Architecture in uniform : designing and building for the Second World War /

While the traditional historiography of modern architecture has looked at the causal impact of war on architecture, little has been written on architectural production and conceptualization during war. The war, in other words, has been treated as an architectural lacuna because of material shortages, emigration of important architects and designers, and the need to focus on the immediate concerns of war. In Architecture in Uniform, an exhibition catalogue of the Canadian Center for Architecture, Cohen (NYU) reverses this by pointing to the importance of WW II to modern architecture and practice. During it, architects' role in the mobilization efforts included the design of war-related equipment (such as the Eames bent plywood splints), new housing and factories to support the exacerbated needs of production, and camouflaged buildings and bunkers for protection. Most importantly, Cohen demonstrates how experiences and necessities engendered by the war induced new ways of producing and understanding architecture and modern design after it--affecting product design as well as design of architecture and cities. The book is generously illustrated and includes rare material detailing the complex participation of architects and designers throughout the theaters of war. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers. L. E. Carranza Roger Williams University