The culture wars seem to be everywhere. And now it seems architecture has found itself caught in the crossfire. From Donald Trump’s push for neoclassical buildings to Patrik Schumacher’s claim that a “woke takeover” is killing design, the debate has become ideological. The media may have jumped on the term “woke,” but take a step back, and in some respects, Patrik has valid points to make. There is widespread frustration with the state of the profession, but our understanding of the causes of that lack of innovation may be different. I would argue ‘wokeism’ has nothing to do with it.

In my recent conversation with engineer Steve Webb, he noted that ‘architecture is at a low ebb,’ a sentiment echoed by Thomas Heatherwick in his recent Humanise campaign. Many architects share the frustration that design decisions are too often dictated by cost-cutting, with every element needing justification to survive value engineering. What is clear is that too much of our built environment is uninspired, unambitious, and shaped by short-term financial pressures rather than long-term vision.

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