"When the Communists took over Czechoslovakia in 1948. Teige was first hailed as a progressive, then denounced for not toeing the party line - even though he was never a card-carrying member of the Communist Party. He died a broken man, forbidden to speak out or to publish. Since the recovery of his work after the "velvet revolution" of 1989, his legacy has been revived not only in Prague but also in Western Europe and the United States."--BOOK JACKET.
L'habitation minimum = Die Kleinstwohnung : the housing crisis, housing reform ...
360pages
13 heures de lecture
This long-awaited English-language edition of Karel Teige's influential work on minimum dwelling presents a new housing type for the working class. Teige (1900-1951), a pivotal figure in avant-garde modernism during the 1920s and 1930s, shaped various fields of art, design, and urban thought in Czechoslovakia. Originally published in Czech in 1932, this landmark architectural text advocates for a radical rethinking of domestic space and the role of modern architecture in creating new dwelling types for the proletariat. Teige critiques prominent architects like Gropius, Le Corbusier, and Mies van der Rohe for merely redesigning opulent spaces for the financial elite. Instead, he proposes the minimum dwelling as a completely new concept, developed through collaboration among architects, sociologists, economists, and more. The book challenges traditional views, particularly regarding the kitchen's role in family life and marriage as the basis of cohabitation, while exploring alternative lifestyles and new forms of communal living. Teige's insights into collective housing remain relevant today, anticipating communal living trends from the 1960s and 1970s, as well as modern condominium and retirement community designs.
