How Caulk Accidentally Made Buildings FLAT

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_SPECIAL THANKS_
Evan Montgomery: co production
SOM: filming location

_DESCRIPTION_
In this video, we explore how “kit-of-parts” construction, fueled by mass-produced components and a $76 billion sealant industry, has flattened architecture worldwide.

From Chicago’s historic terra cotta windows to the modernist United Nations Secretariat in New York, we trace how buildings went from celebrating local craft traditions to masking every imperfection with caulk and silicone. You’ll see how once-intricate joints and overlaps gave way to the sleek, sealed facades of curtain-wall skyscrapers—and learn the sobering cost of relying on chemical fixes over true craftsmanship. Ultimately, we ask: Is caulk really the villain, or have we just stopped embracing the art of building?

_KEY TAKEAWAYS_
Kit-of-parts construction depends on mass-produced building elements and heavy use of caulk and sealants.
Historic methods used craft and ornament to solve real-world construction issues, creating local character and timeless beauty.
Modern architecture often prioritizes speed and efficiency, which can mask deeper problems in how buildings come together.

#Architecture #ModernArchitecture #Caulk #KitOfParts #UNSecretariat #HistoricBuildings #CurtainWall #Craftsmanship

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_About the Channel_
Architecture with Stewart is a YouTube journey exploring architecture’s deep and enduring stories in all their bewildering glory. Weekly videos and occasional live events breakdown a wide range of topics related to the built environment in order to increase their general understanding and advocate their importance in shaping the world we inhabit.

_About Me_
Stewart Hicks is an architectural design educator that leads studios and lecture courses as an Associate Professor in the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He also serves as an Associate Dean in the College of Architecture, Design, and the Arts and is the co-founder of the practice Design With Company. His work has earned awards such as the Architecture Record Design Vanguard Award or the Young Architect’s Forum Award and has been featured in exhibitions such as the Chicago Architecture Biennial and Design Miami, as well as at the V&A Museum and Tate Modern in London. His writings can be found in the co-authored book Misguided Tactics for Propriety Calibration, published with the Graham Foundation, as well as essays in MONU magazine, the AIA Journal Manifest, Log, bracket, and the guest-edited issue of MAS Context on the topic of character architecture.

_Contact_
FOLLOW me on instagram: @stewart_hicks & @designwithco
Design With Company: https://designwith.co
University of Illinois at Chicago School of Architecture: https://arch.uic.edu/

_Attributions_
Stock video and imagery provided by Getty Images, Storyblocks, and Shutterstock.
Music provided by Epidemic Sound and includes music from Chromatic by Tom Fox
   / @tomfoxcatalog  "

#architecture #urbandesign