***Shortlisted for the Architectural Book Awards 2024***
Thinking Through Twentieth-Century Architecture connects the practice of architecture with its recent history and its theoretical origins – those philosophical ideas that lay behind modernism and its aftermath. By analyzing in straightforward and jargon-free language the genesis of modernism and the complex reactions to it, the book clarifies a continuing debate. It has been specifically written to connect issues of theory, history and contemporary practice and to allow students to make these connections easily.
This is a history of twentieth-century architecture, written with close critical attention to the theories that lie behind the works described. Importantly, unlike other historical accounts, it does not take sides and urge the reader to identify with one strand of thinking or style of architecture at the expense of others, but it presents a dispassionate view, with persuasive arguments on behalf of different positions. It pursues the history of European and American architecture chronologically, but the history is interwoven with the philosophical ideas that informed both writers and architects and are essential for its understanding.
The book is relevant to current issues of contemporary practice and education, showing that philosophical issues are fundamental and those relating to design decisions never go away. It includes 200 illustrations and will appeal to all those interested in twentieth-century architecture and to architectural students.
Introduction
1. A philosophical framework
Introduction
1.1 Logic
1.2 Epistemology
1.3 Ethics
1.4 Aesthetics
1.5 Metaphysics
1.6 Three broad metaphysical distinctions: Idealism
1.7 Three broad metaphysical distinctions: Scepticism or Nominalism
1.8 Three broad metaphysical distinctions: Pragmatism
1.9 The Enlightenment split
1.10 Implications for architectural education and practice
2. Origins of Modernism – the European picture
Introduction
2.1 Mechanisation
2.2 The problem of the city
2.3 The cultural issue of a modern style
2.4 Respect for the past
2.5 Moral criteria
2.6 Art Nouveau as a first manifestation of Modernism
2.7 Aesthetics, ethics and politics: some broader questions
3. Fin de siècle Vienna as a paradigm of Modernism
Introduction
3.1 Historical and cultural background
3.2 Sitte and Wagner: two views of the city
3.3 Politics and philosophical thinking
3.4 Literature and psychology
3.5 Music
3.6 Furniture and painting
3.7 Architecture: Wagner and Loos
3.8 Relevance
4. The Modernist Canon: the Bauhaus, Le Corbusier and CIAM
Introduction
4.1 Gropius and the Bauhaus
4.2 Gropius’s later career
4.3 Le Corbusier
4.4 The inherited problem of the city
4.5 CIAM’s solution to the problems of the city
4.6 Functional and formal disciplines
4.7 A first critique: decorated diagrams
4.8 The campus as a CIAM city
4.9 Philosophy and politics: the Bauhaus in its German context
4.10 Conflicted positions in Le Corbusier
5. Positive Scepticism: Alvar Aalto as an alternative modernist
Introduction
5.1 The Finnish context
5.2 Neo-classical beginnings
5.3 Paimio, Villa Mairea and Aalto’s own house
5.4 Baker house, some of the post-war brick buildings and Finlandia Hall
5.5 Some underlying themes
5.6 The philosophical nature of Aalto’s scepticism
6. Ideals and their representation: Louis Kahn
Introduction
6.1 Education and early work
6.2 Yale Art Gallery extension and Trenton Community Centre
6.3 Richards Research laboratory
6.4 Rochester Unitarian church
6.5 Salk laboratories
6.6 Phillips Exeter Academy
6.7 Kimbell Museum and Mellon Gallery for British Art
6.8 Kahn’s primary concerns, strengths and weaknesses
7. Humanizing Modernism: Team Ten and the Dutch
Introduction
7.1 Say leaf, say tree
7.2 Ralph Erskine – a Swedish member of Team Ten
7.3 British contributors to Team Ten
7.4 Aldo van Eyck
7.5 Herman Hertzberger
7.6 The architectural contribution of Team Ten
7.7 The philosophical context of the Team Ten critique
8. Postmodernism: Irony and Inclusiveness
Introduction
8.1 Venturi’s critique
8.2 Mother’s House and a Lutyens precedent
8.3 Ducks and decorated sheds
8.4 Irony as the only truthful response to twentieth-century conditions
8.5 Michael Graves and a referential architecture
9. The typological critique
Introduction
9.1 No describable public space
9.2 Un-nameable objects
9.3 Absence of hierarchy
9.4 Architectural typology
9.5 The argument for typology in the twentieth century
9.6 Aldo Rossi
9.7 The slide into historical pastiche
9.8 A Kantian apologist for the classical tradition and pragmatist responses
9.9 Legacy
10. Conflicting existential ideals
Introduction
10.1 Some consequences of the destruction of a post-Kantian world-view
10.2 Embracing the conditions of a changed world: Rem Koolhaas
10.3 Embracing the conditions of a changed world: Bernard Tschumi
10.4 Resisting the conditions of a changed world: a phenomenological critique
10.5 Architectural interpretations of a phenomenological position
10.6 Understanding history from a phenomenological perspective
11. Conclusions – 21st century hindsight
Introduction
11.1 Twentieth-century post-Enlightenment thinking
11.2 Critical perspectives from the twenty-first century: racial inclusivity
11.3 Critical perspectives from the twenty-first century: gender inclusivity
11.4 Critical perspectives from the twenty-first century: sustainability
11.5 Implications in the search for a language of form
11.6 Some architects and writers on architecture who accept its contingent nature
11.7 Further implications for architectural education
11.8 A Humean position
Acknowledgements
Select bibliography
Index
Biography
Nicholas Ray, currently a Visiting Professor at the University of Liverpool, practised and taught at Cambridge for more than 40 years, where he is an Emeritus Fellow of Jesus College. Previous publications include monographs on Alvar Aalto and Rafael Moneo and co-authored books and articles with Christian Illies, a German philosopher.
"This book is welcome for treating theory and practice together, as the architects of the period did, giving students tackling current concerns a coherent account of the built legacy of twentieth-century architecture and ‘where it all came from’."
Harry Charrington, Head of School of Architecture and Cities, University of Westminster
"This book is the fruit of a lifetime’s consistent engagement with modern architecture’s moral and aesthetic aims. Nicholas Ray writes with a lucidity and a seriousness of purpose that are much needed amidst the cultural confusion of today."
Andrew Saint, author, formerly editor of the Survey of London and historian at Historic England
"This book will be welcomed by practicing architects because it stimulates us to look beyond the usual day-to-day preoccupations – describing a philosophical dimension which Ray argues has always accompanied ‘thoughtful buildings’ and which must surely be central in determining our profession’s priorities in the face of unprecedented existential challenges."
Ben Zucchi, Principal & Chair of Architecture Profession, BDP
"Why were early modern architects so hell-bent on their agenda? Why were reactions to it so passionately debated? What’s with all the manifestos? Why did it all matter so much? Understanding the to-and-fro of twentieth-century modernism is indispensable for anyone wanting to understand architecture today, but navigating its waters requires a gentle, patient and plain-spoken guide. Fortunately, we have Nick Ray for this. A keen observer, a sometime participant and experienced teacher, Ray is the ideal guide for explaining not only the ‘what happened?’ of modern architecture, but more importantly, the ‘why?’ of a movement that ultimately conquered the world."
Tom Spector, Oklahoma University, General Editor Journal of the International Society for the Philosophy of Architecture
“Weaving between architectural practice and theory, this books explores design through the convictions of their creators….An outline of each architect is provided with a summary of key designs and theories. The book will therefore serve as a useful resource for a wide market, including students…..and if the philosophical approach deters casual audiences, illustrations on almost every page will help.”
Alborz Dianat, C20 Magazine
"Ray combines short biographies, project descriptions, historical contexts, and a panoply of secondary literature to present readers with the fundamentals of numerous architects’ works, their design principles, the larger architectural culture of their time, and the present relevance of their ideas. An abundance of representative images illustrates each step of the narrative like visual footnotes […] it fulfils its purpose by retelling a familiar story in an abridged and accessible yet intricate and informative way."
André Patrão, Drawing Matter
