20 th Century Architecture Part II Dictum

20 th Century Architecture Part II

Dictum of Modern Architecture Ludwig Mies van der Rohe: “Less is more. ”

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Seagram Building, New York, 1954 -58

Robert Venturi “Less is a bore. ” (1966) (Fiero 978)

Charles Jencks Postmodern architecture is characterized by a "double coding": two or more styles which co-exist in contradiction and/or self -mockery. http: //architecture. about. com/library/bl-postmodern. htm

Postmodern architecture Sense of "anything goes": Forms filled with humor, irony, ambiguity, contradiction Juxtaposition of styles: Blend of traditional, contemporary, and newlyinvented forms Exaggerated or abstract traditional detailing http: //architecture. about. com/library/bl-postmodern. htm

Postmodern Features Clash of scales Postmodern architecture often includes elements that are clearly out of scale with the rest of the building. This is most obvious where the building borrows from other styles. The mixing of large and small classical orders, the distortion and exaggeration of motifs, can make a building seem dramatic and grand. Architects also played with scale to introduce surprise and a sense of fun. http: //www. vam. ac. uk/vastatic/microsites/architecture/style_lev el 3. php? id=256&parent=260&area=0

Les Espaces d’Abraxas, France, 1979 -82

Postmodern features Thin façades Some Postmodern buildings have thin fronts that are clearly distinct from the rest of the building. In some cases the thinness is exaggerated as a visual joke. For example, the facade may dissolve into the windows at the side of the building. On other buildings, the façades are treated as little more than billboards or stage backdrops. This allowed architects greater freedom of expression in the design of the building front. http: //www. vam. ac. uk/vastatic/microsites/architecture/style_lev el 4. php? id=256&parent=260&object=213&area=0&ext=. swf

China Wharf, London, 1986 -88

Postmodern Features Classical references Postmodern buildings often used elements of classical architecture. In most cases the use is decorative not structural. Nor is it 'correct'. Postmodern architects did not follow the strict principles of the classical style. For example, they deliberately combined and exaggerated columns, arches and rough masonry. They took elements from Greek temples and applied them to buildings that had entirely modern functions. The effect is often quirky and playful. http: //www. vam. ac. uk/vastatic/microsites/architecture/style_lev el 4. php? id=256&parent=260&object=214&area=0&ext=. swf

Kengo Kuma, M 2 Tokyo, 1991

Kengo Kuma, M 2 Tokyo, 1991

Kengo Kuma, Doric Tokyo, 1991

A precursor?

Claude-Nicholas Ledoux, Royal Saltworks, 1774 -79 Gatehouse with entrance portico

Claude-Nicholas Ledoux, Royal Saltworks, 1774 -79 Director’s House

Robert Venturi In favor of messy vitality in architecture Believed in aesthetic ambiguity and visual tension Postmodern vision: “both-and” rather than “either-or”

A conventional building

Venturi, Vanna Venturi House, Philadelphia, 1962

Venturi, Vanna Venturi House, Philadelphia, 1962

Venturi, Gordon Wu Hall, Butler College, Princeton University Princeton, NJ 1980

Michael Graves

Public Services Building, Portland, Oregon, 1980 -82

Michael Graves Humana Building (Louisville) 1986

The Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia

Disney Center

MICHAEL GRAVES, Walt Disney World, Swan Hotel, Florida, 1987

MICHAEL GRAVES, Walt Disney World, Swan Hotel, Florida, 1987

MICHAEL GRAVES, Walt Disney World-Dolphin Hotel

MICHAEL GRAVES, Walt Disney World-Dolphin Hotel

Philip Johnson

P. Johnson & J Burgee: AT&T Building, NYC, 1979 -84

Philip Johnson and John Burgee: PPG Place, Pittsburgh, PA 1979 -84

Philip Johnson and John Burgee: PPG Place, Pittsburgh, PA 1979 -84

P. Johnson & J Burgee: International Place, Boston, 1985

Charles Moore

Charles Moore, Piazza d’Italia, New Orleans, USA, 1976 -79

Charles Moore, Piazza d’Italia, New Orleans, USA, 1976 -79

Frank Gehry

Gehry, Vitra Design Museum, Weil-am-Rhein, Germany, 1987 to 1989

Gehry, Vitra Design Museum, Weil-am-Rhein, Germany, 1987 to 1989

Frank Gehry, Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain, 1997

Gehry, Guggenheim Museum, at Bilbao, Spain, 1997

Gehry, Experience Music Project, at Seattle, Washington, 1999 to 2000

Frank Gehry, Experience Music Project, Seattle, Washington, 1999 to 2000

I. M. Pei

Las Vegas

High-tech Exposed structure Glass Tension structures http: //www. vam. ac. uk/vastatic/microsites/architecture/style_lev el 3. php? id=255&parent=260&area=0

High-tech Pompidou Center, Paris, 1971 -77

The End