Britain

by Powers, Alan

• ISBN13: 9781861892812
• ISBN10: 1861892810
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-05-15
• Publisher: Reaktion Books

Summary

The story of modernism in architecture is international, yet each country adopted the movement in its own unique way, inspired by individual artists and schools and in response to specific social needs and political pressures. Britain explores the British approach to modern architecture, and, with due regard for the separate identities of England, Scotland, and Wales, discusses British modernism from its beginnings to the present day. Alan Powers gives equal weight to the technical and aesthetic aspects of modernism, as well as its often controversial reception within Britain and around the world. He examines the works of key British architects and delves into the influence of non-British architects within the United Kingdom. Powers then turns his attention to postmodern architecture as a global movement, looking at contemporary efforts to make architecture sustainable and adaptable to the new challenges of urban life. Thoroughly illustrated with images of the buildings under discussion, advertisements, and other historical photographs, Britain is an authoritative, yet highly accessible, account of twentieth-century British architecture.

Author Biography

Alan Powers is Reader in Architecture and Cultural History at the University of Greenwich.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Efficiency: From Modernity to Modernism

Compassion: Modern Architecture Builds the 'Just City'

Poetics: The Moral Dilemma of Modern Aesthetics

Production: White Heat and Burnout

Happiness: The Reintegration of Architecture

Conscience: The Architecture of Fruitful Anxiety

Difference: Local Action and Global Thought

References

Select Bibliography

Acknowledgements

Photo Acknowledgements

Index

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