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In the presence of absence: Cambridge's forgotten masterpiece. The Cornford house by Colin St. John Wilson (1967)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 August 2008

Michael Spens
Affiliation:
44b The ScoresSt. AndrewsFife KY16 9ASUnited Kingdom

Abstract

The house is not widely known but has been praised by a distinguished circle since its completion, including Aldo Van Eyck and Christian Norberg-Schulz. It represents a fusion of European revision of modernism as a model of the continuity of ‘The Other Tradition’ with avant-garde American design concepts of the late 1960s. Quite distinct from the work of the New York Five, for example, it is, the author claims, nonetheless related to it through the architect's teaching involvement with the Yale and MIT schools from 1960. Today it remains a significant architectural icon, and following the death of its owners is in need of formal listing and statutory protection.

Type
Design
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

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