Modernist Architecture

Modernist architecture in Britain brought honesty to the structure of buildings and clean lines free of historical ornament to the style, establishing new ideas on how people could live and work. Where did this architecture come from? And who were the British and emigre architects creating Modernism in the UK? This book tells the story of Modernist architecture, from nineteenth-century Chicago to post-war Britain, concluding with a look at the continuing evolution of architectural style, from Post-Modern to the work of Zaha Hadid. Supported by over 150 photographs of buildings and design features from around the world, coverage includes: new methods from Chicago in the 1890s, opening up building options for Modernist architects in the new century; Frank Lloyd Wright and development of the Prairie Style; how Modernist architecture evolved in Britain; the progress of European Modernist architecture; the significance and far-reaching influence of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and finally, post-war development in Britain.

Keith Hasted is an architectural historian teaching an Oxford University's Continuing Education programme and for the Worker's Educational Association in the South East. With a Masters based on research into Italian Renaissance palace architecture, he has since developed a special interest in the links through to Modern Architecture, particularly in his work with groups at the Oxford University Summer Schools.