Architectures of the Technopolis : Archigram and the British High Tech

Comparing the work of Archigram and High-Tech architects thematically, this book explores the historical and cultural context of London to reveal their influences and interconnections and why two such radical groups emerged from a seemingly conservative city. This book examines the relationships between the work of Archigram and that of the British High-Tech architects, groups that were based in London and developing in the 1960s and 70s. While one group consisted of academics and artists known for their humour and eccentricity and the other were a group of deadly serious architects emerging to international proliference, this book argues that they shared uncannily similar impulses.

There is the self-evident commonality of language: overblown machines, kits-of-parts of pieces and components, and a disintegration of building as object in favour of the constituent elements. Underlying both movements is a mutual, undying optimism in technological process and technological expression. Set within the rich history and culture of London, the book makes its comparisons by exploring central shared ideas: utopia, engineering, theatricality, infrastructure and narrative, and the iconography of war machinery.

Annette Fierro is Associate Professor of Architecture at the Weitzman School of Design, University of Pennsylvania, USA.