The Origins and Shifting Ideals of Mid-Century Group Architectural Practice

This paper concerns an episode in the history of group architectural practice. In particular, I investigate the history of the Tecton architectural partnership, which was the first architectural group practice in Western Modernism. Group architectural practice, I argue, is the outcome of three historical narratives: the shifting identity of the architectural professional in England; the idealistic philosophy of Berthold Lubetkin; and the availability of analogous models in the medical practice. The first and only true group project by Tecton—a proposal for a Chest Clinic in East Hamm—will serve as my principle architectural example. Through this research we can acknowledge the distance between the original ideal of group practice as collaborative conversation and its more recent ideal as functional production.

https://doi.org/10.35483/ACSA.AM.107.110

Volume Editors
Amy Kulper, Grace La & Jeremy Ficca

ISBN
978-1-944214-21-0