Juliana Kei

My research traces an alternative genealogy of late 20th-century British architecture by examining the debates, practices, and theorisation of Postmodernism and architectural preservation. The focus of this study is Theo Crosby (1925-1994), an architect whose polymathic career spanned architectural and urban design, curation, writing, and editing but is known primarily as a founding partner of the multi-disciplinary design firm Pentagram. Crosby started his career as a part of the post-war neo-avant-garde milieu, became an vocal advocate for preservation in the 1960s, and in 1980s, he was one of the architectural advisors of Prince Charles’ controversial intervention in British architecture. Crosby's multifaceted career provides the means to inquire how architectural and design history, as well as the studies of traditional building forms, change the trajectory of British architecture in its Postmodern turn, and the radicalising effect that preservation had on the discourses. Crosby’s treatment of architectural history is the centerpiece of this research, which  reveals previously overlooked political, economic, and technological functions of architectural history and traditions in 20th century Britain.

This study seeks to offer a reconceptualisation of the currently historiography of late 20th-century British architecture. Crosby’s many collaborative projects will be used to draw attention to the affinity to the past and advocacy for preservation in the neo-avant-garde milieu. This research will also evaluate architectural preservation’s temporary turn to radical politics and information theory in the 1970s. Crosby’s four-decade-long career will also be used as a prism to reflect on how architects’ attitude towards the past has also been shaped by economic, technological, and political transformations found in late 20th-century British society.