James Dunnett - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by James Dunnett
Proceedings of the 16th International DOCOMOMO Conference, 2021
This paper examines the major urban redevelopment in central London at Kings Cross, which include... more This paper examines the major urban redevelopment in central London at Kings Cross, which includes work by international 'Modern' architects such as Fumihiko Maki and David Chipperfield and is now (January 2023) nearing completion, in the light of the 'Modern' urban theory of Le Corbusier, originating 100 years earlier. The inseparable association of Modern architecture with Modern urban ideals as perceived by Le Corbusier is found not to be reflected at Kings Cross
The Plan Journal, 2022
To meet the demand for more housing in London today, there is great pressure either to rebuild ... more To meet the demand for more housing in London today, there is great pressure either to rebuild existing housing estates at much higher densities, or to build on the Green Belt. Neither solution is desirable. But there is an alternative – here called ‘dispersed densification on small sites.’ The Greater London Authority’s Draft London Plan of 2017 put forward proposals to make much greater use of ‘small sites’ (defined as less than 0.25ha) to meet housing need. But it had no architectural model, and so this was largely disallowed by Central Government. A willingness to build taller on such sites could, however, have demonstrated the viability of that option. Planning policies currently aim to cluster taller buildings together near transport hubs and peripheral centres. This effectively requires the difficult assembly of larger sites. A willingness to accept taller buildings on a dispersed pattern would allow much greater use of small sites. Such buildings would enjoy an open outlook above the lower-density housing and gardens around them, enjoying the conditions of ‘sun, space, greenery’ to which the architectural Modern Movement aspired.
Louis I. Kahn - The Permanence, 2018
The Modern Movement in architecture, in so far as any such movement can be defined, was predicate... more The Modern Movement in architecture, in so far as any such movement can be defined, was predicated on the idea that architecture had to change to reflect the radical technological advances that had occurred during the century preceding its formulation, and also to reflect the changing social needs that those advances had generated. Architecture, it was felt, had ossified and lost vitality as a result of not recognizing those changes. A century has now passed since the Modern Movement first formulated this programme, and technical advances and the social changes they induce have of course by no means ceased, rather they have accelerated. So it seems legitimate to say that a technologically-and socially-determined architecture should reflect these further advances and changes. The evolution continues. But does that mean that each Modern Movement building created at a particular point in that evolution has in itself to continue to change in order to 'catch up' with the evolution subsequent to its creation? It is a question that has importance when it comes to considering the conservation of Modern Movement architecture. It is an assertion that would ignore the formal element in architecture.
Louis I. Kahn – The Permanence, 2018
The Modern Movement in architecture, in so far as any such movement can be defined, was predicate... more The Modern Movement in architecture, in so far as any such movement can be defined, was predicated on the idea that architecture had to change to reflect the radical technological advances that had occurred during the century preceding its formulation, and also to reflect the changing social needs that those advances had generated. Architecture, it was felt, had ossified and lost vitality as a result of not recognizing those changes. A century has now passed since the Modern Movement first formulated this program, and technical advances and the social changes they induce have of course by no means ceased, rather they have accelerated. So, it seems legitimate to say that a technologically – and socially – determined architecture should reflect these further advances and changes. The evolution continues. But does that mean that each Modern Movement building created at a particular point in that evolution has in itself to continue to change in order to “catch up” with the evolution sub...
Towards a new architecture: argument the engineer's aesthetic and architecture three reminder... more Towards a new architecture: argument the engineer's aesthetic and architecture three reminders to architects - mass, surface, plan regulating lines eyes which do not see -liners, airplanes, automobiles architecture - the lesson of Rome, the illusion of plans, pure creation of the mind mass-production houses architecture of revolution. The city of tomorrow: general considerations the pack-donkeys's way and the man's way order sensibility comes into play permanence classification and choice (a survey) classification and choice (timely decisions) the great city statisitcs newspaper cuttings and catchwords our technical equipmnet. Laboratory work: an inquiry into theory a contemporary city the working day the hours of repose. A concrete case: the centr of Paris physic of surgery the centre of Paris - finance and realization. The decorative art of today: arguemnt iconology iconolaers iconoclasts other icons - the museums plagiarism folk culture consequences of the crisis a hurricane type-needs type-furniture the decorative art of today the lesson of the machine respect for works of art the hour of architecture milestones the sense of truth a coat of whitewash the law of ripolin confession.
London continues to dominate British public life, with political decision-making centralised to a... more London continues to dominate British public life, with political decision-making centralised to an almost unbelievable degree. Previous reformers have posited separating the financial and political capitals of the UK, by moving the political element elsewhere, with the Yorkshire moors even being suggested. James Dunnett argues that it may be time to revisit that radical proposal.
Arq Architectural Research Quarterly, Oct 1, 2006
Cadbury-Brown&amp... more Cadbury-Brown's designs for new buildings for the Royal College of Art offer fascinating insights into both his own development and wider professional and social contexts.
The Decorative Art of Today was one of the four books by Le Corbusier based on articles first pub... more The Decorative Art of Today was one of the four books by Le Corbusier based on articles first published in the magazine L'Esprit Nouveau, covering the fields respectively of urbanism, architecture (Towards a New Architecture), design, and painting (this last was jointly credited to Amedee Ozenfant). The Decorative Art of Today discusses design and was first published as a book in 1925 to coincide with the famous 'Art Deco' exhibition in Paris that year, aqgainst which it sets itself in direct opposition.It opposes the very concept of 'Decorative Art', differentiating sharply between objects of art and objects of utility. Objects of utility should not aspire to be works of art, but to have a plain functionality - furniture, for example, should be called 'the equipment of the home'. Many images are shown of scientific equipment, camping equipment, filing cabinets and other plain items of use which should be the model for all domestic equipment. Utility should come before beauty but beauty could come in later, as it were by the back door. James Dunnett prepared the first translation into English and wrote the introduction, to mark Le Corbusier's centenary in 1987.
Architectural Review, 1985
Le Corbusier was inspired to imagine a city designed to accommodate a particular model of intelle... more Le Corbusier was inspired to imagine a city designed to accommodate a particular model of intellectual life - that of Cubism, which he saw as an essentially meditative art. His model of urban form, which can loosely be called The Radiant City, was designed as a city suited to meditation, where light, space, and greenery prevailed, all of which he saw as conducive to meditiation.
The Modern City Revisited. Edited by Thomas Dekker, 2000
Le Corbusier proposed a model of urban form that dispensed withits traditional essential ingredie... more Le Corbusier proposed a model of urban form that dispensed withits traditional essential ingredient, the 'corridor street' - i.e. the single channel within which passed pedestrians, private and public vehicles, and over which looked the majority of the accommodation in the city. He proposed a new model opening the city spatially, separating the various travel modes , and introducing greenery as the principal background of urban life. He has been roundly condemned for it ever since. His proposals and the nature of the criticism of them is examined.
Twentieth Century Architecture and its Histories ed Louise Campbell, 2000
Erno Goldfinger (1902-1987) was an Hungarian architect trained at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Par... more Erno Goldfinger (1902-1987) was an Hungarian architect trained at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris under Auguste Perret and a colleague of Le Corbusier in CIAM in the 1930s. He moved to London in 1934 and built most of his work there post-war embodying theories of proportion developed initially in Paris which contributed substantially to the architectural coherence of his mature work of the 1960s
Elegant Variation: the architecture of H.T. Cadbury-Brown RA, 2006
The Royal College of Art in London, built 1959-61, is one of the most important works of the arch... more The Royal College of Art in London, built 1959-61, is one of the most important works of the architect HT Cadbury-Brown RA (1913-2009), Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy, who was trained at the Architectural Association in the 1930s and worked for Erno Goldfinger, He was a leading member of the MARS Group (the UK CIAM group) and leading architect of the Festival of Britain in 1951. He taught with Sergei Chermayeff at Harvard under Walter Gropius in the mid 1950s, The house he built for himself at Aldeburgh and the Royal College of Art are listed buildings. This article traces the background to and development of the design of the central Darwin Block of the Royal College of Art and describes the various unbuilt designs to extend it thereafter.
Conservation of Modern Architecture, S Macdonald, K Normandin, B Kindred eds. , 2007
This paper outlines some cases in which I have campaigned for the conservation of works of modern... more This paper outlines some cases in which I have campaigned for the conservation of works of modern architecture, primarily through DOCOMOMO-UK (as co-chair since 2002),... I hope to demonstrate that conservation issues in terms of design, whose significance would be readily recognized in the case of pre-modern listed buildings, are of equal importance in the case of modern buildings but have not always been recognized as such by the regulatory bodies. I also hope to pinpoint some areas of special significance in modern buildings.
Drafts by James Dunnett
Carl Ludwig Franck (1904-1985) was an architect who arrived in London in 1934, forced out of his ... more Carl Ludwig Franck (1904-1985) was an architect who arrived in London in 1934, forced out of his native Germany by Nazism. He began to work for Berthold Lubetkin and his practice Tecton, on housing for the London Borough of Finsbury. In 1956 he became the principal housing architect for Finsbury and in the next fifteen years built a substantial amount of high quality housing in Finsbury reflecting the ideals of the Modern Movement, which is now threatened with 'densification'. The value of his work needs to be better known. This article was written for those attending a tour organised by the Twentieth Century Society and led by the author.
Proceedings of the 16th International DOCOMOMO Conference, 2021
This paper examines the major urban redevelopment in central London at Kings Cross, which include... more This paper examines the major urban redevelopment in central London at Kings Cross, which includes work by international 'Modern' architects such as Fumihiko Maki and David Chipperfield and is now (January 2023) nearing completion, in the light of the 'Modern' urban theory of Le Corbusier, originating 100 years earlier. The inseparable association of Modern architecture with Modern urban ideals as perceived by Le Corbusier is found not to be reflected at Kings Cross
The Plan Journal, 2022
To meet the demand for more housing in London today, there is great pressure either to rebuild ... more To meet the demand for more housing in London today, there is great pressure either to rebuild existing housing estates at much higher densities, or to build on the Green Belt. Neither solution is desirable. But there is an alternative – here called ‘dispersed densification on small sites.’ The Greater London Authority’s Draft London Plan of 2017 put forward proposals to make much greater use of ‘small sites’ (defined as less than 0.25ha) to meet housing need. But it had no architectural model, and so this was largely disallowed by Central Government. A willingness to build taller on such sites could, however, have demonstrated the viability of that option. Planning policies currently aim to cluster taller buildings together near transport hubs and peripheral centres. This effectively requires the difficult assembly of larger sites. A willingness to accept taller buildings on a dispersed pattern would allow much greater use of small sites. Such buildings would enjoy an open outlook above the lower-density housing and gardens around them, enjoying the conditions of ‘sun, space, greenery’ to which the architectural Modern Movement aspired.
Louis I. Kahn - The Permanence, 2018
The Modern Movement in architecture, in so far as any such movement can be defined, was predicate... more The Modern Movement in architecture, in so far as any such movement can be defined, was predicated on the idea that architecture had to change to reflect the radical technological advances that had occurred during the century preceding its formulation, and also to reflect the changing social needs that those advances had generated. Architecture, it was felt, had ossified and lost vitality as a result of not recognizing those changes. A century has now passed since the Modern Movement first formulated this programme, and technical advances and the social changes they induce have of course by no means ceased, rather they have accelerated. So it seems legitimate to say that a technologically-and socially-determined architecture should reflect these further advances and changes. The evolution continues. But does that mean that each Modern Movement building created at a particular point in that evolution has in itself to continue to change in order to 'catch up' with the evolution subsequent to its creation? It is a question that has importance when it comes to considering the conservation of Modern Movement architecture. It is an assertion that would ignore the formal element in architecture.
Louis I. Kahn – The Permanence, 2018
The Modern Movement in architecture, in so far as any such movement can be defined, was predicate... more The Modern Movement in architecture, in so far as any such movement can be defined, was predicated on the idea that architecture had to change to reflect the radical technological advances that had occurred during the century preceding its formulation, and also to reflect the changing social needs that those advances had generated. Architecture, it was felt, had ossified and lost vitality as a result of not recognizing those changes. A century has now passed since the Modern Movement first formulated this program, and technical advances and the social changes they induce have of course by no means ceased, rather they have accelerated. So, it seems legitimate to say that a technologically – and socially – determined architecture should reflect these further advances and changes. The evolution continues. But does that mean that each Modern Movement building created at a particular point in that evolution has in itself to continue to change in order to “catch up” with the evolution sub...
Towards a new architecture: argument the engineer's aesthetic and architecture three reminder... more Towards a new architecture: argument the engineer's aesthetic and architecture three reminders to architects - mass, surface, plan regulating lines eyes which do not see -liners, airplanes, automobiles architecture - the lesson of Rome, the illusion of plans, pure creation of the mind mass-production houses architecture of revolution. The city of tomorrow: general considerations the pack-donkeys's way and the man's way order sensibility comes into play permanence classification and choice (a survey) classification and choice (timely decisions) the great city statisitcs newspaper cuttings and catchwords our technical equipmnet. Laboratory work: an inquiry into theory a contemporary city the working day the hours of repose. A concrete case: the centr of Paris physic of surgery the centre of Paris - finance and realization. The decorative art of today: arguemnt iconology iconolaers iconoclasts other icons - the museums plagiarism folk culture consequences of the crisis a hurricane type-needs type-furniture the decorative art of today the lesson of the machine respect for works of art the hour of architecture milestones the sense of truth a coat of whitewash the law of ripolin confession.
London continues to dominate British public life, with political decision-making centralised to a... more London continues to dominate British public life, with political decision-making centralised to an almost unbelievable degree. Previous reformers have posited separating the financial and political capitals of the UK, by moving the political element elsewhere, with the Yorkshire moors even being suggested. James Dunnett argues that it may be time to revisit that radical proposal.
Arq Architectural Research Quarterly, Oct 1, 2006
Cadbury-Brown&amp... more Cadbury-Brown's designs for new buildings for the Royal College of Art offer fascinating insights into both his own development and wider professional and social contexts.
The Decorative Art of Today was one of the four books by Le Corbusier based on articles first pub... more The Decorative Art of Today was one of the four books by Le Corbusier based on articles first published in the magazine L'Esprit Nouveau, covering the fields respectively of urbanism, architecture (Towards a New Architecture), design, and painting (this last was jointly credited to Amedee Ozenfant). The Decorative Art of Today discusses design and was first published as a book in 1925 to coincide with the famous 'Art Deco' exhibition in Paris that year, aqgainst which it sets itself in direct opposition.It opposes the very concept of 'Decorative Art', differentiating sharply between objects of art and objects of utility. Objects of utility should not aspire to be works of art, but to have a plain functionality - furniture, for example, should be called 'the equipment of the home'. Many images are shown of scientific equipment, camping equipment, filing cabinets and other plain items of use which should be the model for all domestic equipment. Utility should come before beauty but beauty could come in later, as it were by the back door. James Dunnett prepared the first translation into English and wrote the introduction, to mark Le Corbusier's centenary in 1987.
Architectural Review, 1985
Le Corbusier was inspired to imagine a city designed to accommodate a particular model of intelle... more Le Corbusier was inspired to imagine a city designed to accommodate a particular model of intellectual life - that of Cubism, which he saw as an essentially meditative art. His model of urban form, which can loosely be called The Radiant City, was designed as a city suited to meditation, where light, space, and greenery prevailed, all of which he saw as conducive to meditiation.
The Modern City Revisited. Edited by Thomas Dekker, 2000
Le Corbusier proposed a model of urban form that dispensed withits traditional essential ingredie... more Le Corbusier proposed a model of urban form that dispensed withits traditional essential ingredient, the 'corridor street' - i.e. the single channel within which passed pedestrians, private and public vehicles, and over which looked the majority of the accommodation in the city. He proposed a new model opening the city spatially, separating the various travel modes , and introducing greenery as the principal background of urban life. He has been roundly condemned for it ever since. His proposals and the nature of the criticism of them is examined.
Twentieth Century Architecture and its Histories ed Louise Campbell, 2000
Erno Goldfinger (1902-1987) was an Hungarian architect trained at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Par... more Erno Goldfinger (1902-1987) was an Hungarian architect trained at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris under Auguste Perret and a colleague of Le Corbusier in CIAM in the 1930s. He moved to London in 1934 and built most of his work there post-war embodying theories of proportion developed initially in Paris which contributed substantially to the architectural coherence of his mature work of the 1960s
Elegant Variation: the architecture of H.T. Cadbury-Brown RA, 2006
The Royal College of Art in London, built 1959-61, is one of the most important works of the arch... more The Royal College of Art in London, built 1959-61, is one of the most important works of the architect HT Cadbury-Brown RA (1913-2009), Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy, who was trained at the Architectural Association in the 1930s and worked for Erno Goldfinger, He was a leading member of the MARS Group (the UK CIAM group) and leading architect of the Festival of Britain in 1951. He taught with Sergei Chermayeff at Harvard under Walter Gropius in the mid 1950s, The house he built for himself at Aldeburgh and the Royal College of Art are listed buildings. This article traces the background to and development of the design of the central Darwin Block of the Royal College of Art and describes the various unbuilt designs to extend it thereafter.
Conservation of Modern Architecture, S Macdonald, K Normandin, B Kindred eds. , 2007
This paper outlines some cases in which I have campaigned for the conservation of works of modern... more This paper outlines some cases in which I have campaigned for the conservation of works of modern architecture, primarily through DOCOMOMO-UK (as co-chair since 2002),... I hope to demonstrate that conservation issues in terms of design, whose significance would be readily recognized in the case of pre-modern listed buildings, are of equal importance in the case of modern buildings but have not always been recognized as such by the regulatory bodies. I also hope to pinpoint some areas of special significance in modern buildings.
Carl Ludwig Franck (1904-1985) was an architect who arrived in London in 1934, forced out of his ... more Carl Ludwig Franck (1904-1985) was an architect who arrived in London in 1934, forced out of his native Germany by Nazism. He began to work for Berthold Lubetkin and his practice Tecton, on housing for the London Borough of Finsbury. In 1956 he became the principal housing architect for Finsbury and in the next fifteen years built a substantial amount of high quality housing in Finsbury reflecting the ideals of the Modern Movement, which is now threatened with 'densification'. The value of his work needs to be better known. This article was written for those attending a tour organised by the Twentieth Century Society and led by the author.