This work is a speculative warning about the future. As far-right ideologies and authoritarian politics rise alongside expanding corporate power, the pursuit of convenience may allow corrupt forms of architecture to once again shape society under the rhetoric of “efficiency and innovation”. Techniques once used by fascist regimes appear to be resurfacing in new forms.


This essay explores the political power of architecture through a speculative and critical lens. The project takes the form of a fictional letter written from the perspective of a fascist architectural organisation addressing “future architects”. The letter relays persuasive techniques associated with authoritarian rhetoric, including appeals to a mythic past, promises of efficiency and collective greatness, the framing of surveillance as protection, and the subtle erosion of autonomy through spatial order. By embodying this voice, the project demonstrates how architecture can be positioned as an instrument of discipline, productivity, and ideological control.

The letter is accompanied by an annotated analysis from the perspective of the architect that unpacks the text, revealing the historical, theoretical, and architectural precedents within it. Drawing on examples such as Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany, corporate campuses, Ville Radieuse, and the transformation of modernist housing at Drancy, the essay argues that spatial strategies often presented as rational, efficient, or utopian can be mobilised for coercive ends. It questions the neutrality of design and highlights the responsibility architects hold in shaping social behaviour and power structures.

Physically and graphically, the project reinforces its speculative position. The letter adopts a formal, authoritative tone while mirroring the language of propaganda. Together, the letter and its analysis function as a warning about how easily architecture can be weaponised under the guise of progress.