Architecture

The Science of Saving Venice

The Science of Saving Venice

94 pages, paperback, 246 x 211 mm portrait, 111 colour illustration, 3 b/ws
PRICE: £7.99
ISBN: 978884228477

 

Customers in the US or Canada, CLICK HERE

ByJane Da Mosto and Caroline Fletcher

The lagoon in which the city of Venice rises is no more than a few thousand years old - not much older than the city itself. And it may not last another hundred, such is the damage that not only the city but also the lagoon have suffered during the twentieth century. The lagoon was always a precarious and ultimately transient ecological phenomenon, and today both the city and the lagoon are under severe threat from human intervention and incursions on the one hand and on the other from climate change and natural erosion.

Especially since the Second World War, a great deal of data has been amassed about the lagoon and its ecology but it has remained the domain of specialists and lobbyists and it has not been collated until now. Working at the University of Venice and Churchill College, Cambridge, respectively, authors Jane Da Mosto and Caroline Fletcher have put together this important introduction to what is known, what is not known, what has been done and can be done to save both the city of Venice and the lagoon - for both need not only care and maintenance but also remedial treatment, or so the authors conclude.

This essential book, produced for the Venice in Peril Fund, and very reasonably priced so as to render it accessible, provides a sane and informative introduction to the problems of Venice's flooding, sinking and pollution. It also contains very new research. It also, naturally, discusses the pros and cons of what is to be done - should barriers be built? Is enough being done to protect the city and the lagoon?

 


Raymond Erith

“I am not a modernist but ... I agree with the modernists in every way except that I think their brand of modernism is not very good.” Raymond Erith looked to achieve what he called the true “economy of means”, using traditional means to create original buildings with progressive ideas behind them. More

John Betjeman: A Passion for Architecture OUT OF PRINT

The architectural writings, recordings and films of the poet Sir John Betjeman (1906-1984) are here celebrated in this catalogue accompanying a major exhibition at Sir John Soane's Museum. Marking the centenary of Betjeman's birth, the catalogue and exhibitions will bring together rare archive material, both photographic and textual, in celebration of his life-long passion for architecture. More

Venice: Extraordinary Maintenance

This book presents an overview of the restoration Venice has undergone in the last two hundred years. It is a mistake to think that Venice has been preserved in aspic. A great deal changed after the Fall of the Republic in 1797, and continues to change. Having read this book, you will never look upon Venice’s streets, houses and canals in the same way again. More

Lucca Encounters the World

Lucca's location has meant the city has always been able to adapt itself to the various historical cycles. Though undoubtedly affected by the spirit of each age, Lucca's culture and institutions remain deeply rooted in the traditions and character of its people. More