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Architectural Concepts and
Movements
Architecture Vocabularies
Linear Perspective
Brunelleschi became famous not only for his buildings, but also for his discovery of linear perspective. From the beginning of the 14th century, Italian artists showed increasing interest in the realistic representation of the visible world, and thanks to Brunelleschi's discovery, they were finally able to do that.
Rationalism
Rationalism is a philosophy that underlies an architectural movement in the beginning of the 12th century and is characterized by the search for a rational solution for architecture. This not only looks at a rational solution for the function, but also political, philosophical, economic, and symbolic aspects.
Counter Reformation
The Counter Reformation was a response by the Catholic Church to the Protestant Reformation. On one hand, the Catholic Church learned from the Reformation that changes had to come, and on the other hand, they had to counterbalance the increasing Protestantism. The purpose of this Counter- Reformation was to reform believers within the Catholic Church.
Renaissance Architecture
A characteristic of Renaissance architecture is building with proportions. The style of building is much more massive than that of the Gothic. People also build horizontally rather than vertically during this time. The horizontal direction is often emphasized by the use of decorative trims, while the vertical direction is emphasized by columns or pilasters, which look much brighter than, for example, such decorative trims.
Historicism
Historicism is a movement from the 19th century where one existing style from the time of the antiques up to and including Rococo is used in a design. This created a style where pluralism and there was also copied diligently. This movement was parallel to eclecticism, in which several styles were integrated into one design.
Romanticism
Romanticism is a cultural-historical period that is characterized by the interest of the individual and his emotional experience. Resistance to the Enlightenment and the rise of industry played a major role in this. One flees from reality and appreciates the landscape, the emotion, and religious experiences. The creative artist was appreciated rather than the realistic artist.
Painterly Style
Wölfflin developed the concept of the picturesque style in the time of the Baroque, which stated that art always had the function of animating people. This picturesque style contrasted with the linear style, with each volume clearly defined by lines. Pictures are characterized by fusion of volumes, shadows, and light from one side.
Eclecticism
Eclecticism is a common style (ca. 1850-1914) that draws inspiration from various architectural styles of the past. This is due to the combination of on the one hand different style elements, and on the other hand, new techniques and materials. In short, eclectism is the mixing of different neo- building styles in one design. This movement was parallel to historicism.
Harmonic Proportions
Proportion is a central principle of architectural theory and an important connection between mathematics and art. It is the visual effect of the relationships of the various objects and spaces that make up a structure to one another and to the whole. These relationships are often governed by multiples of a standard unit of length known as a 'module'. Proportion in architecture was discussed by Vitruvius, Alberti, Andrea Palladio, and Le Corbusier among others.
Neo-classicism
The formal language of Classical Antiquity is followed in this neoclassical style (1750-1800). Purity of form and harmonic proportions are respected, just like in Classicism. This style became the official style taught at academies throughout the 19th century because it was believed that the ideal beauty was achieved in this classical antiquity.
Architecture Parlante
Architecture Parlante literally means 'speaking architecture'. It means architecture whose shape or decoration is so clear that you can see the function of the building. The expression was first applied to late-18th century French architects in particular Etienne-Louis Boullée and Claude Nicolas Ledoux.
Collectivism
In socialism, the interests of the community are more important than the interests of an individual. The CIAM assumed that the interests of the individual largely coincided with those of the community and based their designs on this. Socialization made standardization of architecture and urban planning possible.
Geometrical Abstraction
This movement, also known as concrete art, is characterized by a strict geometric language of forms, is generally limited and controlled in its use of color and exudes planning, order, business and rationality. The work of art itself is the reality, composed of lines, shapes and colors which are developed to a generally mathematical manner.
Standardization
Standardization was mainly used by De Stijl and was often applied for cost savings. With standardization the interests of the individual were subordinated to the interests of the collective. This subordination was mainly put right after WWII and in that time they also strove to adapt to needs of the individual.
5 Points on Architecture
In 1926, Le Corbusier formulated five basic principles for architecture: 1. Pilotis, or pylon: Building is raised up on reinforced concrete pylons→ allows free circulation on the ground level + eliminates dark and damp parts of the house. 2. Roof Terrace: Sloping roof is replaced by a flat roof as a garden, for promenades, sports or a swimming pool. 3. Free Plan: Load-bearing walls are replaced by steel /reinforced concrete columns → interior design freedom. Structure of the building is not visible from the outside. 4. Ribbon Window: Since the walls do not support the house, windows can run the entire length of the house, so all rooms can get equal light. Building is supported by columns in the interior → façade can be much lighter and more open, or made entirely of glass. There is no need for lintels or other structure around the windows. 5. The core of the building should stand on columns free from the ground. He wanted this because there was room on the ground surface for pedestrians in this way. These pedestrians could use the ground surface as an open park, because fast traffic was banned to the outside of the block.
Plan Libre
A free layout was desired at every level of the home. This was made possible by the building's skeleton structure and therefore no load-bearing walls were installed in the building. This floor plan was appreciated by residents who now had a free layout of the space.
Promenade Architecturale
The promenade architecturale is the trajectory that the observer travels through the built space and is a central element in the architectural and urban designs of Le Corbusier. With the help of this architectural promenade, virtuoso overlaps of interior and exterior spaces can be created, thus forming the processes of movement.
Universal Space
Mies van der Rohe despised architecture and urbanism that were typical of a specific situation. Instead, he looked for universal design principles that were equally applicable to all geographic locations. He was also of the opinion that the use of a building should not be reflected in the form; he was therefore somewhat against functionalism.
Skeletal System
Skeletal construction made it possible to omit solid, load-bearing walls in a design. This coincided with the principles that Le Corbusier had set to create a free floor plan. But skeleton construction was not only used in modernist times, but also during the industrialization period, skeleton construction, particularly in iron, became very popular.
Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture
Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture is a book by Robbert Venturi in which he not only contradicted modernism but also broke it down. Complexity was avoided by most modernists and opted for the simplistic. Complexity could not be obtained with ornaments, but with ambiguity of form and meaning of a building.
Labyrinthine Clarity
A term coined by Aldo van Eyck which can be seen in his orphanage in Amsterdam (1950) as well. European architecture from the early 1960's intended to develop design ideas that would free itself from the rigid, monumental aesthetic of the International Modern. In this widespread climate of intellectual revision, several Dutch architects concentrated on exploring concepts that derived from the structuralist language and the anthropological and ethnographic studies of Claude Lévi-Strauss. In architecture, structuralism became an alternative formula whose password was 'labyrinthine clarity', meaning a non-hierarchic relationship among spaces with the objective of creating organisms capable of stimulating freedom of choice and of behavior. In contrast to a neutral functionalist ordering, architectural space was articulated in a flexible way, introducing the ideas of 'territorial zoning' and 'public domain' that shifted the accent of the form depending on the manner in which it was used.
confronted with new problems, did not come up with new concepts, but reordered existing ideas and adapted to new circumstances.
Techno-romanticism
Techno-romance is a term used to attribute aspects of contemporary culture to advanced technologies. The artistic and philosophical movement known as romanticism - where people flee from reality - is revived by technological means.
Design Intelligence
Design Intelligence is what moves everything toward a state of perfection. When a design is optimal, it means that it's better than the last, but not as good as the next. Designs can never be perfect, but you can always remove imperfections.
Type-form
Le Corbusier sought to isolate what he called type-forms, which were universal elements of design that can work together in a system. He found these across time and across the globe, in the fields of architecture and engineering.
Volumetric Simplification
Modernist architects like Adolf Loos and Mies van der Rohe aimed to eliminate ornamentation, in order to simplify the functional diversity of buildings, so that the structure and the formal means would be the single focus. Therefore, the buildings were volumetrically simplified into cubes, rectangles, or combinations of these forms.
