Is parametricism the defining architecture style of the 21st century?

Why are we obsessed with liminal space?

This week, we discuss a new architecture-themed horror film, some concerning news about green walls and a new architectural term that one of our hosts has audaciously coined. In this episode, Dezeen features editor Nat Barker and design editor Jennifer Hahn consider Backrooms – a surprise-hit horror movie from a 20-year-old director [https://www.dezeen.com/2026/05/29/backrooms-production-design-danny-vermette-interview/] – and its origins in the internet's fascination with "liminal space". Then, they talk through new research [https://www.dezeen.com/2026/05/28/plastic-potted-green-walls/] indicating that plastic-potted green wall systems could make fire spread up building facades faster than the cladding used on Grenfell Tower. Finally, they discuss Nat's claim that a new architectural style has emerged in the UK and beyond [https://www.dezeen.com/2026/05/29/gentleism-opinion-nat-barker/]. This episode was recorded and edited by Miguel Santa Clara. Dezeen Weekly artwork is by Simon Volt.

Why does everyone seem to hate the new electric Ferrari?

In this episode of Dezeen Weekly, we discuss the fierce reaction to Ferrari's unveiling of its first all-electric car [https://www.dezeen.com/2026/05/25/electric-ferrari-luce-jony-ive-marc-newson-lovefrom/], designed by Jony Ive and Marc Newson. This week, Dezeen features editor Nat Barker and design editor Jennifer Hahn are joined by our co-CEO Ben Hobson, who was at the Ferrari Luce launch event in Rome at the weekend. Together, they analyse the car's design and consider why it has met with such a heated response.

Is IKEA's new collection too good to be true?

Why is everyone talking about a giant new data centre planned for the Utah desert? Is IKEA's new collection a wake-up call for the design industry? And why do Parisians hate tall buildings? In this episode, Dezeen features editor Nat Barker [https://www.dezeen.com/author/nat-barker/] and design editor Jennifer Hahn [https://www.dezeen.com/author/jennifer-hahn/] begin by discussing a project to build a huge data centre in a remote part of Utah [https://www.dezeen.com/2026/05/15/stratos-data-center-designs-gensler-utah/], including the local backlash. Then, they react to IKEA's new PS collection [https://www.dezeen.com/2026/05/13/ikea-ps-collection-furniture/], and consider how it's possible for such nice design to cost so little. Finally, they talk about what might prove to be Paris's last ever skyscraper [https://www.dezeen.com/2026/05/11/tour-triangle-skyscraper-herzog-de-meuron-tops-out-paris/].

Is parametricism the defining architecture style of the 21st century?

In the latest episode of Dezeen Weekly [https://www.dezeen.com/podcasts/dezeenweekly/], we give listeners a crash course in parametricism [https://www.dezeen.com/parametricism/], from its origins to its much-disputed claim of being the most significant architectural style since modernism. We debate some of the most pressing questions surrounding the movement: Did Patrick Schumacher's association with the style actually torpedo its success? How much agency lies with the architect when using parametric design tools? Would Schumacher ever design an extension for the home of Dezeen editor Tom Ravenscroft [https://www.dezeen.com/author/tom-ravenscroft/]? And is parametricism really, as Schumacher claims, the defining style of our time? Ravenscroft [https://www.dezeen.com/author/tom-ravenscroft/] and design editor Jennifer Hahn [https://www.dezeen.com/author/jennifer-hahn/] also break down some of the earliest and most important parametric buildings to know, from the Yokohama International Port Terminal by Foreign Office Architects [https://www.dezeen.com/2026/05/08/yokohama-international-port-terminal-foa-parametric-architecture/] to Zaha Hadid's Heydar Aliyev Centre in Baku [https://www.dezeen.com/2026/05/05/heydar-aliyev-centre-zaha-hadid-parametricism-case-study/], Azerbaijan.

How Adidas won the super-shoe war

What was special about the shoes on the feet of the record-breaking runners at the recent London Marathon? Is the Met Gala an important design event, or just about money and celebrity? And why is a new addition to a 930-year-old French cathedral so controversial? In this week's episode, Dezeen's design editor Jennifer Hahn and features editor Nat Barker plot a brief history of the race to create the first shoe capable of breaking the hallowed two-hour marathon barrier. Then, they reflect on this year's Met Gala, and whether it has any relevance for design as a whole. Finally, they discuss the response to Kengo Kuma's new entrance to the medieval Angers Cathedral.