Walter Gropius associated standardisation with promoting civilisation in 1935; yet Andrew Carnegie’s influence on the proliferation of pattern book public library plans internationally predated these observations by 50 years. Through the first twenty years of his programme; he supported the erection of almost three thousand public buildings across Britain and America. Though better acknowledged in the US than the UK; this philanthropic contribution radically extended the scope of public provision and remains incomparable in its scale and scope in both nations. Frequently engraved with the self-deifying slogan Let there be Light?; open access to navigate these new interior public spaces after work coincided with the first provision of electric light. Towards the end of the nineteenth century; professional groups had sought to specify minimum standards of natural light and air for schools and hospitals. However; the commercial quantification of electricity accelerated the development of a readily comparable vocabulary to prescribe adequate quantities of light for all tasks regardless of their location or orientation. Seeking to gauge the extent of universal values; this book concentrates on the design and performance of a handful of early Carnegie library buildings in Britain and America; identifying their response to contemporary design theory; but also by contrast to their respective local environmental contexts. It examines whether their standards of provision were equitable and if these privately financed public buildings were the first roots of generically standardised public environments to be shared transatlantically. The book also argues that the public library building type can provide a datum for acknowledging the twentieth century legacy of shared international environmental standards for public spaces more broadly.
#616447 in eBooks 2016-03-01 2016-03-01File Name: B01ELZYD8Y
Review
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful. It takes a genius to know one.By Marin readerI have been waiting for this book since 1982. when I spent the better part of two days listening to a one-on-one Bucky lecture entitled "Urgent Warnings for Humanity." I promised Bucky I would write the book that Jonathon Keats has at long last written. Thank you. Mr. Keats.Because Buckminster Fuller is one of Spaceship Earths greatest thinkers. it has been difficult to muster the confidence to write about him and the things he told me those thirty plus years ago. But with this book my confidence grows. What Jonathon Keats has beautifully done is capture the genius of this amazing man. in a way that will tingle your spine with knowing. If any single person captures both the early spirituality and the technologically driven evolution of our country. it is Buckminster Fuller. And if anyone has captured the Buckys magic it is Keats. The only thing I see missing is some of Buckys damning of capitalism and the fossil fuel industry in particular. It omits mention of Buckys GRUNCH of Giants. which reads like the perfect preface to Bernie Sanders presidential campaign. and is very timely. But Bucky was such a comprehensivist. you can hardly fault a book that leaves something out. Bucky truly was the Leonardo da Vinci of the twentieth century. And Keats shows it takes one to know one.5 of 6 people found the following review helpful. You Belong to the Universe is an excellent read. Its both educational and entertainingBy Justin ValleyOverall. You Belong to the Universe is an excellent read. Its both educational and entertaining. More important. it provokes even more curiosity in readers for ways to apply some of Buckys most famous ideas to problems (still) facing the world today. My background with Bucky was in having read Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth and Critical Path a few years ago. Both helped form my beliefs to an extent. and I had held Fuller in very high esteem since that time. Keats book shines light on some of the less flattering qualities of Buckys life--specifically that he was as talented a self-promoter as he was a scientist. That said. I now see Bucky as the flawed human that we all are. as opposed to some mythological figure. and that has made all of his thinking feel both more accessible and more readily adaptable to my needs. Its truly a gift.The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is the shocking choice by the publishers to completely omit any figures in the hardcover edition of this book. An example in relation to the Dymaxion maps: "...Fuller replaced his fourteen-sided cuboctahedron with a twenty-sided icosahedron. in which all faces were triangular." I felt I had to read this book next to my computer with a google window ready to go. and thats coming from someone who has a Dymaxion Map hanging on their office wall.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Not light readingBy Tghu VerdInteresting bio on an apparently complicated and possibly narcissistic man who really was ahead of his time. The Fuller of his own imagination is well contrasted with the public Fuller - and the failing Fuller. not much that he did was successful - and I enjoyed the telling.
