder
@barnabascalder.bsky.social
Historian of #architecture and #energy, at University of Liverpool School of Architecture. Author of Architecture: From Prehistory to Climate Emergency (Pelican, 2021), and Raw Concrete: The Beauty of Brutalism (William Heinemann, 2016).
Pinned
My #books so far. Three more on the way, in various states of incompletion.
#architectureandenergy
#rawconcrete
#architectureandenergy
#rawconcrete
Great to have @tim-waterman.co.uk speaking at Liverpool School of Architecture today. Masses of thought-provoking insights on our perceptions of our planet, and even some hopeful notes, which is quite a hard thing to achieve in January 2026.
January 28, 2026 at 2:57 PM
Great to have @tim-waterman.co.uk speaking at Liverpool School of Architecture today. Masses of thought-provoking insights on our perceptions of our planet, and even some hopeful notes, which is quite a hard thing to achieve in January 2026.
The correct answer was:
January 22, 2026 at 9:46 AM
The correct answer was:
Brilliant to see the BBC picking up Ranald Lawrence and Dean Hawkes' fabulously interesting and important #environmentalhumanities work on #HardwickHall. They measured solar gain to understand Elizabethan comfort tech.
The original articles are hugely worth reading too.
www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...
The original articles are hugely worth reading too.
www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...
'The past is an underused tool': An Elizabethan mansion's secrets for staying warm
In a deadly cold period known as the Little Ice Age, clever Elizabethan designs kept a magnificent stately home unusually warm – with lessons for how we can heat our own homes better.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 18, 2026 at 8:59 AM
Brilliant to see the BBC picking up Ranald Lawrence and Dean Hawkes' fabulously interesting and important #environmentalhumanities work on #HardwickHall. They measured solar gain to understand Elizabethan comfort tech.
The original articles are hugely worth reading too.
www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...
The original articles are hugely worth reading too.
www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...
Did anyone snap the Foster/Holcim Essential Homes prototype at the Venice Biennale 2023? If so might I be able to use your photo for an article? I'm not getting replies to my request for permission.
January 5, 2026 at 2:03 PM
Did anyone snap the Foster/Holcim Essential Homes prototype at the Venice Biennale 2023? If so might I be able to use your photo for an article? I'm not getting replies to my request for permission.
The wonderful @johnczulowskiburns.bsky.social has joined Bluesky! Do give him a follow. He's the architect who produced the digital models of our buildings for #FormFollowsFuel, which enabled us to calculate #embodiedenergy for each of them. Also the stunning cover image.
@florianurban.bsky.social
@florianurban.bsky.social
January 4, 2026 at 9:04 AM
The wonderful @johnczulowskiburns.bsky.social has joined Bluesky! Do give him a follow. He's the architect who produced the digital models of our buildings for #FormFollowsFuel, which enabled us to calculate #embodiedenergy for each of them. Also the stunning cover image.
@florianurban.bsky.social
@florianurban.bsky.social
Reposted by Barnabas Calder
Fav books '25
No particular order, just bangers, no prisoners taken.
* Straw Bale Building Redefined
strawbuildingbooks.com
* Form Follows Fuel
@barnabascalder.bsky.social @florianurban.bsky.social
* Building for People
@holz-bau.bsky.social
* Die Exponentialgesellschaft
@deutschmann.bsky.social
No particular order, just bangers, no prisoners taken.
* Straw Bale Building Redefined
strawbuildingbooks.com
* Form Follows Fuel
@barnabascalder.bsky.social @florianurban.bsky.social
* Building for People
@holz-bau.bsky.social
* Die Exponentialgesellschaft
@deutschmann.bsky.social
December 1, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Fav books '25
No particular order, just bangers, no prisoners taken.
* Straw Bale Building Redefined
strawbuildingbooks.com
* Form Follows Fuel
@barnabascalder.bsky.social @florianurban.bsky.social
* Building for People
@holz-bau.bsky.social
* Die Exponentialgesellschaft
@deutschmann.bsky.social
No particular order, just bangers, no prisoners taken.
* Straw Bale Building Redefined
strawbuildingbooks.com
* Form Follows Fuel
@barnabascalder.bsky.social @florianurban.bsky.social
* Building for People
@holz-bau.bsky.social
* Die Exponentialgesellschaft
@deutschmann.bsky.social
The great @milesglendinning.bsky.social has joined bluesky! Please follow him if you're interested in #housing, #heritage and #architecturalhistory.
November 27, 2025 at 7:42 AM
The great @milesglendinning.bsky.social has joined bluesky! Please follow him if you're interested in #housing, #heritage and #architecturalhistory.
Reposted by Barnabas Calder
Malcolm Fraser architect backs keeping Argyle House, Edinburgh. Redevelop don't demolish. #brutalist #architecture
@barnabascalder.bsky.social
#embodiedcarbon
@barnabascalder.bsky.social
#embodiedcarbon
In an open letter shared with The Edinburgh Minute, architect Malcolm Fraser, known for his work on the Scottish Poetry Library, Scottish Storytelling Centre, DanceBase and Dovecot Studios, argues against plans to demolish Argyle House: www.edinburghminute.com/three-reason...
November 15, 2025 at 9:12 AM
Malcolm Fraser architect backs keeping Argyle House, Edinburgh. Redevelop don't demolish. #brutalist #architecture
@barnabascalder.bsky.social
#embodiedcarbon
@barnabascalder.bsky.social
#embodiedcarbon
@florianurban.bsky.social found for our book Form Follows Fuel that it's v hard to get #embodiedenergy figures for buildings today. #embodiedcarbon is widespread, yet it's much less clear, and more vulnerable to distortion. Here's our argument:
www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/is-embo...
www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/is-embo...
Is embodied carbon a vanity metric?
With ambitions for regenerative architecture increasing, it is vitally important that we measure the right things in trying to get there, say Barnabas Calder and Florian Urban
www.architectsjournal.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 7:26 AM
@florianurban.bsky.social found for our book Form Follows Fuel that it's v hard to get #embodiedenergy figures for buildings today. #embodiedcarbon is widespread, yet it's much less clear, and more vulnerable to distortion. Here's our argument:
www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/is-embo...
www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/is-embo...
David wins some big bragging rights for this. Staggering!
Cannot find an architect's name for die neue Flensburg Bahnhof, 1928, unless it is Emil Freiß?
November 12, 2025 at 6:39 PM
David wins some big bragging rights for this. Staggering!
A super-tough #whatbuilding for you.
November 11, 2025 at 7:29 PM
A super-tough #whatbuilding for you.
Reposted by Barnabas Calder
This summary piece of Barnabas Calder's thinking about energy and architecture (in Dezeen, form 2023) is a blast of sense. There's mention too of Yasmeen Lari's important work. #architecture
I offered a dissenting voice in this article about "beauty" in #architecture, though little of it got in. Essentially, I can't see why style wars should wang on self-promotingly through a climate emergency.
www.ft.com/content/fd8a...
I put the case here too:
www.dezeen.com/2023/01/12/a...
www.ft.com/content/fd8a...
I put the case here too:
www.dezeen.com/2023/01/12/a...
Who should decide what makes a building beautiful?
Everyone agrees that we need more homes, and fast — and that we want them to look good. But who should be the judge: architects, governments or the general public?
www.ft.com
October 14, 2025 at 7:25 AM
This summary piece of Barnabas Calder's thinking about energy and architecture (in Dezeen, form 2023) is a blast of sense. There's mention too of Yasmeen Lari's important work. #architecture
I offered a dissenting voice in this article about "beauty" in #architecture, though little of it got in. Essentially, I can't see why style wars should wang on self-promotingly through a climate emergency.
www.ft.com/content/fd8a...
I put the case here too:
www.dezeen.com/2023/01/12/a...
www.ft.com/content/fd8a...
I put the case here too:
www.dezeen.com/2023/01/12/a...
Who should decide what makes a building beautiful?
Everyone agrees that we need more homes, and fast — and that we want them to look good. But who should be the judge: architects, governments or the general public?
www.ft.com
October 14, 2025 at 6:11 AM
I offered a dissenting voice in this article about "beauty" in #architecture, though little of it got in. Essentially, I can't see why style wars should wang on self-promotingly through a climate emergency.
www.ft.com/content/fd8a...
I put the case here too:
www.dezeen.com/2023/01/12/a...
www.ft.com/content/fd8a...
I put the case here too:
www.dezeen.com/2023/01/12/a...
Reposted by Barnabas Calder
on the plane home from conferences on #sufficiency and #passivhaus I read "Form Follows Fuel" by Florian Urban and @barnabascalder.bsky.social. It has remarkable relevance to both, a brilliant book demonstrating that we cannot get a real grip on upfront carbon without embracing sufficiency.
A tale of two conferences and a book, "Form Follows Fuel"
I attend a Sufficiency conference in Edinburgh and a Passivhaus conference in Belfast, and read a new book relevant to both.
lloydalter.substack.com
October 13, 2025 at 12:40 PM
on the plane home from conferences on #sufficiency and #passivhaus I read "Form Follows Fuel" by Florian Urban and @barnabascalder.bsky.social. It has remarkable relevance to both, a brilliant book demonstrating that we cannot get a real grip on upfront carbon without embracing sufficiency.
This will be really interesting and fun if you can get to Chester this weekend: learning to build medieval gothic vaults from very accurate foam replicas. I can't wait!
chestercathedral.com/events/event...
#architecture #medievalarchitecture #vaulting #chester
chestercathedral.com/events/event...
#architecture #medievalarchitecture #vaulting #chester
October 9, 2025 at 2:31 PM
This will be really interesting and fun if you can get to Chester this weekend: learning to build medieval gothic vaults from very accurate foam replicas. I can't wait!
chestercathedral.com/events/event...
#architecture #medievalarchitecture #vaulting #chester
chestercathedral.com/events/event...
#architecture #medievalarchitecture #vaulting #chester
Reposted by Barnabas Calder
In a slightly abstract twist, where were we yesterday?!
September 27, 2025 at 4:32 PM
In a slightly abstract twist, where were we yesterday?!
Reposted by Barnabas Calder
#architectureandenergy Thanks to the 100+ people who joined our book launch event last night at the Glasgow School of Art! Well done Chloe and Kieran @architectsdeclare.bsky.social for organising this event, and thanks to @barnabascalder.bsky.social and www.instagram.com/john_joseph_...
September 26, 2025 at 1:46 PM
#architectureandenergy Thanks to the 100+ people who joined our book launch event last night at the Glasgow School of Art! Well done Chloe and Kieran @architectsdeclare.bsky.social for organising this event, and thanks to @barnabascalder.bsky.social and www.instagram.com/john_joseph_...
Reposted by Barnabas Calder
@barnabascalder.bsky.social @florianurban.bsky.social amazing job, this should be required reading for any history class!
September 24, 2025 at 5:15 PM
@barnabascalder.bsky.social @florianurban.bsky.social amazing job, this should be required reading for any history class!
Reposted by Barnabas Calder
if you only buy one book about architecture or history this year make sure it's form follows fuel! 14 buildings from 4 millennia show how energy has shaped human housing, sustainability and climate through history, and its topical and informative interdisciplinary approach make this a must read!
September 24, 2025 at 5:15 PM
if you only buy one book about architecture or history this year make sure it's form follows fuel! 14 buildings from 4 millennia show how energy has shaped human housing, sustainability and climate through history, and its topical and informative interdisciplinary approach make this a must read!
I love going by train. Recognise these roofs?
#whatbuilding
#whatbuilding
September 24, 2025 at 9:08 PM
I love going by train. Recognise these roofs?
#whatbuilding
#whatbuilding
Reposted by Barnabas Calder
St Agnes, Grade I, J L Pearson - Toxteth. We placed its Vicarage and Hall by Norman Shaw on our Top Ten Endangered Buildings list in 2024 - both have now been sold we believe. www.victoriansociety.org.uk/endangered-b... Thanks Barnabas.
Endangered building - Liverpool vicarage and hall on Victorian Society’s Top Ten Endangered Buildings list 2024 - The Victorian Society
Liverpool vicarage and hall on Victorian Society’s Top Ten Endangered Buildings list 2024 is on our list of endangered buildings. The Victorian Society - Campaigning for Victorian and Edwardian Built ...
www.victoriansociety.org.uk
September 23, 2025 at 2:28 PM
St Agnes, Grade I, J L Pearson - Toxteth. We placed its Vicarage and Hall by Norman Shaw on our Top Ten Endangered Buildings list in 2024 - both have now been sold we believe. www.victoriansociety.org.uk/endangered-b... Thanks Barnabas.
Reposted by Barnabas Calder
just finished the pre-fossil chapters, very hard to put the book down for the night as it is both an extremely informative and entertaining read! great choice of examples too, serving the focus on energy and sustainability in architecture just wonderfully! fantastic book, highly recommended!
September 22, 2025 at 7:26 PM
just finished the pre-fossil chapters, very hard to put the book down for the night as it is both an extremely informative and entertaining read! great choice of examples too, serving the focus on energy and sustainability in architecture just wonderfully! fantastic book, highly recommended!
Reposted by Barnabas Calder
going in 🔥 @barnabascalder.bsky.social @florianurban.bsky.social very much hyped to finally have this
September 22, 2025 at 4:16 PM
going in 🔥 @barnabascalder.bsky.social @florianurban.bsky.social very much hyped to finally have this
September 20, 2025 at 6:30 PM