Greece

Alcestis P. Rodi, Alexander Tzonis

ISBN 10: 1861893795 / ISBN 13: 9781861893796

Published by Reaktion Books, GB, 2012

About this Item

This book is an unprecedented account of modern architecture in Greece, providing a unique understanding of the development of architectural practice and theory in the context of the country's political and social history. Alexander Tzonis and Alcestis Rodi present the ambitious Neoclassicist projects thought appropriate for a new nation that followed from the establishment of the Greek state in the 1830s before explaining the rise and stylistic development of civic, school and university buildings in the later nineteenth century and after, as well as notable hotels, factories, offices, private homes, apartment blocks and other building types designed by a variety of Greek architects. The authors also examine built examples of uniquely regional character, works closely related to the natural landscape that are at the same time inherently contemporary. Projects by architects including Pikionis, Konstantinidis, Zenetos, Doxiadis and Valsamakis are discussed alongside designs by many other lesser-known practitioners. This book also accounts for the generic buildings that characterize the present urban landscape, structures dating from the construction boom that straddled the decades after 1945.With a dramatic backdrop of historical events, from the War for Independence through to World War Two, a civil war, a military dictatorship (1967-74), 1980s party politics and a 1990s consumerist boom followed by a devastating bust, this book provides a thorough critical account of modern and contemporary architecture in Greece. It will be essential reading for cultural historians as well as for architects and urban planners.

Seller Inventory # LU-9781861893796

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Greece
• Publisher: Reaktion Books, GB
• Publication Date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1861893795
• ISBN 13: 9781861893796
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

The remains of antiquity define Greek architecture in the popular imagination, but Greek edifices encompass far more than these ancient structures. Offered here is a comprehensive survey of modern Greek architecture of the past hundred-plus years.

The book explores the buildings and architects of modern Greece, ranging from nineteenth-century neoclassical edifices to minimalist contemporary works and urban renewal projects. The ideas driving the creation of these buildings are given full attention, as the authors examine the influence of the rise of Modernism in the arts and the characteristics of regional styles, while also considering the reasons behind the bland, functional structures that have dominated Greek cityscapes since World War II. Greecesituates this design survey within the nation’s tumultuous cultural and political history, including the two world wars, a military dictatorship, civil war, and the consumerist boom of the 1990s.


            A penetrating and thorough study, Greece offers a compelling account of modern Greek architecture that will be invaluable for all scholars of design and European history.
 

About the Author

Alexander Tzonis is professor emeritus of architectural theory and design methods at the University of Technology of Delft. He is the author or coauthor of numerous books, including Architecture in Europe since 1968, Between Memory and Invention, and Le Corbusier: Poetics of Machine and Metaphor.Alkistis Rodi is an architect based in Athens.