#books #architecture | Postmodern Berlin : Wohnbauten der 80er Jahre = residential buildings of the 80s

Postmodern Berlin : Wohnbauten der 80er Jahre = residential buildings of the 80s / Claudia Kromrei ; fotografiert von Thomas Bomm + Manfred Hamm ; Übersetzung: Cosima Talhouni.
Salenstein : Niggli, 2019.
175 p. . il.
ISBN 9783721209877
/ EN / Libros / Arquitectura – Siglo XX – Alemania / Arquitectura doméstica – Alemania / Berlín
ehuBiblioteka BCG A-72.038(430) POS
https://ehu.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1127050776

Anyone who prefers to view postmodernism – with reference to architecture – as an epoch, looks with enthusiasm to the western part of Berlin in the 1980s. Nowhere else is there a greater density of buildings to which this label can be attached. Veritable architectural manifestos that shaped the cityscape from then on can be found there. The city and the time allowed for seemingly contradictory pieces of architecture, but what unites the residential buildings above all is the vehement artistic desire of their master builders. Thirty of these are being re-photographed around thirty years after their creation. Floor plans document the structural similarities and differences independently of the architectural means of expression.

In Berlin there is a globally unparalleled density of buildings from the post-modern era, which are currently being rediscovered and that should be accordingly newly comprehended. The city and the era allowed for the most contradictory types of architecture in terms of shape and appearance by the internationally most renowned architects of the time. These veritable constructed manifests of the 1980s gave the western part of the city a new face right before the fall of the Wall and the German reunification.

#books #architecture | Essays, arguments & interviews on "modern architecture Kuwait"

Essays, arguments & interviews on "modern architecture Kuwait" / edited by Ricardo Camacho, Sara Saragoça, Roberto Fabbri.
Niggli, Salenstein, Switzerland : 2018 [i.e. 2017].
247 p. : il.
ISBN 9783721209587
Arquitectura -- Kuwait.
Arquitectura -- Siglo XX.
Sbc Aprendizaje A-72.036(536.8) ESS
http://millennium.ehu.es/record=b1871892~S1*spi

Between 1949 and 1989, remarkable buildings of late modernity were constructed in the coastal city of Kuwait. Within these four decades, the city state on the Arabian Gulf was comprehensively restructured and practically redesigned. Following a first volume with150 carefully selected exemplary buildings, this second volume features interviews, essays and arguments, as well as transcripts of contemporary publications of these years. The texts by local and international scholars focus on questions regarding the significance and function of the buildings along with the role of individual and corporate protagonists that influenced, defined and created this highly dynamic restructuring process. Furthermore, all aspects are integrated into a wider regional and international context. The contributions are complemented by an extensive array of photographic, layout, and archive materials. 

Published in 2016, ‘Modern Architecture Kuwait 1949–1989’ is the first systematic analysis of Kuwait’s building production. This second volume collects essays, arguments, and interviews that focus on the role of individuals and corporations in the process of perceiving, transforming, and building the modern state of Kuwait.

The post-WWII environment along with political and artistic solidarity in the emerging Arab World promoted an exchange of ideas and individuals throughout the region. This edited collection uncovers the regional context that established the modern practice of architecture and planning between the 1940s and 1980s. The editors of "Modern Architecture Kuwait 1949–1989" selected a diverse group of contributors from both Kuwait and abroad to produce expertly researched and crafted essays and arguments. The interviews conducted by the editors between 2012 and 2016 appear as transcripts, while other relevant published materials produced in or on Kuwait from 1949 until 1989 are also featured. In their own essays, the editors explore broader topics such as the political and socio-economic process of modernisation in the country, the educational and professional establishment of the architectural practice in the region, and the development of a contemporary construction industry in Kuwait. Also, the volume’s introduction includes an atlas that traces the movement of architects, planners, and projects for and from Kuwait, mapping a series of unprecedented reciprocities between geographical, economic, political, and social realities in the Arab World. The second collection expands far beyond the first volume, challenging different narratives while also connecting divergent spheres to offer readers a critical look at a local perspective based on a regional context.