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 ONE: 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
exploring eye
Exploring Eye: DAMASCENE DERELICTION
An architectural study trip to Syria shortly before the Arab Spring revealed the Old Town of Damascus to be long-abandoned and lamentably neglected. A year on, this precious heritage continues to deteriorate unregarded amid escalating violence and crisis
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
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
