Inside Architecture [Paperback]

Vittorio Gregotti (Author), Peter Wong (Translator), Francesca Zaccheo (Translator), Kenneth Frampton (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 4, 1996 | ISBN-10: 0262571153 | ISBN-13: 978-0262571159

Inside Architecture is a concise, insightful examination of the role the modernist project has played in late twentieth-century building, as well as an attempt to reconcile the dilemmas and shortcomings of modern orthodoxy with a renewed vision of modernism.Since the 1950s, Vittorio Gregotti has constructed a critical position that is probably without peer among practicing architects. Through his experiments with the neo- avant-gardes in 1963, his editorship of Casabella from 1982 to 1995, and his teaching, practice, and writing, Gregotti's voice has influenced almost every recent architectural debate. Inside Architecture, his first major work to be translated into English, balances a series of architectual themes concerning the theoretical debate surrounding modernism and tradition with the more practical affairs of the architect.Gregotti first identifies the elements of mass culture and public institutions that have led to the deterioration of natural and man-made environments. He then investigates eight issues -- precision, technique, monumentality, modification, atopia, simplicity, procedure, and image -- that influence the activities of contemporary architects. Gregotti is particularly suspicious of the deconstructivist argument and its heavy reliance on literary models. And he provides an incisive critique of the recent interest in modernist aesthetics, warning against reviving the forms of an old movement without considering the cultural and social criteria that once gave it purpose and meaning.The Graham Foundation / MIT Press Series in Contemporary Architectural Discourse

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is the most important book by the most important architect, critic, and intellectual writing today." Kenneth Frampton

Language Notes

Text: English
Original Language: Italian

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Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (September 4, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262571153
• ISBN-13: 978-0262571159
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #448,535 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bright, April 16, 2000

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PIO CID (Atlanta, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inside Architecture (Paperback)

Great book with the boldness of the simple. Calm and conscientious analysis of architecture today and it's commitment to history and the profession. One of the best books of criticism that I have ever read.