Sci-fi & Architecture: Visions of the Future

There are spoilers ahead! For many films I'm afraid.

I would especially avoid the episode until you have watched Ex-Machina (which you really really should immediately it really is phenomenal) as Jes does talk directly about the ending between 53:23 till 53:46.

I have made a list of the films and books mentioned below.

This is another detour episode and perhaps you're thinking I'm trying to avoid the very big task of recording 2001: A Space Odyssey content. And perhaps you're right. But I hope you enjoy this discussion.

If you try to think of a futuristic city your mind may be drawn towards a real place but it could just as easily be drawn towards the great science fiction films that render our future on our screens.

Films like Blade Runner, Minority Report, Fifth Element and (the granddaddy) Metropolis have all shown us what human futures could look like. Sometimes these visions are intimidating, terrifying or occausionally aspirational. These images in turn can affect and inform own understanding of what an unwritten future should be like.

I have two wonderful guests to talk through the somewhat symbiotic relationship of science fiction and architecture

Amy Brookes is an architect and an Associate Professor at the University of Reading. She has written extensively about architecture and one of her special interests is Architecture in science fiction literature and film.

Jes Deaver is an award-winning architect as well as a filmmaker and writer. She is the author of the article The Architecture of Imagination which explores the parallels between science fiction and architecture.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:32 The SF-Architecture connection

06:40 How the symbolism of the tower changes

14:38 Anxieties in architecture

17:00 The reciprocal relationship

27:10 Fears of suburbia

30:27 Non place and virtual space

33:43 Apocalyptic futures

40:02 Hopeful alternatives

49:04 Favourite architectural sci-fi films

53:46 Recommendations

Recommendations:

And He Built a Crooked House by Robert Heinlein

Octavia's Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements

Films mentioned in the episode:

• Metropolis (1927)
• Blade Runner (1982)
• Minority Report (2002)
• Chappie (2015)
• District 9 (2009)
• Attack the Block (2011)
• Fifth Element (1997)
• Just Imagine (1930)
• Gagarine (2020)
• Atlantics (2019)
• Tommorowland (2015)
• Truman Show (1998)
• Stepford Wives (1975)
• Edward Scissorhands (1990)
• Soylent Green (1973)
• Don't Look Up (2021)
• Children of Men (2006)
• Snowpiercer (2013)
• Hunger Games (2012)
• Robocop (1987)
• Nation Estate (2012)
• Silent Running (1972)
• High Rise (2015)
• Ex Machina (2014)

Books mentioned:

• Rem Koolhaas (Remment Lucas Koolhaas) is a Dutch Architect and author of the book Delirious New York published in 1978.
• Ready Player One by Ernest Kline. (Made into a film by Steven Speilberg in 2018)
• Every Version of You by Grace Chan.
• Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R Weaver.
• Everything for Everyone: An Oral History of the New York Commune, 2052-2072 by Eman Abdelhadi and M. E. O'Brien
• Mouldiness Manifesto by Friedensreich Hundretwasser

TV Shows mentioned:

• Westworld
• Andor

Other links of interest:

• A page from Mark Bould's website about the city: https://markbould.com/tag/paul-verhoeven/
• '5 Minute Modern' YouTube video about Brutalism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ib82VYtjFtY
• An interesting article about Fritz Lang's depiction of the future city The German Take on Gotham: https://jacobin.com/2025/12/the-german-take-on-gotham

NEXT EPISODE!

The next episode will be about Destroy All Monsters which features lots of Kaiju, a Japanese Moonbase, evil aliens who look like beautiful women and groovy 60s outfits. You can rent the film on Apple TV (at least in the UK) but take a look at Just Watch and Rotten Tomatoes to see where the film is showing in your region. DVDs and Blurays of the film are also available for relatively reasonable prices.