Kategoria BISAC: Architecture >> Criticism

Chronicling the last radical architectural group of the twentieth century NATO (Narrative Architecture Today) who emerged from the Architectural Association at the start of the 1980s, this book explores the group s work which echoed a wider artistic and literary culture that drew on the specific political, social and physical condition of 1980s London. It traces NATO s identification with a particular stream of post-punk, postmodern expression: a celebration of the abject, an aesthetic of entropy, and a do-it-yourself provisionality. NATO has most often been documented in reference to...

The Optimum Imperative examines architecture s multiple entanglements within the problem of Socialist lifestyle in postwar Czechoslovakia.

Situated in the period loosely bracketed by the signing of the Munich accords in 1938, which affected Czechoslovakia s entrance into World War II, and the Warsaw Pact troops occupation of Prague in 1968, the book investigates three decades of Czech architecture, highlighting a diverse cast of protagonists. Key among them are the theorist and architect Karel Honzik and a small group of his colleagues in the Club for the Study of...

The Living Tradition of Architecture explores the depth of architecture as it takes flesh in the living tradition of building, dwelling and thinking. This is a timely appraisal of the field by some of its foremost contributors. Beyond modern misconceptions about tradition only relating to things past and conducive to a historicist vision, the essays in this volume reveal tradition as a living continuity and common ground of reference for architecture. This collection of essays brings together world-leading scholars, practicing architects and educators, Alberto Perez-Gomez,...

A significant ideological transition has taken place in the discipline of architecture in the last few years. Originating in a displeasure with the 'starchitecture' system and the focus on aesthetic innovation, a growing number of architects, emboldened by the 2007-8 economic crisis, have staged a rebellion against the dominant mode of architectural production. Against a 'disinterested' position emulating high art, they have advocated political engagement, citizen participation and the right to the city. Against the fascination with the rarefied architectural object, they have promoted an...

A Primer on Theory in Architecture discusses how theory is defined in architecture, how it is identified, its location in larger perspectives or worldviews, its relationships to other areas in architecture, and how it can be constructed. The book explores the definition, elements and characteristics of theory along with subjects associated with theory and how these associations are recognized. In addition, case studies tackle both individual theorists and common approaches to the topic. Aimed at the new student of architectural theory, if you are just beginning to tackle this...

Design Intervention: Toward a More Humane Architecture, first published in 1991, intends to demonstrate that interest in social issues is alive and well in architecture, that there is a small but effective cadre of dedicated professionals who continue to commit themselves to solving social problems, and that architecture is being applied to the alleviation of the social ills of our time.

The editors and contributors in this book have all grappled with their own definitions of design innovation, and express in practical and useful ways their ideas for contributing to a...

Although we spend more than ninety percent of our lives inside buildings, we understand very little about how the built environment affects our behavior, thoughts, emotions, and well-being. We are biological beings whose senses and neural systems have developed over millions of years; it stands to reason that research in the life sciences, particularly neuroscience, can offer compelling insights into the ways our buildings shape our interactions with the world. This expanded understanding can help architects design buildings that support both mind and body. In Mind in Architecture,...

Expanding his collected essays on architectural theory and criticism, Chris Abel pursues his explorations across disciplinary and regional boundaries in search of a deeper understanding of architecture in the evolution of human culture and identity formation. From his earliest writings predicting the computer based revolution in customized architectural production, through his novel studies on tacit knowing in design or hybridization in regional and colonial architecture, to his radical theory of the extended self, Abel has been a consistently fresh and provocative thinker, contesting both...

Expanding his collected essays on architectural theory and criticism, Chris Abel pursues his explorations across disciplinary and regional boundaries in search of a deeper understanding of architecture in the evolution of human culture and identity formation. From his earliest writings predicting the computer based revolution in customized architectural production, through his novel studies on tacit knowing in design or hybridization in regional and colonial architecture, to his radical theory of the extended self, Abel has been a consistently fresh and provocative thinker, contesting both...

Tracing the connections between music making and built space in both historical and contemporary times, Music, Sound, and Architecture in Islam brings together domains of intellectual reflection that have rarely been in dialogue to promote a greater understanding of the centrality of sound production in constructed environments in Muslim religious and cultural expression.

Representing the fields of ethnomusicology, anthropology, art history, architecture, history of architecture, religious studies, and Islamic studies, the volume's contributors consider sonic performances...