Abstract
The 1987 Internationale Bauausstellung (IBA) held in Berlin offered itself as a laboratory of architectural postmodernism. The administrative division of the exhibition into Neubau (New Building) and Altbau (Old Building) corresponds to the two main critical factions in architectural theory to emerge from the collapse of architectural modernism. Neubau was represented by prestige buildings on prime sites in what may be described as ‘postmodern international style’, while Altbau encompassed the communal renovation of housing stock described as ‘community architecture’ in the UK and ‘social architecture’ in the USA. In this chapter, I will examine how these two broadly speaking ‘postmodern’ tendencies in architectural theory and practice stand with regard to each other and to the modernism which they claim to supersede.
a waalworth of a skyerscrape of most eyeful hoyth entowerly, erigenating from next to nothing and celescating the himals and all, hierarchitectitiptitoploftical, with a burning bush abob off its baubletop and with larrons o’toolers clittering up and tombles a’buckets clottering down. (Joyce, Finnegans Wake)
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© 1990 Howard Caygill
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Caygill, H. (1990). Architectural Postmodernism: The Retreat of an Avant-Garde?. In: Boyne, R., Rattansi, A. (eds) Postmodernism and Society. Communications and Culture. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-20843-2_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-20843-2_10
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