Architecture-Building & Construction

Architectural Approach & Design Theories

Our beliefs shape the way we build. Explore a variety of philosophical approaches to building design. From ancient Eastern philosophies like Feng Shui to modernism and Bauhaus, these ideas offer much insight into the world's great architecture.

Considerations are:

Modern Architecture What is modernism?

Modernist architecture emphasizes function. It attempts to provide for specific needs rather than imitate nature. The roots of Modernism may be found in the work of architects believed in applying scientific, analytical methods to design. Modernism in architecture depends on the first impression of a building towards futuristic looks.

Bauhaus Architecture What is Bauhaus Architecture?

Bauhaus is a German expression meaning "house for building." Architect Walter Gropius was appointed to head a new institution that would help rebuild the country and form a new social order. Called the Bauhaus, the Institution called for a new "rational" social housing for the workers. Bauhaus architects rejected "bourgeois" details such as cornices, eaves and decorative details. They wanted to use principles of Classical architecture in their most pure form: without ornamentation of any kind.
Bauhaus buildings have flat roofs, smooth façades and cubic shapes. Colors are white, gray, beige or black. Floor plans are open and furniture is functional.

Bauhaus International Style

The Bauhaus school disbanded when the Nazis rose to power. Walter Gropius, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and other Bauhaus leaders migrated to the United States. The term International Style was applied to the American form of Bauhaus architecture. The name came from the book The International Style by historian and critic Henry-Russell Hitchcock and architect Philip Johnson. The book was published in 1932 in conjunction with an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The term is again used in a later book International Architecture by Walter Gropius.
While Bauhaus architecture had been concerned with the social aspects of design, America's International Style became a symbolism of Capitalism: It is the favored architecture for office buildings, and is also found in upscale homes built for the rich. One of the most famous examples of the style is the glass and bronze Seagram Building in New York, designed by Mies van der Rohe with Philip Johnson.

What is Structuralism in Architecture?

Structuralism may be considered as a basic lentil and beam architecture which is the main design consideration is the strength of the structure. Structuralist architects view design as a process of searching for basic, underlying structures. Within a highly structured or ordered framework, Structuralists often attempt to instill innovation and complexity. They may view Modernist architecture as poorly defined and unlivable.

What is Deconstructivism in Architecture?

Deconstructivism, or Deconstruction, is an approach to building design which attempts to view architecture in bits and pieces. The basic elements of architecture are dismantled. Deconstructivist buildings may seem to have no visual logic: They may appear to be made up of unrelated, disharmonious abstract forms. Deconstructivism ideas are borrowed from the French philosopher Jacques Derrida.

What is Formalism in Architecture?

Formalism emphasizes highly structured visual relationships rather than subject matter, symbolism, theme or ornamentation. For examples for formalism in architecture

posted by Ronald @ 2:53 AM