Post Modern - Architecture Theories

University Of Jordan – Department Of Architecture Master’s degree of architecture ARCHITECTURE THEORIES 2019 Diana Al-Atrash Dana Turk

POSTMODERN ARCHITECTURE

Postmodernism Definition POSTMODERNISM /pəʊstˈmɒdəˌnɪz(ə)m/ noun •Is a term which describes the postmodernist movement in the arts, architecture, literature, philosophy, economics, and literary criticism, its set of cultural tendencies and associated cultural movements and is characterized by the self-conscious use of earlier styles and conventions, a mixing of different artistic styles and media, and a general distrust of theories.

• Postmodernism can be seen as a reaction against the ideas and values of modernism (a departure from Modernism), as well as a description of the era that followed modernism's dominance in cultural theory and practice in the early and middle decades of the twentieth century.

•Postmodernism began as a critique. By the late 1960s and early 1970s, Modernism was no longer seen as radical or even relevant.

The many faces of postmodernism Anti-authoritarian by nature, postmodernism refused to recognize the authority of any single style or definition of what art should be. It collapsed the distinction between high culture and mass or popular culture, between art and everyday life. Because postmodernism broke the established rules about style, it introduced a new era of freedom and a sense that ‘anything goes’. Often funny, tongue-in-cheek or ludicrous; it can be confrontational and controversial, challenging the boundaries of taste; but most crucially, it reflects a self-awareness of style itself. Often mixing different artistic and popular styles and media, postmodernist art can also consciously and selfconsciously borrow from or ironically comment on a range of styles from the past.

Postmodern Architecture •Postmodern architecture: is a style or movement which emerged in the 1960s as a reaction against the austerity, formality, rigid doctrines, uniformity ,perceived lack of local and cultural context, and lack of variety of modern architecture particularly in the international style advocated by Le Corbusier and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

•The style flourished from the 1980s through the 1990s, Sub-dividing into other styles such as high-tech, deconstructivism, poststructuralism and neo-classicism.

Particularly in the work of Scott Brown & Venturi, Philip Johnson, Charles Moore ,Frank Gehry , James Stirling and Michael Graves.

Pre-modern Architecture

Modern Architecture

Post-modern Architecture

Architects sought to incorporate design elements from multiple styles, breaking down the boundaries between them.

Accordingly, postmodernism is often praised for its eclectic and joyful style.

borr owe d from react histo ryed to urba n embr cont acedext Postmodernism decoris not so much a ative singular style but tradi tions. an amalgamation of many styles that

Postmodernism was, as historian Mary McLeod wrote, “a desire to make architecture a vehicle of cultural expression.�

trompe l’oeil: art technique that uses realistic imagery to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects exist in three dimensions.

The Sydney Opera House by Jørn Utzon (1957– 1973)

Sydney Opera House

Lotus temple of New Delhi

What to look for in a Postmodernist building?

MODERN VS POSTMODERN ARCHITECTURE

Le Corbusier. Villa Savoye 1928-1929. Poissy, France

by James Stirling. State University of Music and Performing Arts 1980s. Stuttgart, Germany

Walter Gropius. The Gropius House 1938. Massachusetts, US

Private house

Le Corbusier, Chapel of NĂ´treDame du Haut 1955. Ron champ, France.

The Walt Disney Studios 1937 , in Burbank, California

Ludwig Mies van Der Rohe, Seagram Building 1957. NewYork, US.

John Burgee and Philip Johnson, Bank of America Center 1983. Houston, Texas,US

Philip Johnson, The Glass House Museum 1949.

New Canaan, Connecticut, US.

Philip Johnson, AT&T Building (now called the Sony Building) 1984 . New York, US

Double coding Double coding is a term coined by Charles Jencks in his book The New Paradigm in Architecture(1977), to suggest that postmodern architecture is a language that depends on double understanding, comparable to irony.

Jencks argued for "double coding"; i.e. that postmodernism could be understood and enjoyed by the general public and yet command "critical approval": "Double coding: the combination of modern techniques with something else (usually traditional building) in order for architecture to communicate with the public and a concerned minority, usually other architects".

Mies Van de Rohe, Farnsworth House, 1951.

Illinois, US

Robert Venturi , Vanna Venturi House 1964.

Philadelphia, US

Louis Sullivan , Wainwright State Office Building 1891. Missouri, US

Frank Gehry , Guggenheim Bilbao 1997.

Bilbao, Spain

Mies van der Rohe, Villa Tugendhat 1930.

Brno, Czech Republic.

Robert Venturi , The Guild House 1960 .

Philadelphia,US

Postmodern Architecture Characteristics 1. Complexity and contradiction Postmodern architecture first emerged as a reaction against the doctrines of modern architecture, as expressed by modernist architects including Le Corbusier and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

In place of the modernist doctrines of simplicity as expressed by Mies in his famous "less is more;" and functionality, "form follows function" and the doctrine of Le Corbusier that "a house is a machine to live in" postmodernism, in the words Robert Venturi, offered complexity and contradiction.

Postmodern buildings had curved forms, decorative elements, asymmetry, bright colors, and features often borrowed from earlier periods. Colors and textures unrelated to the structure or function of the building.

While rejecting the "puritanism" of modernism, it called for a return to ornament, and an accumulation of citations and collages borrowed from past styles. It borrowed freely from classical architecture, rococo, neoclassical architecture, the Viennese secession, the British arts and crafts movement, the German Jugendstil .

Postmodern buildings often combined astonishing new forms and features with seemingly contradictory elements of classicism. James Stirling the architect of the Neue Staatsgalerie in Stuttgart, Germany (1984), described the style as "representation and abstraction, monumental and informal, traditional and hightech.

The Neue Staatsgalerie by James Stirling in Stuttgart, Germany (1977-84).

The Neue Staatsgaleri stands as James Stirling's celebration of architecture as a combination of many styles and elements from the 19th Century into a modern piece of architecture that connects the public with its culture.

The museum is a series of integrations, both contextual with the site and periods of art and design. Stirling combines materials of the past, travertine and sandstone, with colored industrial steel throughout the museum as a way in which to pay respect to the art and design of the 19th Century by developing a relationship with modern materials resulting in a uniquely Post Modern museum that is rooted in the combination of historical elements with a modern vocabulary.

The competition posed the issues of making a connection to the older Staatsgalerie that dated back to 1843, as well as traversing the sites dramatic slope. By 1979, the jury unanimously chose a design by James Stirling of Michael Wilford & Associates in London.

The Neue Staatsgaleri stands as James Stirling's celebration of architecture as a combination of many styles and elements from the 19th Century into a modern piece of architecture that connects the public with its culture.

2. Fragmentation Postmodern architecture often breaks large buildings into several different structures and forms, sometimes representing different functions of those parts of the building. With the use of different materials and styles, a single building can appear like a small town or village

Wexner Center by Peter Eisenman, Columbus, United States (1989).

3. Asymmetric and oblique forms Asymmetric forms are one of the trademarks of postmodernism.

Postmodernist compositions are rarely symmetric, balanced and orderly. Oblique buildings which tilt, lean, and seem about to fall over are common

The Denver Public Library by Michael Graves, Denver, Colorado(1995)

4. Color Color is an important element in many postmodern buildings, to give the faรงades variety and personality sometimes colored glass is used, or ceramic tiles, or stone .

The Groninger Museum, Netherlands, by Alessandro Mendini et al., (completed 1994)

Interior of Cambridge Judge Business School in Cambridge, UK by John Outram (1995)

5. Humor, irony and "camp" Humor is a particular feature of many postmodern buildings, particularly in the United States. An example is the Binoculars Building in the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles, designed by Frank Gehry in collaboration with the sculptor Claes Oldenberg(1991–2001).

The gateway of the building is in the form of an enormous pair of binoculars; cars enter the garage passing under the binoculars. "Camp" humor was popular during the postmodern period; it was an ironic humor based on the premise that something could appear so bad (such as a building that appeared about to collapse) that it was good.

The American critic Susan Sontag in 1964 defined camp as a style which put its accent on the texture, the surface, and style to the detriment of the content, which adored exaggeration, and things which were not what they seemed. Postmodern architecture sometimes used the same sense of theatricality, sense of the absurd and exaggeration of forms.

The aims of Postmodernism, which include solving the problems of Modernism, communicating meanings with ambiguity, and sensitivity for the building's context, are surprisingly unified for a period of buildings designed by architects who largely never collaborated with each other. These aims do, however, leave room for diverse implementations as can be illustrated by the variety of buildings created during the movement.

Binoculars Building in Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles by Frank Gehry (1991-2001).

Hotel Dolphin by Michael Graves, Walt Disney World Florida (1987)

6. Rejects the notion of “pure” or “perfect” form, instead it draws from: all methods, materials, forms, & colours available to architects.

Steigenberger Hotel by Michael Graves, Egypt (1987)

Frank Gehry’s "Dancing House" in Prague (1996), constructed with an undulating façade of plaques of concrete; parts of the walls were composed of glass, which revealed the concrete pillars underneath.

The Dancing House, or Fred and Ginger by Frank Gehry in Prague, Czech (1996)

7. revival of traditional elements and techniques.

Post modernists looked into past architecture in order to learn from it. Classical designs such as pillars, arches, and domes used in new, almost humorous ways, just to send a message to the modernist people. It favored personal preferences and variety over objective truths and principles!

Piazza d’Italia, CHARLES MOORE, New Orleans, Louisiana 1976-1980.

Instead of a building made of sleek glass and metal, this building is predominantly masonry (only 30% of the outside is glass) and revives a classical architectural vocabulary‌ Johnson & his associates divided the building into three parts, reminiscent of the three elevations of a Greek temple – base, column and pediment The top slopes down like a pediment, including a space in the middle known as an orbiculum (similar to the look of 18th century dressers)

Phillip Johnson, the AT&T Building (New York), 1984.

Used classical styles in new combinations: pillars, arches, domes, curtain wall facades, sculptures and roman conventions

Bank of America Center in Houston, by John Burgee and Philip Johnson,completed 1983

Similar to old cathedrals, draws the eye upwards toward the sky

PPG Place, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by Philip Johnson (1979–84)

Reconciled differences between old and new generations (culture wars) Postmodern architecture takes old styles and updates them

Antigone, Montpellier, France, by Ricardo Bofill, completed 1992

Robert Venturi , Vanna Venturi House 1964. Philadelphia, US

POSTMODERN BUILDINGS

while Graves wanted his facade built in glazed terracotta – a material common in historic buildings in Portland – coloured reinforced concrete and fibreglass were used for the cladding and decorative elements.

The Portland Municipal Services Building, Oregon, by Michael Graves (1982).

The blocky edifice is dominated by highly abstracted classical elements – including columns, pediments, and a frieze-like decorative band – all set amid a grid of small square windows. A teal-coloured podium encompasses the entrance level, and features a Classically-styled sculpture of a woman called Portlandia, by artist Raymond Kaskey, above the front doors.

Critics However, it has also faced its fair share of criticism, with many deriding it as ugly, superficial, derivative, and, in the words of Fredric Jameson, ‘the cultural logic of late capitalism’. Indeed, the huge urban expansion of Dubai has led to it being referred to as the ‘global capital of postmodernism’.