Archigram speculated on the nature of architecture in ways that influenced a generation. In an era defined by the space race, the group’s exploration of movable structures and modular systems stretched far beyond known technologies or cotemporary realities. Archigram magazine became the platform for exploring many of these themes. Launched in 1961, the magazine ran for 9 ½ issues until 1974, when Archigram disbanded. Now, after a 50-year pause for thought, Archigram the publication is back. Edited by Peter Cook, with contributions from Archigram members Dennis Crompton, David Greene and Michael Webb, and with inputs from numerous designers, technologists and critics, Archigram Ten takes a wry backward glance and imagines a bold leap forward. It looks at where architecture is going currently and asks why.
We are delighted to welcome Peter Cook and special guests Dr Sille Pihlak, Odile Decq, and Gilles Retsin to the AA to celebrate the launch of this fantastic new publication.
Peter Cook is a founding member of Archigram. He is the former Chair of Architecture (now Professor Emeritus) at the Bartlett School of Architecture. His achievements with Archigram were recognised in 2002, when the group was awarded the RIBA Royal Gold Medal.
Dr Sille Pihlak is Dean of Architecture at the Estonian Academy of Arts. A graduate of the University of Applied Arts Vienna, she has worked with Morphosis LA and Coop Himmelb(l)au. In 2015, she co-founded PART, an experimental architecture office. Her research focuses on algorithmic construction techniques and design methods.
Odile Decq is a French architect, urban planner and academic. She is the founder of the Paris firm, Studio Odile Decq., In 1992, she was appointed professor at the École Spéciale d’Architecture, in Paris, and in 2007 became head of the Department of Architecture. In 2012 she founded a new architecture school, the Confluence Institute.
Gilles Retsin is a tutor at The Bartlett and a Senior Lecturer at the University of East London. Having studied in Belgium, Chile and the UK, he worked as a project architect with Christian Kerez in Switzerland and with Kokkugia in London. He now has his own London-based practice. He has lectured and taught internationally.
We will sell copies of Archigram Ten at a special launch price of £20 (RRP £25), as well as copies of the new edition of Archigram: The Book, published in 2025, for the special price of £60 (RRP £75).