Review: Moscow by Karl Schlgel
May 12, 2008 |18:46 | Classic Architectures | Others By : Team X
No European city has undergone as much upheaval in the past fifteen years as Moscow. The stage for the fall of a world empire and the rebirth of a globally-connected Russia, Moscow has transformed from a monochrome capital city to a new Babylon iridescent with neon lights. Karl Schlögel's Moscow offers a fascinating and engaging portrait of this international metropolis in transformation.
First published in German in 1984, and now rapidly attaining the status of a classic work, this debut English edition of Moscow has been updated with a new introduction and conclusion covering the post-Soviet period. Schlögel describes the modern history of Moscow from various aspects as he explores the city's streets and unearths the rich histories of its buildings, monuments, and parks. A city where the past and future continually clash, Moscow struggles to define its global role in the twenty-first century, and Karl Schlögel's insightful essays in Moscow provide a valuable window into the complex and resilient character of the ever-evolving capital and its citizens.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Prologue: The eye of the beholder




Among the most difficult tasks of modern national city planning and architecture there is a search of topical ideas in the plastic heritage of the past. It is difficult but important task. Architecture historians have accumulated a rich database in this regard. Now they carefully study different stages of city development and give detailed specification and description of architectural monuments, construction and architectural technologies. The architecture of 70s - 80s reflected efforts to interpret some technologies (sun-protected pandjara, stalactites, inner yard and etc.) but they lay within stylistic but not insight content of architectural idea. However, nobody has still approached to the fundamental task - understanding of language of architectural ideas and principles of graphic expression and subject intonations. At the same time Samarkand and Bukhara give exclusively important material for this kind of cultural and philosophical challenges.


The Rabih Hage Gallery will showcase an architectural project as part of the London Festival of Architecture..jpg)





