Why I stopped using border radius

This is about buildings, not software UI — though the principle probably transfers.

For a period in my early practice, I defaulted to rounded corners on things: the edge of a concrete planter, the top of a door frame, the profile of a handrail. I thought it softened the work. Made it more approachable.

What I eventually noticed was that the rounding was actually a form of hedging. A sharp edge commits to itself. It says: this is what this thing is, and it is confident about it. A rounded edge suggests uncertainty — a reluctance to be fully what it is.

The buildings I respond most strongly to have sharp edges. Not aggressive ones — Pawson's work is not aggressive — but decisive ones. The junction between materials is clean. The profile of a wall at its end is exact. There is no softening of what the geometry is trying to say.

I stopped using radii when I wasn't sure why I was using them. Now I only introduce them when there's a reason — and there rarely is.