Exploring Eye
ON THE TRAIL OF ORANGEFEST
The 12 July celebrations in Belfast have been branded as a retail-friendly attraction by the local government, but the move belies the cultural provocation of a sectarian ritual. Essay and photographs by Declan O’Neill
Bärbel Högner documents daily life in Chandigarh, exploring how the buildings and spaces are colonised
Chandigarh’s buildings and spaces are brought vividly to life by its residents, but the city now faces a challening future as India’s economy booms. Photography by Bärbel Högner
Jon Beswick visits Ambryn Island on the remote Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu and describes its traditions
On the volcanic island of ambryn in the pacific archipelago of vanuatu, local building traditions and a fascinating, primitive way of life continue to endure
Frédéric Chaubin surveys the relics of the former Soviet Union
As the soviet union crumbled, it gave rise to a chaotic age of building. Yet poetic images of its decay spark an unexpected rebirth of architectural imagination
Duccio Malagamba navigates the vast lengths and breadths of Brasilia
As the city of Brasilia turns 50, photographer and writer Duccio Malagamba captures the everyday life of this super-scaled utopia
Exploring Eye: The Batek tribe of Malaysia and their architecture
A journey into the dense rainforest of Malaysia reveals the nomadic Batek tribe and their traditional style of vernacular architecture
Exploring Eye: West Africa's vernacular architecture
The relationship between climate, construction trends and human influence in West African vernacular architecture
The Casbah in context: World Heritage Site under threat
The Casbah in Algeria’s capital Algiers is a World Heritage Site steeped in History, but overcrowding and neglect now threaten this ancient neighbourhood
theory
Reassessing Postmodernism
As a major exhibition opens at the V&A on the same subject, Charles Jencks has published an account of Postmodernism’s historic and unfolding story. While the author includes many recent architectural projects, these later examples emerge as antithetical to the movement’s original intent. But if the current crop of architecture is devoid of meaning, could Postmodernism find a future in the complexity of the city and a world of rapid scientific and technological transition?
TROUBLES IN THEORY PART 1: THE STATE OF THE ART 1945-2000
Becoming a subject of interest to those beyond the profession in the late 1960s, architecture - and its theory - in turn opened up to outside influences. An anti-institutional ideology, with strong French philosophical connections - Foucault, Barthes, Derrida - served to undermine architecture’s own disciplinary focus. Key figures - Summerson, Banham, Eisenman - sought to regain the lost territory, but a unified theory of architecture remains elusive. The first of three essays outlines ...
The Autopoiesis of Architecture dissected, discussed and decoded
In the autopoiesis of architecture, Patrik Schumacher introduces a new unifying theory of architecture. Peter Buchanan decodes, dissects and weighs up Schumacher’s arguments
history
THE CLASSICAL IDEALS OF LE CORBUSIER
How three weeks in Athens left a lasting impression on the father of Modernism
Sixty years on from the Festival of Britain – Joseph Rykwert
Sixty years on from the Festival of Britain, the AR invites Joseph Rykwert to reconsider its role in shaping modern, post-war architecture
Sixty years on from the Festival of Britain – Alan Powers
Sixty years on from the Festival of Britain, the AR invites Alan Powers, to reconsider its role in shaping modern, post-war architecture
Sixty years on from the Festival of Britain – Mary Banham
Mary Banham was 27 when she attended the Festival of Britain. She visited the South Bank Exhibition in 1951 with her late husband, Peter Reyner Banham, who as an editor on the AR went on to write a number of critical essays on the Festival and the significance it held for post-war British modernism. 25 years later, Mary Banham co-curated the V&A’s exhibition, A Tonic to the Nation
Sixty years on from the Festival of Britain – Trevor Dannatt
Trevor Dannatt was 28 years old when he joined the Festival Hall Design Team, headed by Leslie Martin, but working under the associate architect Peter Moro, who held special responsibility for the interiors. Sneaking off from time to time to oversee the construction of a small tea bar, he got to know the South Bank site very well, both during the Festival of Britain and afterward, and to this day turns a keen eye to the future of this popular London site. Here he recalls his 1951 experience ...
Sixty years on from the Festival of Britain – Terry Farrell
Terry Farrell reflects on the South Bank Exhibition’s impact on London, from the opening up of the public realm, to the creation of a major riverside walkway
The North African city of Melilla is a surprising and ornate melange of Spanish colonial heritage
Spanish colonisation of north africa turned the city of Melilla into a marvel of Modernisme and Art Nouveau, with a wealth of buildings now being restored
The rebirth of Port-au-Prince's historic Iron Market
The restoration of Port-au-Prince’s Iron Market after last year’s earthquake is the latest chapter in the life of one of the city’s most remarkable buildings
Situating Stirling - Robert Maxwell
As Tate Britain’s James Stirling exhibition opens, selected critics evaluate his legacy. Robert Maxwell interprets Stirling as the master of Mannerism
Situating Stirling - Brian Hatton
Brian Hatton delves into Stirling’s photo archive, discovering how youthful observations of Liverpool were a rich source of material for his practice
Situating Stirling: Five viewpoints
The AR asked five of its esteemed contributors to reflect on the legacy of James Stirling for architectural historians and practitioners today
A tribute to Rogelio Salmona, the greatest of Colombian modernists and Bogotá’s maestro of brick
Colombian modernist Rogelio Salmona had an Enriching and enduring impact on Bogotá through his mastery of brick
The romantic and pragmatic history of the fan vault has lessons for contemporary structures
Architect peter salter records the english innovation of the fan vault, a pragmatic and romantic alternative to the gothic arch that has challenged his thoughts on contemporary skins
