Southeast Asian Modern maps the architectural histories of twelve nation states and the ocean peoples of Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia, tracing how vernacular traditions and colonial hegemonies from both East and West shaped a half-century of built production.
About This Book
This is the second volume in Peter Rowe and Yun Fu's survey of architectural modernisation in the Far East, and it covers the most geographically and culturally expansive territory imaginable: Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, East Timor, the Philippines, Taiwan, and the Pacific island communities of Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia. Rather than imposing a single modernist narrative, the book insists on heterogeneity — examining how postcolonial conditions, local vernacular traditions, and competing Eastern and Western influences have each left distinct marks on contemporary architectural production across Southeast Asia and Austronesia. Approximately 65 building projects are analysed with sustained critical attention.
Key Features
- 376 pages of critical analysis and documentation of approximately 65 building projects across Southeast Asia and Austronesia
- Authored by Peter Rowe and Yun Fu
- Published by Birkhauser Verlag
What You'll Discover
- How vernacular building traditions have persisted and transformed within the modern architectural output of twelve distinct nation states
- The layered influence of both Eastern and Western colonial and postcolonial hegemonies on regional architectural identity
- A comparative reading of built work across Austronesia, extending the conversation beyond mainland Southeast Asia to include Pacific island communities
- The conditions — political, cultural, and geographic — that produce architectural distinctiveness rather than homogeneity across this vast region
About the Author
Peter Rowe and Yun Fu are the authors of this second volume in their ongoing study of architectural modernisation in the Far East. Their research centres on the relationship between regional identity, colonial history, and contemporary built form across Asia and the Pacific.
Specifications
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 376
- Dimensions: 240 x 170 mm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9783035624571
- Publisher: Birkhauser Verlag
- Publication Date: [Details available upon request]
Perfect For: Architects and researchers with a focus on Asian and Pacific built culture, historians of postcolonial architecture, and students seeking a comparative regional survey beyond the standard Western canon.