Architecture Theory Since 1968

by K. Michael Hays (Editor)

An anthology of the pivotal theoretical texts that have defined architecture culture in the late twentieth century. In the discussion of architecture, there is a prevailing sentiment that, since 1968, cultural production in its traditional sense can no longer be understood to rise spontaneously, as a matter of social course, but must now be constructed through ever more self-conscious theoretical procedures. The development of interpretive modes of various stripes—post-structuralist, Marxian, phenomenological, psychoanalytic, as well as others dissenting or eccentric—has given scholars a range of tools for rethinking architecture in relation to other fields and for reasserting architectures general importance in intellectual discourse. This anthology presents forty-seven of the primary texts of architecture theory, introducing each with an explication of the concepts and categories necessary for its understanding and evaluation. It also presents twelve documents of projects or events that had major theoretical repercussions for the period. Several of the essays appear here in English for the first time. Contributors
Diana Agrest, Stanford Anderson, Archizoom, George Baird, Jennifer Bloomer, Massimo Cacciari, Jean-Louis Cohen, Beatriz Colomina, Alan Colquhoun, Maurice Culot, Jacques Derrida, Ignasi de Solá-Morales, Peter Eisenman, Robin Evans, Michel Foucault, Kenneth Frampton, Mario Gandelsonas, Frank Gehry, Jürgen Habermas, John Hejduk, Denis Hollier, Bernard Huet, Catherine Ingraham, Fredric Jameson, Charles A. Jencks, Jeffrey Kipnis, Fred Koetter, Rem Koolhaas, Leon Krier, Sanford Kwinter, Henri Lefebvre, Daniel Libeskind, Mary McLeod, Alberto Pérez-Gómez, José Quetglas, Aldo Rossi, Colin Rowe, Massimo Scolari, Denise Scott Brown, Robert Segrest, Jorge Silvetti, Robert Somol, Martin Steinmann, Robert A. M. Stern, James Stirling, Manfredo Tafuri, Georges Teyssot, Bernard Tschumi, Anthony Vidler, Paul Virilio, Mark Wigley

Genres: Architecture, Theory, Philosophy, History, Reference

824 pages, Paperback

First published October 9, 1998

Reviews

[Stephanie Brooks]

I heart brutalist architecture

[Sarah]

this is like the architectural theory BIBLE! it's got such great excerpts of texts I need to read.

[Alex Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a while to read through this text, but its well worth the look. From here we get an examination of architecture as history first -- how the aesthetics were built from the past renaissance, until towards today, when theorists recognized the role of the for-itself of the times. Post-modernism arose as a standard by which judgement of values were to be explored, and then into the 1990s when deconstruction was in full swing. It would be interesting to see what is being said now, but I think the exploration of values and its subsequent disruption emerges as the field matures through inter-conversation. As techniques become refined and people attempt to distinguish what the core values of architecture is; what the correct view is, we abstract far enough into the generative process of value making. The last few essays speak in that direction but of course, fall short of being more than critical theory speculation. The main drive in this that remains consistent is the acknowledgement (and often obscuration) of the technical practices of architecture... this behavior immanent to the practice is taken for granted even if "why" and "how" are not.

Architecture -- building and design -- is the most resource intensive practice that humans engage in. It is no wonder that these essays reflect nearly every angle of what is being said of what could be said and how we exist in relation to the spaces we create. In a way, we are seeing both the rise of abstract as a way of attempting to meld many views together and the embeddedness of the material practices themselves, as nearly two separate phenomenon... for these essays the former is the content of discussion, the latter remains the neutral ground of what is "outside discussion" in the sense that its pragmatics ground neutral. Perhaps this is merely a reflection of this collection of essays, but I think we get this split between those who practice within the domain and those who work the borders in order to establish the domain itself.

[mahatmanto · Rating 4 out of 5]

mungkin kita mengira bahwa ketika kita menderet-deret pemikiran arsitektur menurut tahun pemunculannya di ranah publik, maka dapat diikuti riwayat perkembangan teori arsitektur.
ternyata, dari buku ini, hal itu bisa dijawab: tidak.
riwayat pemikiran rupanya tidak linear.
ada gerak ulang-alik, yang lama dihidupkan dan diremajakan kembali. jadi, baca buku ini janganlah terlalu kaku menerima penderetan atau pengurutan kronologis yang dibikin editornya.
buku ini bisa dibaca bagian per bagian.
sesuka kita.

[Windry · Rating 4 out of 5]

wahahaha! ini buku yang membawa saya lulus kuliah. huks, kalau tidak mengambil tema "arsitektur dan politik" saya tidak akan tahu bahwa buku arsitektur bisa juga berbentuk teks tanpa gambar. dan yang satu ini penuh essai! ah, selama 6 bulan buku ini selalu ada di samping tempat tidur :P