Designs on the past

Article Abstract:

A conference on the teaching of history in schools of architecture was held at Birmingham Polytechnic in Jun 1992. There are divergent views on the way architects should be trained and on the place of history in that training. Architectural history is seen by some as an autonomous subject, but by others as subdivision of design. Some of the conference speakers represented the 'critical theory' approach to history, suggesting it serves to maintain vested interests and carries cultural assumptions. These speakers would prefer history to be assimilated through project briefs.

Study and teaching

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How little the 'ideal home' has changed

Article Abstract:

The Design Museum, London, England is holding an exhibition to mark the 70th Daily Mail Ideal Home Exhibition. The Ideal Home Exhibition started in 1908 but found its focus in the 1920s with the increase in home ownership and the activities of speculative builders. The retrospective exhibition shows how little has changed over the years in the concept of an ideal middle class home. Modern designs remain unpopular although labour saving devices are emphasised. However, the scale of the exhibition is too small, preventing in depth treatment of important themes.

Social aspects, Housing, Dwellings

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Powerful input from the political refugees

Article Abstract:

An exhibition currently being held at the RIBA Heinz Gallery in London, England, looks at the work of emigre architects in the UK in the period 1928-1958. These include Walter Gropius and Erich Mendelsohn, who both spent only a short time in the UK but were extremely influential because of their role in developing the intellectual and design potential of Modernism. The exhibition highlights the key role played by emigres in the collectivist ideals of Modernism.

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