HISTORY OF MODERN ARCHITECTURE
MARK FERRERAS 17107746 HISTORY OF MODERN ARCHITECTURE ARC4010 ARCHITECTURE BA(HONS)
Contents: What is Modernism?
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The pre-Raphaelite Movement
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The Bauhaus Movement
Page 5 - 7
Le Corbusier
Page 8 - 13
Manifesto / Avant Garde
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Healthy Body Culture Poster
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How to make an Academic Essay?
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Essay Writing Pack
Page 17 - 19
Essay Poster
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Bibliography / Reference List
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What is Modernism? The definition of ‘modern’ relates to the present or recent times as opposed to the remote past, and especially during the 20th century, the word modern is increasingly being used to describe and illustrate our society and also our artistic culture. During the early 20th century there were significant advancements in technology, which provided architects a new platform to design and create buildings in response to the huge change. ‘Form follows Function’ (famous phrase by American architect Louis Sullivan) is a principle associated with the modernist movement whereby the shape of the building or object is established first and is based upon the intended purpose, examples of these are; Futurism, Constructivism, De Stijl, and Bauhaus. Modernism also incorporates a more analytical viewpoint, modern materials such as reinforced steel, concrete, glass, the elimination of ornament design and openness to structural innovation.
"Less is More." Meis van der Rohe (1886 - 1969)
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The pre-Raphaelite Movement The Pre-Raphaelite movement was formed 1848 by a group of young British Painters in the hopes of renew-ing spiritualism, artistic freedom, and poetry into their art but also the British culture. The movement arose after the British Industrial Revolution in 1840 where members of the ‘brotherhood’ believed that modern realities such as prostitution, poverty were iconic to the artist movement.
"Quality is never and accident; it is always the result of intelligent effort" John Ruskin (1819 -1900)
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood had a diverse set of members, from poets (Dante Gabriel Rossetti), painters (William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais) to sculptors (Tomas Woolner). The Brotherhood, focused on specific themes and techniques in their painting such as; religion concepts, Lighting adaptation, biblical and medieval themes and atmospheric reproduction. Members of the Pre-Raphaelites separated in 1854, how-ever their influence remained, gaining a lot of followers during the early 60s and eventually changed the name of the movement to PreRaphaelitism. This more diffused movement branched out to, not just artist, but to many oth-er modern arts, such as literature, illustration and design.
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The Bauhaus Movement NAME OF PIECE: The Barcelona Chair NAME OF DESIGNER: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Lilly Reich YEAR: 1929 WHY DO YOU LIKE IT? The reason I like this piece of furniture is because its form is very different to other chairs especially during the early 90's. Through my analysis of the piece, Mies van der Rohe uses the simple scissor-shape design to form the legs and body structure of the chair. One of the influences dated back to 1500 BC where this design was called the curule seat. By placing its axis on the sides of the chair, it provides a cantilevered seat. Its really interesting how simple curves within the form of the structure make this chair very modern and sophisticated. HOW DOES IT MANIFEST THE BAUHAUS ETHOS? One of the design principles the Bauhaus School encouraged was to embrace modern technology and to design using the principle that Form follows Function. The Barcelona chair manifests these principles because it used cast iron processes to create its stainless steel structure, which was a modern process during 1920's.
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NAME OF PIECE: Marshmallow Sofa NAME OF DESIGNER: George Nelson YEAR: 1958 WHY DO YOU LIKE IT? I was drawn to the simplicity and aesthetic presentation of the Nelsons sofa design and also how it was initially constructed. I really like how the idea of a sofa is immediately changed from a traditional piece of furniture to a more playful perception of a sofa. The 18 coloured cushion are positions across the steel frame in random, which i find really interesting and aesthetically pleasing as the separate elements seem like they are floating in mid air, which also casts interesting shadows. HOW DOES IT MANIFEST THE BAUHAUS ETHOS? Nelsons design of the Marshmallow sofa manifest the Bauhaus ethos through his innovation of form over function. Nelsons sofa was considered one of the first 'Pop art' furniture designs. Nelson may have been influenced by Wassily Kandinsky colour theory which stated that true design only arose through the perceptual collaboration of composition and colour.
"Form Follows Function" Luis Sullivan
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NAME OF PIECE: Wassily Chair NAME OF DESIGNER: Marcel Breure YEAR: 1925 WHY DO YOU LIKE IT? This chair immediately caught attention because of the materiality the product possess. From my observation and analysis, the chair is made out of tubular steel and cowhide leather. The form of the steel skeleton structure was inspired by the frame of a bicycle and was influenced by the constructivist theories of the De Stjil movement. HOW DOES IT MANIFEST THE BAUHAUS ETHOS? The advancement in technology and materials were important to the Bauhaus movement becuase it signified modernism. During the 1920s, steel production was readily available because of the Industrial Revolution - Therefore, I think Breures rationality to use steel as the main material for the Wassily Chair was very important as it indicates the movement at the time.
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Le Corbusier NAME OF BUILDING: Notre Dam du Huat LOCATION: 13 Rue de la Chapelle, 70250 Ronchamp, France YEAR: 1954 ARCHITECT: Le Corbusier https://www.archdaily.com/469008/le-corbusier-s-ronchamp-vandalized/52dd58b3e8e44e45120001da-le-corbusier-s-ronchampvandalized-photo
Notre Dam du Huat was commissioned by Le Corbusier in 1950, where the church reformist gave full permission to redesign Ronchamp, however, one of the requirements was 'to clear their name of the decadence and ornamental past by embracing modern art and architecture.' (Archdaily 2010). Ronchamp chapel is situated on top of a hill, isolated from the surrounding buidings and the community. This could represent the importance of the building as the position of the chapel is 'setting itself on a metaphorical pedestal' (Archdaily 2010) In regards to the construction and design of the Ronchamp Chapel, Le Courbusiers initial concept was based off of praying hands, a ship, a bird and a nuns cowl. From the concept itself, its evident that the Ronchamp building would be very different to other projects Le Corbusier worked on. The main structural system in the chapel is composed of reinforced concrete, which was recovered from the ruins of the old chapel and has been used to construct the required framework of the building. The reason why Le Corbusier used reinforced concrete was because he wanted an organic and bold material to evoke poetic notions in the mind of the visitors.
https://www.archdaily.com/84988/ad-classics-ronchamp-le-corbusier/54e51c91e58ece21e0000096-ronchamp18-jpg
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Because the Chapel is designed with a system of convex and concave concrete walls, the spatial layout creates a unusual atmosphere. Le Corbusier wanted the Chapel to have a reflective and meditative atmosphere so he added small apertures on the concrete walls but placed these in a sporadic fashion. Being one of the most interesting aspects of the building, Le Corbusier placed these small windows in specific places to allow daylight to enter the building at different times of the day and different season of the year.
Ronchamp is very unique to other religious sites in France due to its modern design. One of the main focuses Le Corbusier looked at is spatial purity, which meant that modern aesthetics were removed and simplified, rather than making the design complicated. There is a clear difference in design and character if we compared the Le Corbusiers past projects to Ronchamp - Le Corbusiers '5 points of Architecture' is not shown in the Chapel.
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Presentation Slides
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Avant Garde
Taken from the Latin word 'Vox' which means 'The Voice' my manifesto focuses on the rights to be heard no matter what nationality you are, what colour you are, what gender you are, what religion / beliefs you have. In today's society, the voices of important and influential people are overruling the voice of the average person, as a result, it might not meet everyone's needs. I believe that everyone is equal and have the same rights, to make the world a better place.
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How to make an academic essay? Harvard Referencing System? Authors name - Family name first, then a comma and space followed by initial(s). Date - The date of "publicationâ€&#x; should be included Title - The title should be copied from the item itself if possible and should be in italics. Edition - if necessary Place - include city where the item was published Publisher Page Number - pp.3-5 How does In-text citation work? In-text citation generally includes the author/authoring body name(s) and the year of publication. For example: (World Health Organisation 2013) How to order Bibliography? A bibliography should typically be ordered in alphabetical order so it easier to located different authors. The bibliography should be at the end of all essay components. Bibliography/Referencing Practice: Hermanmiller.com. (2018). Nelson Marshmallow Sofa Design Story. [online] Available at: https://www.hermanmiller.com/products/seating/lounge-seating/nelson-marshmallow-sofa/design-story/ [Accessed 2 Jan. 2018]. ArchDaily. (2018). AD Classics: Ronchamp / Le Corbusier. [online] Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/84988/ad-classics-ronchamp-le-corbusier [Accessed 4 Jan. 2018]. CURTIS, W. (1996) Modern Architecture since 1900, (3rd ed. ) London, Phaidon Chapter 32 Pluralism in the 1970s
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Essay Task 2 Essay Question: Postmodernism is one of the more challenging and controversial movements in Architecture in contemporary history. Describe its key features and identify the factors within Modernism that led to its emergence. Identify at least one key building which personifies Postmodernism’s key features, describe the context within which this building has been designed.
a) Write down in your own words what you think the assignment is asking you to do. The question is asking me to describe the key features of postmodernism and compare them to the factors within modernism which makes it controversial to Architectural movements in the past. I must also identify one or more buildings that were influenced by postmodernism, and state how the movement is portrayed in the architectural design of the building and its context. b) What do you already know about the subject matter of the essay? The term postmodernism means 'after modernism' which originated in architecture and was a reactionary movement to the bland and boring features of modernism. Postmodernism started in the late 20th century, and influenced many people such as; artists, architects, product designers, interior architects and more. Postmodernism is defined by many people as the worst movement and have very negative opinions. A quote from Robert Venturi which started the controversial movement was 'Less is a Bore' which contrasted Meis van der Rohe quote 'Less is More'. c) What background information do you need to help you to complete this essay? I need to research different architects who were influenced by the postmodernism movement and explore the reasons why their building caused controversy with its community. I also need to research what were the key features of the postmodernism movement and compare this to features of the modernism. d) How do you think this essay differs from or is similar to other assignments that you are working on at the moment? This essay requires full independent study and is entirely academic writing, in contrast to other assignments where my group and I would use verbal communication and visual presentations to summaries our research in that project. e) How are you going to choose your reading material? I will be using reliable online sources to assist me in my research of Postmodernism. I will also visit the Curzon Library to find books and articles of postmodernist architects to gain a greater understanding on the concept and key features they use. f) As you begin to read for your assignment, try to read and take notes with the essay in mind. When composing my research, i will ensure that i have a copy of the question to refer to, so i know that the notes i am taking are relevant to the question. I will also note down the page number, chapter, website link to add to my reference.
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Mind-Map Task Early influences
Were these features influenced by past movements?
Concept of movement
Examples of work from artist, products made during the 20th century
Define Postmodernism How did the movement originate?
Key principles of postmodernism What year did the movement begin?
Paragraph 1 History of Postmodernism
Origins of Postmoderism
Compare to features of modernism Paragraph 2 Features of Postmodernism
Introduction
Postmodernism is one of the more challenging and controversial movements in Architecture in contemporary history. Describe its key features and identify the factors within Modernism that led to its emergence. Identify at least one key building which personifies Postmodernism’s key features, describe the context within which this building has been designed.
Paragraph 3 Postmodern influence
Conclusion
Paragraph 4 Postmodernism vs Modernism
Personal Opinion on postmodernism Famous postmodern architect
Concept of the building
Why did it have a negative reaction?
What made the building postmodern?
Recap of the concept and features of Postmodernism
Does Postmodernism still happen today?
What were the views and opinions of postmodernism?
How did architects who were influenced by postmodernism respond to the negative views
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5 Paragraph Essay Plan Main response to question, introductory idea and flagging up topics to be covered. History of Postmodernism Main features of postmodern architecture Examples of postmodern buildings / analysis of building Arguments for and against postmodernism
Topic 2
Topic 1 Introduce - Proof - Discussion - Point
Introduction to postmodernisms history and key features that represent the movement. Compare features of modernism and postmodernism architeture. Use images and drawings to show similarities and differences of design. What is the concpet of the postmodern movement and how did it originate. Who were the first architects to be influenced by the movement. Images of their designs.
Topic 3
Introduce - Proof - Discussion - Point
Choose a building that was influenced by postmodernism, talk about the architect and how he came up with the design. What was the purpose of the building and context of the building. Compare the the building to the 'principles' of postmodernism. What made the building postmodern?
Introduce - Proof - Discussion - Point
Look into the success of postmodern buildings. Are all of them controversial? Use examples of controversial buildings (e.g AT&T Building New York 1984). Explain why the building might have a negative reaction from the community.
Were there any critics to the building? Did this challenge the history of modern architecture?
Re-state main arguments and points Personal Opinion on Postmodernism Recap the features and concept of the movement Conclude why postmodernism might be controversial.
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Essay Poster
Essay Question
Postmodernism is one of the more challenging and controversial movements in Architecture in contemporary history. Describe its key features and identify the factors within Modernism that led to its emergence. Identify at least one key building which personifies Postmodernism’s key features, describe the context within which this building has been designed.
Books Introduction Context: Social and CURTIS, W. (1996) Modern Economic Architecture since 1900, (3rd ed. ) Definition of Postmodernism Brief Concept Breifly go over what i will be talking about in the essay
Late 20th Century architecture seemed to fall in meeting functional requirements in building. Modern buildings started getting too plane and repetitive, as a result, not appealing to the community.
Main Body
London, Phaidon Chapter 32 Pluralism in the 1970s FRAMPTON,K (1992) Modern Architecture – a Critical History. (3rd ed)London, Thames & Husdon pp.291-293 and pp.305-311
The term postmodernism means 'after modernism' which originated in architecture and was a reactionary movement to the bland and boring features of modernism. Postmodernism started in the late 20th century, and influenced many people such as; artists, architects, product designers, interior architects and more.
Phillip Johnson, one of the pioneers of postmodern architecture design the AT&T building in New York in 1984. The building was famous for its sloping roof, with a orbiculum in the centre. Its design is said to have revived classical architecture due to the majority of the facade to be masonry and only 30% of the outside is glass.
A quote from Robert Venturi which started the controversial movement was 'Less is a Bore' which contrasted Meis van der Rohe quote 'Less is More'.
Comparison of the features between postmodern buildings and modern building.
The saying 'anything goes' relates to the characteristics of postmodern architecture. The key features of postmodernism are: resurface of ornamentation, associate the building to its context and surrounding buildings, used past movements to learn and develope new designs such as domes and pillars. Venturi House 1964
Conclusion
Personal opinion on Postmodernism Where does postmodernism stand today? Recap concept of postmodernism
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Bibliography / Reference ArchDaily. (2018). AD Classics: Ronchamp / Le Corbusier. [online] Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/84988/ad-classics-ronchamp-le-corbusier [Accessed 4 Jan. 2018]. Hermanmiller.com. (2018). Nelson Marshmallow Sofa Design Story. [online] Available at: https://www.hermanmiller.com/products/seating/lounge-seating/nelson-marshmallow-sofa/design-story/ [Accessed 2 Jan. 2018]. Knoll.com. (2018). Design Deconstructed: The Barcelona Chair | Knoll Inspiration. [online] Available at: https://www.knoll.com/knollnewsdetail/design-deconstructed-barcelona-chair [Accessed 2 Jan. 2018]. Knoll.com. (2018). Wassily Chair | Knoll. [online] Available at: https://www.knoll.com/product/wassily-chair [Accessed 3 Jan. 2018]. Moodle.bcu.ac.uk. (2018). Birmingham City University - Redirecting to Authentication Provider. [online] Available at: http://moodle.bcu.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/1220159/mod_resource/content/1/How%20to%20write%20References.pdf [Accessed 7 Jan. 2018]. Moodle.bcu.ac.uk. (2018). Birmingham City University - Redirecting to Authentication Provider. [online] Available at: http://moodle.bcu.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/1458158/mod_resource/content/1/Postmodernism_2017_L4.pdf [Accessed 7 Jan. 2018]. Philosophybasics.com. (2018). Post-Modernism - By Movement / School - The Basics of Philosophy. [online] Available at: http://www.philosophybasics.com/movements_postmodernism.html [Accessed 7 Jan. 2018]. Vitra. (2018). Vitra | Marshmallow Sofa. [online] Available at: https://www.vitra.com/en-gb/product/marshmallowsofa [Accessed 2 Jan. 2018]. Waktola (2018). Post modern architecture. [online] Slideshare.net. Available at: https://www.slideshare.net/alexwaktola/post-modern-architecture-59810410 [Accessed 7 Jan. 2018].