MTU Library Catalogue

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Designed for life : architecture and design in Cork city, 1900 - 90 / Tom Spalding.

By: Spalding, Tom [author. ].
Material type: materialTypeLabelBookPublisher: Cork, Ireland : Cork University Press, 2025Copyright date: ©2025Description: xxvii, 366 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm.Content type: text Media type: unmediated Carrier type: volumeISBN: 9781782050193 (hardback); 1782050191 (hardback).Subject(s): Architecture -- Ireland -- Cork | Cork (Ireland) -- Buildings, structures, etcDDC classification: 720.94195
Contents:
Introduction: Cork city and modern design -- Nationalism and design in Cork: The National Monument, 1897-1906 -- After the fires: The rebuilding of Cork, 1920-9 -- Cork Municipal Housing, 1919-30 -- War Memorials: From the Boer War to the Irish Soldiers' and Sailors' Land Trust, 1902-33 -- Differentiation by design: Suburban housing built by private developers, 1928-45 -- Cork's factories and the modernism of industry, 1917-69 -- Contemporary design and design research unit in Cork, 1950-60: Exhibition and idealism -- Murphy's Brewery, the development of corporate design and changes to the Irish pub, 1930-70 -- Modern religious buildings in Cork, 1929-72 -- Cork's modernist ascendancy, 1956-90 -- Conclusions -- Appendix A: Biographical dictionary of some twentieth-century Cork architects, designers, writers, artists and administrators mentioned in this book -- Appendix B: Bibliographic note on Cork's twentieth-century buildings -- Appendix C: Floor areas of some Cork housing schemes, 1924-45 -- Appendix D: Social housing applicants in Cork city -- Appendix E: Employment in Cork city, 1926-71.
Holdings
Item type Current library Call number Status Barcode
General lending MTU Bishopstown Library Lending 720.94195 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Available 00214925
General lending MTU Crawford College of Art and Design Library Lending 720.94195 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Available 00230207
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Designed for Life: Architecture and design in Cork city, 1900 - 90 is the first detailed study of twentieth century design dedicated to an Irish provincial city and sets the standard for examining this fascinating period. Whilst the political and military history of Cork have been exhaustively studied, the physical changes to the city have largely been ignored, and little published on the houses, pubs, factories and other quotidian buildings where its people spent their lives. Whilst focusing on buildings, the book also includes examples of interior design, graphic design and corporate identity.


Though a few notable buildings (the Modern masterpiece of the church of Christ the King, and the 1915 Celtic Revival Honan Chapel) have been explored, the design history of the city has only been briefly investigated. In the absence of extensive detailed, well-referenced and solid research, the twentieth century architectural patrimony of the city has been largely left to fend for itself, with the result that many important buildings have been demolished or insensitively altered.

The book consists of an Introduction setting the scene for the place of design in Ireland and Cork in the twentieth century and a Conclusion which questions the city's self-identification as 'The Rebel City'. The remaining ten chapters are arranged chronologically with each focusing on a different building typology.

As well as exploring the design of the city, this book aims to do three other things. By presenting the social and design history of the city it will raise

awareness of the value and uniqueness of what remains, promoting a pride in the urban realm. Secondly, it is intended that it will spur the curiosity of other researchers, both amateur and professional, to study the field further, picking up the threads laid down here. Finally, it will provide reliable data which can be used by those seeking to protect and restore surviving buildings to their former glory.

Includes bibliographic references and index.

Introduction: Cork city and modern design -- Nationalism and design in Cork: The National Monument, 1897-1906 -- After the fires: The rebuilding of Cork, 1920-9 -- Cork Municipal Housing, 1919-30 -- War Memorials: From the Boer War to the Irish Soldiers' and Sailors' Land Trust, 1902-33 -- Differentiation by design: Suburban housing built by private developers, 1928-45 -- Cork's factories and the modernism of industry, 1917-69 -- Contemporary design and design research unit in Cork, 1950-60: Exhibition and idealism -- Murphy's Brewery, the development of corporate design and changes to the Irish pub, 1930-70 -- Modern religious buildings in Cork, 1929-72 -- Cork's modernist ascendancy, 1956-90 -- Conclusions -- Appendix A: Biographical dictionary of some twentieth-century Cork architects, designers, writers, artists and administrators mentioned in this book -- Appendix B: Bibliographic note on Cork's twentieth-century buildings -- Appendix C: Floor areas of some Cork housing schemes, 1924-45 -- Appendix D: Social housing applicants in Cork city -- Appendix E: Employment in Cork city, 1926-71.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Tom Spalding teaches at the Munster Technological University, Cork city, Ireland, and holds a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from University College Dublin, a Masters in Design from the Royal College of Art (London) and a PhD in design history from Technological University Dublin. He is the author of several books, book reviews and academic papers relating to the built environment which includes work on street furniture, signage and buildings including churches, housing estates and pubs in Ireland. Amongst his books and articles, he co-wrote (with Dan Breen) The Cork International Exhibition 1902 & 1903: a Snapshot of Edwardian Cork (2014) and wrote Layers: the Design, History and Meaning of Street Signage in Cork and other Irish Cities (2013). His article 'A Striking Air of Modernity Tempered with Tradition' in the Journal of Design History (2022) was the first academic article published on the design of the Irish pub.