New Urban Environments: British Architecture and Its European Context (Prestel Art)

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British architecture is experiencing an unprecedented period of vibrancy and international recognition. This book puts the current range of design trends in Britain in a cultural and geographic context by referring to developments in British architecture found in continental Europe and elsewhere abroad. The numerous illustrations and plans show buildings as an integral part of urban development that respond to the needs that face European and other cities at the end of the 20th century: postwar reconstruction, population growth, public transport and other pressing factors. "New Urban Environments" features spectacular examples of key urban building types designed by some 50 leading architects and engineers working in Britain and Europe, such as Foster and Partners, Richard Rogers Partnership, and Zaha Hadid. The book includes approximately 85 cultural buildings, commercial districts, transport interchanges, educational and environmental centres. Each section illustrates key projects with drawings, photographs, models and/or computer renderings and provides an overview of the site's development history. A number of comparative projects by non-British architects are described in brief, putting British architecture in a European context. Descriptive texts explain the selection criteria for each project and include reasons for the new development, design constraints and a summary of critical comments on the schemes, particular attention being paid to the environmental design aspects of the projects.