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Synopsis
This study is a look at the writings of James Stirling. Known during his lifetime as a man of few words, he left behind an important legacy: his writings on the attitudes and opinions that formed his work. Refusing to allow himself to be labelled as belonging to any one school, his early work was premised on an energetic interpretation of functionalism. The buildings that emerged, such as the Cambridge University History Faculty Building, were noted worldwide for their originality and sense of form. His work changed with the times: he made designs marked by their use of standard industrial elements for Olivetti, indicating his ability to work with high technology. His projects for German museums show a fresh interest in context and reference, which have caused some to label him post-modernist. In his final work he explored the vocabulary of modern architecture. Although he never stated a "Theory of Architecture", his writings show that he was aware not only of the evolving state of society, and necessarily architecture, but of the search for meaning in a world whose beliefs were fading.
