#architecture book

[germanpostwarmodern]

Their heydays are long over but they still dominate German city centers: department stores. After the Second World War in particular they mushroomed all over Germany and long weathered economic ups and downs. In recent years especially those offering a wide range of goods have lost their customers to the internet. Somewhat lesser but still impacted is clothing retailer C&A whose stores are omnipresent in Germany’s pedestrian zones: since establishing their first department store in Berlin in 1911 the company has opened hundreds of stores throughout the country.

Interestingly the architectural design from the beginning remained in the hands of one office that goes back to the architect Sepp Kaiser (1872-1936) whose conversion of the Berlin headquarters in 1916 established a decades-long relationship that is today being continued by Nattler Architekten. In the time in between the architects Ernst August Gärtner (1905-83) and Ric Stiens (*1930) were responsible for the design of the department stores. During the NS era Gärtner oversaw the construction of some 20 new stores, a considerable number that also involved plots cheaply acquired from their Jewish owners. After the war Gärtner rekindled his cooperation with C&A and together with Ric Stiens, who joined the firm in 1951, designed and built numerous new stores, some 66 between 1965 and 1980 alone.

Throughout these decades the paradigms in retail architecture changed considerably and necessitated regular adaptations. These architectural changes are documented by the large number of architectural models in the collection of the Draiflessen Collection, the museum founded by the Brenninkmeijer family behind C&A: earlier this year the museum presented a selection of the models that offered a broad overview of 20th century department store architecture. What started out as a shining temple of consumption in the postwar years developed towards closed boxes offering a maximum of retail space. The accompanying publication „Maßstäblich“, published recently by DOM Publishers, presents a selection of the models as well as the history of each building. In addition, different authors shed light on the history of the department store and the architectural history of C&A stores in Germany, a very welcome contextualization that rounds out this comprehensive book on a vanishing architectural species.

[juliaknz]

THOMAS MORUS UTOPIA, 1516

[lesewut]

“Die Herren der Steppe” 

by Brentjes and Albaum

Not only deals with the Turkic nomadic tribes in Central Asia, but also with their general architecture and history.

[lifeofan-architecturestudent]

The Architecture of the City is free to download and read! I recommend this book to everyone interested, I had to read it for an elective and I loved it.

[lionfloss]

Penang, Malaysia by kevouthere

[poemas-letras-y-artes]

Cuando los vientos cambian de dirección, las tormentas se convierten en suave brisa capaces de refrescar y a la misma vez, acrecentar la flama del alma…

Priscila Alcívar

[escapismsworld]

This reading lamp is 123 yrs old, Original Lamp by Tiffany Studios, 1899, New York, USA.

Officially they are known as "Nautilus Tiffany lamps". Various versions were made between 1899 and c. 1912. Expect to pay at least $55,000 for an original Nautilus lamp.

[vangoghcore]

by themodernleper

[happyheidi]

[emirkocturk]

Artık hiçbir şey ifade etmez benliğimi. çünkü ben umuduna sığındığım bütün düşlerime yenildim. ve yeni bir yaşam na'mümkün..

[germanpostwarmodern]

At the height of its distribution in the late 1960s and early 1970s system building also was having a hard time: criticized as one of the reasons for the perceived monotony of the cities its adversaries picked it to pieces. And yet the history of system building is full of good intentions aimed at reducing building costs and time through prefabrication and standardization. The concept was particularly widespread in Switzerland and makes up the majority of postwar buildings, a circumstance that also relates to the numerous systems developed in the country. Although Fritz Haller’s steel frame system probably is the best known example there literally are dozens of others, sometimes tailored to a specific typology, sometimes more general in layout. ICOMOS Suisse and the research group „System & Serie“ haven taken to the heritage of system building and in a long-term interdisciplinary research project explored the manifold building systems and inventoried the remaining buildings designed on their basis. At the same time the researchers posed preservation and durability questions in order to determine long neglected monument values. The result of seven years of research is „System & Serie: Systembau in der Schweiz – Geschichte und Erhaltung“, edited by ICOMOS Suisse/Arbeitsgruppe System & Serie and recently published by GTA Verlag: the book approaches Swiss system building from various angles and offers analyses going way beyond architecture: history, sociology, building physics and historic preservation are equally taken into account and contribute to the comprehensive picture painted in the book. By highlighting both the advantages and the disadvantages of system building with regards to economies of scale, perceived monotony as well as the extensive transportation requirements associated with it the authors provide a well-balanced and differentiated analysis. What emerges from it is a fresh perspective on an undeniably important aspect of postwar architecture that, as the extensive and detailed catalogue of buildings proves, is diverse and far from monotonous. Against this background the book is the perfect source for an in-depth reappraisal and highly recommended!

[haunthouse]

redistributing wealth (searchable pdf of horror in architecture by joshua comaroff & ong ker-shing) to the masses (tumblr users obsessed with haunted houses)

enjoy! <3 xoxo

edit 01/06/2022: the google drive link stopped working for some reason but here's a working link to it on archive.org!

[peacefulandcozy]

Instagram credit: abookandadream

[desology]

[lionfloss]

Büchertreppe House designed by Dreihausfrauen located in Dusseldorf, Germany

[writings-of-the-cosmos]

I like broken people, they always have a unique way of seeing things.