Includes bibliographical references and index.

A philosophical framework -- Origins of Modernism--the European picture -- Fin de siècle Vienna as a paradigm of Modernism -- The Modernist Canon: the Bauhaus, Le Corbusier and CIAM -- Positive Scepticism: Alvar Aalto as an alternative modernist -- Ideals and their representation: Louis Kahn -- Humanizing Modernism: Team Ten and the Dutch -- Postmodernism: Irony and Inclusiveness -- The typological critique -- Conflicting existential ideals -- Conclusions--21st century hindsight.

"This is a history of twentieth-century architecture, written with close critical attention to the theories that lie behind the works described. Importantly, unlike other historical accounts, it does not take sides and urge the reader to identify with one strand of thinking or style of architecture at the expense of others, but presents a dispassionate view, with persuasive arguments on behalf of different positions. It pursues the history of European and American architecture chronologically. But the history is interwoven with the philosophical ideas that informed both writers and architects and are essential for its understanding"-- Provided by publisher.