On this page you will find short dive into modern(ist) architectural styles. If there is enough interest, a detailed chapter about each style will be added over the next months.
Modernism is more than a simple architectural style – it comprises almost a century of development and ideas from the most brilliant minds in the “business” – from painters and sculptures to architects and engineers. Modernism is a vast territory with all sorts of peaks and valleys, and we invite you on a tour about how it came to life and how it developed.
Before becoming an internationally known architectural style and changing the built world as we know it, Modernism was first regarded as a new way of life.
Visionary and optimistic at its essence, Modernism means a new world developed on a functional basis that makes the day-to-day life easier. It was supposed to revolutionize how we live, how we work and even how we interact.
But why does Modernism impact our lives so much even today, when the world in which this movement developed is long gone?
Modernism was not only about architecture - its effect on architecture, even decisive, was just a small part of what it meant for the developed world. It made meaningful changes in our cities and in our homes. From the tableware we use, to the furniture surrounding us and even our kids’ playgrounds, Modernism can be seen everywhere, and almost everything that exists today has its roots in Modernism – even the post-modernism movement defined as a rebellious movement against it.
Modern architecture emerged from the beginning of the 20th century in Europe and it has its roots in the opposition of artists and architects to the industrial revolution.
In a short period of time it sprawled all over the world. In USA there are some specific variations of modernist architecture which were developed by architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright or Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Even if all modernist expressions have some general related features that were developed at the beginning of the emerging movement, all different styles have borrowed something from the local culture.
There is also a lot of history surrounding modernism movement in Florida, history that awaits to be discovered. Modernism came to Florida somewhere around the 1940s, where it has found the perfect climate for the interior/exterior space connection, a definitive feature of modernist architecture. Here, it had an active and beautiful development until the 1970s.
Fortunately, the last 10 to 15 years meant a rebirth for the Modernist houses in Florida, as they became attractive to the real estate market and the demand increases constantly. Who wouldn’t want to wake up in such open and bright interiors? I fell in love at first sight with (nearly) each modern house I saw. And I invite you to a very interesting series that will discuss the many modernists architectural styles emerged over the last 100 years all over the world, from the beginning of the movement in Europe, to the Mid-Century modern developed in USA, including the critics that modernist architecture had.
A LIST OF MAJOR MODERNIST ARCHITECTURAL STYLES
Modernist architecture took many forms and developed in many part of the world, becoming an International Style. Even so, each style had some very interesting particularities that will be presented further. Here are the – somewhat subjectively – most important Modernist styles that shaped the 20th century building environment. Photo illustrations for each period are to follow soon.
While navigating the chronologically ordered scroll, keep in mind that the story of the modernist architectural styles weaves within and can reveal the history of the 20th century itself.
I. THE EARLY-CENTURY PERIOD
1 Arts and Crafts, and the brilliant Frank Lloyd Wright
Arts and Crafts is actually a “pre-modern” movement that started to emerge in the 1850s in England and finally came to USA in the last years of the 19th century, lasting until the 1920s. It is very important as an artistic movement as it defined the principles of Modernism. And, of course, not many know that Frank Lloyd Wright was actually a representative of this movement in the USA.
Example: Farm in SC
2 Expressionism
With its roots in the exploring of new technological possibilities, this style can be understood as an opposition to the clean lines of the Bauhaus School. Both styles emerged in the same period, from the 1910’s to 1930s, but expressionism had a more historical approach to architecture. Like the Bauhaus, it was declared illegal by the Nazis as “degenerate art”.
Example: Bruno Taut’s Glass pavilion
3 De Stijl
With its roots in the Netherlands as a virtual assemblage of avant-garde artists, it emerged in 1917 and developed until 1931. Its most famous artists are arguably the painter and writer Piet Mondrian and the artist and architect Theon van Doesburg.
Example: Cafe l’Aubette by Theon van Doesburg
4 Constructivism
It emerged in the newly formed Soviet Union in the 1920’s and it had a very futuristic image about the society that was combined with the communist doctrine, but eventually fell out of favour in the 1930s when it was proved that the new society shouldn’t have such an approach.
Examples: El Lissitzky, Konstantin Melnikov or Vladimir Tatlin
5 Bauhaus style
It first emerged in 1919 in Germany, with the opening of the first artistic school that combined architecture with arts and crafts such as painting, weaving, sculpture, stonework, metalwork and design.
Example: Gropius house by Walter Gropius
II. THE MID-CENTURY PERIOD
1 Streamline moderne
A style that emerged before the second world war in USA and shows the transition from the opulence of the 1920’s to the “calmer” period of the 1930s marked by the Great Depression. It lasted until the end of the Second World War in 1945.
Example: the Butler House, Des Moines, Iowa, by George Kraetsch
2 Minimalism
A derivation of De Stijl and Bauhaus, it promotes the use of clear and simple design elements free from any decoration. It emerged from 1929 and it’s echoes can also be seen in the 1960s.
Example: Barcelona Pavilion by Ludwig Mies van Der Rohe
3 International style
A concept born at the 1932 Modern architecture International Exhibition, which means the spread of the early modernist principles from Europe to the entire world until the 1970s.
Example: Villa Savoye, Seagram Building
4 Googie
A futuristic style originating in Southern California together with Streamline moderne. It is based on the Space Age-period and ideas and derives from lots of optimism and developing technologies. The height of its popularity was from the mid 1940s to the early 1970s.
Examples: Pann’s Coffee Shop in Los Angeles, California
5 Mid-century modern and the Sarasota School
A style that mostly emerged in the USA between the 1940’s and the late 1960’s. It has its roots in the clean and sleek lines of the Bauhaus school style, and the later International Style and Streamline Moderne. In the same time, the mid-century modern style had a very interesting approach in Florida – a talented group of architects that formed the Sarasota School and designed many modernist buildings here from 1941 to 1966.
Example: Edificio Copan by Oscar Niemeyer, Miller House by Richard Neutra
6 Brutalism
The name coming from “concrete brut”, French for “raw concrete”, it is a style that emerged in the 1950s promoted by the British architects Alison and Peter Smithson. These buildings are well known for their “raw” appearance through using concrete as a finishing material.
Example: Newhouse School of Public Communication, Syracuse University, by I.M. Pei, The Joseph Regenstein Library by Walter Netsch.
III. THE LATE-CENTURY PERIOD
1 Postmodernism
Having its roots in the idea of a historical approach to architecture, postmodernism rose up in the 1960s as a critique to the clean, utilitarian lines of the International Style which have spread all over the world. As a highly respected architecture historian puts it: “Postmodernist buildings communicate on two levels at once — they convey a specific meaning to a minority public of experts (other architects, art historians, etc.) who recognise formal references to historical styles, innovations, or ironic gestures – while at the same time they communicate with a larger public, by invoking images that satisfy feelings of nostalgia and continuity.” (Charles Jencks: The Language of Postmodern Architecture, 1977)
Example: Portland Building by Michael Graves
2 High-tech or Structural Expressionism
This style rose up in the 1970s and it comes from the idea of truth in architecture. It creates a unique aesthetic by promoting the use of continuously developing technologies in architecture, especially for the large scale buildings.
Example: Centre Georges Pompidou by Renzo Piano & Richard Rogers
3 Deconstructivism
Since 1980, this kind of style is continuously appearing in the public space promoting an absence of harmony and continuity in the structure of a building creating shocking images that seem to defy gravity and the use of materials.
Example: Vitra Design Museum by Frank Gehry
This list comprises what I consider the most important modernist architectural styles. They should be seen as a natural development of the modernist styles history – continuous periods, inseparable from each other. Further parts of this series will examine each one of them individually.
"Modern Styles Explained" by Tobias Kaiser and Ruxandra Balcanu, CC BY-ND ©Tobias Kaiser
Modernism is more than a simple architectural style – it comprises almost a century of development and ideas from the most brilliant minds in the “business” – from painters and sculptures to architects and engineers. Modernism is a vast territory with all sorts of peaks and valleys, and we invite you on a tour about how it came to life and how it developed.
Before becoming an internationally known architectural style and changing the built world as we know it, Modernism was first regarded as a new way of life.
Visionary and optimistic at its essence, Modernism means a new world developed on a functional basis that makes the day-to-day life easier. It was supposed to revolutionize how we live, how we work and even how we interact.
But why does Modernism impact our lives so much even today, when the world in which this movement developed is long gone?
Modernism was not only about architecture - its effect on architecture, even decisive, was just a small part of what it meant for the developed world. It made meaningful changes in our cities and in our homes. From the tableware we use, to the furniture surrounding us and even our kids’ playgrounds, Modernism can be seen everywhere, and almost everything that exists today has its roots in Modernism – even the post-modernism movement defined as a rebellious movement against it.
Modern architecture emerged from the beginning of the 20th century in Europe and it has its roots in the opposition of artists and architects to the industrial revolution.
In a short period of time it sprawled all over the world. In USA there are some specific variations of modernist architecture which were developed by architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright or Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Even if all modernist expressions have some general related features that were developed at the beginning of the emerging movement, all different styles have borrowed something from the local culture.
There is also a lot of history surrounding modernism movement in Florida, history that awaits to be discovered. Modernism came to Florida somewhere around the 1940s, where it has found the perfect climate for the interior/exterior space connection, a definitive feature of modernist architecture. Here, it had an active and beautiful development until the 1970s.
Fortunately, the last 10 to 15 years meant a rebirth for the Modernist houses in Florida, as they became attractive to the real estate market and the demand increases constantly. Who wouldn’t want to wake up in such open and bright interiors? I fell in love at first sight with (nearly) each modern house I saw. And I invite you to a very interesting series that will discuss the many modernists architectural styles emerged over the last 100 years all over the world, from the beginning of the movement in Europe, to the Mid-Century modern developed in USA, including the critics that modernist architecture had.
A LIST OF MAJOR MODERNIST ARCHITECTURAL STYLES
Modernist architecture took many forms and developed in many part of the world, becoming an International Style. Even so, each style had some very interesting particularities that will be presented further. Here are the – somewhat subjectively – most important Modernist styles that shaped the 20th century building environment. Photo illustrations for each period are to follow soon.
While navigating the chronologically ordered scroll, keep in mind that the story of the modernist architectural styles weaves within and can reveal the history of the 20th century itself.
I. THE EARLY-CENTURY PERIOD
1 Arts and Crafts, and the brilliant Frank Lloyd Wright
Arts and Crafts is actually a “pre-modern” movement that started to emerge in the 1850s in England and finally came to USA in the last years of the 19th century, lasting until the 1920s. It is very important as an artistic movement as it defined the principles of Modernism. And, of course, not many know that Frank Lloyd Wright was actually a representative of this movement in the USA.
Example: Farm in SC
2 Expressionism
With its roots in the exploring of new technological possibilities, this style can be understood as an opposition to the clean lines of the Bauhaus School. Both styles emerged in the same period, from the 1910’s to 1930s, but expressionism had a more historical approach to architecture. Like the Bauhaus, it was declared illegal by the Nazis as “degenerate art”.
Example: Bruno Taut’s Glass pavilion
3 De Stijl
With its roots in the Netherlands as a virtual assemblage of avant-garde artists, it emerged in 1917 and developed until 1931. Its most famous artists are arguably the painter and writer Piet Mondrian and the artist and architect Theon van Doesburg.
Example: Cafe l’Aubette by Theon van Doesburg
4 Constructivism
It emerged in the newly formed Soviet Union in the 1920’s and it had a very futuristic image about the society that was combined with the communist doctrine, but eventually fell out of favour in the 1930s when it was proved that the new society shouldn’t have such an approach.
Examples: El Lissitzky, Konstantin Melnikov or Vladimir Tatlin
5 Bauhaus style
It first emerged in 1919 in Germany, with the opening of the first artistic school that combined architecture with arts and crafts such as painting, weaving, sculpture, stonework, metalwork and design.
Example: Gropius house by Walter Gropius
II. THE MID-CENTURY PERIOD
1 Streamline moderne
A style that emerged before the second world war in USA and shows the transition from the opulence of the 1920’s to the “calmer” period of the 1930s marked by the Great Depression. It lasted until the end of the Second World War in 1945.
Example: the Butler House, Des Moines, Iowa, by George Kraetsch
2 Minimalism
A derivation of De Stijl and Bauhaus, it promotes the use of clear and simple design elements free from any decoration. It emerged from 1929 and it’s echoes can also be seen in the 1960s.
Example: Barcelona Pavilion by Ludwig Mies van Der Rohe
3 International style
A concept born at the 1932 Modern architecture International Exhibition, which means the spread of the early modernist principles from Europe to the entire world until the 1970s.
Example: Villa Savoye, Seagram Building
4 Googie
A futuristic style originating in Southern California together with Streamline moderne. It is based on the Space Age-period and ideas and derives from lots of optimism and developing technologies. The height of its popularity was from the mid 1940s to the early 1970s.
Examples: Pann’s Coffee Shop in Los Angeles, California
5 Mid-century modern and the Sarasota School
A style that mostly emerged in the USA between the 1940’s and the late 1960’s. It has its roots in the clean and sleek lines of the Bauhaus school style, and the later International Style and Streamline Moderne. In the same time, the mid-century modern style had a very interesting approach in Florida – a talented group of architects that formed the Sarasota School and designed many modernist buildings here from 1941 to 1966.
Example: Edificio Copan by Oscar Niemeyer, Miller House by Richard Neutra
6 Brutalism
The name coming from “concrete brut”, French for “raw concrete”, it is a style that emerged in the 1950s promoted by the British architects Alison and Peter Smithson. These buildings are well known for their “raw” appearance through using concrete as a finishing material.
Example: Newhouse School of Public Communication, Syracuse University, by I.M. Pei, The Joseph Regenstein Library by Walter Netsch.
III. THE LATE-CENTURY PERIOD
1 Postmodernism
Having its roots in the idea of a historical approach to architecture, postmodernism rose up in the 1960s as a critique to the clean, utilitarian lines of the International Style which have spread all over the world. As a highly respected architecture historian puts it: “Postmodernist buildings communicate on two levels at once — they convey a specific meaning to a minority public of experts (other architects, art historians, etc.) who recognise formal references to historical styles, innovations, or ironic gestures – while at the same time they communicate with a larger public, by invoking images that satisfy feelings of nostalgia and continuity.” (Charles Jencks: The Language of Postmodern Architecture, 1977)
Example: Portland Building by Michael Graves
2 High-tech or Structural Expressionism
This style rose up in the 1970s and it comes from the idea of truth in architecture. It creates a unique aesthetic by promoting the use of continuously developing technologies in architecture, especially for the large scale buildings.
Example: Centre Georges Pompidou by Renzo Piano & Richard Rogers
3 Deconstructivism
Since 1980, this kind of style is continuously appearing in the public space promoting an absence of harmony and continuity in the structure of a building creating shocking images that seem to defy gravity and the use of materials.
Example: Vitra Design Museum by Frank Gehry
This list comprises what I consider the most important modernist architectural styles. They should be seen as a natural development of the modernist styles history – continuous periods, inseparable from each other. Further parts of this series will examine each one of them individually.
"Modern Styles Explained" by Tobias Kaiser and Ruxandra Balcanu, CC BY-ND ©Tobias Kaiser