In this engaging conversation, architect and author John Barr shares insights from his book on British university buildings of the 1960s. He discusses how these structures embodied the era's cultural values and transformative ideas in education. Highlights include the architectural challenges faced by innovative schools like Churchill College and the contrasting designs of traditional versus modern universities. Barr also reflects on his time in Japan, revealing how those experiences influence his work and understanding of architectural narratives.
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Personal Influence Sparks Book
John Barr was personally influenced by the 1960s university buildings as an architecture student then.
He wrote the book to celebrate and understand the legacy and lessons of those buildings.
insights INSIGHT
Post-War Change Drives Growth
Post-WWII social change and welfare state expansion fueled university growth in the 1960s.
This era linked education and architecture in a quest for a better, more equal society.
insights INSIGHT
Churchill College's Mixed Legacy
Churchill College symbolized modernism's rise in university architecture through a key competition.
It improved science study places but didn't fully meet modern teaching needs or emulate MIT.
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1960s University Buildings, The Golden Age of British Modern Architecture
1960s University Buildings, The Golden Age of British Modern Architecture
The Golden Age of British Modern Architecture
John Barr
In Praise of Shadows
Jun'ichirō Tanizaki
In 'In Praise of Shadows', Jun'ichirō Tanizaki delves into the essence of Japanese aesthetics, highlighting the beauty of shadows and the subtlety of traditional Japanese culture. The essay contrasts the Western pursuit of light and clarity with the Eastern appreciation of darkness and nuance, discussing topics from architecture to food and theater.
The 1960s continue to hold an almost mythical place in Western culture, particularly in Britain, where change was widespread and infiltrated many aspects of life. This included architecture, whose role in a modern democracy and the form it should take were hotly debated.1960s University Buildings: The Golden Age of British Modern Architecture(Lund Humphries, 2025) by John Barr discusses the architectural thinking of the time through an examination of the design of university buildings. While there were notable buildings being built in other spheres, no other field of architecture provided the opportunity to express those ideas as freely, while also reflecting innovative new thinking about education and society. Somehow, the university buildings of the 1960s seemed to represent the cutting edge of modern architecture in the UK.
This book provides the first critical analysis and overview of these buildings, designed by some of the leading British architects of the period including Basil Spence, Leslie Martin, Alison and Peter Smithson, Denys Lasdun, Powell and Moya and James Stirling. By placing the buildings in a wider social, cultural and political context, it examines the combination of circumstances and attitudes that produced results that are equally admired and detested and allows us to understand how we might replicate or avoid them in the future.
This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda’s interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts.
New Books in Science, Technology, and Society 