Welcome back to Bad Words Good Buildings, hosted by Leah Solk and Yuliya Ilizarov.  This is a podcast where two smart women shoot the shit about the design and construction industry.  

This week we are exploring the concept that architecture is inherently a political act, which is now coming up against a highly conservative administration.  We explore the White House mandate that all new civic buildings must be in a classical architectural style, the complete demolition of the East Wing, and the recent directive that architects (among others) are no longer considered professionals by the federal government. 

As a counterpoint to the concept that only classical styles are recognizable to the public as civic structures, our Good Building this week is the highly modern Vietnam Veterans Memorial by Maya Lin. It's a chef's kiss that a young woman of color delivered modernism in 1982 and it became one of the most beloved memorials in our country.  

Leah Solk is an architect and principal of Solk Architecture

Yuliya Ilizarov is an architect and builder, and founder and partner of Coburn Construction Management  

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