Styles of Architecture PDF

# **Styles of Architecture** ## **Facist Architecture** - **Definition:** Facist is a totalitarian political system in which the government has absolute control over all aspects of life. - **Origin:** Facism emerged in the beginning of the 20th century, starting in Italy. - **Key Characteristics...

# **Styles of Architecture** ## **Facist Architecture** - **Definition:** Facist is a totalitarian political system in which the government has absolute control over all aspects of life. - **Origin:** Facism emerged in the beginning of the 20th century, starting in Italy. - **Key Characteristics:** - **Propaganda and Suppression of Opposition:** Emphasizes the use of propaganda and suppresses any opposition. - **Nationalist Slogans and Glorification of Leader and Military:** Relies on nationalist slogans and glorifies the leader and the military. - **Devastating Consequences:** Led to wars and conflicts, like World War II, with devastating consequences for humanity. - **Domination and Authoritarianism:** Characterized by the use of massive and imposing structures, reflecting the strength and dominance of the state. - **Simplicity and Decoration:** Features simple and clear decoration, focusing on clean geometric shapes and classic details. - **Unification and Collectivism:** Aims to unify the community through large public spaces, encouraging public gatherings. ### **The Facist Coliseum** - Inspired by the Roman Coliseum, the square coliseum was intended as a celebration of the ancient monument. - Similar to the Coliseum, it features a series of superimposed terraces that appear on the facade as 6 rows of 9 arches each. - The number of arches changed several times during the design process. It was originally intended to be 8 rows of 13 arches. ### **Connection to History** - Inspired by ancient Roman architecture to reinforce the idea of historical greatness and national identity. - Used classic elements to show strength. ## **International Style** - **Definition:** Architecture Style International is an architectural style that dominated the buildings of the 1920s and 1930s. It was characterized by its lack of regional characteristics. - **Focuses on:** - **Functionality:** Emphasizes functionality, rejecting decorative elements and often using a practical style. - **Lack of Decorative Elements:** Features buildings and architects in the period that formed modernity, before World War II. ### **Origin** - The term usually refers to buildings and architects during the period forming modernism before World War II. - It originated from the name of a book by the author Henry-Russell Hitchcock and architect Philip Johnson that documented the International Exhibition of Modern Architecture at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City in 1932. - Popular in multiple parts of the world during the same time period, the International Style reflected the globalization of the era. ### **Characteristics:** - **Focus on Volume:** Focuses on the use of volumes rather than blocks, with an emphasis on simplified surfaces. - **Regularity:** Emphasizes the regularity of composition rather than central symmetry. - **Avoids Decoration:** Rejects ornamentation and focuses on the architectural composition. ## **Functionalism Architecture** ### **Overview** - **Definition:** Functionalism is an architectural movement that emerged in the early 20th century. - **Focuses on:** Emphasizes designing buildings in a way that aligns their form with their function. - **Origin:** The school of functionalism was primarily influenced by the "form follows function" principle proposed by architect Louis Sullivan. - **Materials:** Functionalism developed in the context of industrial movements. It widely used materials like steel and glass to enhance efficiency. ### **Influential Architectural Movements:** - **Modernism:** Focused on simple designs with little decoration. - **Constructivism:** Used industrial designs explicitly. - **Bauhaus:** Encouraged blending functional aesthetics with modern technologies. ### **Pioneers of Functionalism** - **Le Corbusier:** Known for his motto, "A house is a machine for living." - **Walter Gropius:** Founder of the German Bauhaus school that adopted principles of functionalism. - **Adolf Loos:** Advocated for the reduction of ornamentation and a focus on practical use of buildings. ## **Bauhaus Architecture** - **Definition:** The word "Bauhaus" is a German word that literally translates to "House of Construction." - **Origin:** "Bauhaus" referred to a German art school that aimed to fuse craft and fine art. It was established in 1919 in Weimar. - **Influence:** The Bauhaus is one of the most influential design movements in modern architecture. It moved to Dessau in 1925 and then to Berlin in 1933. It was closed by the Nazi regime in 1933. ### **Principles of Bauhaus Architecture:** - **Rejection of Excessive Decoration:** It emphasizes the use of primary colors (red, blue, and yellow) and shades of black and white. - **Focus on Basic Geometrical Shapes:** Favors the use of basic geometric shapes (circle, square, triangle). - **Use of Lines:** Emphasizes the use of lines and rejects central symmetry in facades. - **Open-Ended Creativity:** Did not have a particular style but rather served as an avenue for open creativity. ## Russian Constructivism - **Flourished in Russia in the early 20th century.** ### **Characteristics** - **Curved Lines and Surfaces:** Uses curved lines and surfaces as primary elements of design. - **Free Spatial Compositions:** Features free spatial compositions. - **Symbolism in Buildings:** Employs symbolism in buildings. - **Dynamic Forms:** Features dynamic forms using continuous curved lines. ### **Tatlin's Tower** - **Definition:** A symbolic monument for global communism. - **Features:** Included offices, a telegraph office, restaurants, and meeting rooms. - **Implementation:** Not fully implemented.