Modern Architecture: Skyscraper Architectural Style - Term Paper Example

YourFirst YourLast 3 November Modern Architecture American Architects started to carry out experimentations with different architectural styles that went beyond the customary neo-classical between the late 18th Century and early 19th Century. Various architectural styles were selected for their historical connotations. The buildings are regarded as artistically and architecturally clean varieties of the past. Towards the end of the 19th Century, American designers combined styles in "assorted" fashion, devoid of such worry for the origins of the styles. New building materials and technologies stimulated this developing experimentation. If the seen emerging architectural designs were contemporary styles, nonetheless, it was surely not "modernism." At the time when European modernism reached the US around 1930s, it was apparently clear that it was distinct and did not resemble any structures that had existed before. Historians swiftly branded this early chapter of contemporary architecture the "International Style." The new style was, however, short-lived. The following discussion of the skyscraper architectural style has been chosen as a modern architectural style in the United States, approximately between the years 1930s and 1970s. The buildings developed using this style, whether they are appreciated by the public or not denote a significant period in our history, a period when all past architectural reference was shoved aside in support of something unexplored and new. From an architectural standpoint, the emergence of modern architecture is stultified by knowledge and familiarity. However, in the 1930s, a line that is barely comprehended was crossed. Architectural structures transformed from being cultural books – their themes demonstrated in inscriptions and symbols rich in ancient historical significance – to being silent technological and architectural wonders, portentous with unending possibilities. Skyscrapers represent the search for design and building limits, the examination of new understandings of what is comfortable, and the struggle to optimize human beings potential through the building. The Skyscraper Arguably, the skyscraper has become the main building type that has emerged in the modern times. Its early history and origins are hemmed in myths, partly because architectural and art historians, for instance, Thomas Tallmadge intended to develop integrity and credibility for the modern architectural movement. In the recent past, historians and researchers have hinted that the concept of the skyscraper dates back to ancient times that the new type of architectural design did not originate from the US. The have additionally argued that it never started in the city of Chicago as many would believe, and that technological improvements were not the only reasons that led to its creation (Mills & Patterson 533). The skyscraper developed from modest commercial early stages to transform into the image and icon of the modern cities. Architects active during the 19th Century period tried to mask its purpose, decrease its artistic presence and reduce its height. Nonetheless, in the 20th Century, the skyscraper was renowned and distinguished for its functional role and architects researched deep enough to develop illusions of exposed structures. As the skyscraper changed the demographics, economics, and the shape of the American cities, the skyscraper mirrored present architectural styles, but additionally pushed modern technology artistic limits. The skyscraper development technology in the US was first seen in the 19th Century when skeletons and cast-iron facades originally appeared in stonework commercial structures. J. Bogardus, an engineer and inventor used cast-iron fronts in his building in New York called Laing Stores as well as his factory on Duane Street, both demolished in 1848 (Tatum 82). Similarly, dependable historians have argued that the Tribune Building designed by Richard Morris Hunt as well as Post Western Union Building, both said to be two just two floors tall may be regarded as the first skyscrapers (Bannister & Hitchcock 188). The cast-iron technology was decisive, and it played a significant function in defining the new type of building between 160s and 1880s. Since the birth of skyscrapers, promoters and critics alike had argued on its urban significance, and while some people debated that very tall buildings would lead to the death of emerging towns and cities, others fantasized the growth of a truly modern and flourishing megalopolis. Greed contributed immensely to the distribution and growth of skyscrapers, and, subsequently, in city designs. Zoning Laws introduced in 1916 in New York played an important function in reconfiguring tall buildings designs. Architects in New York were required to carve away at a buildings design to give air and light to adjacent buildings. Small spaces and lack of limitations concerning height additionally favored the skyscraper design. Chicago restricted the development of tall buildings until 1923, when legislation was ratified, allowing taller buildings to be designed and constructed, although restricted in terms of volume. This, as well as the fact that Chicago building space allocations tended to be bigger, led to many blocked structures, mainly containing a centralized light court. These differences assist in explaining why the emphasis on skyscraper design shifted to New York during 1930s (Kramer 6). The Rockefeller Center The design and development of the Rockefeller Center, which is a compound cluster of New York skyscrapers planned with respect to the pedestrian promenade and central plaza, happened all through these decades of change. At the time the complex was being completed, it seemed slightly traditional, with its Beaux-Arts specifics; nonetheless, as development, it signified a way of sorting out space challenges in skyscraper congestion. The Rockefeller Center was designed with a chain of high and low-rise structures and a plaza that provided the collective city-like continuousness and gave pedestrians space to acknowledge the skyscrapers. It had thus become the new strategy of the skyscraper, in developing skyscraper cities and they solved the problems posed by zoning regulations (Jordy & William 87). First designed in the year 1927, the Rockefeller Center was proposed as a complex for mixed-use that would contain many retail establishments as well as the Metropolitan Opera. Later on, the Opera owners and planners withdrew their proposal and RCA (Radio Corporation of America) as well as its inexperienced partner NBC (National Broadcasting Company) took up their space. Rockefeller – the owner of the site desired to yield a maximum return on his investment on the slots. He additionally intended to construct something that could serve the people well. Rockefeller was very obsessive about good designs and architecture, and he felt indebted to the citizens of New York to provide quality urban structures. The Rockefeller design is the product of teamwork and partnership between experts, engineers and highly skilled architects in a multiplicity of fields. John Todd, a real estate developer who had managed some other speculative office construction undertakings near Grand Central Terminal, supervised the project. Todds appointment led to the appointment of "Reinhard & Hofmeister" company as site architects because they were extensively experienced in designing economic floor plans. Included in the team was another experienced architect called Harvey W. Corbett. He was intensely drawn to issues of planning the flow of traffic and the general design of the city and had participated in the RPA (Regional Plan Association) application for expanding the urban center around New York. Working alongside him was another experienced architect called Wallace H, who later on collaborated on a number of contemporary structures in New York, including the Lincoln Center and the UN offices. Raymond Hood was also part of that team, having already designed multiple skyscrapers in the past including the iconic Chicago Tribune Tower and the American Radiator Building in 1922 and 1924 respectively. The assembly of the highly experienced architects had established the basic formation of the Rockefeller Center by 1930 (Heckscher 401). Source: Macaulay.cuny.edu The Rockefeller Center was as elegant as it was efficient, with plans and floors designed to optimize rental values. The juxtaposition of windows was vital, as office bearers had insisted ventilation and daylight in their offices. Meticulous planning reduced the spaces between the hallways and the windows. Elevators were installed in the middle of the structure to save on valued floor space within the perimeter. The installed elevators in the building signified lesser banks and, therefore, additional rental spaces. The Centers streamlined contemporary lines characterized the design style that was evident all through the Center. The complexs towers cannot be termed as "Avant Garde" although they are contemporary in their uncomplicatedness. The simplicity was because of expense-reduction than experiments done with regard to architectural designs, but nonetheless, led to a cohesive and restrained complex that is mainly dependent on proportion and massing for effect. The team of architects, nonetheless, did welcome the inclusion of paintings and sculpture to the buildings designed both within and outside the center. For instance, the Art Deco by Lee Lawrie on the Rockefeller Center buildings showed metaphorical statutes of sound and light. Lee Lawrie cooperated with art sculptor R. Chamberlain on the Atlas figure placed in front of the International Building at the Rockefeller Center. Another sculpture was the Prometheus designed by Paul Manship, which was placed at the base of the Center (Cross 23). Diego Rivera created the most famous work of the Rockefeller Center; however, it is non-existent to date as it was destroyed at the time when the Mexican muralist declined to remove his anti-capitalist rants within his images. The Rockefeller Center shines at incorporating the horizontal city with a vertical one. It provides layers of paths circulating the vehicle and pedestrian traffic generated by thousands of clients using the Rockefeller Center Offices. Private streets within the Center go through the larger Manhattan to enable ease circulation of pedestrians within the packed center. In addition, vital to keeping individuals operating is the plazas underground forecourt that joins all the buildings in the center to an underground shopping center, all the way to the subway. The planners of the Rockefeller Center projected a city within a city and the malls in the forecourt denoted that the workers housed in the premises could obtain what they required without going very far. The subway presence was additionally intentional. The Rockefeller Centers transportation committee collaborated with the city planners so that its new 6th Ave subway line could attend to the big numbers of the employees traveling to the Center. An intricate garage network, as well as underground access, ramps houses trucks, enabling consignments without the extra congestion of the Manhattan streets. Conclusion Modern architecture has developed through the years, transforming gradually to what is witnessed today. Towards the end of the 19th Century, American designers combined styles in "assorted" fashion, devoid of such worry for the origins of the styles. New building materials and technologies stimulated this developing experimentation. If the seen emerging architectural designs were contemporary styles, nonetheless, it was surely not "modernism." Skyscrapers first came into the architectural world in the early 19th Century, the first building being only two floors high with modern iron-casting technology to support the erected structures. Skyscraper architecture has transformed the way modern spaces are utilized, combining architectural brilliance to maximize space use in metropolitan areas. The Rockefeller Center is a good example, whose design encompasses some aspects of traditional design with contemporary ideas for maximum space utility. Works Cited Bannister, Turpin C., and Henry-Russell Hitchcock. Architecture: Nineteenth And Twentieth Centuries. College Art Journal 19.2 (1959): 188. Web. Cross, Louise. The Sculpture For Rockefeller Center. Parnassus 4.5 (1932): 1. Web. Heckscher, August. Rockefeller Center. Architecture As Theater Alan Balfour Rockefeller Center Carol Herselle Krinsky. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 38.4 (1979): 400-401. Web. Jordy, William H. American Buildings and Their Architects: The impact of European modernism in the mid-twentieth century. Vol. 5. Oxford University Press, USA, 1986. Kramer, Bruce. Contract Zoning—Old Myths And New Realities. Land Use Law & Zoning Digest 34.8 (1982): 4-10. Web. Macaulay.cuny.edu,. Now: Rockefeller Center | NYC Then/Now: Great Depression & Great Recession. N.p., 2012. Web. 3 Nov. 2015. Mills, T. C., and K. D. Patterson. Modelling the Trend: The Historical Origins of Some Modern Methods and Ideas. Journal of Economic Surveys 29.3 (2014): 527-548. Web. Tatum, George B. Philadelphia Preserved: Catalog Of The Historic American Buildings Survey Richard J. Webster. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 39.1 (1980): 81-82. Web. Read More