The late Philip Johnson, one-time partner of Mies van der Rohe, and possibly the most renowned architect of the time, was accused of turning his back on modern architecture in favour of Post-Modern. This he denied, saying 'There's absolutely no way I can get functionalism, structural clarity, simplicity, non-ornament, flat surfaces out of my system ... the whole paraphernalia of the International style'. In his recorded talk he goes on to state that he sees no reason why Modern can't embrace some of the richness and fun he finds in the designs of Sir Edwin Lutyens or, better still, Sir Ernest George, Lutyens' first employer.
He elaborates on this idea and shows how he has taken advantage of it in some of his own recent work. As a preamble he takes a look at the streets of London and also tells us what he appreciates about recent British architecture.
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