AN OBSERVER BOOK OF THE YEAR
Beginning in a tiny hermitage on the remote north Scottish coast, and ending up backstage at the National Theatre, Raw Concrete embarks on a wide-ranging journey through Britain over the past sixty years, stopping to examine how eight extraordinary buildings were made - from commission to construction - why they have been so vilified, and why they are beginning to be loved.
Review
Part history, part aesthetic autobiography, wholly engaging and liable to convince those procrastinators sitting (uncomfortably) on the concrete fence.
Barnabas Calder brings us tales of the unexpected and breathes life into what some night call one of the unloveliest of building materials … illuminating and spirited. - Monocle
This celebration of all things concrete will please both its aficionados and those who find it hard to love ... Calder's distinctive approach is a combination of scholarliness with personal association ... An engaging and accessible guide for those drawn towards these ex-monstrosities. - Observer
Calder provides the ideal eye-opening introduction for the curious general reader. It deserves a large audience ... This is a charmingly personal book, authoritatively knowledgeable and spikily argumentative. - Literary Review
The best introduction to this most exciting and visceral period of British architecture – a learned and passionate book.
About the Author
Barnabas Calder is a historian of architecture specialising in British architecture since 1945. He is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Liverpool where he researches the relationship between architecture and energy throughout human history. His most recent book, Architecture: From Prehistory to Climate Emergency, was published in 2021.
Twitter and Instagram: @BarnabasCalder
#ArchitectureAndEnergy
