ABSTRACT
The preservation of twentieth-century architecture presents some inherent historic ironies. Where preservation is about savingsignificant historic buildings for the future, modern architecture is about breaking with the past and with great expectations for the future. This new architecture was not to be based on historic precedent whether aesthetically, technologically orsocially but was rather, in its new aesthetics and technologies to be reflective of a new social order. Technology was to be themeans to provide everyone with a part of the new prosperity. In other words modern architecture was one of ‘greatexpectations’ and had good ‘prospects’. How good these ‘prospects’ were is evidenced by the development of theInternational Style after World War Two when many of the early proponents of the Modern Movement had found their way tothe United States. Building and its technology were therefore often seen in the light of so-called first costs. However, much ofthe emphasis moved away from social aspects and focused on using the design vocabulary and search for appropriatetechnology in expressing modern corporate ideals such as efficiency and profitability and the personal fulfilment of theAmerican Dream. Ironically these two factors, i.e., financial performance and technology are the very two factors that are thecore of the preservation challenge of the next century.
