Modern Architecture
A new architectural style that emerged in many Western countries in the decade after World War I. It was based on the “rational” use of modern materials, the principles of functionalist planning, and the rejection of historical precedent and ornamention prevealent in architecture at the time. This style has been generally designated as modern, although the labels International style, Neue Sachlichkeit, and functionalism have also been used.
By 1920 there was an increasingly wide understanding that building forms must be determined by their functions and materials if they were to achieve intrinsic significance or beauty in contemporary terms, without resorting to traditional ornament. Instead of viewing a building as a heavy mass made of ponderous materials, the leading innovators of modern architecture considered it as a volume of space enclosed by light, thin curtain walls and resting on slender piers. The visual aesthetic of modern architecture was largely inspired by the machine and by abstract painting and sculpture. By the mid-20th century, modern architecture became an effective instrument for dealing with the increasingly complex building needs of a modern and global society.
Zyscovich Architects New Images for Synagogue In Brickell
A few months ago, there were reports that a new synagogue was coming to Brickell / Downtown Miami. New images of the Zyscovich Architects designed synagogue have been released as the new institution moves into a capital campaign and one step closer to becoming a reality.
Frank Lloyd Wright – Florida Southern College Exhibit
The University of Miami is hosting a photography exhibit of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Florida Southern College by architecture photographer Robin Hill. Titled “Child of the Sun: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Florida Southern College”, the exhibit documents the largest integrated collection of Wright buildings in the world. The exhibit is taking place at the University of Miami School of Architecture [...]
Architectural Evaluation of Miami Performing Arts Center
This piece is written as an attempt to analyze the influence that the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County (formerly Carnival Center for the Performing Arts Center) (PAC) has had on the urban fabric of Downtown Miami, its architectural ability up to date to serve as an urban generator in the [...]
1450 Brickell Avenue Tour
Recently, I had the pleasure of attending a walk through construction tour of 1450 Brickell Avenue organized by the South Florida Design Book .
Housing Diversity in Squirrel Hill – Key to a Successful Neighborhood
I recently had the pleasure of spending a little more than a week in the neighborhood of Squirrel Hill on the east end of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Squirrel Hill is a large residential neighborhood that had it’s early beginnings with a few country homes in the mid 18th century. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a large boom [...]
Gateway West – St Louis Arch and City Skyline
Rising gracefully from the banks of the Mississippi River, the St. Louis Arch designed by Eero Saarinen is a simple yet meaningful symbolic monument. A new take on the traditional European arches (Arch of Titus, L’Arc de Triumph), the massive 600+ foot aerodynamic arch does not only usher in a new modern era, but also masterfully and eternally symbolizes what St. Louis once was — the “Gateway to the West”.
2 Iconic London Skyscrapers
Skyscrapers are interesting structures. They hold massive amounts of people within a limited footprint and influence the city well beyond their immediate surroundings. They are proof of technological innovation and superiority over nature, and provide means for man to extend his ego. Skyscrapers contribute to the image of the city, and now a days, they are [...]
