Architecture: The International Style
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The International Style of architecture, which became the predominant form of commercial and public buildings all over the world in the 1950s and 1960s, was first conceived in Germany during the 1920s. Its most characteristic expression appeared in buildings both of the Staatliche Bauhaus in Dessau (1926) by Walter Gropius and of the Weissenhof Housing Exhibition of the Deutscher Werkbund in Stuttgart (1927) by a group of architects under the leadership of Ludwig Mies Vab Der Rohe. The theories that informed the style were published by Walter Gropius in Internationale Architecktur (International Architecture, 1925), by Ludwig Hilberseimer in Internationale neue Baukunst (New International Architecture, 1927), and in 1932 by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson in The International Style in conjunction with an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
The influential characteristics of the International Style include asymmetrical composition, cubic interior spaces, steel girder and concrete construction, smooth exterior surfaces, and avoidance of applied ornament. Flat roofs and large glass windows arranged in horizontal bands are also preferred. For its originators, the style heralded the advent of a new social order, in which work and leisure could take place in well-lit, uncluttered surroundings. The work of Le Corbusier in France and of Alvar Aalto in Finland also played an important role in forming the style, which is now a commonplace of urban architecture.
The Villa Savoye is considered by many to be the seminal work of the Swiss architect Le Corbusier. Situated at Poissy, outside of Paris, it is an iconic architectural example of early modernism, the so-called International Style. Construction was completed circa 1929 but fell into disrepair during World War II. It has since been fully restored and is open for viewing.
The Villa Savoye house addressed "The Five Points" – Le Corbusier's basic tenets of a new aesthetic of architecture:
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The International Style of architecture, which became the predominant form of commercial and public buildings all over the world in the 1950s and 1960s, was first conceived in Germany during the 1920s. Its most characteristic expression appeared in buildings both of the Staatliche Bauhaus in Dessau (1926) by Walter Gropius and of the Weissenhof Housing Exhibition of the Deutscher Werkbund in Stuttgart (1927) by a group of architects under the leadership of Ludwig Mies Vab Der Rohe. The theories that informed the style were published by Walter Gropius in Internationale Architecktur (International Architecture, 1925), by Ludwig Hilberseimer in Internationale neue Baukunst (New International Architecture, 1927), and in 1932 by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson in The International Style in conjunction with an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
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The Villa Savoye is considered by many to be the seminal work of the Swiss architect Le Corbusier. Situated at Poissy, outside of Paris, it is an iconic architectural example of early modernism, the so-called International Style. Construction was completed circa 1929 but fell into disrepair during World War II. It has since been fully restored and is open for viewing.
The Villa Savoye house addressed "The Five Points" – Le Corbusier's basic tenets of a new aesthetic of architecture:
- The pilotis, or ground-level supporting columns, elevating the building.
- A flat roof terrace reclaims the area of the building site for domestic purposes, including a garden area.
- The free plan, made possible by the elimination of load-bearing walls.
- Horizontal windows provide even illumination and ventilation.
- The freely-designed facade, unconstrained by load-bearing considerations, consists of a thin skin of wall and windows.
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Bauhaus: The Persistence Of Design
Le Corbusier: Promoter Of The Modern Age
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Tuesday, February 09, 2010 11:09 AM
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