Lost Futures: The Disappearing Architecture of Post-War Britain

I bought this book on a whim, and had no idea what a fascinating gem it would prove to be. It is well-written, and falls neatly into two parts: an introduction to brutalism, and the motivations behind it, followed by a series of individual buildings/housing estates that receive a page or so of analysis, accompanied by a photograph taken at around the time they were built. There is a beautiful clarity to the writing, and the reader is left to reach their own conclusions about brutalism as an architectural movement. I found myself having a sympathy for brutalism that I would never have imagined possible, although I still think that it mostly failed to provide the kind of environment people want to live and/or work in, with occasional exceptions, such as the Birmingham Central Library, that was clearly much loved by local people. I heartily recommend this book.

The resurgence of interest in this particular period of British architecture has been served very well by this book, not only as an important historical record but many of the buildings that have been chosen illustrate that the architects of this period, fulfilled their client's needs with considerable imagination, especially when considering the very limited range of materials that were available to them in post WW2 Britain. It would have been nice had at least one plan of a typical level had been included but I accept that as most of the buildings no longer exist, this would probably have been impossible.

An excellent survey of modern buildings that have been demolished, some before their time, and some that are better gone.Excellent contemporary professional photographs of each building taken shortly after they were built, and interesting textual detail and facts to accompany them.

Anyone interested in our built environment really should try and read this book. Concise, factual and with copious photo's of the buildings in their prime, it made me rethink my views on this subject. Perhaps the pendulum swung too far against modern architecture, you decide.

Great book well worth a read

This book was delivered on time it has great illustrations and lots of interesting information on brutalism great value for money

A very interesting book full of illustrations and excellent text.

My son, an achitecture professor thought it was good