Modern Architecture - Essay Example

Modern Architecture It may seem that the term modern architecture would be self-explanatory. Howconcepts of modernism apply to the idea of architecture is not always clear. “In the field of architecture, the term was used … to connote the works of architects from profoundly different origins and cultural backgrounds, who had based their own work on a reduction in expressive media, a rediscovery of the value of empty space and a radical elimination of everything that does not coincide with a programme of simplicity and formal cleanliness” (Cinar, 2000).

From this definition, it can be deduced that modern architecture works to reduce the embellishments and decorations of previous styles to a minimum, or that they attempt to reduce the form of the structure to a minimum or that they work to reduce external influences on their designs, or perhaps a combination of all of these. A better understanding of what might be meant by the term modern architecture can be found through an examination of how form follows function. A strong example of this was found in the World Trade Center of New York City.

In terms of its very physical structure, Berman describes the towers as “isolated” in that the center was hard to get to and hard to use, “it gave off hostility” as compared to the Chrysler and Empire State Buildings, which were each seen as being in the middle of life and part of the total system. “Their [the Port Authority who designed the buildings] idea of safety involved repelling the people. The slab shape of the Towers and their isolation grew out of an aesthetic voiced best by Le Corbusier, who said that in order to have modern planning we have to ‘kill the streets.

’ For him the street epitomized disorder and chaos” (Berman, 2002). By contrast, the Battery Park City Complex was also designed by the Port Authority in much the same way as the World Trade Center, yet was much more user friendly in that it had parks, museums, restaurants and other amenities that invited people to come in and stay awhile. Although the city is perceived as a melting pot of various cultures, people, ideas, practices and numerous other concepts, Berman points out that it also presents “an endless series of completely sterile and empty gigantic spaces all over the world” (Berman, 2002).

Following this line of reasoning, one could infer that Berman suggests this very imperturbability inherent in the structures of the World Trade Center themselves led to their selection as targets by terrorists in 2001. Frank Lloyd Wright was the pioneer of modernism but it had been Gropius, Le Corbusier and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe who led the modernism movement in architecture. Their designs have been the epitome of logic, clarity of structure, use of space as fluid planes, and surfaces as fine materials.

Le Corbusier, for example, pioneered the designs of the 20th century in developing the ideology of colours in abstractions, materials such as bottles, pitchers and glasses as well as floor plans and elevations in buildings. The Bauhaus designers furthermore have been driving contributors to the art of employing straight lines and the inventive use of materials in household items (Barr 1954, p. 220). Modernism in Gold’s (1998) view has been “developed in the background of war, revolution and social dislocation” (p.21). Architects during this era have been in the social position to radically change the choice of establishments, home-making culture, and reorganisation of the core social space – the dwellings themselves.

Early modernist architects looked to their past for inspiration and trends, while later ones developed original and radical ideas of form. The common themes of modern architecture comprised of the master plan, layouts of structures in geometric harmony with boundaries of different zones of land use within its surroundings. The interiors were characterised by the lifestyle of the owners and depiction of every day activity (Gold 1998). Works Cited Barr, Jr. A. Masters of Modern Art. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1954: pp. 214. Berman, Marshall.

Big Apple Redux: An Interview with Marshall Berman. (2002). July 17, 2009 < http://eserver.org/clogic/4-2/monchinski_berman.html> Cinar, Selin. “Minimalist Architecture.” World Architecture Community. (2000). July 17, 2009 < http://www.worldarchitecture.org/theory-issues/?position=detail&no=29&ref=ri&rel=2> Gold, J. R. The experience of modernism: Modern architects and the future city. Taylor & Francis; 1 edition, (April 21, 1998).