Modernism vs Neo-Traditionalism: A debate on the merits and failures of two major competing paradigms in architecture and urban planning.
Beyond the term modernism underlies one of the greatest ideas in architectural development. Modernism was meant to provide more green areas, cheaper housing and more efficient use of space. This was to be accomplished by creating vertically dense spaces with the use of the new inventions of the nineteenth century, such as steel, glass, electricity and elevators. By decreasing costs of building, modernists hoped to provide cheaper housing, affordable to almost anybody. The modernist movement was also promising to meet the growing demand for office spaces, hence the motto
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“Form follows function”, said Sullivan, one of the founding fathers of modernism. As a response to mechanization and industrialization, modernism was extremely beneficial to companies that needed office space. To have a skyscraper built was a great investment on the company’s side, not only did it provide the necessary office space, it also allowed to lease the remaining offices to other companies, thus making a profit. Modernism also appealed to the general population since the rise in birth rates provided a greater demand for housing. Many argued that same modular spaces would promote equality among its inhabitants. Modernism also promised to create more public spaces with green areas and waterworks by the virtue of vertical density. Supposedly, there would be more space.
Not to forget, the building and maintenance costs of a modernist building were significantly less than that of a traditional one.
However, nor Federal Plaza, a textbook modernist landscape, nor housing projects seem to have public spaces around them. Modernism was applied selectively, leaving out perhaps one of its most important functions. And although Mies van der Rohe did say the less is more in terms of ornamentation, there do not seem to be any sources that argue that modernist buildings have to be so redundant. There’s no reason that modernist architecture and can not have some
Though the start of the modernisation may trace back to the beginning of Industrial Revolution. “Modernism in the design world did not exist in a fully developed form, until well after First World War.” (Wilk, 2006) Causing the great loss of lives and other countless damage to the world, it reshaped many people’s way of thinking the world. With the inspiration of early avant-garde movement, the modernism began to emerge advocating an utopian future and shared certain core principles by various styles of modernists: rejecting the past and applied ornament; forms follow function, a preference for
The Modernist approach is depicted in this photo in ways that is so visible that one can be certain that the city is moving into an age of complete; dominance of modernistic ideas and complete gentrification. “Modernist believe that the truth is out there and we shall find it (Ferguson, 2016, P.16)”. The image is uncompromising as it depicts two building one being higher than the other; which could arguably mean two different structures of beliefs in society; and the centre where the meet at one point or one central view, which at the lower point shaped as a circular dish. “Through History Modernism is seen as a bounce from a complete Judeo-Christianism era to one of more enlightenment; the belief in reason/ logic, science, technology, capitalism and progress (Ferguson, 2016)”. Meaning we no longer believe in superstition or religious notion but we are able to find the truth our self through discovering the world around us and coming to a complete understanding through reasoning and our own logic rather than religious beliefs and notions. “As explained Modernism is centred on Truth, finding a precise answer, certainty, measurability, linery, reality ‘the bottom line’
Modernist architecture applies to a group of styles that emerged early in the 20th century and continued as a dominant architectural style well into the 1960s.
In the public square north of Wellington Street one is enclosed by 4 towers. Two are Miesian creations while the other two are the most faithful reproductions by Bregman and Hammond. The four stylistically identical towers have a synergic effect on one another. The repetition which is obvious in their façades extends into the cityscape. While there are hundreds of international styles towers spread throughout the world this is the only place where one is encircled by 4 Miesian towers. The repetition seems to affect everything in the street. Traffic seems more regular, the trees seem to conform to a hidden order related to the buildings, and everything around seems in perfect sync. It briefly feels like a perfect modernist utopia before being pulled back into reality by the acoustic cacophony of city life. This unique feature of the TD Centre is something refreshing which transports the viewer to the dreams of the modernists: Mies’ glass towers or Corb’s City of Three Million. Walking through the complex this feeling persists. The views towards the towers from within the Banking Pavilion can pretty much serve as frames for the architectural movement that is modernism. This initial feeling is only reinforced by delving deeper into the specific buildings.
Focusing on the landscape architecture in Modernism, the design has evolved from a very long history. Back to the
Although, most post-modernist architects had been associated with modern architects in terms of training during the twentieth century, they refused most their teachers ideas. In addition, today's architects cannot deny the modern architecture ways of designing any building. Their design, for instance, has many philosophical meaning such as constructional, environmental, sociological, commercial and metaphorical meaning.
The Modernist theme I had choose is ‘Form Follows Function’. Form follows purpose, use is a sense of right connected with modernist buildings and structure design and to do with industry design in the 20th hundred. The general rule is that the form of a building or purpose should be primarily based upon its person one is going to be married to group event or purpose.
To fully appreciate the differences and similarities between Postmodernism and Modernism, it is required to understand exactly what they are. Modernism is the term we give to the accumulated creations and activities of designers in the early 20th century, who had the theory that traditional forms of literature, religion, social organization, and most of all, art and architecture, had become outdated in the new social, political, and economic environment of a fully industrialised world. One of the main characteristics of Modernism is self-consciousness, which typically caused exstensive experimentations of form and function. The creative process of generating work was also explored, forming new techniques in design. Modernism rejected all ideology of realism and prefers to reference and parody works of the past. Postmodernism, on the other hand, is a radical rejection of Modernist design. Taking place in the late 20th century, it is a movement in art, criticism, and architecture that disputes the majority of modernist tendencies. The Postmodernist analysis of society and culture lead to the expansion of critical theory and advanced the works of architecture, literature, and design. This entire re-evaluation of the western value system of popular culture, love, marriage, economy, that took place from the 1950s and 60s, leading to the peak of the Social Revolution in 1968, is commonly referred as Postmodernity which influenced postmodern thought, as opposed to the term
Modernism is the term of deviating from the norm. In the early 1900s, modernism influenced women’s role in society by providing more opportunities, jobs, and role models for girls today, in society.
The term modernism was first invented on the beginning of the 20th century, and it had some important artistic and philosophical movements, including symbolism, futurism, surrealism, expressionism or dada, which were fundamental in art, architecture, photography, music and literature. During the time of modernism people accepted new ways and new points of view, what often lead to attempts of cutting off the traditional ways. According to Charles Harrison, the idea of modernism “Refers to a range of technological, economic and political processes associated with the industrial revolution and its aftermath”. (Harrison, 1997, p.6).
Post modernity or post modernism as coined during the counter culture era of the 1960s and 70s has been highly contestant, ever since it was first used describe the death of modern architecture and art during the same period. It is this debate of being in a state of modernity or post modernity that will lead me to describe the shifts in cultural, economic and political views and values that demonstrates a shift in values from modern to post modern views sociy. This shift to post modernity has been highly influenced through the works of postmodern artists and architects and academics such as Focult (Venn, C., & Featherstone, M. 2006), Burroughs, Barthelme, Rauschenberg and Cage (Clarke, S. 2006), who all describe modernity being an exhausted idea, due to the shift of values changing society to a period of post modernity.
Modernism described as movement in arts would best be described as a movement that was used to unit America after a period of crisis, it did this by it being centered on explorations into the spiritual nature of men and the value of his society and institutions. In a way it was like realism they too focused on the changes on society. The modernistic writers always wrote in a very formal defined form.
Finally, “modernism” is predominantly a term referring to a cultural movement. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries it was a cultural celebration of the notion of progress. People were rejecting the superficial, material excess and looking down inside themselves. This rejection of the material excess is embodied by many of the authors and artists of the time. For instance, the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen’s character of Nora in his play A Doll’s House is the perfect example. Nora’s rejection and leaving of her loveless and oppressive marriage shows the shrugging off of the will of the society in exchange for one’s own happiness. Another
There is no consensus among Architectural Scholars about an exact and comprehensive definition of the term Modern Architecture also referred to as Modernist Movement. With some Authors Modern Movement is considered to mean social and aesthetic innovation using state-of-the-art technology and rejecting the values of continuity and traditions or rather to shape the present and the now.
The Modernist theme I had choose is ‘Form Follows Function’. Form follows purpose, use is a sense of right connected with modernist buildings and structure design and to do with industry design in the 20th hundred. The general rule is that the form of a building or purpose should be primarily based upon its person one is going to be married to group event or purpose.