Commendation, the Colvin Prize 2023 (Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain) Reconstruction explores the impact of the First World War on the built environment - examining the immediate and longer term aftermath of the Great War on the architecture of Britain and the British Empire during the interwar years. While much attention has been paid by historians to post-war architectural reconstruction after 1945, the earlier developments of the interwar period (1919-1939) have been comparatively overlooked. Filling an important gap in surveys of 20th-century British architecture, this volume reveals how the architectural developments of this period not only provided important foundations for what happened after 1945 - they are also of real significance in their own right. Sixteen essays bring together new and diverse approaches to the period - a period of reconstruction, fraught with the challenges of modernity and democratisation. The collection considers the complex effects of reconstruction on design, discourse, practice, and professionalism, and makes important postcolonial interventions into the architectural history of British Imperialism at home and in its far reaches; in Cairo, South Africa, Australia, and India.

Examining the architecture of Britain and the British Empire in the period of reconstruction following the First World War.

About the Author
Neal Shasore is Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at the School of Architecture, Liverpool University. Jessica Kelly is Senior Lecturer in Contextual and Theoretical Studies in Design at The University for the Creative Arts, Farnham.

Reviews
It has taken nearly a hundred years for the history of interwar British architecture to be discussed widely in an even-handed and pluralistic manner. Reconstruction takes a significant step towards mapping the territory and demonstrating how it can be done. * Alan Powers, London School of Architecture, UK *
Looking beyond the well-known architectural icons of the 20s and 30s, this detailed examination of many previously overlooked buildings of a key period, gives a broader understanding of architectural practice and richly demonstrates the ways in which the study of architecture can reveal and tell complex stories about a rapidly changing society. * Catherine Croft, Director of C20 Society, UK *



Book Information
ISBN 9781350283923
Author Neal Shasore
Format Paperback
Page Count 408
Imprint Bloomsbury Visual Arts
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC