Archigram Ten
In the 1960s and ‘70s, Archigram speculated on the nature of architecture in ways that influenced a generation. In an era defined by the space race, the group’s exploration of movable structures and modular systems stretched far beyond known technologies or contemporary realities. Archigram magazine became the platform for exploring and sharing many of these themes. Launched in 1961, the magazine ran for 9 ½ issues until 1974, when Archigram disbanded. Now, after a 50-year pause for thought, Archigram is back.
Edited by Peter Cook, with contributions from Archigram founding members Dennis Crompton, David Greene and Michael Webb, and with inputs from numerous contemporary designers, technologists and critics, Archigram Ten takes a wry backward glance and imagines a bold leap forward. It looks at where architecture is going currently and asks: why? Contributors include: Hitoshi Abe, Odile Decq, Elizabeth Diller, Thom Mayne, and Eric Owen Moss.
Peter Cook (b. 1936) is a founding member of Archigram and the pre-eminent architectural educator in the UK. From 1990 to 2006 he was Chair of Architecture (now Professor Emeritus) at the Bartlett School of Architecture, where he transformed an academically sober institution into one of the world’s leading centres of creative design. In 2002, his achievements with Archigram were recognised when the group was awarded the RIBA Royal Gold Medal. In 2007, he was awarded a knighthood for his services to architecture and education.