Description
Book SynopsisDue to popular demand we are delighted to offer this new paperback edition of
Eric Lyons and Span.
Lavishly illustrated and deeply researched, this book celebrates the work of the architect Eric Lyons OBE (1912-1980), whose famous post-war housing - that today would be marketed as 'lifestyle housing' - is as well loved today as it was vibrantly successful when first constructed. Built almost entirely for Span Developments, its mission was to provide an affordable environment "that gave people a lift".
Influenced by Walter Gropius, Lyons brought a commitment to high density housing and the idea of fostering community into his Span work without compromising his intuitive sensitivity for landscape. His success brought the practice an impressive array of awards and led to a term as President of the RIBA.
The enduring success of his design philosophy can be traced forward to 2005, when Span received a special Housing Design Award given to schemes that meet the current Sustainable Communities Plan. Indeed, the concept of Span mirrors current best practice thinking in housing design and continues to offer a fresh, relevant challenge to volume housebuilders in Britain today. This book serves as a lively reminder of that fact.
Written by distinguished historians, practitioners and Span enthusiasts, the book has been researched using the archive compiled by Ivor Cunningham, one of Lyons ex-partners while a detailed gazetteer contains scale plan drawings of many of Spans housing templates.
Table of ContentsChapter 1: The Architect in Society: Eric Lyons, his circle and his values - Neil Bingham
Chapter 2: Models for suburban living - Alan Powers
Chapter 3: Landscape first and last - Jan Woudstra
Chapter 4: Building for Span and the public sector - Elain Harwood
Chapter 5: New Ash Green: Span's 'latter 20th century village in Kent' - Patrick Ellard
Chapter 6: Community and common space: the role of residents' societies - Barbara Simms
Chapter 7: People's homes: Span in the 21st century - Madeleine Adams and Charlie MacKeith
Chapter 8: Images - Photography by Tim Crocker
Chapter 9: The Office - Compiled by Ivor Cunningham and Research Design
Chapter 10: Gazetteer
