1.  Follies, a Shelter original:

In this three-part series produced by Andrew Spicer and presented by Rory Fraser, author of Follies: An Architectural Journey (2020), we’re introduced to four remarkable follies. One might say the follies on these age-old English estates were more personally reflective of their owners than the main buildings presented to the public, thereby unlocking secrets, and providing insights into the minds and imaginations of fascinating characters passed long before. The typology provides incredibly visceral moments of architectural significance brought about by the creative space in which form trumps function, and art and architecture truly convalesce.

2.  Urbex in Beirut:

The dust has settled after the devastating bombing of Beirut in August of 2020, but continued loss of another kind is an ever-present threat. From the instant the camera starts rolling you discover a treasure that is under fire — not from snipers or bombs — but from greedy developers and lack of governmental initiative. The much-needed humanity, warmth and utter beauty of hundreds of abandoned Lebanese townhouses, mansions, palaces, hotels and schools are recovered by a band of social media crusaders called the ‘urbexers’ who are those campaigning to save historic architecture by creating visibility via popular social media platforms.

3.  Loving Gio Ponti

Ponti is considered by many as the godfather of midcentury Italian design. Told through interviews with long-time friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances, the film paints a picture of his character, personality, work habits and influences, that underpinned the astounding talent and breadth of work he created. Notable interviews from Benedikt Taschen, Enzo Mari, Vittorio Gregotti, Nanda Vigo, Alessandro Mendini, Maria Grazia Mazzochi, Giovanna Mazzochi and Bob Wilson. As a founder of the iconic architecture and design magazine DOMUS, his work continues to inspire and inform architecture publications the world over.

4.  Strange & Familiar, Architecture on Fogo Island

This documentary follows the serendipitous bringing together of architect Todd Saunders (of Aurland Lookout fame) and entrepreneur and philanthropist Zita Cobb, who commissions Todd to design a series of artist studios and a town Inn on remote Fogo Island. Here Zita and Todd introduce us to a host of aging islanders whose isolation has forced them to become self-sufficient makers of an impressive array of things: boats, textiles, furniture, and even potato cellars. As you watch, it becomes clear that this is not just a film about good architecture — it’s about instilling place and retaining fragile fringe cultures under the threat of modernization.

5.  Beyond Metabolism

A film about the Kyoto International Conference Center (1966) by architect Sachio Otani, a disciple of Kenzo Tange. Remarkably, even though the exterior resembles a brutalist spaceship, the building’s balanced forms, materiality and traditional design elements help it to rest into the surrounding landscape. Inside, proportions between elements and transitory spaces are a masterful feat of design in this gargantuan building. Otani is said to have generated this astoundingly complex building design through a convergence of traditional Japanese dwellings and a futuristic vision of what architecture of this type could look like.

6.  Art House

This documentary opens the door to the personal spaces of eleven influential American artists-turned-architects through their hand-built homes. This old-timey architecture demonstrates that biophilic design doesn’t need to cost personal expression and in fact can be the conduit of it. “We are earthlings” as Paolo Soleri puts it, whose Cosanti earthen-walled home is featured. The documentary illuminates the potential and deeply spiritual transcendence of those that approached architecture from a place of creative and personal self-expression. In watching this film you get a sense of the missing things that may be the key to our wellness moving forward.

7.  The Outside In – The forgotten connections between nature and design

In this documentary, Canadian architects and designers discuss the concept of biophilic design as applied to urban architecture, within which the majority of humans now reside. The premise is, by analysing the design decisions we make and redefining priorities, the better we can ‘see the forest through the trees’. For the building industry, this means looking at widening the metrics on what determines a successful building, past just dollars and cents. David Fell, Built Environment Researcher, asks, “what is the best seat in a restaurant?” an analogy that demonstrates the mindset required. What makes us feel in control, safe and calm in spaces?

8.  The Edge of The Possible

This film documents the incredible journey and extreme commitment taken by the Danish architect Jørn Utzon to design the iconic Australian building, the Sydney Opera House. Wonderfully, it features lengthy interviews with the man himself from the late 1990s, where he recounts the experiences, he and his team went through to make the building’s structure feasible, forcing about massive leaps in structural engineering in the process. By watching it becomes possible to understand the reasons why the architect — who dedicated nine years of his life to it — ends up leaving Australia in April of 1966 to never return.

Find these films and more on ArchitectureNow’s channel on Shelter. To view the full range of films and sign up for a free 7 day trial head to Shelter’s website.

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