Function v. Rhetoric 
Peter Campbell
It is difficult to work out who gets the credit for a building – so many people are involved, from owners, contractors and governments to bricklayers and roofers – but it is particularly hard to decide what is due to the architect and what to the engineer. Andrew Saint, in his new book, sees them as sibling rivals, and in tracing how their relations have changed over time, looks for answers to three questions. Was there a time when the roles of architect and engineer were indistinguishable? If so, how and why did they separate? And, finally, have they now been reconciled?
Subscribers to the print edition can log in to view the entire article. For information about subscribing to the London Review of Books click here. This article and the back issue are also available for purchase online. Buy this article / Buy this back issue
Peter Campbell is the London Review’s resident designer and art critic.
Other articles by this contributor:
At the Royal Academy · the art of William Nicholson
At Dulwich Picture Gallery · Adam Elsheimer
At the Hayward · Alexander Rodchenko
At the British Library · Great Nations of Europe Coming Through
At Tate Britain · gardens
At Tate Modern · Like a badly iced cake
At Tate Britain · James Gillray
At Tate Britain · How We Are
print layout
tell a friend