Architecture Words 7: Modernity Unbound

For almost 20 years, Detlef Mertins was a critical voice in renewing our understanding of architectural modernity. Architect, historian, professor, his essays often took up familiar themes in order to redress inaccuracies and release energies that we were unaware of.

These essays elaborate on such key modernist tropes as transparency, glass architecture, organicism, life and event, sameness and difference. Previously published in a variety of different venues, from journals to anthologies – including such noted books as Lars Spuybroek's NOX: Machining Architecture and FOA's Phylogenesis – they are now assembled for the first time in this volume.

Architecture Words is a series of texts and important essays on architecture written by architects, critics and scholars. Like many aspects of everyday life, contemporary architectural culture is dominated by an endless production and consumption of images, graphics and information. Rather than mirror this larger force, this series of small books seeks to deflect it by means of direct language, concise editing and beautiful, legible graphic design. Each volume in the series offers the reader texts that distil important larger issues and problems, and communicate architectural ideas; not only the ideas contained within each volume, but also the enduring power of written ideas more generally to challenge and change the way all architects think.