Modern Architecture: 5 Characteristics of Modern Architecture

Modern architecture is a building style that emerged in Europe and America in the first half of the twentieth century. It rejected the ornamentation of the Victorian and Gothic Revival styles in favor of sleek minimalism and functionalism—or the idea that a building should prioritize functionality above all else. Other architectural styles—particularly the Art Deco and Arts and Crafts movements of the late nineteenth century—helped inform what would become the modern style.

Historians debate the starting point of the modernist movement in architecture, but a few key historical moments proved to be pivotal.

• 1893 Chicago World's Fair: At the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, American architect Louis Sullivan unveiled the first skyscrapers. The buildings were constructed with a steel frame that supported many large glass windows. They would pave the way for modern office buildings and high-rises. Sullivan described his design philosophy as "form follows function," a phrase that would become the unofficial motto of the modern movement. A young Frank Lloyd Wright attended the fair and discovered many styles that would inspire his own career, including Japanese architecture.
• Founding of the Bauhaus School: In 1919, Walter Gropius founded the Bauhaus School in Weimar, Germany, which was the first of its kind to teach modern design principles. Gropius, who studied under the leading German architect at the time, Peter Behrens, designed the entire campus in the modernist style. The school's leaders included architects Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who were also proponents of the modernist style. In 1926, the school moved from Weimar to Dessau and brought together modernists from multiple disciplines, including modern art.
• Streamline Moderne: During the Great Depression in the 1930s, a new modern style was born called Streamline Moderne. With buildings modeled after the shape of ocean liners and inspired by aerodynamic principles, this style featured curved corners, steel railings, and nautical elements.
• A modern exhibition: Modern Architecture: International Exhibition took place in 1932 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Curated by Philip Johnson and Henry-Russell Hitchcock, the exhibition solidified modernist architecture as a distinct movement and reinforced International Modernism and the International Style as direct complements.
• Lasting legacy: By the end of World War II, young architects had begun to criticize the stark nature of minimalism, and by the 1960s, minimalist sensibilities began to give way to a rebirth of ornamentation. Still, modernism’s legacy continues to live on in iconic buildings and as an inspiration for contemporary architecture.

Every modern architect has their own unique style and technique. However, there are a few key features of modern design to look out for when trying to spot a modernist building.

1. 1. Clean lines: Modern design is characterized by clean lines with minimal orientation and sleek, consistent surfaces.
2. 2. Use of glass: Floor-to-ceiling windows are designed to flood modernist buildings with natural light. So-called "curtain walls" are a common feature of modernist buildings as well. These non-structural, exterior walls allow the entire facade of a building to be made of glass.
3. 3. Flat roofs: Low, horizontal roofs and broad overhangs are a prominent feature of many mid-century modern homes.
4. 4. Open floor plans: Modernist buildings rarely include structures that aren't deemed essential to the functionality of the building. The results are large, open living spaces.
5. 5. Modern materials: Modern building materials such as steel, iron, concrete block, and glass make modernist designs possible.

Many famous modernist architects have shaped the style by designing iconic buildings.

1. 1. Fallingwater: Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1939, this vacation home in Pennsylvania is made from concrete slabs hovering above a natural waterfall.
2. 2. Crystal Cathedral: Built by architect Philip Johnson in Garden Grove, California, this skyscraper was considered the largest glass building in the world when construction was completed in 1981.
3. 3. Seagram Building: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe completed the Seagram Building, a 38-story skyscraper, in 1958. It remains a famous fixture of the New York City skyline.
4. 4. Gateway Arch: Finnish architect Eero Saarinen immigrated to the United States in 1923 and built one of the most iconic modernist structures on American soil—the Gateway Arch in Saint Louis, Missouri. The 630-foot stainless steel monument was completed in 1965 and remains the world’s tallest arch to this day.
5. 5. Villa Savoye: Designed by Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier, this villa built on the outskirts of Paris, France, features reinforced concrete and an entirely white exterior. Built between 1928 and 1931, it remains a modernist icon.
6. 6. Sydney Opera House: Built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, the Sydney Opera House is one of the most distinctive buildings of the modernist movement. Completed in 1973, the opera house features a modern expressionist design and sail-shaped roof.

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