From Autos to Architecture

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Publishers

Architecture

ISBN: 9781568988139
English edition
Princeton Architectural Press
Hardcover, 400 pages
15,2 x 22,9 cm
black & white
October 2009
€45,00 (excl. VAT)

From Autos to Architecture

Fordism and Architectural Aesthetics in the Twentieth Century

David Gartman

Explores the question why modern architecture emerged from the war-ravaged regions of central Europe and not the United States, whose techniques of mass production and mechanical products so inspired the first generation of modern architects like Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius. Sociologist David Gartman offers a critical social history that shows how Fordist mass production and industrial architecture in America influenced European designers to an extent previously not understood. Drawing on Marxist economics, the Frankfurt School, and French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, From Autos to Architecture deftly illustrates the different class structures and struggles of America and Europe. Examining architecture in the context of social conflicts, From Autos to Architecture offers a critical alternative to standard architectural histories focused on aesthetics alone.