The Turn of the Century: Architectural Transformations in the 1900s

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms related to architectural transformations in the early 1900s, highlighting significant concepts, movements, and developments that shaped modern architecture.

Modernity

A historical period marked by a radical departure from traditional norms, characterized by rapid industrial growth and urbanization.

Form follows function

An architectural principle that states that the shape of a building should primarily relate to its intended function or purpose.

Zeitgeist

The defining spirit or mood of a particular period, especially as expressed in literature, art, and philosophy.

Art Nouveau

A decorative art movement characterized by intricate linear designs and flowing curves based on natural forms.

August Perret: Rue Franklin, Paris

Although rectilinear and structurally rational, the building seems to undulate- projecting outward to the street and retreating back from it at the same time. He developed reinforced concrete as we know it today- then called ferro-cement

Elevations Vs. Facades

Facade is the front face, often designed emphasizing the decorative elements that contribute to a building's character. The Elevations are the other sides of the building and 2-D.

Skyscraper

For the first time since the age of Gothic cathedrals, buildings were conceived and articulated as FRAMES: lattice-work cages that expressed how loads were transferred to the ground with a minimization of mass and a maximization of glass.

The Chicago School

An architectural movement that focused on the design of skyscrapers and innovative commercial buildings, emphasizing functionalism.

The Shakers

The Shakers were once the top industrial designers in the world! Kentucky and Massachusetts are the two largest remaining Shaker communities. - Their refusal to participate in the Civil War, or any other war, combined with their adherence to life-time celibacy, marked their demise

Eco-sustainability

An approach to design and development that seeks to minimize environmental impact and promote conservation of resources.

Neoclassical style

An architectural style characterized by the use of classical principles of design, symmetry, and proportion inspired by ancient Greece and Rome.

Art Deco

An influential visual arts design style that originated in France before World War I and became popular in the 1920s and 1930s, combining modern styles with fine craftsmanship. Art Deco preferences complex curves and organic plant-like forms. Later, Art Deco achieves similar stylistic effects but with rectilinear compositions and emphasis on black.

Nouveau riche

A term used to describe people who have recently acquired wealth, often perceived as lacking the social skills or tastes associated with established affluent families. ‘new money’[nouveau riche] … the bourgeoisie.

Mixed-use development

A type of urban development that blends residential, commercial, cultural, and/or institutional uses. Ex. The Auditorium Building: “Live, work and play” all functions combined into one. Sullivan argued that the consideration of a building should be its purpose, not its appearance, in his famous quote, “Form follows function.”

Balloon framing

A method of wood construction often used in the United States that consists of long vertical framing members and horizontal members attached at the studs, allowing for quicker and cheaper building.

Guaranty Building

-considered one of the first modern “skyscrapers.” Louis Sullivan [1856-1924] was the leader of “The Chicago School” and mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright. Skeletal structure is evident beneath the tripartite ornamentation.

What did Perret do differently with the columns in Church of Notre Dame Le Raincy, 1923

He did not “beef up” the columns as we still do today: all components are exactly the size and shape they need to be to carry their loads with no so-called factor-of-safety

What is: An American Domestic Innovation: The Bungalow

The American front porch facing the street becomes a symbol of home & neighborhood; it is a mediating space neither totally public or totally private- a welcoming gesture, but also a separation from the public

What was unique about Gambel House, 1908-09 Pasadena California by the Green & Green Brothers

Rustic, barn/cabin/agrarian/Japanese imagery in this all-solid-wood building, with very large, sloping, overhanging roofs and screened porches for sleeping at the gable ends.

What was different about Tzara House, 1926 Paris, France By Adof Loos ceiling

Interior spaces step up and down in the section to yield a surprising variety of ceiling heights. Openings are organized from the outside to create a balanced facade

What is emphasized about the geometric Moller House cross-section by Loos “Raumplan”

The circulation is designed to give a cinematic quality: the unfolding of spaces that extend views diagonally across/up/down through rooms. Circulation promenade is designed in plan….. AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, in the section.

What was Perret the first to do?

Perret was one of the first to understand modern construction exteriors as either INFILL or as SKIN [curtain wall]:

What was different about the buildings for The World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893

Richard Morris Hunt, McKim Mead & White, et all, used cheap industrial technologies clad in Neoclassical drag. The temporary buildings were spray-on plaster and ferro-cement that were coated with whitewash to present a pristine, idealized image of Euro-centric exceptionalism.

What made the Trinity Church admired by historians

Trinity Church is routinely included by historians as the only American church that has risen to the level of world exemplar- due to its unique reinterpretation of historical styles combined in a new way.

Exhibitions

They were places where the wealthy and poor would intermingle to an extent previously unthinkable in history