''The Architectural Review'' is a monthly international architectural magazine. It has been published in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

since 1896. Its articles cover the

built environment The term built environment refers to human-made conditions and is often used in architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, public health, sociology, and anthropology, among others. These curated spaces provide the setting for human ac ...

– which includes

landscape A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or human-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes th ...

building design Building design, also called architectural design, refers to the broadly based architectural, engineering and technical applications to the design of buildings. All building projects require the services of a building designer, typically a licen ...

interior design Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. With a keen eye for detail and a Creativity, creative flair, an ...

and

urbanism Urbanism is the study of how inhabitants of urban areas, such as towns and cities, interact with the built environment. It is a direct component of disciplines such as urban planning, a profession focusing on the design and management of urban ...

– as well as theory of these subjects.

History

''The'' ''Architectural Review'' was founded as a monthly magazine, the ''Architectural Review for the Artist and Craftsman'', in 1896 by Percy Hastings, owner of the Architectural Press, with an editorial board of Reginald Blomfield, Mervyn Macartney and Ernest Newton. In 1927 his third son, Hubert de Cronin Hastings, became joint editor (with Christian Barman) of both ''The'' ''Architectural Review'' and the ''

Architects' Journal ''Architects' Journal'' is a professional architecture magazine, published monthly in London by Metropolis International. Each issue includes in-depth features on relevant current affairs, alongside profiles of recently completed buildings. Ten t ...

'', a weekly. Together they made substantial changes to the aims and style of the review, which became a general arts magazine with an architectural emphasis. Contributors from other artistic fields were brought in, among them Hilaire Belloc, Robert Byron,

Cyril Connolly Cyril Vernon Connolly CBE (10 September 1903 – 26 November 1974) was an English literary critic and writer. He was the editor of the influential literary magazine ''Horizon (British magazine), Horizon'' (1940–49) and wrote ''Enemies of Pro ...

, D. H. Lawrence, Paul Nash,

Nikolaus Pevsner Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (195 ...

, P. Morton Shand, Osbert and Sacheverell Sitwell, and

Evelyn Waugh Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires ''Decli ...

. John Betjeman was an assistant editor from 1930 to 1934. The editorial board included Pevsner, Hugh Casson,

Osbert Lancaster Sir Osbert Lancaster (4 August 1908 – 27 July 1986) was an English cartoonist, architectural historian, stage designer and author. He was known for his cartoons in the British press, and for his lifelong work to inform the general publi ...

and James Maude Richards. The design of the review was innovative, with bold use of layout, typefaces and photographs; graphic elements were commissioned from Eric Gill and

Edward Bawden Edward Bawden, (10 March 1903 – 21 November 1989) was an English painter, illustrator and graphic artist, known for his prints, book covers, posters, and garden metalwork furniture. Bawden taught at the Royal College of Art, where he had be ...

. The articles on European

Modernist architecture Modern architecture, also called modernist architecture, or the modern movement, is an architectural architectural movement, movement and architectural style, style that was prominent in the 20th century, between the earlier Art Deco Architectu ...

by P. Morton Shand published from July 1934 were among the earliest in Britain on the subject. By about 1935 the magazine had acquired a leading position in the discourse surrounding

Modernism Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

. The journal was influential after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in raising awareness of "townscape" (urban design), partly through regular articles by assistant editor Gordon Cullen, author of several books on the subject. In 1999, the magazine launched its inaugural AR Emerging Architecture Awards, an annual international prize that "grants early recognition to young designers and celebrates the architectural stars of tomorrow." In January 2017, title owner Ascential announced its intention to sell 13 titles including ''The'' ''Architectural Review''; the 13 "heritage titles" were to be "hived off into a separate business while buyers are sought." It was one of 13 titles acquired from Ascential by

Metropolis International Metropolis International Group Limited, established in 1994, is a predominantly UK-based media and technology group that specializes in business, consumer, and travel media including awards, events, websites, business software, and reward and ben ...

in a £23.5m cash deal, announced on 1 June 2017. ''The Architectural Review'' remains in print, published ten times per year, while its online version is updated daily.

Notable people

* Henry Wilson – first editor 1896–1901 * John Betjeman – assistant editor, 1930 to 1934 * James Maude Richards – co-editor or editor, 1935 to 1971, excluding the war years *

– acting editor 1943 to 1945 and member of editorial board 1945 to 1970 * Rayner Banham – literary editor, in 1952 * Dariush Borbor (architect and urban planner) – former correspondent and contributor 1960s to 1980s *Peter Davey – editor 1980 to 2005 *

László Moholy-Nagy László Moholy-Nagy (; ; born László Weisz; July 20, 1895 – November 24, 1946) was a Kingdom of Hungary, Hungarian painter and photographer as well as a professor in the Bauhaus school. He was highly influenced by Constructivism (art), con ...

– photographer *

Gordon Cullen Thomas Gordon Cullen (9 August 1914 – 11 August 1994) was an influential British architect and urban designer who was a key motivator in the Townscape movement. Cullen presented a new theory and methodology for urban visual analysis and design ...

– art editor * Robert Melville – art critic * Peter Blundell Jones – contributor * Stephen Gardiner – contributor * Douglass Haskell – contributor * Ian Nairn – contributor * Catherine Slessor, managing editor 1992–2009, editor 2010–2015 *Christine Murray, editor, 2015–2018 *Manon Mollard, editor

References

{{Metropolis International Architecture magazines Monthly magazines published in the United Kingdom 1896 establishments in the United Kingdom Magazines established in 1896 Architecture in the United Kingdom