The Palm Springs School

Palm Springs is at the center of a unique tradition in architecture marked by invention and a sensitivity to local conditions that has resulted in design that exerts an influence far greater than the town s small size. The book is the first to fully explore the wide ranging forms this architecture has taken, from houses to gas stations, hotels to airports, banks to restaurants and spas.
From the minimalist steel-and-glass boxes of Richard Neutra to the earthy organic approach of John Lautner, and everything in between, the solutions of architects and designers including notably E. Stewart Williams, Albert Frey, and Donald Wexler, among many others were diverse and are ever more relevant in the face of contemporary challenges. Their answers addressed questions that hold still much urgency: How to design sustainably in harsh climates? How to use technology efficiently and creatively to meet those challenges? How to build affordable and high-quality mass-produced housing? How to foster a diverse and inventive architecture that is both popular and excellent? How to reflect a region s culture, economy, and distinctive atmosphere? Committed modernists, designers here responded to nature s climatological demands and Palm Springs became a center for innovations that were rooted in practice more than theory. So successful were these architects that forty years after their heyday their designs sparked a vibrant preservation movement that continues to shape the community. Designers benefited from the architectural freedoms offered by the remoteness of the California desert, largely out of sight of the profession s critics, and explored new approaches that we can now identify as central to the Palm Springs School, shown here in rich archival and contemporary photography taken by greats of the time, such as Julius Shulman, and more recent masters, including Tim Street-Porter. In addition to its main text, the book offers essays by five noted professionals from across the United States highlighting the broader significance of the Palm Springs School. With original research and fresh analysis, this book is an important resource for students, scholars, and design professionals, as well as a visually engaging story for architectural enthusiasts.

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