THEMED ISSUE —

This special issue on ‘Architecture for Leisure in Post-war Europe’ of the Journal of Architecture was co-edited by Janina Gosseye and Hilde Heynen. The impetus for this themed issue came from an international symposium which took place at the University of Leuven in February 2012 (more information on this conference can be found here). Situated at the nexus of architectural discourse and socio-political history, the six essays in this special issue paint a fascinating picture of the development of leisure infrastructure in post-war Europe, ranging from the establishment of youth clubs in France, to the re-conceptualisation of the school as an open house in Switzerland, to the construction of a large sports stadium in Romania, and finally to the accommodation of tourism in culturally diverse regions Europe, including the Algarve in Portugal, former East Berlin and Greece.

Janina Gosseye and Hilde Heynen authored an extensive introduction to this themed issue. The full text can be read here.

Janina Gosseye, Hilde Heynen, “Architecture for Leisure in Post-war Europe, 1945-1989: Between Experimentation, Patronization and Liberation”, Journal of Architecture, 18: 5 (2013): 623-631.