Modern architecture is a building that cares more about function and simple forms instead of modification. Thus the old forms with lots of change don’t exist in this category. designing modern architecture contains sharp and clean lines. 

History of modern architecture

Modern architecture was shaped in a period, and its life was not short. During the last 60 years, it has expanded into different categories. Specifying its start point is not so easy. The sentence by Louis Sullivan was the cause of modern design’s birth. This theory explains that form should follow function. In 1893 Chicago well fair this architect designed buildings and it started the base of modern architecture. Frank Lloyd Wright, Staatliches Bauhaus, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and Le Corbusier are other famous architects of modern design. 

Modern design elements changed a lot in the 1930s, and nowadays it’s known as a style design. These elements emerged after a gallery by Philip Johnson in 1932. Generally, the most famous modern buildings were constructed by the mid-20th century. But the modern style impacted all buildings by the end of the 20th century. 

Modern architecture characteristics

Different styles of modern architecture have occurred with emerging many different characteristics of it.  the most common feature will be discussed in this article. The first thing in modern design is drawing clean and minimal lines. These lines have no extra additional and have a smooth texture. most modern buildings are made of glass walls and have lots of windows. Floor plans in modern architecture are open and everything can circulate in the place. One of the important things in this type of design is being connected to nature and having a relationship with it. 

6 Iconic buildings of modern architecture

In this article 6 iconic buildings of this style are presented. 

The Fallingwater House, Frank Lloyd Wright

In this building’s design, cantilevers have been used. So, this building has used Japanese architectural elements. This building is located in a natural spot. Kauffman family used this building for their weekends. a short while after using this building construction problems emerged and the roof started leaking. Also, the terrace of the house started to fall because of the lack of proper reinforcements. This building was regenerated several times but after that, it turned into a museum in 2002.

Glass House, Philip Johnson

Philip Johnson built this house for himself. He designed a minimal building using transparent glasses. He used lots of modern elements and geometric shapes to build a landmark of modern architecture and present it to the modern world.  This vacation house was mostly built of glass and steel. One of the biggest problems of this house was the roof’s ceiling leaking, and Philip Johnson made jokes about it.

Villa Savoye, Le Corbusier

This house was built as a family retreat for the Savoyes. This building had all five elements of modern architecture which contains an open plan, a grid of reinforced concrete columns, horizontal windows, a roof garden, and an independent facade. This family had lots of problems with this house. False construction forced this family to leave the house after some years. This building is magically on the public building’s list and is used as a museum these years.

The Guggenheim Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright

This great architecture made a building that connects everyone to organic architecture. In this way, people can have access to the natural environment. This museum has embedded lots of art galleries in itself. This building’s spiral design has gifted the visitor with an endless journey. Geometric shapes can explain human feelings, ideas, etc. Wright explained this building as the temple of our spirit. 

Barcelona Pavilion, Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe

This building was built for the German gallery at the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona. The design of this building is an inspiration for the Bauhaus movement. This building was minimal but the designer used lots of decoration on it. An element was specifically built for this building and it was the beautiful Barcelona chair. 

The Cité Radieuse, Le Corbusier

This iconic building is another architectural design of Le Corbusier and has inspired many other architects. Bauhaus colors such as red, blue, and yellow influenced this minimal project. This building contains 337 apartments with 27 different designs plus one pool and one playground. This building is built of concrete. The architect also wanted to use a steel frame but world war 2 limited his work. This building is a UNESCO world heritage site since 2016. 

summary

Modern architecture’s revolution is related to the part that it kept the concept of free-flowing space. The theory of modern architecture rejected extra belongings. As time passed, many architects refer to this style as cold and also referred to the lack of stuff in this type f architecture. In contemporary architecture, architects add extra belongings and colors to the design. Using this style, we can have a free plan but also privacy is another important element. Modern architecture started in the early 1900s and ended in the 1960s when contemporary architecture emerged.