International Style [Paperback]

Hasan-Uddin Khan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2001 | Series: Architecture & Design

"Modern architecture is not a new branch of an old tree - it is an altogether new shoot rising beside the old roots." Thus claimed Walter Gropius, one of the pioneers of modern architecture, on the radical departures of the 20th century. In the 1930s, the term "International Style" came into use to describe a new form of architecture evolved from Bauhaus and its conviction that "form follows function". Until the 1980s, international style set the standard in modern building, with its logical formal idiom and rational solutions to construction problems. Combining steel, glass and concrete, it established an aesthetic founded on the sheer thrill of pushing to the limits of technical and economic viability. Hence the exhilarating skylines of metropolises worldwide - but also the desolate anonymity of modern suburban environments. This book traces the evolution of a style while examining the individual and regional forms it took, and analyzes the ideals and realities of architectural visions of utopia.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

These titles are part of the new 40-volume "World Architecture" series to be completed over the next five years. Each volume covers a country or period; chief features of the series are the fine illustrations and the clear, concise texts that cover the material in style. A very good value, the books are printed in a large format with many illustrations in sumptuous color, even the maps and plans. Stierlin is best known for his 16-volume Architecture Universelle, published between 1964 and 1972. His text, together with his wife's photographs, brings alive the world of Turkish architecture, centered on the great architect Sinan (1489-1588). Kahn (architecture, MIT) gives a balanced survey of the dominant new styles of 20th-century architecture up to the advent of Postmodernism. For all architecture collections.APeter S. Kaufman, Boston Architectural Ctr.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Philip Jodidio studied art history and economics at Harvard University, and was editor-in-chief of the leading French art journal Connaissance des Arts for over two decades. He has published numerous articles and books on contemporary architecture, including TASCHEN's Architecture Now! series, Building a New Millennium, and monographs Tadao Ando, Santiago Calatrava, Norman Foster, Richard Meier, Jean Nouvel, and Alvaro Siza. Hasan-Uddin Khan studied at the Architectural Association in London and subsequently worked as a freelance architect in London and Karachi. Since 1994 he has been Visiting Professor of Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the author of numerous articles and books. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Taschen (April 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3822812293
• ISBN-13: 978-3822812297
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 9.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,603,096 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Discovering the International Style, September 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: International Style: 1925-1965 (World Architecture) (Hardcover)

ARCHITECTURE IS A VISUAL MEDIUM! This book lets you see it for yourself!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, finding the text helpful and the photographs really clear and explanatory. The book is aimed at an interested general reader or to the student of architecture, and discusses the subject with enough reference to antecedents to give a grounding, but also lets the subject "speak". The author gently guides the reader by well-chosen example, rather than by telling him or her what to think.

Although many of the early buildings presented are well-known, they are also very well-presented, and the (mostly color) photographs are really stunning. Going further, the attention that Hasan-Uddin Khan pays to building examples from the Third World should be of keen interest to students of those areas -- it could be the subject of a further book in itself.

The comprehensible layout of the chapters and topics aids the reader in following the development of this style of architecture, and the photo captions often give new information, not just a repetition of the text. Last but not least, the brilliant Bauhaus palette of colors used in the endpapers, chapter divisions and dust jacket serve to enhance the reader's pleasure. This is not an expensive book -- very good value -- and would be a useful and enjoyable addition to anyone's library.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Up to Usual Taschen Standards, June 5, 2005

By 

Marco Antonio Abarca (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: International Style: 1925-1965 (World Architecture) (Hardcover)

I was hoping to purchase a book that concentrated on the early examples International Style 1919-1939. The focus of this books is post World War Two and more particularly the iconic buildings of the great architects. There is nothing wrong about seeing more examples of the works of Mies, Gropius and Le Corbusier. However, they influenced a great number of other architects who produced some very interesting buildings. A style is a lot more than the creations of a few masters.

I love most of the architecture books published by the German Publishing Company, Taschen. However, this is not one of their better books. I found the text to be superficial and the photos not up to their usual high standards.

For anyone interested in learning more about early modernism and more specifically the International Style, I would recommend another Taschen book, "Architecture in the Twentieth Century" by Peter Gossel and Gabriele Leuthausser.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars CLEAR TEXT & FASCINATING IMAGES, June 10, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: International Style (Paperback)

A vivid portrayal of a certain consciousness manifesting itself into films (Lang's Metropolis), paintings, and above all, stunning buildings throughout the world. Mr. Khan delivers this story in clear text and fascinating images.
Having visited many modernist buildings while living and working in many cities abroad, I feel fortunate to have this book activate my memories into a deeper understanding.
The hard cover stays in my collection while the paperback makes many a smart gift.