On Conversations about Architecture and Philosophy, with Kenneth Frampton

I met Kenneth Frampton on April 30, 2023, during his last week in the United States before moving back to London. He’d come from his home in Hudson down to New York City for two days of last-minute engagements, among which our dinner in Midtown Manhattan. The reason for our meeting was one that he felt important enough to carve out some time in his schedule: a conversation about philosophy.

In the months that followed, we exchanged several e-mails and letters. We started by reviewing an edited transcript of our  discussion, to which I added new questions. He responded with edits and new comments, before deciding to completely rewrite his replies in a more rigorous manner. In turn, I redid my remarks, to which he then reacted, and so on throughout a year-long back-and-forth. The result was a simple rendition of an otherwise layered compilation, of his responses to my remarks to his recollections prompted by my questions. Together, they offer a record of the impact that several philosophical ideas exerted in Kenneth Frampton’s work throughout the years, as well as of how he dealt with them, what he thinks of their importance for architectural discourse, and what new sources he’s looking into as he continues to think about architecture.