Modern Architecture Key Terms and Concepts

A comprehensive vocabulary review of 23 foundational architectural movements, elements, institutions, and concepts for modern architecture exam preparation.

Pilotis

Columns that elevate a building above the ground, freeing the ground level for circulation. One of Le Corbusier's Five Points, used in Villa Savoye.

Gothic Revival

A movement that revived medieval Gothic architecture through pointed arches, stained glass, and verticality. Example: Strawberry Hill.

Neoclassicism

An architectural movement inspired by ancient Greek and Roman buildings, emphasizing symmetry, proportion, columns, and pediments. Example: Monticello.

Panoptic prison

A prison design organized around a central observation point, allowing guards to potentially observe prisoners without prisoners knowing when they are watched.

Noble Savage

An idealized concept that portrays people outside European civilization as naturally innocent or uncorrupted by modern society. Associated with European debates about nature and civilization.

Flâneur

A person who wanders through the modern city, observing urban life and society. Associated with nineteenth-century Paris and modernity.

Reinforced concrete

Concrete strengthened with embedded steel reinforcement, allowing buildings to support greater loads and create larger openings. Used in Albert Kahn's industrial buildings.

Curtain wall

A non-load-bearing exterior wall, often made of glass, that encloses a building without supporting its structural weight.

International Style

A modern architectural approach emphasizing simple geometric forms, minimal ornamentation, open plans, and modern materials such as glass, steel, and concrete.

Beaux-Arts

An academic architectural approach emphasizing symmetry, axial planning, classical details, and monumental composition. Example: Paris Opéra.

Cornice

A projecting horizontal architectural element at the top of a wall or building, often marking the roofline or visually completing the façade.

Cantilevered roof

A roof that projects beyond its support without columns beneath its projecting end. Often used to create sheltered outdoor space.

Expressionism

An architectural movement emphasizing emotion, dramatic sculptural forms, and imaginative design rather than strict geometric rationality. Example: Einstein Tower.

Bauhaus

A German school of art, architecture, and design founded in 1919 that united artistic practice, craftsmanship, and industrial production.

Werkbund

A German association founded in 1907 that brought artists, architects, and manufacturers together to improve industrial design and promote quality production.

Art Nouveau

An architectural and decorative movement characterized by flowing organic lines, floral ornamentation, and nature-inspired forms. Example: Hôtel Tassel.

Zeitgeist

The spirit of an age: the cultural, social, and technological ideas that characterize a particular historical period and influence its architecture.

Glazed corner

A building corner made with glass rather than solid masonry, creating transparency and a lighter appearance. Example: Fagus Factory.

Pediment

A triangular architectural element, usually above a portico or entrance, associated with classical Greek and Roman architecture.

Zeilenbau

A modern housing layout using parallel rows of residential buildings, often arranged to improve sunlight, ventilation, and efficiency. Example: Westhausen Estate.

CIAM

Congrès Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne, founded in 1928 to promote modern architecture and discuss functional urban planning, housing, and social needs.

National Romanticism

An architectural movement expressing national cultural identity through local traditions, historical references, and regional materials. Example: Tampere Cathedral, Finland.

Trabeated system

A post-and-lintel construction system in which horizontal beams rest on vertical supports such as columns. Common in classical Greek architecture.