Travel, Space, Architecture

Cultural theorists have, over the past few decades, examined the role of travel in spatial definition, and have noted its significance in the constant exchange and interaction between cultures. Whilst travelling has also been the subject of architectural research, particularly concerning the work of internationalist architects of the early 20th Century, deeper issues of travel, such as mapping, displacement, foreigness and otherness, have been largely neglected in architectural theory. This book brings architectural thinking in line with the cultural theory debates and argues that, rather than architecture being 'rooted' to place as has traditionally been asserted, border crossing and cross-cultural encounters have always been a prevailing paradigm of the spatial conceptualisation, representation and production of space. It brings together case studies ranging from those between Japan and Europe in the period of early modernity, to central Europe and the Mediterranean within the framework of modern architecture, and to the USA and the European East in the cold-war era, unveiling (mis)readings and exchanges that are embedded in subsequent cultural productions. It also addresses the influence of globalization on contemporary urban design and architecture, examining the impact of immigration on metropolitan environments and the spread of signature architectural practices throughout the world. In doing so, "Travel, Space, Architecture" promotes an original understanding of architecture as a practice concerned with a realm much broader than that of building, and of the influence of travel on designing and producing spatial conceptions and forms.