Space, Time and Architecture

A milestone in modern thought, Space, Time and Architecture has been reissued many times since its first publication in 1941 and translated into half a dozen languages. In this revised edition of Mr. Giedion's classic work, major sections have been added and there are 81 new illustrations.

The chapters on leading contemporary architects have been greatly expanded. There is new material on the later development of Frank Lloyd Wright and the more recent buildings of Walter Gropius, particularly his American Embassy in Athens. In his discussion of Le Corbusier, Mr. Giedion provides detailed analyses of the Carpenter Center at Harvard University, Le Corbusier's only building in the United States, and his Priory of La Tourette near Lyons. There is a section on his relations with his clients and an assessment of his influence on contemporary architecture, including a description of the Le Corbusier Center in Zurich (designed just before his death], which houses his works of art. The chapters on Mies van der Rohe and Alvar Aalto have been brought up to date with examples of their buildings in the sixties. There is an entirely new chapter on the Danish architect Jorn Utzon, whose work, as exemplified in his design for the Sydney Opera House, Mr. Giedion considers representative of post-World War II architectural concepts.

A new essay, "Changing Notions of the City," traces the evolution of the structure of the city throughout history and examines current attempts to deal with urban growth, as shown in the work of such architects as Jose Luis Sert, Kenzo Tange, and Fumihiko Maki. Mr. Sert's Peabody Terrace is discussed as an example of the interlocking of the collective and individual spheres. Finally, the conclusion has been enlarged to include a survey of the limits of the organic in architecture.

Review: This book is an important collection of historical and critical surveys and a brilliant study of the trends and developments of the modern scene with its historical background and true significance. For the general reader interested in the past and its relation to our present, and the specialist in architecture preoccupied with its facets of change, the author has succeeded in presenting a consistently developing process and a clear, concise picture. -- Edward Larocque Tinker * New York Times Book Review *
[Giedion's] survey of our architectural inheritance, beginning with the "organization of space" in the early Renaissance, is masterly, selective, and instructive. In his treatment of individual architects he calls a famous roll, and leaves us with a clear impression of the significance of each man's work... This is a big book, and one that no reader will exhaust quickly. * Saturday Review *
Space, Time and Architecture is a remarkable accomplishment in that it explores and throws new light on buildings and plans that were underestimated or unknown before this book appeared. It has also proved to be one of the most valuable reference books for students and professionals concerned with the reshaping of our environment. It not only reviews the varied fields of architecture and city planning in relation to an emerging industrial technology, but also shows their parallel development in the visual arts. Sigfried Giedion's accomplishment remains unmatched. -- Jose Luis Sert
Dr. Sigfried Giedion is today recognized as one of the world's most eminent architectural critics and historians. The unusual success of his Space, Time and Architecture, first published in 1941 and now greatly revised and expanded, is due to his deep investigation into the whole philosophical and technical background of our modern civilization. This new edition ensures that the book will continue to be internationally acknowledged as the standard work on the development of modern architecture. -- Walter Gropius