Lecture 1: Introduction to 20th Century Architecture

prepared by Wondwossen Mestie

 Introduction to 20th Century Architecture

1.Background
The industrial revolution introduced
Background
new building types & new methods
of construction that allowed for
great feats of cast iron engineering
as the Eiffel Tower, constructed in –The innovation new materials & new methods of
Paris in 1887–1889,and the
Crystal Palace which built for the construction contributed for the birth of new
occasion of The first great
international exposition held in architecture
London in 1851.
The innovation Reinforced
concreted, steel and elevator
contributed for the birth of new
architecture and enabled architects
to build higher .
Modernity (in
t
architecture )originated with the
introduction of new materials and
construction techniques in the
middle of the 19th century.

Eiffel Tower1887–1889, by Gustav Eiffel Crystal Palace1851,by Sir Joseph Paxton, London
Paris ,France
 Introduction to 20th Century Architecture

Modern Architecture
2. Modern Architecture – The buildings and building practices of the late
Generally modern architecture is
the buildings and building practices 19th and the 20th centuries.
of the late 19th and the 20th
centuries. – Encompasses Architects who designed those
The history of modern architecture buildings, Stylistic movements and the technology
encompasses Architects who
designed those buildings, Stylistic
movements and The technology and materials
and materials that made the new
architecture possible. – Originated in the United States and Europe
Modern architecture originated in
the United States tand Europe and
spread from there to the rest of the
– Reaction against historical reference
world.
Modern architects reacted against
–Architecture that expressed the spirit of a new age
the architecture of the 19th
century, which they felt borrowed
too heavily from the past. ( i.e.
eclecticism )
They believed it was necessary to
invent an architecture that
expressed the spirit of a new age.
(the age of machines and new
innovations ).
 Introduction to 20th Century Architecture

2. Modern Architecture
Modern Architecture
– The big three personalities in modern architecture
The big three personalities in
modern architecture
•Le Corbusier or Charles-Edouard
Jeanneret-Gris (1887-1965)Swiss- •Le Corbusier (Swiss -France)
French architect

•Ludwig Mies van Rohe Despite

•Ludwig Mies van Rohe (Germany)
having no architectural training, his
influence can be seen in cities the •Walter Gropius (Germany)
world over. He created an
influential 20th century
architectural style, stated with
extreme clarity and simplicity and a
t
new architectural language that
could be used to represent the
new era of technology and
production.

•Walter Gropius, the leading

designer of the Bauhaus School in
Dessau, helped to bring graphic
design to the forefront of artistic
importance.
 Introduction to 20th Century Architecture

2. Modern Architecture

Modern Architecture
This unifying purpose did not mean – Aesthetics (artistic values) of modern architects
that their buildings would be similar
in appearance, nor that architects
would agree on other issues. differed radically
The aesthetics (artistic values) of
modern architects differed radically –Some of them seek architecture that reflect the
Some believe that architecture perfection and energy of machines
should conveyed the sleekness
and energy of a machine
–Others believe the expression of human emotions
Others architecture t that
expressed, not the rationality of and sprits
the machine, but the mystic
powers of human emotion and
spirit. ( for example expressionist
Architects )
 Introduction to 20th Century Architecture

2. Modern Architecture
Modern Architecture
Modern architects also differed in – Different understanding of historical traditions
their understanding of historical
traditions some abandoned
historical references altogether, among architects
others used careful references to
the past to enhance the modernity –Some abandoned others used careful references to
of their designs

the past
Modern architecture also
challenged traditional ideas about
the types of structures suitable for
–Architects Architecture should fulfill the needs of the
t
architectural design.
society
Modern designers argued that
architects should design all that –New innovation in structural system
was necessary for society, even
the most humble buildings.
 Introduction to 20th Century Architecture

3. Chicago school
Chicago school
Architects who produced the
high-rise buildings of Chicago – A group of architects in Chicago from 1875 to 1925
dating from 1875 to 1925 are
collectively termed the Chicago –Use of minimal exterior ornament and large windows to admit
school.
The chief characteristics of the
maximum light
architecture they created are –Metal frame mostly clad in masonry
use of a steel structural frame,
large windows to admit –For structural honesty (expression of structural base )
maximum light minimal exterior
ornament
–Some use decorative terracotta for expressing scale of the
Innovative as the structure of
these buildings are ,they do not building
necessarily express their metal
frame on the outt side : most
clad in masonry , which gives
the impression that this is the
structural material.
Their facades derived from
classical precedents which how
ever ,offered very few buildings
in which the vertical elements
dominated the horizontal .
Designers solved the problem
in a variety way . The
decorative terracotta on the
reliance building (1845-95)
repeats the same exterior
elevation from the third floor to
the attic storey.
Reliance building (1845-95