Flat Out 4 probes assumptions about architectural culture from within and without. From the oil fields of Saudi Arabia to the South Side of Chicago, from shopping centers in Addis Ababa to Stay Well rooms in Las Vegas, from Australian heat maps to German drone footage, our characters have reported on architecture across the globe, questioning institutional behavior, modes of representation, and the values of design.

The Challenger, the Graphic Essayist, the Mortician, and You interrogate the implications of digital software for design. The Muckraker and the Political Economist confront the social inequities of wellness and urban vacancy. The Inventor and the Cameo expose the uses and abuses of color via pixels and plants, while the Odd Couple, the Scorekeeper, and the Genealogist challenge our assumptions about wood, stone, and palm fronds. The Outsider points out stereotypical architects at the movies, as the Ad Man and the Opinionator assess recent architectural exhibitions.

The cast for this issue features (in order of appearance) James Goggin, Jennifer Bonner, Andrew Jennings, Mario Carpo, Ellen Grimes, Russell Fortmeyer, Penelope Dean, David Brown, Jared Macken, Lauren Van Damme, Jayne Kelley, Andrew Zago, Sean Briski, Sophia Vyzoviti, Zehra Ahmed, and R. E. Somol. Character portraits are by Tamara Shopsin.