Utopia and Architecture

Stress and strain feature prominently in this consideration of two topics: the place of architecture in More’s Utopia and the place of utopia within architecture. For both topics, making space and taking time feature as necessary conditions of possibility for pre-built structures to be left behind and for a novel ‘moment’ to emerge. To what extent can this ‘moment’ be designed and catered for? This chapter identifies peace-building as a major concern of More’s book. The conflict and misery that class-based society produces is clearly depicted. What hope is there that one day people could come together differently, and what role might architecture play in ‘constructing’ such a ‘space’? Such a utopian ‘moment’ might not require another fine building, but might entail the opposite: namely unbuilding to free up space. However, it might well be that utopian practice is an architectonic that we can only represent in any shape or form with great difficulty, if at all.