Picture Dictionary of Modern Architecture

Picture Dictionary of Modern Architecture

Modernismwasn't just another style. It presented a new way of thinking aboutarchitecture. These photos illustrate Modernist, Post-modernist, and other 20thcentury approaches to building design. As you view the images, you'll noticethat 20th century architects often drew on several design philosophies tocreate buildings that are startling and unique. Click on the pictures below tobegin your architectural journey.

Modernism

Modernistarchitecture emphasizes function. It attempts to provide for specific needsrather than imitate nature. The roots of Modernism may be found in the work ofBerthold Luberkin (1901-1990), a Russian architect who settled in London and founded agroup called Tecton. The Tecton architects believed in applying scientific,analytical methods to design. Their stark buildings ran counter to expectationsand often seemed to defy gravity.

Modernistarchitecture can express a number of stylistic ideas, including:
Structuralism
Formalism
Bauhaus
TheInternational Style
Brutalism
Minimalism

Modernistarchitecture has these features:
Little orno ornamentation
Factory-madeparts
Man-madematerials such as metal and concrete
Emphasis onfunction
Rebellionagainst traditional styles

The Einstein Tower(Einsteinturm) in Potsdamis an Expressionist work by architect Erich Mendelsohn, 1920

I.M. Pei,Architect - Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell Univers

Functionalism

WhenAmerican architect Louis Sullivan coined the phrase "form followsfunction," he described what later became a dominant trend in Modernistarchitecture. Louis Sullivan and other architects were striving for"honest" approaches to building design that focused on functionalefficiency. Functionalist architects believed that the ways buildings are usedand the types of materials available should determine the design. Of course,Louis Sullivan lavished his buildings with ornamental details that did notserve any functional purpose. The philosophy of functionalism was followed moreclosely by Bauhaus and International Style architects.

Toward theend of the 20th century, the term Functionalism was used to describe anypractical structure that was quickly constructed for purely practical purposeswithout an eye for artistry. However, for Bauhaus and other earlyFuctionalists, the concept was a liberating philosophy that freed architecturefrom frilly excesses of the past.

Structuralism

Structuralismis based on the idea that all things are built from a system of signs and thesesigns are made up of opposites: male/female, hot/cold, old/young, etc. ForStructuralists, design is a process of searching for the relationship betweenelements. Structuralists are also interested in the social structures andmental processes that contributed to the design.

Structuralistarchitecture will have a great deal of complexity within a highly structuredframework. For example, a Structuralist design may consist of cell-likehoneycomb shapes, intersecting planes, cubed grids, or densely clustered spaceswith connecting courtyards.

Berlin Holocaust Memorial by PeterEisenman

Minimalism

Oneimportant trend in Modernist architecture is the movement toward minimalist orreductivist design. Hallmarks of Minimalism include:
Buildings are stripped ofall but the most essential elements
Emphasis isplaced on the outline, or frame, of the struture
Interiorwalls are eliminated
Floor plansare open
Lighting isused to dramatize lines and planes
Thenegative spaces around the structure are part of the overall design
Buildingsare stripped of all but the most essential elements
Emphasis isplaced on the outline, or frame, of the struture
Interiorwalls are eliminated
Floor plansare open
Lighting isused to dramatize lines and planes
Thenegative spaces around the structure are part of the overall design

Modernistarchitect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe paved the way for Minimalism when he said,"Less is more." Minimalist architects drew much of their inspirationfrom the elegant simplicity of traditional Japanese architecture. Minimalistswere also inspired by a movement of early twentieth century Dutch artists knownas De Stijl. Valuing simplicity and abstraction, De Stijl artists used onlystraight lines and rectangular shapes.

The Mexico City home of thePritzker Prize-winning architect Luis Barragán is Minimalist in its emphasis onlines, planes, and open spaces.

TheMinimalist Luis Barragan House, or Casa de Luis Barragán, was the home andstudio of Mexican architect Luis Barragán. This building is a classic exampleof the Pritzker Prize Laureate's use of texture, bright colors, and diffusedlight.

Brutalism

The termBrutalism was first used in the early 1950s to describe the simple concretebuildings designed by Le Corbusier. Stark and angular, Brutalism grew out ofthe International Style, but the designs may strike you as less refined.Brutalist buildings can be constructed quickly and economically.

Brutalistarchitecture has these features:
Precastconcrete slabs
Rough,unfinished surfaces
Exposedsteel beams
Massive,sculptural shapes

The PrizkerPrize-winning architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha is often called a "BrazilianBrutalist" because his buildings are constructed of prefabricated andmass-produced concrete components. Shown here is his home in São Paulo, Brazil.

Deconstructivism, or Deconstruction

Deconstructivism, or Deconstruction, is an approach to building designthat attempts to view architecture in bits and pieces. The basicelements of architecture are dismantled. Deconstructivist buildings mayseem to have no visual logic. They may appear to be made up ofunrelated, disharmonious abstract forms. Deconstructive ideas areborrowed from the French philosopher Jacques Derrida.