CCCP: Cosmic Communist Constructions Photographed (40th Edition)

Delving into the fourth age of Soviet architecture from 1970 to 1990, Frédéric Chaubin explores 90 buildings in 14 former Soviet Republics. This period, considered by the author as an unknown burgeoning, contrasts with earlier architectural trends, showcasing a chaotic impulse driven by a decaying system.

The book covers a spectrum, from a summer camp inspired by lunar base sketches (Prometheus youth camp, Bogatyr) to the "speaking architecture" of the USSR's final years, featuring a crematorium with concrete flames (Crematorium, Kiev) and a technological institute with a crashed flying saucer on the roof (Institute of Scientific Research, Kiev). These extraordinary structures, with their puzzle of styles and outlandish strategies, serve as remnants of a collapsing system.