As interest in post-war British architecture and society grows, the 1970s is increasingly seen as... more As interest in post-war British architecture and society grows, the 1970s is increasingly seen as a crucial time of transition when, despite adverse economic conditions, new thinking emerged to modify the Modernist beliefs of the 1960s, incorporating greater concern for the realities of life. Wit, imagination, humility and sensitivity to people and environments helped to create more flexible approaches to the design of individual buildings and cities
The Curwen Press, set up by the Reverend John Curwen in 1863, was initially concerned with printi... more The Curwen Press, set up by the Reverend John Curwen in 1863, was initially concerned with printing sheet music, but made its name in the early 20th century as a printer of superb quality limited edition books. Using the newly developed technique of lithography, in the 1920s, the Press began encouraging young artists to illustrate their books and design end-papers and was soon commissioning such leading figures in the history of twentieth century British art as Paul Nash, Edward Bawden and Eric Ravilious to contribute artwork. Hugely influential in terms of book-design, many of these early editions are now highly sought after collector's items. Publicity brochures and press advertising decorated by these artists aimed, in the words of Harold Curwen, to 'put the spirit of joy into your printed work.'In 2008, The Curwen Studio celebrates its half-centenary. Set up in the late 1950s in response to a rising demand for original artists prints, the Curwen Studio was set up to ...
The architectural patronage of the composer Benjamin Britten and singer Peter Pears in and around... more The architectural patronage of the composer Benjamin Britten and singer Peter Pears in and around Aldeburgh, with a special focus on The Red House and the work of Peter Collymore.
Robin Hood Gardens is a development of flats in Tower Hamlets, London, designed by the internatio... more Robin Hood Gardens is a development of flats in Tower Hamlets, London, designed by the internationally-known architects Alison and Peter Smithson and completed in 1972. It has been the subject of media attention, especially since 2007, owing to a redevelopment proposal and a campaign to save the building by listing. The main piece in the book reviews the history of the building, its critical reception and false perceptions about its current performance and presumed 'failure'. It argues that the building is fit for purpose and that its destruction would be a waste of a physical and cultural resource.
Twentieth Century Society Spring lecture series: second lives for Twentieth Century masterpieces
The Twentieth Century Society’s Spring lecture series (six in total) looks at the restoration and... more The Twentieth Century Society’s Spring lecture series (six in total) looks at the restoration and refurbishment of key C20 buildings in Britain and the US. Buildings covered: BBC Broadcasting House in London (G Val Meyer 1930-32, MacCormac Jamieson Prichard 2000-09). Speaker: Mark Hines (Mark Hines Architects), was the project architect and is the author of The Story of Broadcasting House: Home of the BBC. 5 February 2009. Crown Hall, Chicago (Mies van der Rohe 1952), the Art and Architecture Building, Yale University, New Haven (Paul Rudolf 1961-63) and the former Wills head office in Bristol (SOM with YRM 1970-75). Speaker: Patrick Bellew (Atelier 10 Engineers), 12 February 2009. Center for British Art, Yale University, New Haven (Louis Kahn 1969-77). Speaker: Peter Inskip (Inskip and Jenkins Architects), 17 February 2009. Brunswick Centre London (Patrick Hodgkinson 1967-72; Levitt Bernstein with Patrick Hodgkinson 2006). Speaker: Stuart Tappin (Stand Consulting Engineers Ltd), 26 February 2009. De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea (Mendelsohn and Chermayeff 1934-5, John McAslan and Partners 2000-05). Speaker: Mark Cannata (HOK Architects), 5 March 2009. Finsbury Health Centre London (Lubetkin & Tecton 1938, first phase of conservation work Avanti Architects 1995.). Speaker: John Allan of Avanti Architects, 12 March 2009.
When some 700 people throng the auditorium at Earl’s Court to hear a debate about whether eco hou... more When some 700 people throng the auditorium at Earl’s Court to hear a debate about whether eco houses are ugly, then a frustrated tree-hugger like myself may feel that we are halfway to heaven, not that I plan to share my Elysium with Germaine Greer in ranting mode if I can avoid it
The Art Workers Guild, brother body to the SPAB and once presided over by William Morris and his ... more The Art Workers Guild, brother body to the SPAB and once presided over by William Morris and his followers, is 125 years old this year. Alan Powers looks back over its history, and sheds light on the characters and common bonds between the two bodies – while present Brothers of the Guild are pictured at work by photographer Lara Platman for new book to mark the event.
With this book, Robert Cowan takes his place as the Schott (of Schott's Miscellany fame) for urba... more With this book, Robert Cowan takes his place as the Schott (of Schott's Miscellany fame) for urbanists. The pleasure of Schott's book, repeated in reduced form in its many subsequent look-alikes, was in the digestible nature of its offerings, taken in small morsels, each of which had a distinct flavour. Any good alphabetical compilation should be able to produce this effect, but one might not have considered urbanism as a suitable theme. That this book is such a pleasure from beginning to end is owed to the author's knowledge and wit, and the assiduous keeping of cuttings files which have been harvested for soundbites.
The concept of ‘organised complexity’ was adopted by Jane Jacobs in 1961 as a new way of understa... more The concept of ‘organised complexity’ was adopted by Jane Jacobs in 1961 as a new way of understanding city planning, drawn from developing biological sciences. In 1949, the article ‘Townscape’ by I. de Wolfe (H. de C. Hastings) in the Architectural Review is interpreted in terms of its references to biological sources and theories of ‘higher organisation’ and ‘differentiation’. These are used as the basis for re-interpreting Townscape’s historical and theoretical grounding, in relation to science and the growth of systems thinking, giving possible contemporary sources that Hastings might have used. The biological interests of former Bauhaus staff in London in the mid 1930s are discussed, as are links among Architectural Review contributors to Anarchism and Social Credit are proposed as ways of seeing the Townscape project in political terms, with references to an ecologically-based leisure society, as envisaged in later writings by Hastings.
... ware is a rather thick and hard-wearing body with low-relief moulded decora-tion; but as Ewin... more ... ware is a rather thick and hard-wearing body with low-relief moulded decora-tion; but as Ewins points out, the white granite ware has very ... of the crafts as a serious subject for exhibitions and publication, culminating (for the time being) in the major exhibition of Lucie Rie and ...
... and, the public view of posters from 1908 to the present day.More than 250 images are drawn f... more ... and, the public view of posters from 1908 to the present day.More than 250 images are drawn from the London Transport Museum's collection of over 5000 posters and artworks, which represents the most complete graphic archive of its kind to ... Divisions: School of Art. ...
Architects I Have Known': The Architectural Career of S. D. Adshead
Architectural History, 1981
'When one meets most famous men, it is with a certain sense of disappointment; they so f... more 'When one meets most famous men, it is with a certain sense of disappointment; they so frequently appear to be less than their work, but Adshead seems greater.'Perhaps this comment by the late Christian Barman explains why the importance of Stanley Davenport ...
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