ABSTRACT

Towards the end of the twentieth century, it seemed that innovative architectural strategies more often began to find viable applications. Celebrated projects such as the Pompidou Centre in Paris not only found willing clients but, when built, also received an enthusiastic reception from critics and the public. This apparently increasing acceptance of advanced architectural and constructional ideas was due to a number of reasons including the search for advantage in commercial and cultural competition; more receptive attitudes towards the new by the public; and the expanding recognition of the need to respond to environmental agendas.