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Without any doubt, London is one of the best cities in the world for modern architecture. But it is also one of the biggest cities in the world, and it does not make a display of its best things. A visitor looking for new buildings in the City and the West End might well be justified in turning away with a shudder. Yet delightful things may be waiting for him in Lewisham or St. Albans. Ian Nairn, from the foreword As one of the few architectural critics to eschew purely aesthetic modes of analysis, Ian Nairns timeless books on modern urban cities have been hailed as some of the most significant writing about contemporary Britain, while also being praised as alternative guidebooks for curious travelers. First published in 1964, Modern Buildings in London celebrates the character of buildings that were immediately recognizable as modern in 1964, many of which were not part of the well-known landscape of London but instead were gems that Nairn stumbled across. Written by a layman for laymen, Nairns take on modern design includes classic London buildings such as the Barbican, the former BBC Television Centre, and the Penguin Pool at Regents Park Zoo, as well as schools, old timber yards, ambulance stations, car parks, and even care homes.
Without any doubt, London is one of the best cities in the world for modern architecture. But it is also one of the biggest cities in the world, and it does not make a display of its best things. A visitor looking for new buildings in the City and the West End might well be justified in turning away with a shudder. Yet delightful things may be waiting for him in Lewisham or St. Albans. Ian Nairn, from the foreword
As one of the few architectural critics to eschew purely aesthetic modes of analysis, Ian Nairns timeless books on modern urban cities have been hailed as some of the most significant writing about contemporary Britain, while also being praised as alternative guidebooks for curious travelers. First published in 1964, Modern Buildings in London celebrates the character of buildings that were immediately recognizable as modern in 1964, many of which were not part of the well-known landscape of London but instead were gems that Nairn stumbled across.
Written by a layman for laymen, Nairns take on modern design includes classic London buildings such as the Barbican, the former BBC Television Centre, and the Penguin Pool at Regents Park Zoo, as well as schools, old timber yards, ambulance stations, car parks, and even care homes.