Lecture 2_Modern Architecture

7/29/2019 Lecture 2_Modern Architecture

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Lecture 2

M O D E R N A R C H I T E C T U R E (Since 20th

Century)

THE RISE OF MODERN ARCHITECTURE

It was more than sixty years ago that a group of continental architects as Mies, Le Corbusier , Frank

Lloyd Wright made a revolt against the old traditional lines and adopted initially almost a new

revolutionary style in character that is modern architecture.

Architecture in old days was a commodity of the rich and powerful and so it was mainly confined to

the construction of religious buildings, palaces, castles, mansions, monuments and final resting

places. The construction was based on the principle of social pyramid, with small minority of rich,

powerful on top and large majority of common people at its bo ttom. Now the social pyramids peak

has disappeared; at the same time the base has been broadened. The modern architecture since

then has developed to suit the masses. The Modern Movement came into being because a new

spirit of its age required it. It had no influences of geographical, geological, climatic conditions, social

and religious customs. Now nobody desires palaces, castles, mansions etc. but instead we need

mass housing, shopping centres, factories, office buildings, bus-terminals, ail-road sheds, airports

etc.

These types of buildings are now a part of our daily lives. But these did not even exist before 1850.

Indeed, the architects had very hard time for finding the right style for these new fangled

structures.

MODERN MATERIALS AND NEW TECHNIQUES

Never in the history of architecture we have noticed so radical changes as in its construction and

planning. Due to the population explosion, new developments occurred in almost every field of

human endeavour. But these developments were nowhere more wonderful than in the field of

architecture.

Stone, bricks, timber and tiles are of course materials which, from time immemorial, have been

greatly used in the construction of buildings, large or small, single or complex and are still employed

structurally in the traditional way. The wonderful modern architecture considerably improved and

superceded all the old styles in variety and design with the invention of new techniques.


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Steel became the most suitable structural material for framing of huge cellular buildings. It also

helped to produce greater uninterrupted spans over openings. In the beginning the steel was used

as truss-members but soon the age old method was given up. The new technology helped to use it

over great halls in unified frames composed of three dimensions. Steel members rolled in variety of

shapes such as plates, angles, I-beams, etc. are joined, riveted and even welded. This resulted into

rigid continuous structures thus producing a fundamental change in architectural design.

The use of reinforced cement concrete has produced distinctly new breed of buildings such as sky

scrapers. Massive stone walls are now replaced by thin R.C.C. curtain walls thus producing large

interior spaces. Roofs have taken wide range of shapes from flat to barrel vaults, to shell roof;

hemispherical domes to hyperbolic paraboloid domes.

Prestressed concrete has helped beyond imagination in the construction of bridges and hangers of

Air Ships etc. Glass transparent to ultra violet (for growth) rays but opaque to infra-red (heat) rays

are extensively used instead of shades, blinds and curtains. Sheets of one way glass are largely

employed in windows.

Lamination, consisting of glued layers of wood, has helped to form beams and arches to cover a

large span than the natural wood. Plywood and other thin boards enable us to cover large surfaces

without extensive frame-work. Plastics are available in wide range of beautiful colours. They are

almost all-proof and available in the form of sheets, rod, rolls and pipes.

THE GREAT ARCHITECTS OF MODERN AGE

The crucial principles of 20th

century architecture were laid down by three masters; Mies van der

Rohe, Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright. But these three did not do it alone. Indeed there were

many other exponents of modern architecture but these three appear to be more significant than

their contemporaries because they were greater as artists.

Among the pioneer architects Louis Sullivan (1856-1924) was unique as

a leading exponent of Romantic movement called Art Nouveau, which

began in 1880. He was a notable designer of commercial buildings. The

Walker House he constructed at Chicago-Illinois in 1888-89 is a

standing masterpiece of the pioneer phase of modern architecture; he

stretched the arches up to the attic floor to increase its aesthetic

appeal. Fig.1. Walker Warehouse


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The first sky scraper he built is Wain Wright Building at Missouri in 1890-91 (Fig.2.). It is a ten-

storeyed steel framed building which provided a better solution for the elevation of the sky-scraper.

Fig.2. Wain Wright Building at Missouri (1890-91)

His other similar 13-storeyed sky-scraper is the Guaranty Building-Buffalo, N.Y., built in 1895 (Fig.3).

The Department Store-Chicago, Illinois, built in 1899 was originally 19 storeyed high. Its ground and

first floors have metal friezes beautifully decorated. His other noteworthy creation is the National

Farmers Bank-Owatonna-Minnesota (1907-08) which is characterised by the bold and powerful

decorate details

Fig.3 Guaranty Building-Buffalo, N.Y. (1895) Fig.4 Pirie and Scott Department Store, Chicago


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Fig.5 National Farmers Bank-Owatonna-Minnesota

(1907-08)

Washington Roebling built Brooklyn Bridge (Fig.6), the unique suspension bridge, which was the

tallest structure in New York in 1883. It was designed by his father John Roebling.

Fig.6 Brooklyn Bridge, New York

The Eiffel Tower (Fig.7), 300m high built for the French exhibition of 1889, became the landmark of

modern Paris. Joseph Paxton, a landscape designer, constructed Crystal Palace at London in 1851

(Fig.8). The huge exhibition hall of iron and glass providing indeterminate space became typical of

modern architecture.

Fig.7 Eiffel Tower, Paris (1889) Fig.8. Crystal Palace, London (1851)


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Peter Behrens (1868-1938) made substantial change in industrial design by geometrical forms in

architecture and function. He designed and constructed A.E.G. Turbine Factory Berlin in 1909 (Fig.9).

Here he combined the scaled geometry of romantic classic form with machined materials.

Fig.9. A.E.G. Turbine Factory Berlin in 1909

WALTER GROPIUS:

Walter Gropius (1883-1969), a student of Behrens and a refugee from Nazism came to Harvard

University in about 1937. His Fagus Factory-Leine (Fig.10), Germany constructed in 1910-14 is a

prototype of modern architecture. The free standing glass sheets design is unique in many ways. He

also built a Model Factory-Werkbund Exhibition at Cologne in 1914. In 1925, he went to Dessau

where he formed the Bauhaus the notable architecture school, consisting of studios, assemblyhalls, workshops etc. His book The New Architecture and the Bauhaus 1935 made a wide influence

on architectural development.

Fig.10.

Fagus Factory, Alfred-an-der-leine, near Dresdon,

Germany, by Walter Gropius, built in 1911. This

factory for making shoelaces was modelled after the

industrial architecture of Buffalo, New York. It had a

steel frame and the walls of the section were glass

curtains (not load-bearing).

During this time, R.C.C. was used largely in all the structures, after finding its further potentialities.

MaxBerg (1870) constructed a most daring structure The Centennial Hall at Berslan in 1913. The

glazed dome over it in R.C.C. is nearly 65m in diameter. It is a marvellous structure in RC.C. with its

arches looming above in twisted curve.


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Eugene Freyssinet (1879-1962) another engineer used

concrete very economically for the construction of the

parabolic-vaulted Airship Hangar at Orly near Paris in 1961

(Fig.11). It was destroyed in the Second World War.

Fig.11. Airship Hangar at Orly (1961)

Another Swiss Engineer Robert Maillart (1872-1940)

used new innovations for the construction of the

Salginatobel Bridge in 1929-30 (Fig.12.) where he

employed flat-slab method. Here the curved slab

supports a flat one. The bridge has elegance and

beauty. It laid the foundation for bridge-architecture.

Fig.12. Salginatobel Bridge (1929-30)

MIES VAN DER ROHE:

Another notable architect after the First World War was Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969). He

was a native of German Rhineland but later became a citizen of the U.S. He was also a pupil of

Behrens. He became the director of Bauhaus in 1930. He constructed a number of projects during

his 30 years practice in Europe. He came to the U.S. in 1930 to escape Nazi oppression. He was then

nearly 50 when he started his career in U.S. He went to Chicago where he headed the Illinois School

of Technology. There he saw the early Chicago sky-scrapers built in 1880-1890 which made him

instantly aware of the technologically advanced prefabricated systems of U.S. But they were modest

in height, rarely over 14-storeyed high. He also noticed their crudity, ill-proportioned frames and

windows. These early steel-skeleton sky-scrapers inevitably appealed to him who has characterised

his architectural ideal as almost nothing-beinahe nichts.

The sky-scrapers he built are tall elevator buildings over 30-40 storeyed high, completely supported

by the skeletal framing of veined metal sheathed with pristine glass to coax as much light as

possible. The interior accommodation is provided by freely displayed light partitions connected with

inner pillars of structural frame. His building came to be known as Miesian. It is sure to govern the


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shape of our buildings for many years to come. From United States his style spread throughout the

world and it has now become almost international style. In German mies means poor or bad.

Hence he added the noble van der Rohe from his mothers maiden name. When his quality of

construction was internationally recognised, the same name mies ironically enough became

synonymous for precision, refinement and elegance.

His almost nothing is a trap for the simple-minded. By this he meant that architecture develops so

intimately from its structure as to seem its inevitable consequences, and it became the starting

point of architectural aesthetic. He further extended his ideal with his well-known aphorisin less is

more. As per his opinion, less became more when one experiences the building as an intensely

beautiful thing in itself.

The early sky-scrapers had been sheathed in some fireproofing materials like terra-cotta as such

their structural skeleton was out of view. Mies made it visual by attaching steel sections outside the

fire proofing. In his Lakeshore Apartment (Fig.13), built in 1951 at Chicago Illinois, he exposed the

columns on the exterior and welded vertical metal I-beams to the frames, forward of columns and

mullions alike.

In Seagram Building, the 40 storeyed structure he built in New York (1956-58), the vertical I-beams

dominate the exterior. He not only used the I-beams structurally but also visually and in this process

he made his buildings symbolic. Structurally the I-beams provided enframement for the windows.

Visually they provided the architectural scale by continuing beyond each window unit, and also as

sculptural element for otherwise plain elevation. Symbolically they provide basic shape for metal

framing, creating similarity to classical pilasters of renaissance building.

Fig.13. Lakeshore Apartment, Chicago Illinois Fig.14. Seagram Building, NYC (1956-58)


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Thus Mies made profound efforts in bringing the frame to the surface by skilfully arranging the

prefabricated parts by most advanced technology so that what had been raw became beautiful as

well as symbolic. He thus ingeniously converted the skyscraper into sculptural architecture. By the

excellence of the plans and execution, his buildings went beyond the merely utilitarian and

functionalism. God is in the detail Mies once said, while explaining the philosophy behind his

designing. Through super detailing and articulating the structural system, Mies created a language

and vocabulary of architecture. He is therefore rightly known as an architects architect.

Following are a few of his outstanding buildings:

1. Model of Glass Sky-scraper (20 storeyed)-Berlin, Germany (1920-21)2. German Pavillion-International Exhibition-Barcelona, Spain (1929) [Now torn down].3. Tugendhat House, Brno, Czechoslovakia (1930).4. Illinois Institute of Technology (1940), Illinois.5. Fransworth House, Plano-Illinois (1945-1950); Fig.15

Fig.15. Mies van der Rohe, Fransworth House,

Plano-Illinois, 1950. It is essentially a single glass box

supported in a steel frame clear of ground. Thewhite painted structure is defined against the

foliage background which changes with the seasons.

It offered new possibility in domestic design. It

seems to float like a space ship.

LE CORBUSIER :

The other contemporary giant in the field of architecture was Charles-Edouard Jeanneret better

known as Le Corbusier (1887-1965). He was a native of Switzerland who later became a native of

France. He was a man of many virtues, a master artist, painter, sculptor, architect as well as town

planner. His book Vers une Architecture 1923 (English translation by Frederick Etchells - Towards

a New Architecture London 1927) has wide international influence. His buildings were more

totally active, unifying this action through monumental forms, structurally massive and solids. He

believed that the building should be built with the utmost care and the same precision as for

manufacturing a machine. He explained that the house should be lifted on pillars (pilotis) so that it


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will make the ground used for parking of cars; that the roofs should be flat so as to use it for outdoor

living or for roof garden; that the interior accommodation should be provided freely.

His principles of design can be exemplified in his three buildings. One Villa Savoye, Poissy (Fig.16),

France (1929-32), Second, the Citrohan House Struttagard, (1927) placed on pilotis-pillars to make it

stand up and the third one, the Swiss Dormitory Paris (1930-32) placed on only one pilotis or pillar

joining two opposites. His skyscraper, the Unite dhabitation at Marseilles (1946-52) [Fig.17]

emphasises the importance of community living.

Fig.16. Villa Savoye, Poissy, France (1929-32) Fig.17. Unite dhabitation at Marseilles (1946-52)

Villa Savoye, Poissy, France; built by Le Corbusier from 1929 to 1932. This house remains a

masterpiece of the early modern movement. The pilotis (stilts) that support the main floor free the

ground for multiple uses. Such supports continue above, behind the screen wall, and make possible

a flexible plan. The outer shell of the house encloses a court open to sky; the rooftop can be used for

outdoor living.

From house construction Le Corbusier went on to construct all types of buildings and town-planning

schemes. As per his principles of town planning, the core of the city should be decongested

controlling the density of population, have facilities for rapid transportation and have provision of

plenty of open spaces.

He is the brain behind the planning of Chandigarh

(Fig.18), once the Capital of Punjab (1957). It is now a

Union Territory under the administration of Union

Government. The vast plaza formed by the buildings

of Capital complex is set against the backdrop of the

Himalayas. With its sector planning scientifically

designed 7 types of roads (7Vs); harmonious grouping


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of capitol complex consisting of High Court, Assembly House, Secretariat, Raj Bhawan with their

monumental character, industrial buildings in the southern sector but segregated from residential

sector by a wide green belt commercial and civic buildings in the central sector with recreation open

spaces all round; a wide avenue leading to the capital, Chandigarh, makes a history in town-

planning.

His other outstanding works include:

1. Ozenfant House, Paris (1922)2. Villa Les Terraces at Garches near Paris (1962-27)3. Union of the Cooperatives, Moscow (1928-29)4. United Habitation, Marceilles (1946-52)5. The United Nations Headquarters N.Y. USA (1947-50)6. Notre Dame du haut, Ronchamp, France (1951-55)7. Monastery of La Tourette, Eveux (1956-60)8. The Carpenter Centre, Harvard University (1963)

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT:

Another notable example among the pioneers was Frank Lloyd right (1867-1959). He was a pupil of

Sullivan and designed some of Sullivans houses in his office. He was an American from the Welshancestry. When the young architects were turning back to the organic architecture of Le Corbusier,

which was more intellectual, Wright had his own romantic conception which was, an architecture of

structure based on location and function. The creation of 20th

century American House was his

greatest achievement. These single storeyed, low-lying, informal buildings seems to match the

horizontal extension of the prairies in which they were set came to be known as prairie style

houses. They have high strips of horizontal glass windows, wide porches ad balconies. Its open floor

plan bringing all the rooms of the house together in an unobstructed circulation and privacy became

distinct creation of Wright, becoming more popular in U.S. and abroad.

Wrights early houses were constructed at Chicago. Materials such as stained wood, brick, plaster,

stucco and glass were used for his early houses such as Robie House (Fig.19), Coonley House (1908-

09); Fig.20. These were followed by concrete block houses such as Millard, Ennis and Barnsdall

Houses at Los Angeles, California (1920). But for all the houses, the general layout was unified in

design and immensely liveable and was very suitable for easy living. It had a continuous flow of


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space-the open plan with plasticity. But in this development Wright overlooked the necessity of

privacy.

Fig.19. Robie House Fig, 20. Coonley House (1908-09

His Imperial Hotel, Tokyo (Fig.21) and the Midway Gardens (Fig.22), an open air restaurant built in

Chicago in 1914 show the eye-catching decorative work and spatial magnificence that a talented

architect could design.

Fig.21. His Imperial Hotel, Tokyo Fig.22. Midway Gardens, Chicago

The building as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum of Arts on New Yorks Fifth Avenue (1959)shows vivid forms such as circular, curved, elliptical, oval and even spiral (Fig.23).

Fig.23.


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His Falling Water (Fig.24) built for the Pittsburge millionaire Edgar J. Kaufmann in Bear Run, near

Connellsville, Pennsylvania (1936-37) is world famous building which is dramatically cantilevered on

a natural waterfall and superbly integrated with the artfully manipulated natural setting. This at last,

was the organic architecture he had sought. Its great cantilevered balconies seem to float above the

head of the water fall.

Fig.24. Falling Water near Connellsville, Pennsylvania (1936-37)

His other notable buildings are:

1. Ward Willitts House, High Land Park-Illinois (1900-02)2.

Larkin Building and D.D. Mortin House Buffalo, N.Y. (1904)

3. City National Bank, Mason City, Iowa (1909)4. Taliesin Wax, Phonix Arizona (1938-39)5. Johnson Wax Building, Racine, Wisconsin (1936-39)6. Morris Gift Shop, San Francisco, California (1948)7. Johnson Research Tower, Wisconsin

Frank Lloyd Wright died in1959 just short of his 90th

birthday. During his lifetime he designed as

many as 700 buildings of outstanding merit and his fame had spread worldwide. He was considered

as second Michelangelo of Modern Architecture.

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Lecture 2_Modern Architecture

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