Archigram: The Book

by Peter Cook, Dennis Crompton, David Greene, Ron Herron, Warren Chalk

Overview

A comprehensive monograph on Archigram – the renowned avant-garde design collective, who in the 1960s and ‘70s envisioned a new architectural reality through a series of iconic, hypothetical projects.

Archigram comprised Warren Chalk (1927-88), Peter Cook (1936-), Dennis Crompton (1935-), David Greene (1937-), Ron Herron (1930-94), and Michael Webb (1937-). Together they envisioned the future of architecture in ways that enthralled a generation. In an era defined by the space race, they developed a ‘high-tech’, lightweight, infra-structural approach that stretched far beyond known technologies or contemporary realities. They devised autonomous dwellings and focused on survival technology; they experimented with megastructures and modular construction systems; they explored mobility through the environment, and the use of portable living capsules: all through the medium of an incredible series of drawings and models. Archigram’s influence has been profound and enduring. They gave the high-tech movement its impetus; they inspired architects such as Renzo Piano and Norman Foster; and they laid the ground for the design of buildings such as the Pompidou Centre. Edited and designed by Archigram member Dennis Crompton, this book catalogues Archigram’s activities over fourteen years, together with commentaries by the architects and critics writing then and now.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781911422495
Publisher:	Circa Press
Publication date:	02/01/2025
Edition description:	2nd Edition
Pages:	312
Product dimensions:	11.58(w) x 9.06(h) x 1.25(d)

About the Author

Warren Chalk, Peter Cook, Dennis Crompton, Ron Herron, David Greene and Michael Webb are the founder members of Archigram. Their theoretical work began in the 1960s as a cry against ‘the crap then going up in London’. Although they never built a building together, their influence over a generation of architects continues to be felt today. The group was awarded the RIBA Gold Medal in 2002. Reyner Banham was one of the leading architectural commentators in the decades when Archigram was active, and the author of Megastucture (1976), which featured their work. Martin Pawley documented the architectural scene in London from the 1970s onwards from the perspective of a restless insider. His writing about Archigram is incisive and colorful. Michael Sorkin was an architect and urbanist whose practice spanned design, planning, criticism, and teaching. His books include Exquisite Corpse: Writing on Buildings (1991).

Table of Contents

6 NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION, Michael Sorkin 8 ARCHIGRAM THE MAGAZINE, Peter Cook 10 ARCHIGRAM 1 12 Mosque, David Greene 13 Piccadilly Circus Competition, Peter Cook + Gordon Sainsbury 14 Furniture Manufacturers Building, Michael Webb 18 ARCHIGRAM 2 26 Gas House, Peter Cook + David Greene 27 Metal Cabin Housing, Peter Cook Spray Plastic House, David Greene 28 Lillington Street Housing, Warren Chalk + Dennis Crompton + Ron Herron 30 Sin Centre, Michael Webb 34 Seaside Entertainment Building, David Greene 35 South Bank Development, Warren Chalk + Ron Herron + Dennis Crompton 36 ARCHIGRAM 3 40 Nottingham Shopping Viaduct, Peter Cook + David Greene 42 Living City Exhibition, Whole Archigram Group 58 City Interchange, Warren Chalk + Ron Herron 60 Come-Go Project, Peter Cook 62 City Synthesiser, Dennis Crompton 64 Dream City, David Greene + Michael Webb 68 ARCHIGRAM 4 78 Entertainments Tower, Warren Chalk + Peter Cook + Ron Herron 80 Montreal Tower, Peter Cook 84 House Project, David Greene 86 Plug-In City, Peter Cook 92 Capsule Homes, Warren Chalk 94 THE PLUG-IN CITY, Priscilla Chapman 96 ARCHIGRAM 5 103 Underwater City, Warren Chalk 104 City Mound, Peter Cook 107 Auto-Environment, Michael Webb 112 Computer City, Dennis Crompton 114 Walking City, Ron Herron 122 ARCHIGRAM 6 136 Cardiff Air House, Ron Herron 138 Plug-In University, Peter Cook 142 A CLIP-ON ARCHITECTURE, Reyner Banham 146 ARCHIGRAM 7 158 Living Pod, David Greene 166 Paddington East, Peter Cook 172 Freetime Node, Ron Herron 174 Archigram 1967 180 ARCHIGRAM 8 193 We Offer Ten Prefabricated Sets, David Greene 194 Milanogram, Peter Cook + Dennis Crompton + Ron Herron 198 Control and Choice, Peter Cook 201 Weekend Telegraph 1990 House, Warren Chalk + Peter Cook + Dennis Crompton + Ron Herron 202 Cushicle and Suitaloon, Michael Webb 204 Ideas Circus, Peter Cook 206 Oasis, Ron Herron 207 Instant Village, Peter Cook 208 ARCHIGRAM 9 216 Instant City Children’s Primer, David Greene 218 Instant City, Peter Cook + Dennis Crompton + Ron Herron 226 Oslogram, Peter Cook + Dennis Crompton 227 Cheek By Jowl, Peter Cook 228 Dreams Come True, Michael Webb 230 L.A.W.U.N. Project Number 1, David Greene 234 Room of 1000 Delights, Peter Cook 236 Enviro-Pill + Holographic Scene Setter, Ron Herron 238 Osaka, Peter Cook + Dennis Crompton 240 Tuned Suburb, Ron Herron 242 Bathamatic, Warren Chalk 244 Features: Monte Carlo, Peter Cook + Dennis Crompton + David Greene + Ron Herron 254 Manzak, Ron Herron 256 Info-Gonks, Peter Cook 257 Brünnhilde’s Magic Ring of Fire, Michael Webb 258 ARCHIGRAM OPERA 262 DEATH BY ARCHITECTURE, Martin Pawley 264 It’s A..., Ron Herron 265 Addhox, Peter Cook 266 Bournemouth Steps, Peter Cook + Dennis Crompton + Ron Herron 270 Sporting d’Été – Chameleon, Peter Cook 272 Sporting d’Été – Palm Tree, Warren Chalk + Dennis Crompton + Ron Herron 276 ARCHIGRAM 91⁄2 279 Expro, Peter Cook + Dennis Crompton + Ron Herron 280 Tuning London, Ron Herron 282 Prepared Landscape, Peter Cook 284 Calverton End, Dennis Crompton + Ron Herron 285 Cranbourne Court, Dennis Crompton + Ron Herron 286 Suburban Sets, Ron Herron 288 Malaysia Exhibition, Dennis Crompton + Ron Herron 290 House of the Seven Veils, Peter Cook 292 Bumps and Lumps, Peter Cook 293 IN MEMORIAM ARCHIGRAM Peter Cook 295 Archigram Projects 299 Index 300 Acknowledgments