The Strange Death of Architectural Criticism - Black Dog Publishing

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DESCRIPTION
The Strange Death of Architectural Criticism is a collection of 100 essays and
articles by Martin Pawley, one of the most important and entertaining voices in
post-war architectural criticism. Pawley studied architecture at the Oxford School
of Architecture, the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Arts in Paris and the
Architectural Association in London, before embarking on a distinguished career as a
writer, teacher, critic and broadcaster. A former editor of Building Design, Pawley was
later architecture critic of The Guardian and The Observer and has contributed to The
Architects' Journal, RIBA Journal and Blueprint amongst other publications. His most
recent books include Theory and Design in the Second Machine Age (Blackwell,
1990), Norman Foster: a Global Architecture (Thames & Hudson, 1999), Terminal
Architecture (Reaktion Books,1998), and 20th Century Architecture: A Readers'
Guide (Architectural Press, 1999).
Pawley’s range as a writer is extraordinary. He can shift from the ‘gonzo’ style of Hunter
S Thompson through the gentle surrealism of the Daily Telegraph’s Peter Simple to
magisterial sweeps through the contemporary architectural condition that are virtually
without rival both in their depth of study and their sharpness of perception.
Spanning Pawley's 40-year career, The Strange Death of Architectural Criticism is
a celebration of his remarkable body of work, covering subjects including the impact
of technology on society, space exploration, vehicle design and the environment.
Beginning with his AA diploma thesis "The Time House", the book includes writings
on contemporary design, iconic buildings and some of the most important issues
facing modern architecture as well as interviews with architects including Norman
Foster, Buckminster Fuller, Leon Krier and Zaha Hadid. By turns poignant, coruscating,
controversial and humorous – but always original and insightful – this book is a
reminder of how exhilarating architectural writing at its best can be.
Essays in the book include: 'The Time House', 'Looking for a Sound', 'Garbage
Housing', 'Meeting Buckminster Fuller', 'Archigram', 'After Postmodernism', 'Terminal
Architecture', 'Defence of Modern Architecture', 'Norman Foster', 'The Most Important
Building of the 20th Century' and 'Is Ecology Hot Air'
David Jenkins is the author of Norman Foster Works (Prestel Verlag, 2003) and the
former architecture editor at Phaidon.
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