Stewart Hicks
Takes on Buildings and Cities.
I’m based in Chicago and make videos that explore and explain the built environment. Stewart Hicks is an architectural design educator that leads design 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.
There are people that help with these videos and without them, they could not happen. Allison Newmeyer, thank you very everything! Jimenez Lai, your input is crucial. Evan Montgomery. Thank you!
Why Safer Streets Keep Losing to Fire TrucksWatch our next video about the insane world of cruise ship urbanism right now! https://nebula.tv/videos/stewarthicks-why-cruise-ships-are-building-their-own-cities Then check out stories behind our Great Cities! https://nebula.tv/greatcities?ref=stewarthicks Fire trucks shape American street design, often determining whether pedestrian safety improvements get built.…
Stewart Hicks ↗
The Problem With Colorful HousesCheckout our next video right now: https://nebula.tv/videos/stewarthicks-who-gets-to-decide-if-your-street-is-safe Watch Great Cities: https://nebula.tv/greatcities?ref=stewarthicks Why did American houses lose their color? This video traces the surprisingly complicated history of beige, gray, and black homes—from San Francisco’s Victorian Painted Ladies to lead…
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AI’s Newest Buildings Are Already ObsoleteWatch my next video investigating AI Data Centers: https://nebula.tv/videos/stewarthicks-why-america-is-afraid-of-colorful-houses Get Nebula using my link for 50% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/stewarthicks Meta’s Hyperion AI data center in Louisiana is projected to consume five gigawatts of power and cost…
Stewart Hicks ↗
Why We Can’t Build Apartments Like This AnymoreWatch my next video investigating AI Data Centers: https://nebula.tv/videos/stewarthicks-the-buildings-ai-will-leave-behind Get Nebula using my link for 50% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/stewarthicks This ordinary-looking staircase is at the center of one of America’s most consequential housing debates. In most…
Stewart Hicks ↗
The Gross Reason Suburban Yards Had to Be This BigWatch the Anatomy of the Nokia 3310: https://nebula.tv/videos/realengineering-the-anatomy-of-the-nokia-3310?ref=stewarthicks Get Nebula using my link for 50% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/stewarthicks Why are suburban yards so big? It’s not just because Americans wanted more space, systems underground required it.…
Stewart Hicks ↗
How New York Got Its Fire EscapesWatch the Anatomy of the Nokia 3310: https://nebula.tv/videos/realengineering-the-anatomy-of-the-nokia-3310?ref=stewarthicks Get Nebula using my link for 50% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/stewarthicks Why is New York covered in fire escapes, while Chicago — a city practically synonymous with burning down…
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Why This Tiny Apartment is Taking Over American CitiesWhy are apartments shrinking across America — and why does every tiny unit look exactly the same? In 2017, Chicago's first purpose-built micro-apartment building opened, and people couldn't understand why anyone would choose to live in 350 square…
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Why A-Frame Houses Don’t WorkWatch Abolish Everything right now! https://nebula.tv/abolish?ref=stewarthicks Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/stewarthicks The A-Frame house looks like the purest image of “home”: two walls meeting in a perfect triangle. It’s ancient, familiar,…
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Why These Rooms Disappeared From Our HomesWatch my next video about how La-Z-Boy dominated living rooms right now (https://nebula.tv/videos/stewarthicks-how-lazboy-won-the-comfort-war) Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/stewarthicks Old house plans often included a room called the parlor. Today, most of…
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The Fire That Invented the School Fire DrillWatch my next video about old house plans buildings right now https://nebula.tv/videos/stewarthicks-old-house-plans-decoded Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/stewarthicks In December 1958, a fire broke out at *Our Lady of the Angels School*…
Stewart Hicks ↗
How Fake Buildings Keep Cities AliveWatch my next video right now!https://nebula.tv/videos/stewarthicks-how-we-learned-to-escape-building-fires Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/stewarthicks Have you ever walked past a building in a city like Chicago and wondered why no one ever seems to…
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