Toward a concrete utopia cover

Toward a concrete utopia

by Martino Stierli

Situated between the capitalist West and the socialist East, Yugoslavia's architects responded to contradictory demands and influences, developing a postwar architecture both in line with and distinct from the design approaches seen elsewhere in Europe and beyond. The architecture that emerged from International Style skyscrapers to Brutalist social condensers is a manifestation of the radical diversity, hybridity, and idealism that characterized the Yugoslav state itself. 'Toward a Concrete Utopia: Architecture in Yugoslavia, 1948-1980' introduces the exceptional work of socialist Yugoslavia's leading architects to an international audience for the first time, highlighting a significant yet thus-far understudied body of modernist architecture, whose forward-thinking contributions still resonate today.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?