Download Modern architecture adhered to Louis Sullivan`s famous

Modern architecture adhered to Louis Sullivan's famous precept,
"Form follows function," which meant the absence of ornamentation.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE [ edit ]
Explain Louis Sullivan's adage, "Form follows function," and its influence on modern architecture
KEY POINTS [ edit ]
"Function" came to be seen as encompassing all criteria of the use, perception, and enjoyment of
a building, not only the practical aspects but also aesthetic, psychological, and cultural.
Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and by the creation
of ornament from the structure and theme of the building.
In the early stages of Modern architecture, "decoration is a crime" was a popular motto.
TERMS [ edit ]
Bauhaus School
A school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to
design that it publicized and taught. It operated from 1919 to 1933.
Deutscher Werkbund
A German association of artists, architects, designers, and industrialists. The Werkbund was to
become an important event in the development of modern architecture and industrial design,
particularly in the later creation of the Bauhaus school of design.
Louis Sullivan
(1856 – 1924) An American architect, and has been called the "father of skyscrapers" and "father
of modernism. " He is considered by many as the creator of the modern skyscraper, was an
influential architect and critic of the Chicago School, was a mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright.
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A Revolution in Scale and Form
The great 19th century architect of
skyscrapers, Louis Sullivan, promoted an
overriding precept to architectural design:
"Form follows function". While the notion
that structural
and aestheticconsiderations should be
entirely subject to functionality was met
with both popularity and skepticism, it
had the effect of introducing the concept
of "function" in place of "utility".
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"Function" came to be seen as encompassing all criteria of the use, perception, and
enjoyment of a building, not only practical but also aesthetic, psychological and cultural.
Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and by the creation
of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an
overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely. In a broader
sense, early modern architecture began at the turn of the 20th century with efforts to
reconcile the principles underlying architectural design with rapid technological
advancement and the modernization of society. It would take the form of numerous
movements, schools of design, and architectural styles, some in tension with one another,
and often equally defying such classification.
The Industrial Revolution had introduced or popularized the use of steel, plate glass, and
mass-produced components. These opened up a brave new world of bold structural frames,
with clean lines and plain or shiny surfaces. In the early stages of modern architecture, a
popular motto was "decoration is a crime. " In Eastern Europe, the Communists rejected the
West's decadent ways, and modernism developed in a markedly more bureaucratic, somber
and monumental fashion.
Some historians regard Modernism as a matter of taste, a reaction against eclecticism and the
lavish stylistic excesses of Victorian and Edwardian architecture. Around the turn of the
20th century, a general dissatisfaction with the emphasis on revivalist architecture and
elaborate decoration gave rise to many new lines of thought that served as precursors to
Modern Architecture. Notable among these are the philosophies of theDeutscher
Werkbund and Bauhaus School .
The AEG Turbinenfabrik ("turbine factory"), 1909, designed by Peter Behrens, illustrating the
combination of industry and design.
Behrens's turbine factory reflects the absence of decorative elements.
The approach of the Modernist architects was to reduce buildings to pure forms, removing
historical references and ornament in favor of functionalist details. Buildings displayed their
functional and structural elements, exposing steel beams and concrete surfaces instead of
hiding them behind decorative forms.