What is modernism in architecture

In that same timeframe stateside, American architects continued to design more traditional style houses, yet experiment with new forms for skyscrapers and commercial buildings. As Europe sunk into chaos just before WWII, many prominent architects emigrated to the US, bringing their new architectural concepts with them. In the first modern architectures exhibit in America was held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City which brought these new ideas in architecture to the forefront.

Innovative American architects like Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright had been moving toward a new theory of architecture as well.

The groundwork for significant change was laid in the development of the Sullivanesque, Commercial, Bungalow and Prairie styles at the turn of the 20th century. The European influence fell on very fertile soil in America, as the ideas of the Art Deco, Art Moderne and International styles merged with the developing American architectural trends. The style fell out of favor in the early s.

Well-known Russian constructivist architects include El Lissitzky and Vladimir Tatlin, though both are most recognized by their proposals and unbuilt work. The biomorphic, organic, emotional forms which defined the Expressionist style stood in contrast to the clean, linear definitions of Bauhaus architecture, despite their coexistence between and Derived from German Dutch, Austrian, Czech, and Danish Avante Garde, Expressionism explored new technical possibilities which emerged from the mass production of steel, brick, and glass, while also evoking unusual massings and utopian visions.

Functionalism is based on the principle that the design of a building should reflect its purpose and function. Emerging from the aftermath of the First World War, the style is associated with ideas of socialism and modern humanism. Minimalism evolved from the De Stijl and Bauhaus movements of the s, and emphasized the use of simple design elements without ornamentation or decoration.

Popularized by architects such as Mies van der Rohe, the style proposed that deriving a design to its base essentials reveals its true essence. Features of the style include pure geometric forms, plain materials, repetition, and clean lines.

International Style. An evolution of early Modernist principles in Europe, the International Style describes the era where European Modernism spread throughout the world, notably the United States. Characterized by simple geometry and a lack of ornamentation, the style was appropriated in the United States characterized by monolithic skyscrapers with curtain walling, flat roofs, and ubiquitous glazing.

Metabolism was a post-war Japanese movement that infused megastructures with organic biological growth. Influenced by Marxist theories and biological processes, a group of young designers including Kiyonori Kikutake, Kisho Kurokawa and Fumihiko Maki published their Metabolism manifesto in , giving the style significant public attention. Characteristics include modularity, prefabrication, adaptability, and strong core infrastructures. View the Modernist Materials gallery.

View the Less is More gallery. View the Open Plan Interiors gallery. Bauhaus building, Dessau Exhibition display panel explaining features of the design of Finsbury Health Centre, London RIBA Collections.

We have many modernist images available to license for use in your projects, publications and media. Modernism Rejecting ornament and embracing minimalism Explore images. Explore images of modernist architecture Search and discover photos and images from the RIBA Collections in our image library. Modernist images on RIBApix.