RIBA Bookshops

Alan Powers

Alan Powers is Professor of Architecture and Cultural History at the University of Greenwich and Chairman of The Twentieth Century Society. He has published widely on twentieth century architecture, art and design. His recent books include Britain in the series Modern Architectures in History from Reaktion Books, and Art and Print: the Curwen Story, published by Tate. His book on Serge Chermayeff was published by RIBA Publishing in 2001 and is still available. Other activities include curating exhibitions, such as Eric Ravilious: imagined realities at the Imperial War Museum, 2003 and Modern Britain 1929-39 at the Design Museum, 1999. In October 2009, he is curating an exhibition at the De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea, in which the Royal Mail Sorting Office at Hemel Hempstead by Aldington, Craig and Collinge, will represent the firm’s work in a selection of eight ‘principled buildings’ chosen at 25 year intervals from 1834, the foundation of the RIBA, to 2009, its 175th anniversary.

Jack Pringle, RIBA Past President and Partner at Pringle Brandon

‘This series of books is important because it records the work of important national, if not international, British architects of the twentieth century. They were the salt of the post-war modernist earth, working on housing, hospitals and industrial buildings. Their legacy has been a vein of quiet, very English modern architecture often unheralded but well loved by those who know of it. Now a new generation of students can trace their journey and admire their work’.

Graham Bizley for BD Magazine, April 2010

Commissioned as one of a series on some of Britain’s most intriguing 20th century architects, this delightful book gets under the skin of its protagonists, more like an illustrated biography than a monograph. Alan Powers tells their story with warmth and affection, interweaving the thought behind their work with the trials and tribulations of architectural practice that led the two founding partners to retire in 1986.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=429&storycode=3161364&channel=783&c=2

Hugh Pearman at RIBA Journal

What is good about this series so far is that it's all about partnerships, the way most architect-designed buildings are produced. These are not about the cult of the solo genius, but the meshing of personalities to create good work. If anything represents that elusive thing, 'real architecture', these books do. Warmly recommended. Read more: http://www.ribajournal.com/index.php/feature/article/reality_check1/