Architecture Today
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Overview
This book is an attempt to make sense of the pluralistic nature of contemporary architecture, by offering an incisive yet accessible critique of the world's most prominent architectural movements and trends. Free of the jargon that all too frequently characterizes some of the contemporary writing on architecture, Architecture Today briefly examines the background to the architecture of the latter half of the century, and explores contemporary styles and movements theme by theme. The work of architects from all over the world is analysed, and their most original, influential and challenging works are illustrated, indicating the radical changes that have occurred in architecture in the last forty years. Architecture Today's accessible tone will make this book essential reading for all those who are interested in architecture, in the visual arts and in contemporary culture.Synopsis
Since the collapse of Modernism in the late 1960s, international architecture has fragmented, evolving in numerous different directions, each driven by its own ideologies and theories. Architecture Today provides a clear, comprehensive guide to these pluralistic styles and movements.
The book is divided into sixteen chapters, offering incisive critiques of the world's most prominent architectural trends of the last twenty-five years. These include regional patterns such as The Los Angeles Avant-Garde and Experimentation in Japan, stylistic upheavals such as post-modernism and Deconstructivism, and global developments such as Ecological Architecture and the Contemporary Vernacular. Each chapter examines the work of that movement's chief protagonists, as well as tracing its historical development and theoretical impact. Biographies of all of the major architects featured are also included. Avoiding the jargon that all too frequently characterizes contemporary architectural criticism, Architecture Today will be essential reading for all those interested in architecture, the visual arts and modern culture.