Growing Up Modern - by Julia Jamrozik & Coryn Kempster (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Wie war die Erfahrung, in einem Bau der Moderne aufzuwachsen? Wie hat diese radikal andere Umgebung die Kinder und späteren Erwachsenen geprägt? Dieses Buch zeichnet ein intimes und ungewöhnliches Porträt der Architektur der Avantgarde.
Die Autoren haben "Oral History"-Interviews mit ehemaligen Bewohnern geführt und dabei heitere wie auch ergreifende Erinnerungen aufgezeichnet. Oft dauerte das glückliche Familienleben in diesen Häusern nur kurze Zeit - der Philosoph Ernst Tugendhat, heute 90 Jahre alt, musste mit acht Jahren das berühmte Haus Tugendhat von Mies van der Rohe (1930) verlassen und die von Scharoun entworfene, schiffsartige Villa Schminke (1933) wurde von der Familie nur ein Jahr lang zusammen bewohnt. Das Buch bietet eine einzigartige und erfrischende Perspektive auf Ikonen der modernen Architektur.

Review Quotes

Shortlist DAM Architectural Book Award 2021

"Architects, artists and university professors, Jamrozik and Kempster devised what they call a remarkable 'journey of creative documentation', now turned into a book entitled Growing up Modern. 'Hearing about the history of a place from someone who grew up there would help us understand the architecture better and would make us pay attention to it in a different way.' they concluded, 'an obvious but significant fact, but one that the discipline of architecture still needs to absorb and put into active practice.'" (Elena Sommariva in Domus, 04.2021)

"A highly commendable and readable work, Growing Up Modern will soon find its place in discussions of social sustainability, as we most certainly need to continue to nurture not just individuals but families with children, knowing that the first impressions of those toddlers towards our built environments will have a lasting impact. As such, this book can be enjoyed by architects and designers, child psychologists and sociologists, as well as educators and young parents." (Sean Ruthen in Spacing, 07.2021)

"It's a great idea that reveals personal insights into modernist masterpieces, such as Hans Scharoun's Schminke House, through both the conversations and new photography inside the buildings. Floor plans annotated with the childhood memories are a great addition to this beautiful book." (John Hill in world-architects.com, 07.2021)

About the Author

Julia Jamrozik, Toronto Metropolitan University

Coryn Kempster, architect, www.ck-jj.com, Toronto