ARCHIGRAM GROUP

WARREN CHALK (1927-88)

PETER COOK (1936)
DENNIS CROMPTON (1935)
DAVID GREENE (1937)
RON HERRON (1930-94)
MICHAEL WEBB (1937)
THEO CROSBY
• Architectural group formed in 1960s. The AVANT-GARDE group
• Experimental, neofuturistic, approach- their vision was technological utopians
• Post war period had led to transformation.
• Modernism had been established.
• This group was based at the AA (architectural association) school of architecture in London.
• They had a consumerist approach.
• Committed to a 'high tech', light weight, infra-structural approach that was focused towards survival
technology, the group experimented with modular technology, mobility through the environment,
space capsules and mass-consumer imagery.
• social and environmental issues were left unaddressed.
• War had shown the downside of technology, post war the whole industrialisation was questioned.

• The break happened when they were hired by Theo Crosby to work on the Euston railway station.
• It was the age of print.
• Theo Crosby worked for a magazine and they started the magazine ‘Archigram’ like telegram/
aerogram.
• 9 issues of the magazine were published over an irregular period of time, from 1961 to 70.
• The coverage in the magazines helped the approach to spread far and wide, although many of the
ideas of the group were utopian, they got published.
• They were awarded the RIBA royal gold medal, Peter Cook was knighted for his contribution to
architecture and studies.
• The group came from different schools and so were extremely diverse.
• They can be defined as pursuing CONTEMPERORY EXPERIMENTAL ARCHITECTURE
• They identified with the Bell, Baird and Faraday families.
• They called themselves entrepreneurial inventors- amateur architectural inventors
• Believed that a new generation of architecture must arise, forms rejected precepts of modern
architecture.
• Their utopian ideas threatened the discipline of architecture- walking cities, plug in universities,
inflatable dwellings were imagined
• Theo Crosby gave them their 1st exhibition in 1963- Living City- transition from 50s to the 60s was
outlined
• The Archigram display promised transient and ephemeral situations occurring within the city instead
of functional social categories
• Archigram can be said to have redesigned the scope of experimental thought and teaching – and
hence architectural practice – throughout the world, overturning established ideas and calling into
question the idea of what architecture actually is.
• Most of their projects were unbuilt, but the ones getting acclaimed were-
• Plug-in city- Peter Cook
• Walking city- Ron Herron

• However after a few years they even changed their approach saying that now they were thinking
about how technology would impact and what their role would be.
• The magazine was their mouth piece
The Plug-in city- Sir Peter Cook

• Between 1960 and 1974 Archigram created over 900 drawings, among them the plan for the “Plug-
in City” by Peter Cook. This provocative project suggests a hypothetical fantasy city, containing
modular residential units that “plug in” to a central infrastructural mega machine. The Plug-in City is
in fact not a city, but a constantly evolving megastructure that incorporates residences,
transportation and other essential services--all movable by giant cranes. 
• Though never built, their projects and ideas provoked  debates, combining architecture, technology
and society; when Plug-In City was proposed in 1964, it offered a fascinating new approach to
urbanism, reversing traditional perceptions of infrastructure’s role in the city. 
• The Plug-In City, along with other projects such as The Walking City or The Instant City, suggested a
nomadic way of life and, more importantly, a liberation from the modernist answer of suburbia. 
• Experimental, disruptive, anti-building building, not abstract
•  Peter cook states that “the term ‘city’ is used as a collective, the project being a portmanteau for
several ideas, and does not necessarily imply a replacement of known cities.”   This is an important
concept to understand while analyzing the plug-in-city.
• In the plug-in-city design, the people would live in residential “units” that would have the ability to
“plug-in” at other locations inside, or even outside, the main structure.  At a first glance, the idea of
moveable housing units seems like a great idea.  This would drastically reduce the need to pack up
your items to travel, stay in unfamiliar hotels and move houses entirely to move to another area. 
However, upon further examination, the idea of the plug-in units has several serious drawbacks.
Another interesting topic from the plug-in-city was the concept of set replacement times for the components
of city.

As seen above, there would be set replacement times for individual parts of the structure, such as the living
area, housing pod locations, shopping locations, workplaces, car silos/roads and the overall plug-in-city.  In my
opinion, these set time periods would make the plug-in-city dynamic, and ever-changing.  This could be seen
as a positive thing, but for some people the constant change and movement might seem unnecessary or even
annoying.  These timed replacements make it seem that people will be forced to move, or replace their
components when the time comes.  I think that many people will find this undesirable and wish to keep their
current belongings.
Paolo Soleri- 21st June 1919- 9 April 2013

• Italian architect- book- Arcology- city in the image of man, creator of the experimental Arizona eco-town
Arcosanti- in the desert of Arizona
• Concept of arcology- a fusion of architecture and ecology
• Arcosanti was a reaction against the sprawl of American suburbia.
• Proved to be the life-time work of Paolo Soleri, a disciple of frank Lloyd wright
• Arcosanti was designed to house 5000, climaxed at 200 and now fewer than 60 disciples of soleri.
• Soleri’s principle was- must build up, not out
• Outward, unwieldy sprawls turn farms into parking
• He worked in the consumerist 80s
• However architects said while others were imagining cities and new approaches to architecture, Soleri
got out in the desert and made it happen.

• He was part of the flock of utopian dreams who designed mega-structure cities in the 1960s
• The last whole earth catalogue- featured Soleri’s drawings
• 10 acres of land was surrounded by a green belt, designed to be 20 storeys high, cars weren’t allowed
• Philosophy involved densely packed, bee-hive buildings- holding out a promise of not just and
alternative architecture but alternative culture
• He believed that human habitation like nature must move toward more compact, multi-layered and
• Multidimensional spaces, instead of spreading across the landscape
• In its terms Arcosanti seemed to be an urban laboratory
• There were poured concrete dome structures, multi-unit housing, bakery, foundry, ceramics studio,
an amphitheatre, swimming pool and other features.
• He hoped that Arcosanti would show other cities how to minimise energy and encourage human
interaction.
• He established the Cosanti foundation in Arizona
• Trial dwellings in the process of earthcasting

• The curvaceous organic dwellings on Arcosanti are linked by a network of winding footpaths.
• Passive environmental design is at the core
• South facing buildings
• Shading during summers and soak up the winter sun during winters
• It seemed to be a proposed solution to all the ills-
• Other wordly landscape of concrete domes and soaring vaults rising out of the Arizona desert
• Looked like a cross between an ancient Mayan ruin and the star war cities of Tatoonia
• People who have experienced state that walking through the domes is like walking through ruins

• First built a huge mould from hardened desert sand

• Scored with criss-cross indentations from end to end and covered with reinforcing rods and mesh
• Concrete was then poured and sprayed over the mould
• Once the shell was completely cured, the sand mould was excavated with bulldozer
Robert Venturi- June 25, 1925- American Architect
• One of the major architectural figures of the 20th century
• Considered as one of the most original talents in contemporary architecture
• Pritzker architecture prize laureate, writer, teacher, artist, philosopher
• Two important books-
• Complexities and contradictions in architecture- 1966
• Learning from las vegas- 1977

• Credited with saving modern architecture from itself

• Argued that modern architecture was stark, plain and disengaging, Venturi took enormous
strides to distance himself from the modern movement
• Had always wanted to be an architect and worked under great architects like Louis Kahn and
Eero Sarinen.
• Very cleverly, he coined the phrase- ‘less is a bore’- an antidote to the modernist principle of
‘less is more’
• Started the firm- Venturi, Scott Brown and associates
• In the 1960s he started questioning the blandness in modern American cities
• He believed that the most popular and seemingly successful movement in architecture was
flawed.
• The books were written, not to become famous but to understand architecture better.
• Through research he realised that successful architecture did employ symbolism that was native to a
particular area
• Proved to be the first American to give impetus to vernacular styles
• Embraced society’s vernacular- common techniques, style and traditions that was native to a
particular region
• Simply put, he believed that good architecture is regional architecture
• “I like elements- hybrid rather than pure, compromising rather than clean, distorted rather thn
straightforward.”
• He was for messy vitality over obvious unity
• Sainsbury wing addition- symbolism, richness
• Incorporated themes from the original structure, addition noticeably different
• Used vast array of skylights, irregularly shaped, non-symmetrical floor plan
• He believed that houses should look like houses, fire-stations like fire-stations, hospitals like hospitals
With its classic but tongue-in-cheek
facade ornamentation, rich choice of
materials and details from cast-iron or
curtain-wall to classic columns, stone-
ornamentation and parquet flooring, it
is a magnificent blend of the best
architecture history has to offer and
the best application of
postmodernism's idea of "genus loci" I
know.
Widely panned by modernists and
traditionalist alike at the time, Robert
Venturi and Denise Scott Brown’s is
now seen as revolutionary rather than
revivalist and their Sainsbury Wing
became an instant classic of modern
museum architecture.
Brilliantly merging reconstructive with modernist beliefs,
Venturi Scott Brown quoted heavily from architectural
styles from English Classicism to early and late
modernist tendencies. By molding them into a fine
composition of stone, glass and steel they created a
beautiful backdrop for exquisitely impressive and
welcoming spaces to show art within.
Today, it is the face and heart of one of the most visited art museums in the world
 Particular attention
was given to making
the addition harmonize
with Gilbert's
Renaissance pavilion --
accomplished not
through imitation but
through matched
materials used to
produce a pattern and
scale in contrast with
yet analogous to the
original building.
 Program requirements
included a  fine arts
library, contemporary
art gallery,
conservation lab,
sculpture studios,
shops, and study
areas.
Vanna Venturi house- 1964
• Inventive use of ornamentation and symbolism, generously complemented the original Tuscan-
style building to which it was attached
• Avoided stealing the original building’s significance by emphasizing specific qualities of the
architectural gem
• Key- use of current construction techniques to create a design that incorporated themes from
the original
• Used 19th century style buildings, Art Deco, specialised in cross designs
• He explored the classical tradition of western architecture
• His style worked to provide the best possible building for a given site, offering a double type of
coding- mixing traditional symbolism with modern building techniques
• Architecture promoting richness over simplicity
• Known for attention to detail
• Venuri did not approve of deconstructivism either
• Did not call himself post modern, however, in essence, all those who stepped aside from modern
between 1960 and 80 are essentially called post modern