Since its first appearance in 1981, critical regionalism has enjoyed a celebrated worldwide reception. The 1990s increased its pertinence as an architectural theory that defends the cultural identity of a place resisting the homogenising onslaught of globalisation. Today, its main principles (such as acknowledging the climate, history, materials, culture and topography of a specific place) are integrated in architects’ education across the globe. But at the same time, the richer cross-cultural history of critical regionalism has been reduced to schematic juxtapositions of ‘the global’ with ‘the local’. Retrieving both the globalising branches and the overlooked cross-cultural roots of critical regionalism, Resisting Postmodern Architecture resituates critical regionalism within the wider framework of debates around postmodern architecture, the diverse contexts from which it emerged, and the cultural media complex that conditioned its reception. In so doing, it explores the intersection of three areas of growing historical and theoretical interest: postmodernism, critical regionalism and globalisation. Based on more than 50 interviews and previously unpublished archival material from six countries, the book transgresses existing barriers to integrate sources in other languages into anglophone architectural scholarship. In so doing, it shows how the ‘periphery’ was not just a passive recipient, but also an active generator of architectural theory and practice. Stylianos Giamarelos challenges long-held ‘central’ notions of supposedly ‘international’ discourses of the recent past, and outlines critical regionalism as an unfinished project apposite for the 21st century on the fronts of architectural theory, history and historiography.

A curated collection of Postmodern architecture in all its glorious array of vivid non-conformity This unprecedented book takes its subtitle from Postmodernist icon Robert Venturi's spirited response to Mies van der Rohe's dictum that 'less is more'. One of the 20th century's most controversial styles, Postmodernism began in the 1970s, reached a fever pitch of eclectic non-conformity in the 1980s and 90s, and after nearly 40 years is now enjoying a newfound popularity. Postmodern Architecture showcases examples of the movement in a rainbow of hues and forms from around the globe.

Line drawings of postmodern buildings built in London 1970s to 1990s. A short descriptive text accompanies each illustration. Includes photographs of postmodern details.

Expanding Fields of Architectural Discourse and Practice presents a selection of essays, architectural experiments and works that explore the diversity within the fields of contemporary architectural practice and discourse. Specific in this selection is the question of how and why architecture can and should manifest in a critical and reflective capacity, as well as to examine how the discipline currently resonates with contemporary art practice. It does so by reflecting on the first 10 years of the architectural journal, P.E.A.R. (2009 to 2019). The volume argues that the initial aims of the journal – to explore and celebrate the myriad forms through which architecture can exist – are now more relevant than ever to contemporary architectural discourse and practice. Included in the volume are architectural practitioners, design researchers, artists, architectural theorists, historians, journalists, curators and a paleobiologist, all of whom contributed to the first seven issues of the journal. Here, they provide a unique presentation of architectural discourse and practice that seeks to test new ground while forming distinct relationships to recent, and more longstanding, historical legacies. Praise for Expanding Fields of Architectural Discourse and Practice 'The story told by the authors of this work can thus be considered as the central tool of an architectural transgression.' Critique d’art

"Garish churches, gabled slab blocks, neo-historical tenements - this book is about these and other architectural oddities that one would not expect under an authoritarian socialist regime. It is about the committed individuals that rendered them possible in spite of repressive politics and persistent shortage. It is about a very different background of postmodern architecture, far removed from the debates over Robert Venturi, Philip Johnson or Prince Charles-a context in which postmodernism stood not for world-weary irony, but for individualized resistance against a collectivist dictatorship, a yearning for truth and spiritual values, and a discourse on distinctiveness and national identity. Postmodern Architecture in Socialist Poland argues that this new architecture was more than just a symptom of the beginning political and economic transformation. Rather, it was itself an agent of change. The changing style and priorities in architecture, the most public and expensive of the visual arts, contributed to incremental change beneath what otherwise appeared to be a rigid authoritarian regime. The book analyses the dynamics of this change. It shows that to a large extent postmodern architecture was promoted by dedicated people who took advantage of cracks in the system. These included not only architects but also public servants and priests, acting courageously without explicit support by the rulers, despite tight economic circumstances. Their work did more than just tweak the appearance of the built environment, it changed society in late-socialist Poland and continues to do so today. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars in architectural history, postmodernism, and socialist history"--

Revisiting Postmodernism offers an engaging, wide-ranging and highly illustrated account of postmodernism in architecture from its roots in the 1940s to its ongoing relevance today. This book invites readers to see Postmodernism in a new light: not just a style but a cultural phenomenon that embraces all areas of life and thrives on complexity and pluralism, in contrast to the strait-laced, single-style, top-down inclination of its predecessor, Modernism. While focusing on architecture, this book also explores aspects such as urban masterplanning, furniture design, art and literature. Looking at Postmodernism through the lens of examples from around the world, each chapter explores the movement in the UK on the one hand, and its international counterparts on the other, reflecting on the historical movement but also how postmodernism influences practices today. This book offers the insider’s view on postmodernism by the author, a recognised pioneer in the field of postmodern architecture and a prestigious and authoritative participant in the postmodern movement.