Architecture and Spectacle: A Critique

Gevork Hartoonian is Professor of Architecture at the University of Canberra, Australia

• Contents: Introduction; The crisis of the object; Theatricality: the structure of the tectonic; Peter Eisenman: in search of degree zero architecture; Bernard Tschumi: return of the object; Rem Koolhaas: exuberant object of delight; Zaha Hadid: proun without a cause!; Frank Gehry: roofing, wrapping, and wrapping the roof; Steven Holl: fabrication detailed; Surface: the a-tectonic of roofing and wrapping; Afterword; Index.

'In venturously reviewing design approaches undertaken by very different architects, Gevork Hartoonian seeks to underscore the importance of criticism squarely positioned within the ambiance or culture of building. From Semperian theatricality to Hollian materiality, he raises a number of issues of interest to the designer, not the least of which are the animating force of tectonics or its underlying technological fingerprint.' Harry Francis Mallgrave, Illinois Institute of Technology, USA 'The role played by architecture within contemporary economies of the spectacle is perhaps the most pressing issue facing architectural criticism and theory today. With rare lucidity and nuance, Architecture and Spectacle: A Critique provides us with an account of the political economy underpinning architecture's current interests in surface and theatricality that could scarcely be bettered. Focused on the 'neo-avant-garde' practices, but informed throughout by a critical archaeology of modern architecture's shifting engagements with technology and the visual culture of the commodity since the nineteenth century, Hartoonian is a brilliant guide to the cultural logic and possibilities of architectural production in advanced capitalism.' David Cunningham, University of Westminster, UK