Modern Architecture

What is Architecture? Architecture is the art and science of designing buildings. Architectural works are often thought of as cultural and political symbols and as works of art. Historical civilizations are often identified with their surviving architectural achievements.

Architectural Styles

Organic Architecture Organic architecture is a philosophy of architecture which promotes harmony between human habitation and the natural world. The term “Organic architecture” was first created by the great American architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867– 1959), who is still the most famous designer to work in this style.

Fallingwater – Mill Run, Pennsylvania – Frank Lloyd Wright

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau is a style of art and architecture that was most popular during 1890–1910, primarily in Europe. This style was inspired by natural forms and structures, not only in flowers and plants, but also in curved lines. Probably the most famous person to work in this style was Antoni Gaudí, a Catalan architect whose work can be seen in many places in Barcelona, Spain.

Casa Milà - Barcelona, Spain - Antoni Gaudí

Sagrada Família – Barcelona, Spain – Antoni Gaudi –

Art Deco Art Deco is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. Art deco's linear symmetry was a distinct departure from the flowing asymmetrical organic curves of its predecessor style Art Nouveau. It was influenced by many different styles of the early twentieth century, and also drew inspiration from ancient Egyptian and Aztec buildings.

Rockefeller Center – New York, NY - Raymond Hood – 1939

The U-Drop Inn – Shamrock, Texas – J.C. Berry – 1936

International style The International style was a major architectural style that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s. It is more focused on efficiency than on decoration. While the International style is not popular with many critics, it has become so common today that many people think of it as no style at all. Skyscrapers in the International style have a square or rectangular footprint, are covered with glass windows on the outside, and have faces at 90-degree angles.

The Seagram Building – New York, NY – Ludwig Mies van der Rohe – 1958

Mid-Century modern Mid-Century modern is an architectural, style taken from mid-20th century developments in modern design from roughly 1933 to This style combines many elements of the earlier styles, like the Art Deco, with curved lines and symmetry, and combines them with some of the simplicity of the International style.

National Congress of Brazil – Brasília, Brazil - Oscar Niemeyer – 1957

Stahl House – Los Angeles, California – Pierre Koenig – 1959

Palácio da Alvorada – Brasília, Brazil - Oscar Niemeyer – 1958

Postmodern architecture Postmodern architecture began as an international style the first examples of which are generally cited as being from the 1950s, but did not become a movement until the late 1970s. In Postmodern architecture, the simple, functional shapes of the modernist style are replaced by diverse aesthetics: styles collide, form is adopted for its own sake, and new ways of viewing familiar styles are found.

The EMP Museum – Seattle, Washington – Frank Gehry – 2000

8 Spruce Street New York, NY Frank Gehry 2011

Auditorio de Tenerife – Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain – Santiago Calatrava Valls – 2003

What do you think? Which of these architectural styles do you like the best? What do you think of new buildings that are made to look like buildings from the past? Do you think that architects should start using traditional styles from your culture in their work?

Famous Buildings

Empire State Building New York, NY - William F. Lamb

King Kong

Taipei 101 Taipei, Taiwan

Burj Khalifa Dubai, U.A.E.

Burj Khalifa Construction started: January,2004 Completed: 2010 Cost$1.5 billion Height: m (2,723 ft) 163 habitable floors 46 maintenance levels

30 St Mary Axe London, England

Transamerica Pyramid San Francisco, California

Space Needle Seattle, Washington

Walt Disney Concert Hall Los Angeles, California

What do you think? Do your surroundings affect the way you feel? What do you think about the buildings in this city? What do they say about this place? What do you think about the interior design of this school? Have you noticed that is has a particular style? If you had your choice, would you like to live in a modern steel and glass building, or an old- fashioned wood and brick house?