The Architecture of Social Reform: Housing, Tradition, and German Modernism - Hardcover
The Architecture of Social Reform: Housing, Tradition, and German Modernism - Hardcover
Details
by Isabel Rousset (Author)
The architecture of social reform explores the fascinating intellectual origins of modern architecture's obsession with domesticity. Copiously illustrated, Rousset's revealing analysis demonstrates how questions over aesthetics, style, urbanization, and technology that gripped the modernist imagination were deeply ingrained in a larger concern to reform society through housing. The increasing demand for new housing in Germany's rapidly growing cities fostered critical exchanges between a heterogeneous group of actors, including architects, urban theorists, planners, and social scientists, who called for society to be freed from class antagonism through the provision of good, modest, traditionally-minded domestic design. Offering a compelling account of architecture's ability to act socially, the book provocatively argues that architectural theory underwent its most critical epistemological transformation in relation to the dynamics of modern class politics long before the arrival of the avant-garde.
Back Jacket
The architecture of social reform is the first major study of how tradition has been contested in modern architectural culture. Examining German-language design theory from 1848 to 1918, it traces the diverse and fascinating efforts by architects and others to confront class antagonism through the provision of simple, traditionally influenced domestic design.
The book introduces readers to a host of modern architects, urbanists, and art critics - notably Gottfried Semper, Camillo Sitte, Werner Hegemann, Karl Scheffler, Hermann Muthesius, and Paul Mebes - who sought to reform housing along traditionalist lines, in everything from the living room to the city-region. It counters the narrative that tradition signified the last breath of an eclectic and defunct historicism, revealing instead how architects and design experts engaged with tradition in order to stake out a socially progressive position for themselves while learning from the past. Based on extensive original research and richly illustrated, The architecture of social reform will appeal to readers interested in the continuing debates over the future of architecture, housing, and politics.Author Biography
Isabel Rousset teaches architectural history at Curtin University
Materials + Care
We prioritize quality in selecting the materials for our items, choosing premium fabrics and finishings that ensure durability, comfort, and timeless appeal.
Shipping + Returns
We strive to process and ship all orders in a timely manner, working diligently to ensure that your items are on their way to you as soon as possible.