The Globalisation of Modern Architecture

Reviews / Votes

"Robert Adam has completed an impressively comprehensive and compelling survey of contemporary social and political theory . . . an incredibly rich work, ambitious and broad-ranging."- James Pallister, The Architects Journal (17th January 2013), 68-71"A thoughtful and well-researched book . . . a notable contribution to the field."- The Royal Institute of British Architects Journal"For anyone with a serious interest in the new architecture that shapes our cities and towns, Robert Adam's ambitious new book will be an important and objective guide to current trends."- Jeremy Musson, Country Life (January 16, 2013), p. 81"Robert Adam, one of the planet's leading traditional architects, has written a remarkable book . . . Adam's opus is not a coffee-table book (the black-and-white images are not particularly dramatic) nor is it a quick read. But for anyone who wants a keen understanding of global dynamics and why the built environment looks the way it does, I don't know a better book to recommend."- Clem Labine, Traditional Building (February 2013)"It is a book that should sit on the shelf of every architectural student, and be read by anyone who wants to understand the forces that shaped a global architectural style, and global culture."- earchitect, (2013) http://www.e-architect.co.uk/books/globalisation_modern_architecture.htm''With this wide-ranging journey through socio-economic, political and architectural history, Robert Adam has laudably tackled a hugely challenging subject- one which could easily form the subject of a dozen spin-off books.''- bdonline.co.uk, 27/06/13."In this stimulating book, Robert Adam demonstrates how a global economy has brought forth a global architecture, in the form of commercialised modernism and the demand for iconic new buildings. Professor Adam interweaves the demands of the global economy with the development of the global architectural language, while chronicling the continuing resistance to both. The book ends with a question: how far will either the globalisation that occurred before 2007 or the associated dominance of North Atlantic architectural styles survive the crisis?"- Martin Wolf, Chief Economics Commentator, Financial Times"Robert Adam is that rarity, an architect who can think across the political and social landscape to find unexpected forces that shape the style and meaning of architecture. Taking us on a guided race through the 'isms' and 'starchitects' who have dominated the scene for ten years, he shows that globalisation is nothing new, but is still the strongest force that erodes cultural identity and results in the Janus-Facade of the iconic building. Adam's commentary is, as always, welcome, trenchant, wide-ranging and informed."- Charles Jencks, Author of Modern Movements in Architecture and Iconic Building: The Power of Enigma"Alongside its historical sweep and sociological understanding, this book offers a critique of the global cult of the star architect and identifies a 'reflexively modernist' architecture. Adam discusses an architecture for the post-2008 economic condition that is no longer self-obsessed but creates space through an intensive communication with the on-the-ground social and natural world."- Dr Scott Lash, Professor of Sociology and Director of the Centre for Cultural Studies, Goldsmiths College, University of London