Tag: ciam | ArchDaily

Brasília and Chandigarh: Two Modernist Utopias Separated by an Ocean

Camilla Ghisleni — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 07:30:00 +0000

Between the 1950s and 1960s, two cities were built that would leave a lasting mark on the history of architecture and urbanism. Born of the same concept, yet separated by more than 14,000 kilometers, Brasília, in Brazil, and Chandigarh, in India—both steeped in modernist principles—were planned and built from scratch.

Everything Is (Not) Architecture: Environmental Design and Architecture’s Slippery Slope

George Dodds — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 03:30:00 +0000

This article was originally published on Common Edge.

The Legacy of Jane Drew: A Trailblazer for Women in Architecture

Kaley Overstreet — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 05:00:00 +0000

In 1950, the famous Le Corbusier was asked to design the new state capital of Chandigarh for Punjab following its separation and recent independence. The opportunity to create a new utopia was unparalleled- and is now seen as one of the greatest urban experiments in the history of planning and architecture. The city employed grid street patterns, European-style thoroughfares, and raw concrete buildings- the zenith of Corbusier’s ideals throughout his career. But what is lesser known about the ideation and realization of Chandigarh, was the woman who brought her experience of designing social housing across Africa to the project. For three years, working alongside Corbusier, and helping him design some of the best-known buildings in Chandigarh, was Jane Drew.

Imagining Megastructures: How Utopia Can Shape Our Understanding of Technology

Marie Chatel — Thu, 11 Aug 2016 10:45:00 +0000

“Utopia”: the word was coined by Sir Thomas More in 1516 when he started questioning the possibility of a perfect world where society would suffer no wars or insecurities, a place where everyone would prosper and fulfill both individual and collective ambitions. Yet such a perfect society can only exist with the creation of perfect built infrastructure, which possibly explains why architects have often fantasized on megastructures and how to “order” this dreamed society.

'An Installation In Four Acts' - Exploring Structuralism At Rotterdam's Nieuwe Instituut

James Taylor-Foster — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 01:00:00 +0000

Great movements in architecture are usually set in motion by a dull societal ache or as a response to a sudden, unforeseen reorientation of a community at large. The Dutch city of Rotterdam - vast swathes of which were cast into oblivion during the blitz of May 1940 - has been at the forefront of many shifts in approach to the built environment. It is therefore fitting that the latest exhibition at the Nieuwe Instituut (formerly the NAi), simply titled Structuralism, is being held in the city that was recently named Europe’s best.

What Can Be Learnt From The Smithsons' "New Brutalism" In 2014?

James Taylor-Foster — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Sheffield born Alison Gill, later to be known as Alison Smithson, was one half of one of the most influential Brutalist architectural partnerships in history. On the day that she would be celebrating her 86th birthday we take a look at how the impact of her and Peter Smithson's architecture still resonates well into the 21st century, most notably in the British Pavilion at this year's Venice Biennale. With London's Robin Hood Gardens, one of their most well known and large scale social housing projects, facing imminent demolition how might their style, hailed by Reyner Banham in 1955 as the "new brutalism", hold the key for future housing projects?