Architectural Review
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Architectural Review
(1896- )
Originally a periodical largely concerned with the aesthetics of British Arts and Crafts architecture, the London-based Architectural Review (AR) later became a significant vehicle for the discussion of many aspects of design practice, theory, and culture. In 1913 it underwent a radical redesign, with an increased page size and enhanced standards of photographic reproduction and, at the same time, its content was broadened to embrace more fully furniture, interiors, and other design topics. Both developments were intended to woo the interested general public in addition to members of the architectural and design professions.
In the 1920s and 1930s coverage of Scandinavian and European design was considerably increased, and a number of eminent figures drawn from the artistic and literary worlds were commissioned as contributors. An important shift of emphasis followed the appointment of Hubert de Cronin Hastings as editor in 1927 and John Betjeman as assistant editor in 1929. However, more significant still was the appointment of J. M. Richards as Betjeman's replacement in 1935, from which time the AR was characterized by a much more vigorous coverage of Modernist architecture and design. Important contributors during these years included the historian and design researcher Nikolaus Pevsner and Philip Morton Shand, who was friendly with leading practitioners such as Walter Gropius, Alvar Aalto, and Le Corbusier. Furthermore, an increasing range of articles by progressive foreign architects and designers was carried. As well as many articles which addressed questions of functionalism and industrial design, Richards's own contribution also affected the appearance of the magazine: leading articles were printed on handmade paper and wallpapers were incorporated into the editorial pages. This use of varied papers to signify shifts in content in different sections of the magazine lasted for more than 50 years. Also significant in the AR's advocacy of modernism was its use of high-quality photography, with Frank Yerbury, M. O. Dell, and H. L. Wainwright prominent in the field.
After the Second World War (during which Pevsner undertook a spell as temporary editor), Hastings and Richards resumed editorial control. Whilst the Festival of Britain of 1951 provided an important platform for the AR's Modernist leanings, a discernible breath of fresh air accompanied the appointment to the staff in 1952 of Peter Reyner Banham. He brought with him a profound interest in materials and techniques as well as a developing interest in American popular culture and, from 1960, edited a ‘World’ section which, through its scanning of more than 100 magazines, kept readers up to date with international developments and debates of significance.
The 1960s witnessed considerable upheavals at the AR with the departure of Banham in 1964 and the retirement of Pevsner from the editorial board in the following year. In a period of significant social change and given the allure of Postmodernism there was growing uncertainty and debate about the future direction of architecture and Modernism. Financial problems also began to impose themselves and, in 1970, Hastings sacked Richards before stepping down himself three years later. During the 1980s, despite a more positive sense of editorial direction with the publication of themed issues across a wide range of topics from shopping centres to the environment, problems of finance and changes of ownership continued to overshadow the magazine's prospects. In the 1990s new ownership was accompanied by increased investment and managerial improvements and a period of greater stability ensued.
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| Editor | Catherine Slessor |
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| Categories | Architecture |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Circulation | 13,352 [1] |
| First issue | 1896 |
| Company | Emap Limited |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Website | www.architectural-review.com |
| ISSN | 0003861X |
The Architectural Review is a monthly international architectural magazine published in London since 1896. Articles cover the built environment which includes landscape, building design, interior design and urbanism as well as theory of these subjects.
The publishers, Emap Construct [1] also produce a sister publication called Architects' Journal.
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Contents
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History
The Architectural Review was founded in 1896, on the cusp of the 20th century. The cover of the first issue bore the legend 'a magazine for the artist and craftsman', though this subsequently became 'artist, archaeologist, designer and craftsman', thus firmly setting its sights on Victorian polymaths everywhere.
Arts and Crafts
The earliest issues were large in format and plainly intended to make the discussion of architecture visual as well as verbal. In those early years, the AR was very much an Arts and Crafts organ inspired by John Ruskin and AWN Pugin, the movement’s great patriarchs.
It slowly changed with the zeitgeist to become more devoted to classical architecture and conscious of stirring international developments. By 1900 the magazine could boast that it was ‘the only magazine in the British Empire dealing with the artistic, as distinguished from the business side, of architecture’, a description that still, curiously, rings true today.
The first decade saw a long-running series, The Practical Exemplar of Architecture, which was intended, with photographs and measured drawings, to provide architects with a universal pattern book illustrating various architectural styles of the day.
Re-launch - 1913
The 1913 re-launch took advantage of advances in the quality of photographic reproduction, heralding a new and lavish format, with whole page photographs illustrating the great works of a confident Empire.
During World War I, the AR set itself the task of documenting the worst destruction in France and Belgium, and was chosen by the government to be the official publisher of coloured pictures of the decorations of London for the peace celebrations of 1919.
1920s and 1930s
The 1920s and 1930s saw the AR engage more actively with new architectural movements. It proposed ideas and plans for the League of Nations; it reprinted Louis Sullivan's speeches verbatim and commissioned pieces from Le Corbusier, Ernö Goldfinger, Berthold Lubetkin and Walter Gropius. Indeed, it was at the AR that Nikolaus Pevsner, the famous German art and architecture historian, began his illustrious career.
During this period, the AR became much more lively and diverse with the arrival of John Betjeman, Hubert de Cronin Hastings, new authors, idiosyncrasy and modernism. By the end of the 1930s under the helm of JM Richards, who edited the AR between 1937 and 1971 (by far the longest tenure of any of its 14 editors), the AR's reputation was established as the leading English language architectural magazine, with a worldwide constituency of readers.[3]
Post-war years
In the post-war years of new ideas, its reputation for scholarship grew and Pevsner was succeeded by a young Colin Rowe, who made memorable contributions to the magazine.
After the strong foreign flavour of the war and its immediate aftermath, the 1950s witnessed a shift back to the conscientious efforts of British architects to rebuild a shattered nation. Reyner Banham (who had studied under Pevsner) joined in 1952, and made an almost immediate mark on the magazine that seemed to him ‘rather fusty and run by elderly men’.
In its Townscape, Subtopia and Outrage sections, pioneered by Ian Nairn and Gordon Cullen, the AR campaigned vigorously against the curse of mediocre philistinism and celebrated the apotheosis of modernism.
1960s and 1970s
The 1960s brought an end to such certainties and the magazine faced increasing commercial peril. The Manplan series of the late 1960s was designed to reposition the AR at the heart of debate, setting out to ambitiously correct the ills of Britain with huge (and hugely expensive) photographic coverage of its problems, complemented by verbose essays on suggested solutions.
These can be seen today as an analogy of the hubris of the profession, whose architects had begun to believe that they could build a new society by the imposition of enlightened architecture.
During the 1970s, the AR descended into a state of self-critical crisis typical of the end of modernism and exacerbated by its claims to be a straightforward record and not a mouthpiece of the avant-garde.
1980s
By the 1980s it had regained its focus under Peter Davey, shifting into a theme-based format, in which buildings were grouped by function or idea. It was during this period that the AR reclaimed its intellectual and visual superiority, with special issues on the environment, landscape, art and ecology, and architecture and climate, indicating a prescient engagement with environmental issues.
However, the depth of discussion given to buildings such as Lloyd's in London and the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank headquarters in Hong Kong also made clear that the latter part of the century belonged to Rogers, Foster and the lords of High Tech.
AR today
Now, a decade into the new century, pluralism, parametricism and plagiarism reign, though the AR is still sceptical of fashions and fads, believing architecture to be, at its core, a socially responsible art.
As with all media, it becomes impossible to tell how far the AR has accurately recounted the preoccupations and ideals of several generations, and how far it has defined and shaped them. Yet though over time it has (sometimes often radically) changed in format, design and personnel, it still maintains a spirit of constancy and continuity. As the AR's immense archive is gradually digitised, its deep historical roots will hopefully inform, enlighten and reconnect with new generations of readers.
Notable people
- Henry Wilson - first editor 1896-1901
- John Betjeman - assistant editor, 1930 to 1935
- James Maude Richards - editor, 1937 to 1971
- Nikolaus Pevsner - acting editor 1943 to 1945 and member of editorial board 1945 to 1970
- László Moholy-Nagy - photographer
- Gordon Cullen - art editor
- Robert Melville - art critic
- Peter Blundell Jones - contributor
- Stephen Gardiner - contributor
- Ian Nairn - contributor
- William J. R. Curtis - contributor
- Peter Cook - architect and contributor
References
- ^ The Architectural Review Media Pack, http://ec.emap.com/AR/AR%20Media%20pack%2711-hires.pdf
- ^ The Architectural Review: For the Artist & Craftsman, Volume 1, Edition 1 (1896)
- ^ The Architectural Review's history webpage: http://www.architectural-review.com/about-the-ar/
- ^ Cubitt, James (January 1959). The Architectural Review, (London)
- ^ Contact Details on The Architectural Review's Website http://www.architectural-review.com/contact-us/
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