Modernist Scotland explores the country’s impressive legacy of contemporary architecture

Peruse the shelves of any design or architecture-focused bookshop and it becomes rapidly apparent that the modernist nostalgia industry remains in full force. To add to a growing pile that includes such books as Brutal Scotland and the Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Masterpieces, we now have Modernist Scotland, a new publication from The Modernist, written by Bruce Peter, a Professor of Design History at Glasgow School of Art.

Flick through the pages of Modernist Scotland

Modernist Scotland follows the playbook of these modernist architecture gazetteers in that it reveals little that’s already known yet puts it all together with confidence and aplomb to present a cohesive picture of a world and an ethos that many people are all too quick to dismiss.

The problem is one of image, and whilst both Brutalism and Modernism sell everything from monographs to tea towels and dinner plates, on the ground, the two don’t have anything like the same kind of good PR.

Is that changing? For some, Scotland is the ultimate case study of good intentions gone wrong, as great swathes of social housing, along with dedicated New Towns and associated infrastructure, singularly failed to live up to their utopian promise. In many respects, they became the precise inverse, due to neglect, poor management, and a losing battle with the elements.

There were also occasional bouts of wrongheadedness, arrogance and even naked corruption, none of which did contemporary design any favours.

But in these more straitened times, dismissing the grit from the Utopian oyster is a luxury no one can afford. Thanks to books like Modernist Scotland, we now look back with envy at the scope of the state’s benevolence, marvel at the ingenuity, craft and innovation on display, even if it didn’t all work out as planned.

These are not all public works – private houses, churches, and HQs are all represented in the book’s 416 pages. With over 150 featured buildings, Peter gives an authoritative history of Scottish post-war regeneration, the influences and aspirations, along with a mix of contemporary and archive imagery.

With design by Smallprint Studio that channels the colours of the Scottish flag into the iconic signage of the British motorway design system, this elegant monograph is a must for lovers of modernist history.

‘I hope the title can help develop a newfound sense of appreciation for modernism and its design principles,’ Peter says, ‘Too many of these buildings are currently neglected and in desperate need of sympathetic renovation. Hopefully, the book will draw some much-needed attention to their significance.’

Modernist Scotland, Bruce Peter, The Modernist, £48, The-Modernist.org

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