Designing the Seaside: Architecture, Society and Nature

摘要

This review has been a long time in writing. Entering into the spirit of the book I began reading it among the juxtaposed chip shops and boating lakes, fishermen's' huts and net stores at Hastings and completed it convalescing beside an abandoned curvilinear concrete seafront cafe at Moville, Co. Donegal. In between it has accompanied me through the charms of Joulouville, Normandy and the crowds on Brighton beach-one of Gray's main sites. Reading it brought back memories of steam miniature railways (there were not one but two at Hunstanton) and building sandcastles of Renaissance extravagance-the 'seaside' is universal and personal. Meanwhile, several students anxious about seaside based dissertations-tall buildings on the seafront, new seafront developments, the tensions between 'iconic' architecture and historic contexts-have seized upon it as a key source and reference, confirming in their response my own enthusiasm while delaying even further the review.