Anti-Architecture and Deconstruction: The Triumph of Nihilism

Nikos A. Salingaros

ISBN 10: 9937623138 / ISBN 13: 9789937623131

Published by Vajra Books, 2014

About this Item

Contents: Author s Preface. Introduction. 1. The chessboard model of architectural styles. 2. The danger of deconstructivism. 3. Charles Jencks and the new paradigm in architecture. 4. Deconstructing the decons (with Michael Mehaffy). 5. Death, life and libeskind (with Brian Hanson). 6. Warped space. 7. Twentieth-Century architecture as a cult. 8. Aggression in architectural education: the Coup in Viseu. 9. Anti-architecture and religion. 10. Contemporary church architecture and Saint Augustine s The city of God . 11. The Derrida Virus. 12. Background material for The Derrida Virus (includes sections co-authored with Terry M. Mikiten). 13. The new Ara Pacis Musum. 14. The new Acropolis Museum. 15. Architectural theory and the work of Bernard Tschumi. 16. Christopher Alexander and the new architecture (includes an interview with Christopher Alexander). 17. Ray Sawhill interviews Nikos Salingaros. References. Index. "In [this] series of learned and moving critical essays, Salingaros and various close associates argue that we understand life in architecture as the background to human community - the preparation for our dwelling place. One day, perhaps, Salingaros will be required reading for architects. If that happens it could just be that a new orthodoxy will emerge, in which humility, order, and public spirit - the virtues which have been chased from the discipline by the starchitects - will be the norm." - Roger Scruton. "What are the ideas and aims of the current architectural elite? And what might explain why these flawed ideas have such a powerful hold on so many people? This is a stunning and deep book, as interesting for its analyses of psychology and politics as it is for its discussion of architecture." - Ray Sawhill. "This book should be required reading in every institution concerned with the teaching of architecture, planning, and all other aspects of the built environment. It should also be read by every person claiming to be an architect." - James Stevens Curl. "I have just finished reading this long-awaited book. It's worth reading, even if you do not need convincing that Decon is a fraud. The revelation is the depth and extent of the fraud." - Andres Duany. "There are some serious thinkers today, such as Christopher Alexander and Nikos A. Salingaros, who believe we are due for - or at least need to have - a major paradigm shift in architecture, to save it. Unfortunately, architects on the whole are not very literate, so don't read theoretical books and critical articles by such thinkers. Mostly they look at pictures." - Paul H. Malo. "Nothing in recent years beats the latest from Nikos Salingaros, 'Anti-Architecture and Deconstruction . a remarkable book. Nikos writes architecture criticism of the highest order. His genius lies in his ability to build from the specific to the general, which is the opposite of the tendency of academic theorists of architecture. His commentary on Libeskind, on Tschumi, on Derrida, on Charles jencks is definitive" - Fraqncis Morrone.

Seller Inventory # 112764

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Anti-Architecture and Deconstruction: The Triumph of Nihilism
• Publisher: Vajra Books
• Publication Date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9937623138
• ISBN 13: 9789937623131
• Binding: Soft cover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: New
• Dust Jacket Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

In this book translated into several languages, Nikos Salingaros takes on and condemns much of fashionable contemporary architecture, and especially the "star architects". Arguing that their buildings provide non-adaptive environments, he is also concerned that they offer a bad example for ordinary architects who design school buildings, shops, banks, and churches.

From the Author

This polemic book has sometimes drawn attention away from my scientific investigations into architecture and urbanism. Indeed, my harshest critics stubbornly pretend that it is the only thing I have ever written! For this reason, I feel that its message is more relevant today than ever before. The Fourth Edition of this book contains all the material from previous editions, and adds 48 new pages.