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Last edited 02 Apr 2024

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The Armageddon of Architecture and Design

1 Introducing a premise and a question
2 Histories, ideologies and philosophies
3 Prime movers of change
4 About the author
5 Book reviews written by Designing Buildings

[edit] Introducing a premise and a question

This book is an enquiry, based on the premise and question; why architecture and design are proving to be unpopular at the present time by so many people, in terms of straying away from the fundamentals of human need and comfort into the realms of egotism and financial greed that satisfies sensational goals. This is especially relevant when comparison is made to past historical styles since primitive times where excitement and appreciation is felt by the marks, patterns and designs that have meaning and attachment to those who inhabit that particular culture. We can but sit in wonder at these beautifully crafted works. Whether the bond was made through religion, wars or trade conquests, that strength of attachment seems to have deserted us in our present self-destructive world.

[edit] Histories, ideologies and philosophies

I examine why there is a lack of humanity in current architecture that produces such ghastly environmental errors. I bring together a selective study of past historical styles and works of art since primitive times in order to understand how the evolution of design was broken in the 20th century. Current ideologies and philosophies of the day are examined to ascertain those elements which fuelled a modern architecture that is lacking in humanity and agreeable contextual co-existence with our inherited communities. It shows that the complex effervescence of evolutionary life with its joy, communal celebratory nature, and constructive creative urges, is vulnerable from attack by these stronger alien forces of elimination and reductionism because their actions are by nature aggressive and dictatorially dominant. This book will appeal to all those academics and professional stakeholders who care for the environment and wish to see more positive changes.

[edit] Prime movers of change

This is not a history book detailing every aspect of life, kingdoms, wars, politics, trade and social unrest as there are many books that cover those aspects very well from which I draw the occasional reference. It is selective and focused whilst raising questions that may not have been asked before. Whilst studying the origin and source of artefacts I may be guilty of dealing more with their image and effect rather than an in depth account of the full set of circumstances that led to their existence such as technological advances, sustainability and low carbon footprint. This includes the omission of a full set of plans and sections of buildings in many cases as well as a ‘walk through’ account of the building as that would exhaust any writer on such a mission as mine. I have been reliant sometimes on questionable sources whereby their authenticity maybe in doubt, or there is a competitive theory that rises as a challenge. If that is the case I hope the reader can draw his/her own conclusions. I also hope that I will be forgiven for concentrating mainly on Europe and Asia in this book as being the prime movers of the changes that have taken place in architecture and design over the centuries.

As our body of knowledge increases through time so is there pressure to expand the existing defining categories we have until they become unwieldy with so many sets and subsets that the original is in danger of becoming diluted by anarchic forces whose weapons of obscurity and intellectual barbarism are second to none. So in reviewing anything historical tempts one to take on the world, which I slowly discovered was neither practical nor helpful. If I do stray into worldly matters it is to set the context of my study and the focus of my endeavours.

[edit] About the author

My training, professional background as an interior designer and half of my career spent in higher education, has provided me with vital experience of who is building, what is being built and why over the past six decades. My design and teaching skills have given me the confidence to write books especially this one which draws on my own personal analysis of the current architectural dramas that face us. I have met so many highly qualified people who I refer to in this book, from my own teachers to practitioners who have inspired me in my work and in my current writings. Tackling history as a non-historian means that that I am out of my comfort zone by undertaking a personal selective exploration of subject matter that I hope demonstrates why an architectural style or period changed whilst making observations of any religious or associated ideologies and philosophies that could have influenced the designs of the time. This is of course accepting that climate and geographical differences in the world have imposed a method of building appropriate to those conditions and hence regional variations can be partially explained.

This article was written by Anthony Sully the author of 'The Armageddon of Architecture and Design' published by Cambridge Scholars November 2023 (sub headings by editor).