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Tjerk Ruimschotel Architectural Guide London Twentieth-Century Housing Projects 135 x 245 mm, 280 pages 230 pictures, Softcover ISBN 978-3-86922-525-8 (Englisch) EUR 38,00 / CHF 46,40 April 2021. DOM publishers, Berlin
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New from DOM publishers:
Tjerk Ruimschotel
Architectural Guide London
Twentieth-Century Housing Projects
Seen from the outside as a city which is famous for its rapid growth and high cost of living, London is not a place one would immediately associate with pioneering housing projects. But the British capital has a long history of council and social housing, and as a result plenty of innovative residential buildings. Being able to discover London as a residential metropolis is therefore not only unusual, but can also be very rewarding.
The Architectural Guide London focuses on twentieth-century residential construction and its development to the present day. It is subdivided according to historical periods and looks at the accompanying political and economical frameworks that shaped the housing projects instead of just listing the architectural styles - although there are quite a number of these, such as Neo-Georgian, Postmodern, Blairite or New London Vernacular.
The twentieth century began with some significant projects that were inspired by the Arts and Crafts and garden city movements. This was followed during the interwar years by a more modernist architectural style. After the Second World War an extensive construction programme, which originally favoured tower blocks, was subsequently replaced with more low-rise buildings during the 1960s and 1970s. The new millennium saw a resurgence in the construction of council housing after it had been neglected during the 1990s.
The book traces this history, from its late nineteenth-century predecessors to contemporary "council homes" projects such as the RIBA award-winning Dujardin Mews (2017). In between it features garden cities, mock Tudor estates, and Brutalist icons such as the Barbican or Robin Hood Gardens, as well as lesser-known works located both in the heart of the metropolis and its outer suburbs.
The 100 buildings found in this guide have been hotly debated, celebrated, criticised or unjustly overlooked - but in any event they can all serve as a source of inspiration for future residential buildings here and in other growing metropolises.
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© Tjerk Ruimschotel
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© Tjerk Ruimschotel
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The Architectural Guides by DOM publishers are handy travel companions for readers interested in architecture and culture. Projects are carefully selected and researched to make each individual book a ready work of reference, while background information and attractive design inspire armchair travellers to imaginary journeys. In 2014, the series was awarded with the „Iconic Award“ by the German Design Council, and in 2016 with the „German Design Award Special“. Further information: www.dom-publishers.com