iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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ｅｒｄｊｏｈａｎｎ @erdjohann.eurosky.social · 05/08/2026

wobei das wirklich alte bücher sind die besten bücher der letzten jahre waren canberk köktürk: fascholand sarah lorenz: mit dir da möchte ich im himmel kaffee trinken otessa moshfegh: mein jahr der ruhe und entspannung mark fisher: ghosts of my life @barnabascalder.bsky.social : raw concrete

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Barnabas Calder @barnabascalder.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

I've set out my alternative proposal for the Rotterdam Shift Embassy: www.dezeen.com/2026/08/03/r...

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Adam Coleman @adam-coleman.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

I’m co-convening a conference with @aidandiable.bsky.social at the University of Warwick for doctoral and early-career researchers exploring place, civic identity, national belonging, and political imagination across historical and contemporary contexts. Get in touch for the call for papers.

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Barnabas Calder @barnabascalder.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Do you know of someone who might be interested in doing a #PhD on the urban, architectural and environmental history of the University of Liverpool? If so could you point them in my direction?

An aerial view of part of the Uni of Liverpool campus in the 1960s, showing demolitions and new buildings.

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Barnabas Calder @barnabascalder.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

If you're not following Frans Saraste, it's time to take a hard look at your priorities and values. Or you could just follow him, I suppose.

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Florian Urban @florianurban.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Please join @barnabascalder.bsky.social and me for a talk next Wednesday, 18 March, 6 pm for the Academy of Urbanism in the office of Collective Architecture, at 13 Bath Street in Glasgow, www.theaou.org/events/autho...

theaou.org

Authors of Urbanism: Form Follows Fuel with Barnabas Calder and Florian Urban

Join authors Barnabas Calder and Florian Urban to a look to the past for inspiration in the urgent fight against climate change

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City Atlas @cityatlas.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

Maize, rice, and wheat can be stored for up to a decade or more, and from those, cities are built. "Goliath's Curse" is great to read when paired with: www.architectsjournal.co.uk/practice/cul... by @barnabascalder.bsky.social

architectsjournal.co.uk

Book review: Architecture From Prehistory to Climate Emergency, by Barnabas Calder

ACAN’s Joe Giddings reviews Barnabas Calder’s ground-breaking new history of architecture told through the relationship between buildings and energy

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Barnabas Calder @barnabascalder.bsky.social · 15/02/2026

Thank you so much - I'm glad it's proven useful.

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Barnabas Calder @barnabascalder.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

Here's me prompted by Matt Rendell to risk the opinion that perhaps the #winterolympics could be less #climatecrisis and ecosystem destructive: m.youtube.com/watch?v=sfhW...

m.youtube.com

Winter Olympics Report 3 - Off Track

YouTube video by New Weather Institute

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Barnabas Calder @barnabascalder.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

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.

Prof Tim Waterman lecturing to an audience in Liverpool.

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Barnabas Calder @barnabascalder.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

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...

bbc.co.uk

'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.

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Barnabas Calder @barnabascalder.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

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.

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Barnabas Calder @barnabascalder.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

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

Form Follows Fuel - a book by Florian Urban and Barnabas Calder about the energy history of architecture.

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Michael Burchert @michaelburchert.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

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

4 Books and a straw OSB on a chest.
1. STRAWBALE BUILDING REDIFINED
2. FORM FOLLOWS FUEL
3. Building for People
4. Die Expontialgesellschaft

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Barnabas Calder @barnabascalder.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

The great @milesglendinning.bsky.social has joined bluesky! Please follow him if you're interested in #housing, #heritage and #architecturalhistory.

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The Past and other Places @pastandotherplaces.bsky.social · 15/11/2025

Malcolm Fraser architect backs keeping Argyle House, Edinburgh. Redevelop don't demolish. #brutalist #architecture @barnabascalder.bsky.social #embodiedcarbon

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Barnabas Calder @barnabascalder.bsky.social · 15/11/2025

@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...

architectsjournal.co.uk

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

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Barnabas Calder @barnabascalder.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

David wins some big bragging rights for this. Staggering!

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Ian Hunt @ianhunt.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

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

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Barnabas Calder @barnabascalder.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

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...

ft.com

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?

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Lloyd Alter @lloydalter.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

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.

lloydalter.substack.com

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.

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Barnabas Calder @barnabascalder.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

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

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Prince Architect @princearchitect.bsky.social · 27/09/2025

In a slightly abstract twist, where were we yesterday?!

Single line pen sketch of a mystery building...

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Florian Urban @florianurban.bsky.social · 26/09/2025

#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_...

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ｅｒｄｊｏｈａｎｎ @erdjohann.eurosky.social · 24/09/2025

@barnabascalder.bsky.social @florianurban.bsky.social amazing job, this should be required reading for any history class!

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ｅｒｄｊｏｈａｎｎ @erdjohann.eurosky.social · 24/09/2025

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!

form follows fuel: 14 buildings from antiquity to the oil age by florian urban and barnabas calder. a detailed drawing of the church-like chhatrapati shivaji maharaj terminus in mumbai on the cover

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Barnabas Calder @barnabascalder.bsky.social · 24/09/2025

I love going by train. Recognise these roofs? #whatbuilding

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ｅｒｄｊｏｈａｎｎ @erdjohann.eurosky.social · 22/09/2025

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!

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ｅｒｄｊｏｈａｎｎ @erdjohann.eurosky.social · 22/09/2025

going in 🔥 @barnabascalder.bsky.social @florianurban.bsky.social very much hyped to finally have this

form follows fuel von florian urban und barnabas calder, auf dem cover eine sehr detaillierte zeichnung eines kirchengebäudes

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Barnabas Calder @barnabascalder.bsky.social · 20/09/2025

A real pleasure to hear my colleague in @liverpooluni.bsky.social's History of Architecture Research Cluster, Alex Buchanan, today as part of Heritage Open Days. Alex was talking about Rickman and early C19 gothic, in an iron church of 1815. Great talk, good audience, lots of appreciation.

Dr Alexandrina Buchanan giving a talk in St Michael's Church, Liverpool.

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Barnabas Calder @barnabascalder.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

BOOK LAUNCH: Edinburgh, 24th September. @florianurban.bsky.social and I will be discussing our new book quantifying the energy cost of architecture through history. Do come! The following night we're speaking about it in Glasgow, so see you at whichever suits. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bookshopla...

eventbrite.co.uk

BookshopLATES... Form Follows Fuel

Florian Urban and Barnabas Calder discuss their new book with Chris Stewart PPRIAS

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Michael Burchert @michaelburchert.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

The weekend will be good. New book Form Follows Fuel arrived by @florianurban.bsky.social and @barnabascalder.bsky.social LOL @ multi-page embodied energy and embodied energy for materials tables per building ... How detailed is this please. 😄💪🏽

Book Form Follows Fuel on a garden bench, red flowers

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Barnabas Calder @barnabascalder.bsky.social · 06/09/2025

On BBC World Service this morning, talking about the joys of #Brutalism in architecture. @ddolzikova.bsky.social had me on after reading my book Raw Concrete. Don't worry: I mentioned that it's not a material for use in a climate crisis. Beginning at 43:30: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

bbc.co.uk

Weekend - 06/09/2025 GMT - BBC Sounds

A review of the week with the latest news.

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Lang Rabbie @langrabbie.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

More on Harrods Egyptian Hall Was William Mitchell responsible for throwing this shade on his client? Can it really be case that no one ever tipped off Al Fayed about the actual meaning of Ozymandias? @barnabascalder.bsky.social @c20society.bsky.social thesociologicalreview.org/magazine/mar...

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Barnabas Calder @barnabascalder.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

@florianurban.bsky.social and I have a new book out shortly, with superb drawings and calculations by John Joseph Burns. Launches in Edinburgh (24 Sept) and Glasgow (25 Sept). Available online in the usual places for £35.99/€39.50/USD39.50.

Front cover of Form Follows Fuel, new book.

First contents page from Form Follows Fuel

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Barnabas Calder @barnabascalder.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

A wood by Seatoller in the Lake District this past week. It had an awful lot of dead and partially dead oak trees On the east-facing slope, whilst those on the north-facing side were looking pretty healthy. Does anyone know what is killing them? I was quite upset to see them.

An oak woodland with three dead trees in the foreground.

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Barnabas Calder @barnabascalder.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

Some actual good news: the ICJ have set out the ecological situation clearly and authoritatively, and confirmed that each country has a legal obligation to take effective climate action. Could we get on and do it, please? www-aljazeera-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.alja...

www-aljazeera-com.cdn.ampproject.org

Climate change an ‘existential threat’, UN court says in landmark opinion

ICJ Judge Yuji Iwasawa says greenhouse emissions are ‘unequivocally caused by human activities’ as he delivers opinion.

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Matthew Mckeague @memckeague.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

'...SHBT have united with the National Trust for Scotland and Bernat Klein Foundation as the Bernat Klein Studio Coalition aiming to buy and restore the building...' > this is very good news. www.shbt.org.uk/2025/07/savi... @c20society.bsky.social @barnabascalder.bsky.social

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Bruno Tonelli @brunotonelli.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

The Architecture Books that, step by step, changed my life.

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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 21/07/2025

“Copenhagen reported that 62% of its residents are now commuting to work or school by bike — an increase from 52% in 2015 & 36% in 2012, when the City Council launched a 14-year-plan to improve the quality, safety & comfort of cycling.” #Copenhagen chose. They keep choosing to go further each year.

latimes.com

Copenhagen has taken bicycle commuting to a whole new level

Cycling has been a part of that good life in Copenhagen for decades. In recent years, it has enjoyed yet another unfathomable surge in popularity — taken to the next level thanks to constantly improvi...

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Barnabas Calder @barnabascalder.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

Can anyone point me to a really good history of the urban effects of changing transportation in a case study non-"Western" city through the C19 and C20? I'm interested in things like employment and urban growth, but also in sociological effects (changing role of neighbourhood, etc.). Thank you!

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