Lutyens And The Modern Movement

In the exclusionary world of high modern architecture, it is curious to discover that two icons of the movement both admired the work of Sir Edwin Lutyens - an architect who had little or no interest in modernism. Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright created buildings that are very different, and the two men did not even like each other, but they shared a fascination for Lutyens' distinctively non-international style architecture. This polemical text is an account of why this occured. By exposing common aesthetic and structural themes in the architecture of these three giants, including the cities of New Delhi and Chandigahr, in India, the author explains why Wright and Le Corbusier may have had more in common with Lutyens than with many of their modern peers. The primary text in the book was written in 1967 and was published in a student journal in the U.S. with a small circulation. It has remained an underground classic since then - perhaps because its contents are so disruptive of our current views of 20th century modernism.

Guy Oddie's autobiography traces his life, loves and career as an architect. A man of strong opinions - from architecture to political correctness - and strong affections, these come across clearly, and never more so than when Guy writes candidly of the two great loves in his life.

"Sir Edwin Lutyens is widely regarded as one of Britain's greatest architects. In a career of more than 50 years, spanning both the Victorian and Modern eras, Lutyens was prolific. His work ranged from great country houses, city commercial office buildings, his famous First World War memorials across Europe and Britain, and his magnum opus designs for New Delhi, built during the 1920s and 1930s. Lutyens' most celebrated works remain his magnificent country houses that so frequently adorned the pages of Country Life magazine, and in particular his houses of the period from the 1890s and 1900s. Sir Edwin Lutyens: The Arts & Crafts Houses brings together for the first time in new, wide-format all-colour photography, the definitive collection of over 40 of Lutyens' great houses, in which Lutyens ingeniously blended the style of the Arts and Crafts movement with his own inventive interpretation of the Classical language of architecture. The book features over 500 stunning current photographs, together with floor plans of the houses, and a fresh reinterpretation of Lutyens' enduring architectural genius."--

Edwin Lutyens, one of the most famous architectural names of the twentieth century, died in 1944. As a memorial three large volumes of his drawings were commissioned from the thousands found in his office, and were published by Country Life . This first volume contains his own plans, elevations and copious details of the finest examples of his domestic buildings, on which his huge reputation principally rests; the other two volumes covered his work on corporate and public buildings. But it is the wonderfully inspirational development of his love for the old houses of Surrey - that he shared with his friend and client Gertrude Jekyll - that strikes such a warm response and results in a constant demand for this particular volume. It was not always so. The work of selecting the drawings took so long that by the time the print run had to be decided the Modern Movement had become popular and Lutyens' work looked distinctly old-fashioned. The result was that barely more copies were printed than would

A comprehensive and fascinating look at the history of the Museum of Modern Art’s Architecture and Design Department under the leadership of the influential curator Arthur Drexler. Arthur Drexler (1921-1987) served as the curator and director of the Architecture and Design Department at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) from 1951 until 1986—the longest curatorship in the museum’s history. Over four decades he conceived and oversaw trailblazing exhibitions that not only reflected but also anticipated major stylistic developments. Although several books cover the roles of MoMA’s founding director, Alfred Barr, and the department’s first curator, Philip Johnson, this is the only in-depth study of Drexler, who gave the department its overall shape and direction. During Drexler’s tenure, MoMA played a pivotal role in examining the work and confirming the reputations of twentieth-century architects, among them Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, Richard Neutra, Marcel Breuer, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Exploring unexpected subjects—from the design of automobiles and industrial objects to a reconstruction of a Japanese house and garden—Drexler’s boundary-pushing shows promoted new ideas about architecture and design as modern arts in contemporary society. The department’s public and educational programs projected a culture of popular accessibility, offsetting MoMA’s reputation as an elitist institution. Drawing on rigorous archival research as well as author Thomas S. Hines’s firsthand experience working with Drexler, Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art analyzes how MoMA became a touchstone for the practice and study of midcentury architecture.

Edwin Lutyens was one of Britain's greatest architects, known for the imaginative adaptations of traditional design in his numerous country houses, as well as the instrumental role he played in designing and building much of New Delhi. Presenting a stunning collection of his architectural designs spanning the many phases of his acclaimed career, this beautifully produced study includes examples of the celebrated architect's early Arts-and-Crafts houses, Surrey-vernacular style, and carefully composed classical houses. Leading architectural authority Gavin Stamp presents his selection of Lutyens' houses in chronological order â??with the exception of the Viceroy's House â?? by the date of their design. Featuring jaw-dropping photography from the unique archives of Country Life magazine, this beautiful book covers of all phases of Lutyens' career and boasts a number of rare images. The vast majority of photographs within the book are contemporaneous to the buildings' design â?? showing the houses as their architect intended they should look: mellow and yet monumental, fitting into the soft English landscape and enhanced by their luxuriant gardens. Covering everything from Crooksbury and Sullingstead to Gledstone Hall and Middleton park, Edwin Lutyens' Country Houses is the leading text on this architect of rare genius and humanity.

Since the spread of classical design and construction amongst the upper echolons of British society in the late seventeenth century, traditional construction methods have largely fallen by the wayside. Centuries later, as the construction industry faces up to its environmental responsibilities, this book explores its rich and ancient tradition to provide tried and trusted solutions to modern day construction problems. By way of introduction, the ancient and historical lifestyles that dictated the nature of traditional construction are explored, before focussing on its health and ecological benefits. As well as cultural background, this book includes a detailed scientific description of traditional building materials and their constituents which draws a sharp contrast with modern petrochemical-based materials. The studies of traditional buildings included reveal the sustainability of features such as natural ventilation and breathing walls, and comparisons with modern construction methods show how they could prevent 'sick building syndrome'. The author argues that maintenance for long life, by contrast with the modern concept of life-cycle costing, is at the nub of sustainability and underlies the contribution traditional building construction can make to tackling climate change. Over 250 original photos, and over fifty bespoke diagrams illustrate the features, techniques, and characteristics of traditional construction that could make such a valuable contribution to the industry today. The inclusion of a close study of how these methods relate to British building regulations makes this book a practical guide for construction professionals, as well as an authoritative resource for students and policy-makers.

A revealing new look at modernist architecture, emphasizing its diversity, complexity, and broad inventiveness Usually associated with Mies and Le Corbusier, the Modern Movement was instrumental in advancing new technologies of construction in architecture, including the use of glass, steel, and reinforced concrete. Renowned historian Kenneth Frampton offers a bold look at this crucial period, focusing on architects less commonly associated with the movement in order to reveal the breadth and complexity of architectural modernism. The Other Modern Movement profiles nineteen architects, each of whom consciously contributed to the evolution of a new architectural typology through a key work realized between 1922 and 1962. Frampton's account offers new insights into iconic buildings like Eileen Gray's E-1027 House in France and Richard Neutra's Kaufmann House in Palm Springs, California, as well as lesser-known works such as Antonin Raymond's Tokyo Golf Club and Alejandro de la Sota's Maravillas School Gymnasium in Madrid. Foregrounding the ways that these diverse projects employed progressive models, advanced new methods in construction techniques, and displayed a new sociocultural awareness, Frampton shines a light on the rich legacy of the Modern Movement and the enduring potential of the unfinished modernist project.