Knowra Modern architecture Modern architecture Modern architecture is a movement that rejected historical styles in favor of functional design, new materials, simplified forms, and buildings suited to modern life.
Functionalism : An architectural principle that makes a building’s form and organization serve its intended use. Modern architects treated practical purpose as a basis for design rather than copying historical forms.
Le Corbusier : A Swiss-French architect and theorist who promoted modern urban planning and architecture. His writings and buildings gave the movement widely adopted design principles.
Villa Savoye : A house near Paris designed by Le Corbusier and completed in 1931. Its pilotis, roof garden, free plan, and ribbon windows embody Le Corbusier’s modern design system.
Beaux-Arts architecture : An academic architectural tradition emphasizing symmetry, hierarchy, and classical ornament. Its historical vocabulary represents the kind of design modernists sought to move beyond.
Modernist urban planning : Urban planning influenced by modernist ideas of functional zoning, circulation, and large-scale redevelopment. Modern architectural principles extended from individual buildings to entire cities.
Form follows function : A design principle stating that a structure’s shape should express or follow its purpose. This maxim captures the movement’s rejection of ornament unrelated to a building’s use.
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe : A German-American architect known for spare structures, open plans, and the phrase “less is more.” His work made structural clarity and material restraint central modern ideals.
Bauhaus building : The school building in Dessau designed by Walter Gropius and opened in 1926. Its glass curtain wall and asymmetrical composition made the school’s modern program visible.
Art Deco : A decorative design movement known for geometric ornament and luxurious materials, prominent in the 1920s and 1930s. It shared modern materials and dates with modernism but retained conspicuous ornament.
Public housing : Housing provided or supported by government agencies for people who need affordable accommodation. Modern design and construction methods shaped many large postwar housing programs.
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