A central question in the climate debate today is that of energy. Yet the problem of energy–how to acquire it, how to wield it–is as old as human civilization. Behind every building, from the Parthenon to the modern home, lies the energy technology used to build it. Barnabas Calder’s project in Architecture: From Prehistory to Climate Emergency is to trace out the history of architecture from this perspective. From manual labor and the Parthenon to coal’s impact on Victorian building styles, Calder maps out transformations in built space along the timeline of industrialization. Leading us all the way to the present day, he proposes a new approach to energy, seeking to revolutionize architecture and lead us away from environmental collapse. 

About the speaker:

Barnabas Calder is a historian of architecture specializing in the relationship between architecture and energy throughout human history. Senior Lecturer in Architecture at the University of Liverpool, Calder is the author of two works: Architecture: From Prehistory to Climate Emergency (2021) and Raw Concrete: The Beauty of Brutalism (2016).

Important information: This event is online. Attendees will receive a Zoom link upon registration. Participants will be able to pose questions through the Zoom chat function.

This event requires advance registration.