Culture Politics & the Built Environment #: Building Character

The Racial Politics of Modern Architectural Style

Culture Politics & the Built Environment #: Building Character
Charles L Davis
RRP:
NZ$ 100.99
Our Price:
NZ$ 95.94
Paperback
h229 x 152mm - 320pg
28 Oct 2021 US
International import eta 10-19 days
9780822966821
Out Of Stock
Currently no stock in-store, stock is sourced to your order
In the 19th-century paradigm of architectural organicism, the notion that buildings possessed character provided architects with a lens for relating the buildings they designed to the populations they served. Advances in scientific race theory enabled designers to think of ' race' and ' style' as manifestations of natural law: just as biological processes seemed to inherently regulate the racial characters that made humans a perfect fit for their geographical contexts, architectural characters became a rational product of design. Parallels between racial and architectural characters provided a rationalist model of design that fashioned some of the most influential national building styles of the past, from the pioneering concepts of French structural rationalism and German tectonic theory to the nationalist associations of the Chicago Style, the Prairie Style, and the International Style. In Building Character, Charles Davis traces the racial charge of the architectural writings of five modern theorists - Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc, Gottfried Semper, Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, and William Lescaze - to highlight the social, political, and historical significance of the spatial, structural, and ornamental elements of modern architectural styles.

Building Character: The Racial Politics of Modern Architectural Style

"By investigating how race shapes historical meaning and cultural associations of architectural forms, systems, and discourses, Davis makes an outstanding contribution to current debates in architectural history and theory. This book is a groundbreaking effort, an incomparable study. " --Mabel O. Wilson, Columbia University "In this much-needed book, Charles Davis situates discourses of race and nationalism within the context of architectural history and historiography, bringing visibility to race and its impacts on architectural style and building typology. Building Character is an innovative and compelling exploration of the race concept as a fundamental issue within the study of modern architecture. " --Milton S. F. Curry, University of Southern California
Charles L. Davis II is an assistant professor of architectural history and criticism at the University at Buffalo, SUNY.
Status: Active
ISBN-13: 9780822966821
Published: 28 Oct 2021
Published In: United States
Imprint: University of Pittsburgh Press
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
Format: Paperback
Height: 229mm
Width: 152mm
Pages: 320

In stock - for items in stock we aim to dispatch the next business day. For delivery in NZ allow 2-5 business days, with rural taking a wee bit longer.

Locally sourced in NZ - stock comes from a NZ supplier with an approximate delivery of 7-15 business days.

International Imports - stock is imported into NZ, depending on air or sea shipping option from the international supplier stock can take 10-30 working days to arrive into NZ. 

Pre-order Titles - delivery will vary depending on where the title is published, if local stock is available in NZ then 5-7 business days, for international imports it can be 10-30 business days. In all cases we will access the quickest supply option.

Delivery Packaging - we ship all items in cardboard sleeves or by box with either packing paper or corn starch chips. (We avoid using plastics bubble bags)

Tracking - Orders are delivered by track and trace courier and are fully insured, tracking information will be sent by email once dispatched.

View our full Order & Delivery information