Modern architecture is based on a set of currents or styles, which are not based on chronology, but on contemporary architectural productions, not on modern architecture.
The change occurs in the revolution of the art world, in
this area architecture had great changes and developments in the Bauhaus school
at the International Congress of Modern Architecture, which are marked by the
opposition between rationalist and organicist functionalism.
Modern architecture, in its conceptualization, is
characterized by the stylism of itself, it is also characterized by the major
lack of ornamentation and the renunciation of the classical academic
composition that was replaced by a simpler and less loaded trend. Contemporary
architecture is the architecture that tries to solve and implement an urban
organization, left by the modern movement.
Content
- What is Modern Architecture?
- Origin of Modern Architecture
- Modern Architecture and its Principles
- Famous Architects of Modernism
- Characteristics of Modern Architecture
- Elements of Modern Architecture
- Types and Styles
- Images of Modern Architecture
- What is Modern Architecture?
Modern architecture is an architectural style that emerged
in the early twentieth century as a response to changes in scale in both
technology and society.
This architectural style and its evolution formal
characteristics of modern architecture are associated with the function of
houses and buildings, approached from an analytical point of view, and the
rational use of materials, the elimination of ornamentation and decoration, and
openness to structural innovation.
Modern architecture or architectural styles developed in all
artistic fields, not only in architecture, as a means to adapt and respond to
new technologies in machines, automation and urban design.
In the early 20th century, modern architecture developed
slowly with the Arts and Crafts movement, an association of artists and
architects with the aim of restoring the creative fullness of craftsmanship, in
conjunction with the Art Nouveau movement and the Deutscher Werkbund, which was
also an association of artists, architects, craftsmen and industrialists.
The concern and basis of the modern architecture movement
for these artistic entities was the search for a new understanding of
architecture and design through "purpose", "material" and
"construction".
The current modern era began after the end of World War I
and included several streams of modern architecture that often could not be
clearly distinguished from each other.
Therefore, it undoubtedly has a special role, although many
will question its character as art. Since its arrival, modern architecture
(pdf) is immediately and essentially measured by its usability.
It does not enjoy the same space for the international
congress of modern architecture who achieved a progressive development as other
arts. This argumentation has led to a certain dispute about the quality of
modern architecture in small town houses as art, as, for example, is still
reflected in the German word for architecture, "Baukunst".
Now, if we look at the critical history of modern
architecture, it is clear that no building has automatically developed from the
application of functional and technical specifications.
On the contrary, even in the case of what are known as
functionalists, basic assumptions of an aesthetic nature have been introduced
into the creation of form. As in art, the self-referential expression of an
architect as the creator of a building should not necessarily be accepted
uncritically. After all, he is a creative person through whom spontaneous assumptions
are translated into experience.
Modern architecture does not mean the use of new materials, but the use of existing materials in a more humane way. Alvar Aalto
History and Origin of Modern Architecture
The general aesthetic and architectural principles of modern
classical architecture as we know it today were based on building materials
such as steel, glass and reinforced concrete.
How does modern architecture affect a historic district? The
guidelines of this period were inspired by renowned architects, who continue to
shape the modern era today.
Louis Sullivan's term "Form Follows Function",
meaning "form follows function", i.e. an architectural object should
not only look beautiful, but should also always serve a purpose.
Adolf Loos, a great representative of this architectural
style, was the enemy of the ornamental elements that adorned the facades and
interiors of modern houses at the turn of the century used the title
"Ornament and Crime" in a self-written essay.
A characteristic of modern design is the urgent renunciation
of decorative ornamentation. This strict rejection stems from a
counter-movement of ornamental overload. Later, the Bauhaus in Weimar and
Dessau added modern architecture to the style of Modernism in its own right.
The state Bauhaus was founded in 1919 by Walter Gropius in
Weimar as an art school. It was an unprecedented form of education. For this
purpose, the disciplines of art and crafts were combined in the classroom.
The Bauhaus existed from 1919 to 1933, seven years in Dessau
and the last year in Berlin. In 1933 the Bauhaus was finally forced to disband
due to National Socialism. To this day, the Bauhaus era is considered the
worldwide home of avant-garde and Classical modernist architecture.
There are many early sources for the ideology of modern and
contemporary architecture. English artist and writer William Morris helped
inspire the Arts and Crafts movement, arguing that utility was as important as
aesthetics, and that handmade products were preferable to machine-made ones.
Thus, two European architects of the modern movement emerged
who, above all others, would be most associated with the new modernist style.
One was Walter Gropius, the leader of the Bauhaus in Germany. Gropius taught
architects to reject historical orthodoxies and embrace the new and innovative
ideologies of modern industry.
The other was Le Corbusier, who drew inspiration for his
buildings and urban designs from modern engineering developments such as
airliners, cruise ships, automobiles, grain silos, etc. In his most famous
book, "Towards a New Architecture," he argued that "a house is a
machine in which to live."
During the 1930s, the United States attracted many
progressive modernists away from Europe, and modernism became synonymous with
America's emergence as the world's new superpower, with highways, skyscrapers,
and vast urban landscapes.
The crisis of modern
architecture continued in various forms around the world, eventually being
replaced as the dominant style by postmodernism in the 1970s and 1980s.
Modern Architecture and its Principles
Form follows function is one of the general principles of
modernism, which means that the design should derive directly from the purpose.
Moreover, the form of the building should be simple and clear, eliminating
unnecessary details.
The concept of "Truth to Materials," which held
that rather than concealing or altering the natural appearance of a material,
it should be visible and celebrated.
Famous Modernist Architects
Throughout the characteristic evolution of modern
architecture, there have been many prominent modernist architects, of which the
most notable we include such as:
- Frank Lloyd Wright.
- Le Corbusier.
- Ieoh Ming Pei.
- Erich Mendelsohn.
- Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
Characteristics of Modern Architecture
Lack of embellishment: decorative moldings and elaborate
trim are eliminated or greatly simplified, giving way to a clean aesthetic in
which materials are joined in simple, well-executed joints.
Emphasis on rectangular shapes and horizontal and vertical
lines: House forms are box-based boxes, or linked boxes. Materials are
generally used in well-defined planes, and vertical forms are juxtaposed with
horizontal modern architectural elements for dramatic effect.
Low, horizontal, flat ceilings, emphasis on horizontal
planes and wide overhangs: Modern homes tend to be on generous sites, and
therefore many, but not all, have to have meandering one-story plans. Many
examples hug the ground and appear off the site, not in contrast to it.
Use of modern materials and systems: steel columns are used
in exposed applications, concrete blocks are used as a finished material,
concrete floors are stained and exposed, long-span steel trusses allow open
spaces without columns, and radiant heating systems enhance human comfort.
Use of traditional materials in new ways: Materials used in
modern architectural homes such as wood, brick and stone are used in simplified
ways, reflecting a modern aesthetic. Traditional clapboard siding is replaced
with simple vertical board siding used on large, smooth planes. Brick and stone
are simple, unadorned, and used in masses and rectilinear planes.
Emphasis on honesty of materials: Wood is often stained
rather than painted to express its natural character. In many cases, exterior
wood is also stained so that the texture and character of the wood can be
expressed.
Relationship between interior spaces and sites: The use of
large expanses of glass in effect brings the building site into the building,
taking advantage of the spectacular views and natural landscape.
Emphasis on open, flowing interior spaces: Living spaces are
no longer defined by walls, doors and corridors. Living, dining and kitchen
spaces tend to flow together as part of a contiguous interior space, reflecting
a more casual and relaxed way of living.
Generous use of glass and natural light: Windows are no
longer portholes to the outside, but large expanses of floor-to-ceiling glass
that provide spectacular views and bring natural light inside homes.
Use of sun and shade to enhance human comfort: The best
modern homes are efficient. They are geared to harness the forces of nature to
provide passive solar heating in winter, while long overhangs and recessed
openings provide shade to keep homes cool in summer.
Elements of modern architecture
- Elements placed at 90 degrees to each other and with emphasis on horizontal and vertical lines.
- The use of reinforced concrete and steel.
- Visual manifestation of the structure rather than hiding structural elements.
- Accompanying the 'aesthetics of the machine' in the use of materials produced by industrial processes.
- Rectangular, cylindrical and cubic shapes.
- Asymmetrical compositions.
- Absence of ornaments or moldings.
- Large windows in horizontal bands.
- Open plan floors.
- White or cream facades.
Types and Styles
In general, modernism until the 1960s was dominated by
rectangular building forms, with an emphasis on bold, straight lines. Beginning
in the 1960s, more fluid and organic designs began to replace the more orderly
postwar style.
Modern architecture can be subdivided into:
- International Style.
- Expressionist style.
- Constructivist style.
However, some also include Structural Expressionism in this
category as it serves as a transition to the architecture of postmodernism.
This category lasted from about the 1970s through the early part of the
mid-1980s.
Modern architecture is often reduced to strict orthogonality
and there is no denying that the right angle was on the rise.
On the other hand, other architects of the modern
architecture movement developed a preference for curved forms and took
advantage of the then still new possibilities of concrete construction. The
expressionist style can also be attributed to Classical Modernism and largely
dispenses with the use of right angles.
Although the architecture of Classical Modernism is based on
certain principles, it is not a clearly defined style in the true sense, but
rather an epoch. The attitude toward the right angle or toward the curved form,
for example, determines different aesthetic positions. For the architect Mies
van der Rohe, the declared goal was total space: the connection of interior and
exterior space.
During the modernist period the construction of the Neue
Nationalgalerie in Berlin, where load-bearing walls were completely dispensed
with and only constructed with glass, was particularly successful in
eliminating boundaries. Another trend in modern architecture was Brutalism,
which, unlike Mies van der Rohe's design for the museum building, is based on
solid concrete and achieves a completely different effect.
Today, the concrete trend continues and has become an
integral part of architecture and interior design.
Modern architecture in Mexico
Mexico City became one of the centers of architectural
modernism in the Americas in the first half of the 20th century.
Prompted by insights drawn from early published histories of
Mexican colonial architecture suggesting that Mexico possessed a distinctive
architecture and culture, beginning in the 1920s a new generation of architects
created profoundly visual modern buildings intended to convey Mexico's unique
cultural character.
By mid-century, these architects and their students had
rewritten the country's modern architectural history and transformed the
capital into a metropolis where new buildings evoking pre-conquest, colonial,
and international-style architecture coexisted.
Modern Brazilian architecture
In the late 1930s, Brazil was identified with modernist
architecture because of the high profile of two architects, Lucio Costa and
Oscar Niemeyer.
Between 1956 and 1961, it became synonymous with the
construction of the new capital, Brasilia. Niemeyer's government buildings
became emblematic structures of modern architecture. However, these works were
interrupted after the military coup of 1964, and many modernist architects,
including Niemeyer, emigrated to Europe and America.
Modern architecture in Italy
In the early 20th century, Italian architects sought a
unique modernist language and identity, constrained by the fascist government
of the time. The Futurist style emerged, with long horizontal lines and
streamlined forms that inspired visions of speed, dynamism and urgency.
Modern architecture in the united states
Architect Frank Lloyd Wright developed an approach to
housing design before World War I, known as the "Grassland Style,"
which laid the groundwork for the influx of modern European architecture during
the 1920s and 1930s, especially in Art Deco.
The "International Style," as it was called,
flourished in the United States after World War II, and was most famously
identified by the design of high-rise corporate office buildings by the likes
of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
As a result of this architectural migration, Mies van der
Rohe and Walter Gropius created the Chicago School of Architecture, which
educated young architects as they did at the Bauhaus.
Modernism in architecture developed further in the 1960s,
when architects such as Louis Kahn and Eero Saarinen began to react against the
International Style, disenchanted by the sterile aestheticism of much postwar
urban design. Kahn introduced the principles of the Beaux-Arts style, while
Robert Venturi encouraged the study of vernacular and commercial landscapes.
Gradually, these developments led to Postmodernism in
architecture as the most dominant style in the United States in the early
1980s, with many countries around the world following suit.
Modern British architecture
In Britain, Classicism remained a strong influence well into
the 20th century, with an emphasis on Tudor Revival and the Arts and Crafts
movement. Modern materials such as steel and concrete were adopted by
architects, but more often than not, they would be obscured by traditional
Portland stone.
In the 1920s, Art Deco began to emerge throughout Britain,
particularly in the design of the increasingly popular new cinemas. Peter
Behrens' New Ways in Northampton was one of the first modernist buildings in
1925, but it and others like it were seen as "exercises in modernism"
rather than a genuine model for a new type of urban design.
With the arrival of several renowned European architects in
the interwar period, Britain began to develop more modernist architecture, such
as the De La Warr Pavilion at Bexhill, and Highpoint I - among the best in the
world.
By the mid-1950s, modernism had evolved, inspired by the
work of Le Corbusier, into what became known as New Brutalism, with its
emphasis on rigid lines and hard concrete forms.
A landmark building of the period was Denys Lasdun's Royal
National Theatre on London's Southbank, while Brutalism became the style of
choice for the functional urban design of shopping malls, social housing,
office buildings, multi-storey parking lots, etc. The leading prominent
designers of the modern movement were the Smithsons and James Stirling.
New urban developments, such as Milton Keynes in 1967, began
to adopt the more neo-vernacular post modernist styles, inspired by those
taking shape in America.
Nordic modern architecture
Nordic modernism gradually emerged from the ideas of Nordic
Classicism, culminating in the Stockholm Exposition of 1930, where a more
purist modernism was proposed as design for modern societies.
For the Nordic countries, the influence of modern
architecture went beyond aesthetics, into the regulation of buildings and urban
planning, as well as the social movements that gave rise to the welfare state
and public building programs for new hospitals and schools of the modern
movement.
The dominant modern architectural style was functionalism,
based on the principle that the design of a building should be based solely on
its purpose.
The Danish functionalists focused on functionality rather
than modern architecture at the expense of aesthetics, producing buildings with
right angles, flat roofs, and minimalist, concrete, brutalist-inspired forms.
Modern Dutch architecture
In the development of modern architecture, Dutch architects
played a key role. The rationalist architecture of Berlage in the early 20th
century gave way to several groups that embraced postmodern architecture, with
protagonists such as Michel de Klerk and Nieuwe Boouwen.
The de Stijl Style developed at this time and was
characterized by the use of strong geometric lines, bold primary colors, and
the articulation of different functional elements. Although relatively little
modern architecture was actually produced, the influence of buildings such as
the Rietveld Schröder House (1924) can be seen in the work of architects such
as Mies van der Rohe.
Germanic Modernism
The Deutscher Werkbund (German Federation of Labor) was an
association of architects, designers and industrialists founded in Munich in
1907. It sought to integrate traditional craftsmanship with mass production
techniques to produce high-quality machine-made objects. This is believed to
represent the beginning of industrial design.
In Germany, modern architecture was synonymous with the
Bauhaus, founded by Walter Gropius in 1919. This became the most influential
school of art and architecture in the world. It closed with the rise to power
of the Nazis and the mass migration of its members around the world,
particularly to the United States.
In the postwar reconstruction period, important landmarks
were restored and rebuilt, often in simplified form. Modern cities adopted a
more functional, modernist style, rather than rebuilding to historical
appearances.
