You may have heard this anecdote. Picasso is sitting in the park, sketching. A woman walks by, recognises him, runs up to him & pleads with him to draw her portrait. He’s in a good mood, so he agrees & starts sketching. 1/4 @brainpicker retired

A few minutes later, he hands her the portrait.The lady is ecstatic, she gushes about how wonderfully it captures the very essence of her character, what beautiful, beautiful work it is, and asks how much she owes him. “$5,000, madam,” says Picasso. 2/4 @brainpicker retired

The lady is taken aback, outraged, and asks how that’s even possible given it only took him 5 minutes. Picasso looks up and, without missing a beat, says: “No, madam, it took me my whole life.” 3/4 @brainpicker retired

Maria Popova uses that amusing anecodote about Picasso in her beautifully eloquent talk on Networked Knowledge and Combinatorial Creativity: ..The idea that everything builds on what came before... 4/4 Read it here: buff.ly/3bObseQ

You wouldn't want to come off your bike at 10m high but like this idea of a raised cycling path in a Belgian forest. Gives you a different perspective of the tree canopy : buff.ly/2HnmxGQ

I missed this the first time: #donaldtrump's 'Executive Order on Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic Architecture' discourages modernism in favour of classical design for federal buildings. #trumptower? article on bloomberg bit.ly/3sPIPDQ bloom.bg/3631kuQ

Have discovered the work of Belgian architect Juliaan Lampens (1926 - 2019). Fascinating raw sculptural houses. Nice article on his oeuvre here by Graham McKay: bit.ly/2Ml7D5Q Currently an exhibition at the #VAI: bit.ly/3cahgPM #architecture #belgium #brutalism

A soft tactical guide to better architectural awards, the surprisingly sincere outcome of a 3 week workshop run with Hieronymus Borscht and CCA, Canadian Centre for Architecture with a truly brilliant crew of collaborators/agitators cca.qc.ca/en/articles/77…

Back to the Future. 35 years later.

Urban meets country: the inspiring Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club in North Philadelphia 'countering crime with a love of horses'. Striking images in The Atlantic: bit.ly/3rguDm2 Read about Ellis Ferrell, the founder of FSURC: bit.ly/2Yz2Q3R

Always thought the formula of SOLAR PANEL + ELECTRIC ENGINE + BOAT would be interesting for silent experience esp with a healthy dollop of good design. Came across SIlent Yachts, which look great. Silent-Yachts How about a DE ROSEE SA makeover? bit.ly/3phDUZo

Great to see construction sector growing in January 2021 despite the lockdown bit.ly/30EcEdZ #ukconstruction

The weird design of Downing Street's new press room...

Before I die I want to... ...give away everything I own. ...be someone's cavalry. ...find parking in this city. ...write a piano concerto. ...find grace in ageing. ...enjoy waking up early. #BeforeIDie community project bit.ly/3gJqCEs Candy Chang #community

Just posted a photo @ De Beauvoir Town instagram.com/p/CPyav_rg3Zc/…

Cracking facade in #Lisboa #street #facade #municipal #architecture @ Alfama, Lisboa, Portugal instagram.com/p/CUa6SbjotbK/…

Lots of talk about street votes – what are they? Here's our new page of frequently asked questions: yimbyalliance.org/street-votes-f… What could they achieve? Perhaps the most successful might try for something like Beechwood Mews by Peter barber:

Vicars' Close in Wells, claimed to be the oldest purely residential street with original buildings surviving intact in Europe – "that rarest of survivals, a planned street of the mid-14th century"

In fairness to the Gothic theoreticians, however, many of Paris's most famous classical structures are similarly 'dishonest': the portico of the Panthéon and the Louvre Colonnade, for example, are both reliant on invisible systems of metal reinforcement.

Today we remember Stephen Lawrence, an aspiring architect, whose dream was tragically never realised. #StephenLawrenceDay (1/4)