Obsolescence: An Architectural History
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.40 (897 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 022631345X |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 208 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-09-10 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Now superseded by sustainability, obsolescence is now itself obsolete. The ideas of obsolescence and sustainability, in the end, are just ways to justify change. The conclusion of Obsolescence is brilliant. “Abramson uses design as evidence to read society’s responses to the notion of obsolescence, rather than as mere illustration. And the resulting narrative is one of the most coherent and powerful explanations I’ve ever read of the seemingly disparate architectural movements of the past century: interwar conservatism, Brutalism, historic p
Belief in obsolescence, as Abramson shows, also profoundly affects architectural design. Obsolescence, then, gives an unsettling experience purpose and meaning. In the innovative and wide-ranging Obsolescence, Daniel M. The New York Times puzzled over those who would sacrifice the thirteen-year-old structure, “as ruthlessly as though it were some ancient shack.” In New York alone, the Gillender joined the original Grand Central Terminal, the Plaza Hotel, the Western Union Building, and the Tower Building on the list of just one generation’s razed metropolitan monuments. In our architectural pursuits, we often seem to be in search of something newer, grander, or more efficient—and this phenomenon is not novel. In the spring of 1910 hundreds of workers labored day and night to demolish the Gillender Building in New York, once the loftiest office tower in the world, in order to make way for a taller skyscraper. In the 1960s, many architects worldwide accepted the inevitability of obsolescence, experimenting with flexible, modular designs, from open-plan schools,
"Four Stars" according to RDA. This book is clear and smart while getting across very complex ideas that are deeply researched.. but the content was fantastic. My husband loved it I was expecting more of a coffee table book, but the content was fantastic. My husband loved it.