By Cara Gibbs The Mak a Mo "Politics is impossible to separate from architecture," states Peter Coffman, architectural historian and associate professor at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. It's perhaps not the most obvious of proclamations, but when examining the delicate relationship between design, in all its forms, and political persuasions, the interconnectedness between the two is ripely undisputable. A mere look through centuries of rising empires and falling dynasties offers all the proof one might need-one superpower takes the leadership reigns only to be usurped by a successor-of the fleeting convictions of power. But what's most often left unexplored and vastly overlooked is the lasting impact of well-executed design and architecture on its behalf. 42 i+D - January/February 2020