Definition of Modernism

• Modernism was a rebellion against 19th Century academic

and historicist traditions;
• Against Victorian nationalism & cultural absolutism, on
the grounds that the "traditional" forms of art,
architecture, literature, religious faith, social organization
& modern industrialized world.
• It refers to a reforming movement in art, architecture,
music, literature and the applied arts during the late 19th
Century & early 20th Century.
• There is no specific Modernist movement in Philosophy;
• Rather, refers to a movement within the arts which had
some influence over later philosophical thought.
• The later reaction against Modernism gave rise to the
Post-Modernist movement both in the arts & philosophy.
Deconstructivism in Architecture
• Deconstructivism is a postmodern architectural
movement which appeared in the 1980s.
• It gives the impression of the fragmentation of the
constructed building, commonly characterized by an
absence of obvious harmony, continuity, or symmetry.
 Utilitas, Farmitas and Venustas
Utility, Firmness (Solidity, Strength) & Beauty
 Basic Theories of Architecture
i. Utilitas, Famitas, & Venustas by Robert Venturi
ii. Form follows function by Luis Sullivan
iii.Home as a machine for living by Le Corbusier
iv. House form & Culture by Amos Rappoport
v. Less is more by Mies Van De Rohe
vi.Less is bore by Robert Venturi
vii. Pattern Language – Town, Buildings &
Construction by Christopher Alexander, Sara
Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein
viii.Critical Regionalism by Keneth Frampton
ix.Let the Place of Worship take part in the act of
worship by Le Corbusier
 Architecture in our World: Firmitas, Utilitas, Venustas
• The founding principles of architecture, as described by the
Roman writer and engineer Vitruvius in his book De
Architectura (On Architecture), were firmitas, utilitas,
venustas;
• Which can be translated as solidity, usefulness & beauty.
These are just as valid today as they were over 2000 years
ago when Vitruvius published his ten-volume work that is
still read today.
• Techni Architecture, a successful architecture practice
based in Marseilles in the south of France, always has
these 3 principles in mind when it is commissioned to plan,
design & construct a new building.
 Form Follows Function - Relating the
Structure to its Content
• Louis Sullivan, mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright,
once noted that, in architecture, form should
follow function;
• A building should be designed to suit its
purpose.
• When designing a home for a family, for
example, it makes sense to create open spaces
for gathering and to provide ample storage.
• These choices encourage family interaction
and maintain some semblance of order in the
midst and bustle of life.
 Form Follows Function (cont.)
• Similarly, a museum that houses largescale paintings
requires a much different setting than one geared toward
the display of portraiture;
• With each, presentation space must be used to meet the
demands of the art.
• Crucially, the resulting ambiance & sense of scale affect
the viewer’s impressions.
Louis H. Sullivan
• Louis Henry Sullivan (September 3, 1856 – April 14, 1924)
was an American architect, and has been called a "father of
skyscrapers" and "father of modernism."
• He was an influential architect of the Chicago School, a
mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, and an inspiration to the
Chicago group of architects who have come to be known as
the Prairie School.
• Along with Wright and Henry Hobson Richardson, Sullivan is
one of "the recognized trinity of American architecture.
• The phrase "form follows function" is attributed to him,
although the idea was theorized by Viollet le Duc who
considered that structure and function in architecture should
be the sole determinants of form.
• In 1944, Sullivan was the 2nd architect to post houmously
receive the AIA Gold Medal.
 Firmitas, Utilitas, Venustas in Practice
• Pascal Costamagna, who founded Techni
Architecture nearly 30 years ago, is justifiably
proud of the beauty, durability and usefulness
of the buildings he has delivered to clients.
• With a wide range of structures spanning
schools, camping grounds, industrial buildings,
private houses and storage cellars for local
wineries;
• Pascal Costamagna and his team of 16
architects can turn their hand to almost any
type of project.
‘Techni Architecture’ (TA) Executed Projects: 1) Helicopter base at Cannes; 2) A
town hall in Canet;
3)TA succeeded in giving this light aviation center in Cannes-Mandelieu an airy &
transparent look.
Prairie School of Thought in Architecture
i. Prairie School is a late 19th and early 20th-
century architectural style, most common in
the Midwestern U.S.A.
ii. The style is usually marked by horizontal
lines
iii. Flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging
eaves,
iv. Windows grouped in horizontal bands
v. Integration with the landscape
vi. Solid construction, craftsmanship, &
discipline in the use of ornament.
Prairie Architecture School of Thought)
vii. Horizontal lines were thought to evoke and
relate to the wide, flat, treeless expanses of
America's native prairie landscape.
viii. The Prairie School aimed at developing an
indigenous North American style of
architecture;
ix. Which sympathizes with the ideals and design
aesthetics of the Arts and Crafts Movement in
Europe;
x. Which it shared an embrace of handcrafting
and craftsman guilds as an antidote to the
dehumanizing effects of mass production.
Prairie Bungalow, 1-Story + a Porch Xterized by Near-flat Roofs, Stucco, & Horizontal Planes.
Prairie Architecture 2-Storey Residence
Winslow House - Frank Lloyd Wright
The Darwin Martin House
Comparison between. Modernism
& Post Modernist Architecture