Owen Hatherley interview - Revision history

Designing Buildings at 08:17, 20 November 2020

2020-11-20T08:17:46Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:17, 20 November 2020
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	--[[User:Michael_Brooks\|Michael Brooks]]		--[[User:Michael_Brooks\|Michael Brooks]]

−	[[Category:History]] [[Category:Publications_/_reports]] [[Category:Theory]]	+	[[Category:DCN_Commentary]] [[Category:DCN_Person]] [[Category:History]] [[Category:Publications_/_reports]] [[Category:Theory]]

Editor at 16:15, 9 June 2018

2018-06-09T16:15:17Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:15, 9 June 2018
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	{\|		{\|
−	~~\|width="100%"~~\| Designing Buildings Wiki (DBW): Just by way of introduction, what is it would you say about the way you approach, think and write about the built environment that differs from other writers on the subject?	+	\| Designing Buildings Wiki (DBW): Just by way of introduction, what is it would you say about the way you approach, think and write about the built environment that differs from other writers on the subject?
	\|}		\|}

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	{\|		{\|
−	~~\|width="100%"~~\| DBW: When you ask someone to envisage the ‘landscapes of communism’ it’s not difficult to guess at what sort of things they will be thinking about. While a lot of these preconceptions are explored, and in many instances confirmed, in the book, there are a fair few surprises as well. Was there a particular place on your travels that surprised your own preconceptions?	+	\| DBW: When you ask someone to envisage the ‘landscapes of communism’ it’s not difficult to guess at what sort of things they will be thinking about. While a lot of these preconceptions are explored, and in many instances confirmed, in the book, there are a fair few surprises as well. Was there a particular place on your travels that surprised your own preconceptions?
	\|}		\|}

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	{\|		{\|
−	~~\|width="100%"~~\| DBW: In terms of the ‘social condenser’ – a place that combines multiple social utilities – you highlight the Bulgarian coastal resort. What was it about there that identified it as such? Was it the lack of expectation you attached to it perhaps?	+	\| DBW: In terms of the ‘social condenser’ – a place that combines multiple social utilities – you highlight the Bulgarian coastal resort. What was it about there that identified it as such? Was it the lack of expectation you attached to it perhaps?
	\|}		\|}

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	{\|		{\|
−	~~\|width="100%"~~\| DBW: Did you get a sense as you were exploring the microrayons (housing estates) of how satisfying or successful they were as places to exist in day-to-day?	+	\| DBW: Did you get a sense as you were exploring the microrayons (housing estates) of how satisfying or successful they were as places to exist in day-to-day?
	\|}		\|}

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	{\|		{\|
−	~~\|width="100%"~~\| DBW: Do you think it has anything to do with the fact that those estates and that architecture may not have faced the same stigmatisation as in the UK?	+	\| DBW: Do you think it has anything to do with the fact that those estates and that architecture may not have faced the same stigmatisation as in the UK?
	\|}		\|}

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	{\|		{\|
−	~~\|width="100%"~~\| DBW: I particularly enjoyed the chapter on memorials. It’s striking if you go to Moscow…the dichotomies that are present between, on the one hand, all the Soviet iconography, and on the other, the high capitalism, designer boutiques, shopping malls, etc. Do you see this as being evidence of the communist past assuming a sort of confusing nostalgia there now?	+	\| DBW: I particularly enjoyed the chapter on memorials. It’s striking if you go to Moscow…the dichotomies that are present between, on the one hand, all the Soviet iconography, and on the other, the high capitalism, designer boutiques, shopping malls, etc. Do you see this as being evidence of the communist past assuming a sort of confusing nostalgia there now?
	\|}		\|}

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	{\|		{\|
−	~~\|width="100%"~~\| DBW: Difficult question - if you could encapsulate the architectural style and legacy of communism in one building or structure what would it be?	+	\| DBW: Difficult question - if you could encapsulate the architectural style and legacy of communism in one building or structure what would it be?
	\|}		\|}

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	{\|		{\|
−	~~\|width="100%"~~\| DBW: What are your thoughts on the apparently confused attitude the British have to their own Brutalist architecture? On the one hand, it is denigrated and demolished – the last of the Red Road flats came down the other week – and on the other hand, the Park Hill estate wins the Sterling Prize and places like Trellick Tower and the Barbican are icons in their own right. How do you make sense of these opposing attitudes?	+	\| DBW: What are your thoughts on the apparently confused attitude the British have to their own Brutalist architecture? On the one hand, it is denigrated and demolished – the last of the Red Road flats came down the other week – and on the other hand, the Park Hill estate wins the Sterling Prize and places like Trellick Tower and the Barbican are icons in their own right. How do you make sense of these opposing attitudes?
	\|}		\|}

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	{\|		{\|
−	~~\|width="100%"~~\| DBW: Do you think this failure to adequately provide social housing in the UK comes out of the fact that we recoil from the notion of such regimented ‘assembly line’ accommodation such as is found in the Eastern bloc microrayons? Is it a reflection of the capitalistic tendency to perceived individualism extended to the housing sector that didn’t exist in the same way in communist states?	+	\| DBW: Do you think this failure to adequately provide social housing in the UK comes out of the fact that we recoil from the notion of such regimented ‘assembly line’ accommodation such as is found in the Eastern bloc microrayons? Is it a reflection of the capitalistic tendency to perceived individualism extended to the housing sector that didn’t exist in the same way in communist states?
	\|}		\|}

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	{\|		{\|
−	~~\|width="100%"~~\| DBW: Your earlier work introduced the term ‘pseudo-modernism’ to describe the influence New Labour had had on the built environment. For those not familiar, what did you mean by that term?	+	\| DBW: Your earlier work introduced the term ‘pseudo-modernism’ to describe the influence New Labour had had on the built environment. For those not familiar, what did you mean by that term?
	\|}		\|}

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	{\|		{\|
−	~~\|width="100%"~~\| DBW: As far as you can tell has there been any definable architectural mark left by 10 years of David Cameron?	+	\| DBW: As far as you can tell has there been any definable architectural mark left by 10 years of David Cameron?
	\|}		\|}

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	{\|		{\|
−	~~\|width="100%"~~\| DBW: What are your thoughts on the current state of London’s urban environment? Is it all bleak or do you envisage some kind of tide change away from endless speculative high rise developments and moves to social cleansing?	+	\| DBW: What are your thoughts on the current state of London’s urban environment? Is it all bleak or do you envisage some kind of tide change away from endless speculative high rise developments and moves to social cleansing?
	\|}		\|}

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	* Interview with Tom Dyckhoff.		* Interview with Tom Dyckhoff.
	* Owen Hatherley - Landscapes of Communism.		* Owen Hatherley - Landscapes of Communism.
		+	* Owen Hatherley - Trans-Europe Express.
	* Vital Little Plans - book launch.		* Vital Little Plans - book launch.
	* Will Self interview.		* Will Self interview.

Designing Buildings at 15:30, 15 February 2018

2018-02-15T15:30:00Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:30, 15 February 2018
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	{\|		{\|
−	\|width="100%"\|	+	\|width="100%"\| Designing Buildings Wiki (DBW): Just by way of introduction, what is it would you say about the way you approach, think and write about the built environment that differs from other writers on the subject?
−	Designing Buildings Wiki (DBW):	+
−	Just by way of introduction, what is it would you say about the way you approach, think and write about the built environment that differs from other writers on the subject?	+
	\|}		\|}

Line 25:		Line 23:

	{\|		{\|
−	\|width="100%"\|	+	\|width="100%"\| DBW: When you ask someone to envisage the ‘landscapes of communism’ it’s not difficult to guess at what sort of things they will be thinking about. While a lot of these preconceptions are explored, and in many instances confirmed, in the book, there are a fair few surprises as well. Was there a particular place on your travels that surprised your own preconceptions?
−	DBW:	+
−	When you ask someone to envisage the ‘landscapes of communism’ it’s not difficult to guess at what sort of things they will be thinking about. While a lot of these preconceptions are explored, and in many instances confirmed, in the book, there are a fair few surprises as well. Was there a particular place on your travels that surprised your own preconceptions?	+
	\|}		\|}

Line 43:		Line 39:

	{\|		{\|
−	\|width="100%"\|	+	\|width="100%"\| DBW: In terms of the ‘social condenser’ – a place that combines multiple social utilities – you highlight the Bulgarian coastal resort. What was it about there that identified it as such? Was it the lack of expectation you attached to it perhaps?
−	DBW:	+
−	In terms of the ‘social condenser’ – a place that combines multiple social utilities – you highlight the Bulgarian coastal resort. What was it about there that identified it as such? Was it the lack of expectation you attached to it perhaps?	+
	\|}		\|}

Line 53:		Line 47:

	{\|		{\|
−	\|width="100%"\|	+	\|width="100%"\| DBW: Did you get a sense as you were exploring the microrayons (housing estates) of how satisfying or successful they were as places to exist in day-to-day?
−	DBW:	+
−	Did you get a sense as you were exploring the microrayons (housing estates) of how satisfying or successful they were as places to exist in day-to-day?	+
	\|}		\|}

Line 71:		Line 63:

	{\|		{\|
−	\|width="100%"\|	+	\|width="100%"\| DBW: Do you think it has anything to do with the fact that those estates and that architecture may not have faced the same stigmatisation as in the UK?
−	DBW:	+
−	Do you think it has anything to do with the fact that those estates and that architecture may not have faced the same stigmatisation as in the UK?	+
	\|}		\|}

Line 81:		Line 71:

	{\|		{\|
−	\|width="100%"\|	+	\|width="100%"\| DBW: I particularly enjoyed the chapter on memorials. It’s striking if you go to Moscow…the dichotomies that are present between, on the one hand, all the Soviet iconography, and on the other, the high capitalism, designer boutiques, shopping malls, etc. Do you see this as being evidence of the communist past assuming a sort of confusing nostalgia there now?
−	DBW:	+
−	I particularly enjoyed the chapter on memorials. It’s striking if you go to Moscow…the dichotomies that are present between, on the one hand, all the Soviet iconography, and on the other, the high capitalism, designer boutiques, shopping malls, etc. Do you see this as being evidence of the communist past assuming a sort of confusing nostalgia there now?	+
	\|}		\|}

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	{\|		{\|
−	\|width="100%"\|	+	\|width="100%"\| DBW: Difficult question - if you could encapsulate the architectural style and legacy of communism in one building or structure what would it be?
−	DBW:	+
−	Difficult question - if you could encapsulate the architectural style and legacy of communism in one building or structure what would it be?	+
	\|}		\|}

Line 111:		Line 97:

	{\|		{\|
−	\|width="100%"\|	+	\|width="100%"\| DBW: What are your thoughts on the apparently confused attitude the British have to their own Brutalist architecture? On the one hand, it is denigrated and demolished – the last of the Red Road flats came down the other week – and on the other hand, the Park Hill estate wins the Sterling Prize and places like Trellick Tower and the Barbican are icons in their own right. How do you make sense of these opposing attitudes?
−	DBW:	+
−	What are your thoughts on the apparently confused attitude the British have to their own Brutalist architecture? On the one hand, it is denigrated and demolished – the last of the Red Road flats came down the other week – and on the other hand, the Park Hill estate wins the Sterling Prize and places like Trellick Tower and the Barbican are icons in their own right. How do you make sense of these opposing attitudes?	+
	\|}		\|}

Line 129:		Line 113:

	{\|		{\|
−	\|width="100%"\|	+	\|width="100%"\| DBW: Do you think this failure to adequately provide social housing in the UK comes out of the fact that we recoil from the notion of such regimented ‘assembly line’ accommodation such as is found in the Eastern bloc microrayons? Is it a reflection of the capitalistic tendency to perceived individualism extended to the housing sector that didn’t exist in the same way in communist states?
−	DBW:	+
−	Do you think this failure to adequately provide social housing in the UK comes out of the fact that we recoil from the notion of such regimented ‘assembly line’ accommodation such as is found in the Eastern bloc microrayons? Is it a reflection of the capitalistic tendency to perceived individualism extended to the housing sector that didn’t exist in the same way in communist states?	+
	\|}		\|}

Line 145:		Line 127:

	{\|		{\|
−	\|width="100%"\|	+	\|width="100%"\| DBW: Your earlier work introduced the term ‘pseudo-modernism’ to describe the influence New Labour had had on the built environment. For those not familiar, what did you mean by that term?
−	DBW:	+
−	Your earlier work introduced the term ‘pseudo-modernism’ to describe the influence New Labour had had on the built environment. For those not familiar, what did you mean by that term?	+
	\|}		\|}

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	{\|		{\|
−	\|width="100%"\|	+	\|width="100%"\| DBW: As far as you can tell has there been any definable architectural mark left by 10 years of David Cameron?
−	DBW:	+
−	As far as you can tell has there been any definable architectural mark left by 10 years of David Cameron?	+
	\|}		\|}

Line 177:		Line 155:

	{\|		{\|
−	\|width="100%"\|	+	\|width="100%"\| DBW: What are your thoughts on the current state of London’s urban environment? Is it all bleak or do you envisage some kind of tide change away from endless speculative high rise developments and moves to social cleansing?
−	DBW:	+
−	What are your thoughts on the current state of London’s urban environment? Is it all bleak or do you envisage some kind of tide change away from endless speculative high rise developments and moves to social cleansing?	+
	\|}		\|}

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	The generation that had all the benefits of social democracy yet whined about it, denied us of them and kicked away the ladder, it’s hard not to hate them for it. They were right about some things but their total rejection of social democracy in favour of just sticking their faces in the trough, it’s pretty ugly, and it does manifest itself in the prevailing attitudes that we see toward the built environment today.		The generation that had all the benefits of social democracy yet whined about it, denied us of them and kicked away the ladder, it’s hard not to hate them for it. They were right about some things but their total rejection of social democracy in favour of just sticking their faces in the trough, it’s pretty ugly, and it does manifest itself in the prevailing attitudes that we see toward the built environment today.
−
−	~~[http://www.penguin.co.uk/books/landscapes-of-communism/9781846147685/ You can buy 'Landscapes of Communism' here.]~~

	[https://twitter.com/owenhatherley?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Follow Owen Hatherley on Twitter here.]		[https://twitter.com/owenhatherley?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Follow Owen Hatherley on Twitter here.]

Editor at 16:30, 9 February 2018

2018-02-09T16:30:42Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:30, 9 February 2018
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	{\|		{\|
−	\|width="100%"\|Designing Buildings Wiki (DBW):	+	\|width="100%"\|
		+	Designing Buildings Wiki (DBW):
	Just by way of introduction, what is it would you say about the way you approach, think and write about the built environment that differs from other writers on the subject?		Just by way of introduction, what is it would you say about the way you approach, think and write about the built environment that differs from other writers on the subject?
	\|}		\|}
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	Well, I’m not a specialist, in a field that is very much dominated by specialists. I have no architectural qualifications at all, which obviously shows at times, but my background is in history and politics. I have a lot of personal political baggage which I initially used to inform what I began to write about the built environment and I guess it has all just progressed from there. All architecture is political anyway.		Well, I’m not a specialist, in a field that is very much dominated by specialists. I have no architectural qualifications at all, which obviously shows at times, but my background is in history and politics. I have a lot of personal political baggage which I initially used to inform what I began to write about the built environment and I guess it has all just progressed from there. All architecture is political anyway.
−
−

	{\|		{\|
−	\|width="100%"\|DBW:	+	\|width="100%"\|
		+	DBW:
	When you ask someone to envisage the ‘landscapes of communism’ it’s not difficult to guess at what sort of things they will be thinking about. While a lot of these preconceptions are explored, and in many instances confirmed, in the book, there are a fair few surprises as well. Was there a particular place on your travels that surprised your own preconceptions?		When you ask someone to envisage the ‘landscapes of communism’ it’s not difficult to guess at what sort of things they will be thinking about. While a lot of these preconceptions are explored, and in many instances confirmed, in the book, there are a fair few surprises as well. Was there a particular place on your travels that surprised your own preconceptions?
	\|}		\|}
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	{\|		{\|
−	\|width="100%"\|DBW:	+	\|width="100%"\|
		+	DBW:
	In terms of the ‘social condenser’ – a place that combines multiple social utilities – you highlight the Bulgarian coastal resort. What was it about there that identified it as such? Was it the lack of expectation you attached to it perhaps?		In terms of the ‘social condenser’ – a place that combines multiple social utilities – you highlight the Bulgarian coastal resort. What was it about there that identified it as such? Was it the lack of expectation you attached to it perhaps?
	\|}		\|}
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	Yes, it was a place called Albena near Varna. The interesting thing about that was the fact that everything’s been laid on in a very high density area, every kind of amenity has been provided, and it all overlaps each other as well. I don’t think it’s a strict social condenser but it is insofar that every space is a public space.		Yes, it was a place called Albena near Varna. The interesting thing about that was the fact that everything’s been laid on in a very high density area, every kind of amenity has been provided, and it all overlaps each other as well. I don’t think it’s a strict social condenser but it is insofar that every space is a public space.
−
−

	{\|		{\|
−	\|width="100%"\|DBW:	+	\|width="100%"\|
		+	DBW:
	Did you get a sense as you were exploring the microrayons (housing estates) of how satisfying or successful they were as places to exist in day-to-day?		Did you get a sense as you were exploring the microrayons (housing estates) of how satisfying or successful they were as places to exist in day-to-day?
	\|}		\|}
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	{\|		{\|
−	\|width="100%"\|DBW:	+	\|width="100%"\|
		+	DBW:
	Do you think it has anything to do with the fact that those estates and that architecture may not have faced the same stigmatisation as in the UK?		Do you think it has anything to do with the fact that those estates and that architecture may not have faced the same stigmatisation as in the UK?
	\|}		\|}
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	Well yes, it’s hard to stigmatise something that almost everyone lives in. And also because all the Eastern blocs didn’t have social housing, they just had housing that was generally state-provided or co-operatively provided, where doctors and the like lived and still do unless they played the market well in the 1990s. So they were genuinely mixed class and that’s probably why there isn’t so much of a stigma about them.		Well yes, it’s hard to stigmatise something that almost everyone lives in. And also because all the Eastern blocs didn’t have social housing, they just had housing that was generally state-provided or co-operatively provided, where doctors and the like lived and still do unless they played the market well in the 1990s. So they were genuinely mixed class and that’s probably why there isn’t so much of a stigma about them.
−
−

	{\|		{\|
−	\|width="100%"\|DBW:	+	\|width="100%"\|
		+	DBW:
	I particularly enjoyed the chapter on memorials. It’s striking if you go to Moscow…the dichotomies that are present between, on the one hand, all the Soviet iconography, and on the other, the high capitalism, designer boutiques, shopping malls, etc. Do you see this as being evidence of the communist past assuming a sort of confusing nostalgia there now?		I particularly enjoyed the chapter on memorials. It’s striking if you go to Moscow…the dichotomies that are present between, on the one hand, all the Soviet iconography, and on the other, the high capitalism, designer boutiques, shopping malls, etc. Do you see this as being evidence of the communist past assuming a sort of confusing nostalgia there now?
	\|}		\|}
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	And of course, if capitalism can sell anything it will, so the average Moscow boutique or corner shop will have boxes full of branded products that evoke the ‘glorious past’, precisely as they do here.		And of course, if capitalism can sell anything it will, so the average Moscow boutique or corner shop will have boxes full of branded products that evoke the ‘glorious past’, precisely as they do here.
−
−

	{\|		{\|
−	\|width="100%"\|DBW:	+	\|width="100%"\|
		+	DBW:
	Difficult question - if you could encapsulate the architectural style and legacy of communism in one building or structure what would it be?		Difficult question - if you could encapsulate the architectural style and legacy of communism in one building or structure what would it be?
	\|}		\|}
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	It has various pavilions, cinemas and facilities that are all quite interesting. It has the Stalinist pomposity, grandiose monuments along it, the workers protest, the Postmodernist 1960s ideas, it has pre-fab, and it’s now very desirable with fashionable young people. It has some of the good and the bad about it.		It has various pavilions, cinemas and facilities that are all quite interesting. It has the Stalinist pomposity, grandiose monuments along it, the workers protest, the Postmodernist 1960s ideas, it has pre-fab, and it’s now very desirable with fashionable young people. It has some of the good and the bad about it.
−
−

	{\|		{\|
−	\|width="100%"\|DBW:	+	\|width="100%"\|
		+	DBW:
	What are your thoughts on the apparently confused attitude the British have to their own Brutalist architecture? On the one hand, it is denigrated and demolished – the last of the Red Road flats came down the other week – and on the other hand, the Park Hill estate wins the Sterling Prize and places like Trellick Tower and the Barbican are icons in their own right. How do you make sense of these opposing attitudes?		What are your thoughts on the apparently confused attitude the British have to their own Brutalist architecture? On the one hand, it is denigrated and demolished – the last of the Red Road flats came down the other week – and on the other hand, the Park Hill estate wins the Sterling Prize and places like Trellick Tower and the Barbican are icons in their own right. How do you make sense of these opposing attitudes?
	\|}		\|}
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	A lot of the hierarchy of the Labour Party, people who cut their teeth in the 1980s when social housing was seen as ‘the worst thing ever’, somehow haven’t got the memo that actually its worth defending what their party did in housing millions of people in the 60s and 70s. But the huge assault on social housing that has been happening in the last 30 years and especially in the last 5 years… it’s now a real mess.		A lot of the hierarchy of the Labour Party, people who cut their teeth in the 1980s when social housing was seen as ‘the worst thing ever’, somehow haven’t got the memo that actually its worth defending what their party did in housing millions of people in the 60s and 70s. But the huge assault on social housing that has been happening in the last 30 years and especially in the last 5 years… it’s now a real mess.
−
−

	{\|		{\|
−	\|width="100%"\|DBW:	+	\|width="100%"\|
		+	DBW:
	Do you think this failure to adequately provide social housing in the UK comes out of the fact that we recoil from the notion of such regimented ‘assembly line’ accommodation such as is found in the Eastern bloc microrayons? Is it a reflection of the capitalistic tendency to perceived individualism extended to the housing sector that didn’t exist in the same way in communist states?		Do you think this failure to adequately provide social housing in the UK comes out of the fact that we recoil from the notion of such regimented ‘assembly line’ accommodation such as is found in the Eastern bloc microrayons? Is it a reflection of the capitalistic tendency to perceived individualism extended to the housing sector that didn’t exist in the same way in communist states?
	\|}		\|}
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	There’s no reason why housing couldn’t be provided by public provision, it’s just that we happen to be one of the few countries where the housing market is one of the only things that makes lots of money. It’s a national Ponzi scheme that we all seem to subscribe to…there’s a crash every 5 years and then we keep on doing the same thing again.		There’s no reason why housing couldn’t be provided by public provision, it’s just that we happen to be one of the few countries where the housing market is one of the only things that makes lots of money. It’s a national Ponzi scheme that we all seem to subscribe to…there’s a crash every 5 years and then we keep on doing the same thing again.
−
−

	{\|		{\|
−	\|width="100%"\|DBW:	+	\|width="100%"\|
		+	DBW:
	Your earlier work introduced the term ‘pseudo-modernism’ to describe the influence New Labour had had on the built environment. For those not familiar, what did you mean by that term?		Your earlier work introduced the term ‘pseudo-modernism’ to describe the influence New Labour had had on the built environment. For those not familiar, what did you mean by that term?
	\|}		\|}
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	{\|		{\|
−	\|width="100%"\|DBW:	+	\|width="100%"\|
		+	DBW:
	As far as you can tell has there been any definable architectural mark left by 10 years of David Cameron?		As far as you can tell has there been any definable architectural mark left by 10 years of David Cameron?
	\|}		\|}
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	It’s weird because flats have become more expensive, speculation and everything seems to be getting worse, but in terms of the quality, housing is actually getting better. Despite this, housing is still viewed as a speculative instrument, there’s even less social housing than under New Labour, but the new architecture looks like social housing.		It’s weird because flats have become more expensive, speculation and everything seems to be getting worse, but in terms of the quality, housing is actually getting better. Despite this, housing is still viewed as a speculative instrument, there’s even less social housing than under New Labour, but the new architecture looks like social housing.
−
−

	{\|		{\|
−	\|width="100%"\|DBW:	+	\|width="100%"\|
		+	DBW:
	What are your thoughts on the current state of London’s urban environment? Is it all bleak or do you envisage some kind of tide change away from endless speculative high rise developments and moves to social cleansing?		What are your thoughts on the current state of London’s urban environment? Is it all bleak or do you envisage some kind of tide change away from endless speculative high rise developments and moves to social cleansing?
	\|}		\|}
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	* Vital Little Plans - book launch.		* Vital Little Plans - book launch.
	* Will Self interview.		* Will Self interview.
		+
		+	--[[User:Michael_Brooks\|Michael Brooks]]

	[[Category:History]] [[Category:Publications_/_reports]] [[Category:Theory]]		[[Category:History]] [[Category:Publications_/_reports]] [[Category:Theory]]

Editor at 14:22, 4 August 2017

2017-08-04T14:22:08Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:22, 4 August 2017
Line 219:		Line 219:
	* Owen Hatherley - Landscapes of Communism.		* Owen Hatherley - Landscapes of Communism.
	* Vital Little Plans - book launch.		* Vital Little Plans - book launch.
		+	* Will Self interview.

	[[Category:History]] [[Category:Publications_/_reports]] [[Category:Theory]]		[[Category:History]] [[Category:Publications_/_reports]] [[Category:Theory]]

Editor at 15:08, 7 July 2017

2017-07-07T15:08:21Z

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	* Interview with Tom Dyckhoff.		* Interview with Tom Dyckhoff.
	* Owen Hatherley - Landscapes of Communism.		* Owen Hatherley - Landscapes of Communism.
		+	* Vital Little Plans - book launch.

	[[Category:History]] [[Category:Publications_/_reports]] [[Category:Theory]]		[[Category:History]] [[Category:Publications_/_reports]] [[Category:Theory]]

Editor at 13:37, 19 May 2017

2017-05-19T13:37:09Z

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	Just by way of introduction, what is it would you say about the way you approach, think and write about the built environment that differs from other writers on the subject?		Just by way of introduction, what is it would you say about the way you approach, think and write about the built environment that differs from other writers on the subject?
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	When you ask someone to envisage the ‘landscapes of communism’ it’s not difficult to guess at what sort of things they will be thinking about. While a lot of these preconceptions are explored, and in many instances confirmed, in the book, there are a fair few surprises as well. Was there a particular place on your travels that surprised your own preconceptions?		When you ask someone to envisage the ‘landscapes of communism’ it’s not difficult to guess at what sort of things they will be thinking about. While a lot of these preconceptions are explored, and in many instances confirmed, in the book, there are a fair few surprises as well. Was there a particular place on your travels that surprised your own preconceptions?
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	In terms of the ‘social condenser’ – a place that combines multiple social utilities – you highlight the Bulgarian coastal resort. What was it about there that identified it as such? Was it the lack of expectation you attached to it perhaps?		In terms of the ‘social condenser’ – a place that combines multiple social utilities – you highlight the Bulgarian coastal resort. What was it about there that identified it as such? Was it the lack of expectation you attached to it perhaps?
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	Did you get a sense as you were exploring the microrayons (housing estates) of how satisfying or successful they were as places to exist in day-to-day?		Did you get a sense as you were exploring the microrayons (housing estates) of how satisfying or successful they were as places to exist in day-to-day?
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	Do you think it has anything to do with the fact that those estates and that architecture may not have faced the same stigmatisation as in the UK?		Do you think it has anything to do with the fact that those estates and that architecture may not have faced the same stigmatisation as in the UK?
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	I particularly enjoyed the chapter on memorials. It’s striking if you go to Moscow…the dichotomies that are present between, on the one hand, all the Soviet iconography, and on the other, the high capitalism, designer boutiques, shopping malls, etc. Do you see this as being evidence of the communist past assuming a sort of confusing nostalgia there now?		I particularly enjoyed the chapter on memorials. It’s striking if you go to Moscow…the dichotomies that are present between, on the one hand, all the Soviet iconography, and on the other, the high capitalism, designer boutiques, shopping malls, etc. Do you see this as being evidence of the communist past assuming a sort of confusing nostalgia there now?
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	Difficult question - if you could encapsulate the architectural style and legacy of communism in one building or structure what would it be?		Difficult question - if you could encapsulate the architectural style and legacy of communism in one building or structure what would it be?
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	What are your thoughts on the apparently confused attitude the British have to their own Brutalist architecture? On the one hand, it is denigrated and demolished – the last of the Red Road flats came down the other week – and on the other hand, the Park Hill estate wins the Sterling Prize and places like Trellick Tower and the Barbican are icons in their own right. How do you make sense of these opposing attitudes?		What are your thoughts on the apparently confused attitude the British have to their own Brutalist architecture? On the one hand, it is denigrated and demolished – the last of the Red Road flats came down the other week – and on the other hand, the Park Hill estate wins the Sterling Prize and places like Trellick Tower and the Barbican are icons in their own right. How do you make sense of these opposing attitudes?
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	Do you think this failure to adequately provide social housing in the UK comes out of the fact that we recoil from the notion of such regimented ‘assembly line’ accommodation such as is found in the Eastern bloc microrayons? Is it a reflection of the capitalistic tendency to perceived individualism extended to the housing sector that didn’t exist in the same way in communist states?		Do you think this failure to adequately provide social housing in the UK comes out of the fact that we recoil from the notion of such regimented ‘assembly line’ accommodation such as is found in the Eastern bloc microrayons? Is it a reflection of the capitalistic tendency to perceived individualism extended to the housing sector that didn’t exist in the same way in communist states?
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	Your earlier work introduced the term ‘pseudo-modernism’ to describe the influence New Labour had had on the built environment. For those not familiar, what did you mean by that term?		Your earlier work introduced the term ‘pseudo-modernism’ to describe the influence New Labour had had on the built environment. For those not familiar, what did you mean by that term?
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	As far as you can tell has there been any definable architectural mark left by 10 years of David Cameron?		As far as you can tell has there been any definable architectural mark left by 10 years of David Cameron?
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	What are your thoughts on the current state of London’s urban environment? Is it all bleak or do you envisage some kind of tide change away from endless speculative high rise developments and moves to social cleansing?		What are your thoughts on the current state of London’s urban environment? Is it all bleak or do you envisage some kind of tide change away from endless speculative high rise developments and moves to social cleansing?
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	* Brutalism.		* Brutalism.
	* Interview with Kevin McCloud.		* Interview with Kevin McCloud.
		+	* Interview with Tom Dyckhoff.
	* Owen Hatherley - Landscapes of Communism.		* Owen Hatherley - Landscapes of Communism.

	[[Category:History]] [[Category:Publications_/_reports]] [[Category:Theory]]		[[Category:History]] [[Category:Publications_/_reports]] [[Category:Theory]]

Editor at 13:56, 12 May 2017

2017-05-12T13:56:11Z

Show changes

Editor at 13:50, 12 May 2017

2017-05-12T13:50:13Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:50, 12 May 2017
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	* Owen Hatherley - Landscapes of Communism.		* Owen Hatherley - Landscapes of Communism.

−	~~[[Category:Do_not_autolink]]~~ [[Category:History]] [[Category:Publications_/_reports]] [[Category:Theory]]	+	[[Category:History]] [[Category:Publications_/_reports]] [[Category:Theory]]

Editor at 13:50, 12 May 2017

2017-05-12T13:50:01Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:50, 12 May 2017
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	[https://twitter.com/owenhatherley?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Follow Owen Hatherley on Twitter here.]		[https://twitter.com/owenhatherley?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Follow Owen Hatherley on Twitter here.]
		+
		+	= Find out more =
		+
		+	=== Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki ===
		+
		+	* Brutalism.
		+	* Interview with Kevin McCloud.
		+	* Owen Hatherley - Landscapes of Communism.

	[[Category:Do_not_autolink]] [[Category:History]] [[Category:Publications_/_reports]] [[Category:Theory]]		[[Category:Do_not_autolink]] [[Category:History]] [[Category:Publications_/_reports]] [[Category:Theory]]