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Le Corbusier — Radiant City Plan

A concept for urban planning focusing on functionalism, green spaces, and modern architecture, promoting sunlight and fresh air. It proposed an Ideal modern city designed to solve overcrowded industrial cities. The plan emphasized high-rise buildings surrounded by gardens, efficient transportation systems, and separation of residential, commercial, and industrial areas.

Modernism / Urbanism

Architectural style associated with the Radiant City Plan that focuses on functionalism and geometric forms.

CIAM

Congrès Internationaux d’Architecture Moderne, an international group promoting modern architecture. Advocated functional city planning.

• Major influence on modern urbanism.

CONNECTED IDEAS

• Le Corbusier

• Athens Charter

• Radiant City

Athens Charter

Modernist urban planning principles developed by CIAM, prioritizing functional zones in city planning.

IMPORTANT FACTS

• Divided city into functional zones.

• Prioritized sunlight, open space, and circulation.

• Strong influence on urban renewal.

CRITICISMS

• Ignored complexity of real city life.

• Separated communities and reduced street vitality.

Beton brut

French term meaning 'raw concrete', closely associated with brutalist architecture.

IMPORTANT FACTS

• Closely associated with Le Corbusier.

• Major material of brutalist architecture.

• Emphasized honesty and texture.

Urban Renewal

Large-scale redevelopment of cities during the mid-20th century, often demolishing older neighborhoods.

IMPORTANT FACTS

• Often demolished older neighborhoods.

• Replaced dense urban fabric with superblocks and towers.

• Strongly associated with modernist planning.

CRITICISMS

• Displacement of communities.

• Destruction of neighborhood life.

Superblock

A large urban block replacing traditional street network, commonly used in modernist planning.

IMPORTANT FACTS

• Common in modernist planning.

• Intended to separate pedestrians and automobiles.

• Often associated with public housing.

Brutalism

An architectural style characterized by heavy concrete structures and a monumental appearance.

Postmodernism

Architectural style that rejects modernist simplicity, using irony, symbolism, and historical references.

Duck vs Decorated Shed

Concepts by Robert Venturi contrasting buildings that communicate meaning through form (Duck) versus those that rely on decoration (Decorated Shed).

DUCK

Building where form itself communicates meaning. Example: giant duck-shaped building.

DECORATED SHED

Ordinary building with signs or decoration applied.

IMPORTANT FACTS

• From Learning from Las Vegas.

• Venturi and Scott Brown challenged modernist purity.

International Style

An architectural style defined by volume over mass and minimal ornament, established on a clean industrial aesthetic.

MAIN IDEAS

• Volume over mass

• Regularity over symmetry

• No applied ornament

WHY IMPORTANT?

Defined modern architecture internationally. Promoted clean industrial aesthetics.

Jane Jacobs

Urban activist known for opposing modernist planning and advocating for the complexity and vibrancy of city life.

MAIN IDEAS

• Cities work through complexity and diversity.

• Sidewalk activity creates safety.

• “Eyes on the street” are essential.

• Mixed-use neighborhoods are healthier.

CRITICISM OF MODERNISM

• Opposed superblocks and isolated towers.

• Criticized planners like Robert Moses.

HUDSON STREET

Example of vibrant urban life contradicting modernist planning ideas.

Vanna Venturi House

A landmark postmodern building designed to challenge the strict simplicity of modernist architecture.

Guggenheim Museum

Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, this museum features a continuous spiral ramp, rejecting traditional museum layouts in favor of organic geometry.

New Brutalism

An ideological movement emphasizing material honesty and clarity in contrast to the broader style of Brutalism.

Oscar Niemeyer

Brazilian architect known for designing numerous buildings in Brasilia, reflecting modernist ideals.

Seagram Building

An iconic International Style skyscraper located in New York City, designed by Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson.

Le Corbusier — Unite d'Habitation

A massive concrete housing block designed as a mixed-use vertical city concept addressing post-WWII housing shortages.

Smithsons — Robin Hood Gardens

A brutalist social housing project featuring elevated streets to foster community interaction.

Paul Rudolph — Yale Art and Architecture Building

A complex brutalist building designed to encourage interaction among architecture students.

Le Corbusier — Radiant City Plan

Date: 1933–35 (flashcard 2)

STYLE

Modernism / Urbanism

IMPORTANT FACTS

• Proposed ideal modern city.

• Designed to solve overcrowded industrial cities.

• Emphasized efficiency, sunlight, hygiene, and order.

• Segregated functions of the city:

  • living

  • working

  • recreation

  • transportation

WHY IT MATTERS

• Became hugely influential in 20th-century urban planning.

• Inspired later urban renewal projects and superblocks.

• Criticized for ignoring street life and human-scale urban experience.

KEY TERMS

• CIAM

• Athens Charter

• Superblock

• Urban renewal

Lucio Costa — Brasilia Plan

Date: 1957

STYLE

Modernist Urban Planning

IMPORTANT FACTS

• Designed as the new capital of Brazil.

• Reflected modernist ideals of rational planning.

• Combined monumental civic buildings with organized housing zones.

• Oscar Niemeyer designed many of the buildings.

WHY IT MATTERS

• One of the most famous modern planned cities.

• Embodies ideals from CIAM and the Athens Charter.

• Criticized for automobile dependence and lack of pedestrian street life.

KEY CONNECTIONS

Compare with:

• Radiant City

• Superblock planning

• Urban renewal projects

Mies van der Rohe — Seagram Building

Date: 1954–58

STYLE

International Style / Post-WWII Modernism

IMPORTANT FACTS

• Located in New York City.

• Designed with Philip Johnson.

• Exemplifies “less is more.”

• Structure and materials honestly expressed.

• Influenced corporate skyscraper design worldwide.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Icon of the International Style.

• Demonstrates purity, proportion, and minimalism.

• Plaza responds to NYC zoning regulations.

KEY TERMS

• International Style

• NYC 1916 Zoning Resolution

• Monumentality

Le Corbusier — Unite d’Habitation

Date: 1946–52

STYLE

Brutalism / Postwar Modernism

IMPORTANT FACTS

• Mixed-use “vertical city.”

• Included apartments, shops, recreation, and roof terrace.

• Based on modular proportional system called the Modulor.

• Built after WWII housing shortages.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Influenced later brutalist housing projects.

• Showed ambition of modern architecture to reshape society.

• Famous use of béton brut (raw concrete).

KEY TERMS

• Beton brut

• Brutalism

• Housing reform

Frank Lloyd Wright — Guggenheim Museum

Date: 1948–1959

STYLE

Organic Modernism

IMPORTANT FACTS

• Designed as continuous viewing experience.

• Visitors move along spiraling ramp.

• Rejects traditional box-like museum layout.

• Contrasts sharply with NYC grid.

WHY IT MATTERS

• One of the most iconic museum designs ever.

• Demonstrates expressive modern architecture.

• Combines sculpture and architecture.

KEY IDEAS

• Organic architecture

• Spatial experience

• Modern museum design

Alison and Peter Smithson — Hunstanton School

Date: 1949–54

STYLE

New Brutalism

IMPORTANT FACTS

• Emphasized honesty of materials.

• Building systems intentionally exposed.

• Influenced by Mies van der Rohe.

• Focused on functionality and truthfulness.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Key early example of New Brutalism.

• Shift away from polished International Style aesthetics.

• Architecture became more raw and direct.

KEY TERMS

• New Brutalism

• Material honesty

• Exposed structure

Louis Kahn — Yale Art Gallery

Date: 1951–53

New Brutalism / Monumental Modernism

IMPORTANT FACTS

• Known for tetrahedral ceiling system.

• Kahn explored structure as architecture.

• Combined modernism with monumentality.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Helped redefine modern architecture after WWII.

• Architecture became more expressive and monumental.

• Related to Giedion’s “New Monumentality.”

KEY TERMS

• Monumentality

• Structural expression

• New Brutalism

Paul Rudolph — Yale Art and Architecture Building

Date: 1958–63

STYLE

Brutalism

IMPORTANT FACTS

• Strong use of textured concrete.

• Complex sectional relationships.

• Designed to encourage interaction among architecture students.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Iconic American brutalist building.

• Demonstrates emotional and sculptural use of concrete.

• More expressive than earlier International Style buildings.

KEY TERMS

• Beton brut

• Brutalism

• Spatial complexity

Smithsons — Robin Hood Gardens

Date: 1966–72

STYLE

Brutalism / Social Housing

IMPORTANT FACTS

• Designed to create community interaction.

• Included elevated pedestrian circulation.

• Attempted to improve public housing.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Became controversial example of failed social housing.

• Reflects optimism and later criticism of modernist planning.

KEY TERMS

• Streets in the sky

• Superblock

• Urban renewal

Walter Netsch / SOM — UIC Campus

Date: 1963–68

STYLE

Brutalism

IMPORTANT FACTS

• Designed using Walter Netsch’s “field theory.”

• Organized around interconnected geometries.

• Represents urban institutional modernism.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Major example of Chicago brutalism.

• Shows how modernism shaped university campuses.

KEY TERMS

• Brutalism

• Megastructure

• Institutional architecture

Pruitt-Igoe

Architects: Leinweber, Yamasaki, and Hellmuth Date: 1954

STYLE

Modernist Public Housing

IMPORTANT FACTS

• Built in St. Louis as public housing.

• Based on modernist planning ideas.

• Eventually demolished after severe social and maintenance problems.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Became symbol of “failure” of modernist housing.

• Charles Jencks famously said its demolition marked the death of modern architecture.

• Katharine Bristol argued this narrative oversimplifies deeper social and political issues.

KEY TERMS

• Pruitt-Igoe myth

• Urban renewal

• Public housing

• Superblock

Robert Venturi — Vanna Venturi House

Date: 1961–64

STYLE

Postmodernism

IMPORTANT FACTS

• Rejects strict modernist simplicity.

• Uses irony, symbolism, and contradiction.

• Famous challenge to Mies’s “less is more.”

• Venturi responded: “less is a bore.”

WHY IT MATTERS

• Landmark postmodern building.

• Reintroduced historical reference and ornament.

• Challenged purity of International Style modernism.

KEY TERMS

• Postmodernism

• Complexity and contradiction

• Decorated Shed

• Duck

New Brutalism vs Brutalism

NEW BRUTALISM

• Ethical and conceptual movement.

• Emphasized honesty and clarity.

• Associated with Smithsons.

BRUTALISM

• Broader architectural style.

• Heavy concrete forms.

• Monumental sculptural appearance.

IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE

New Brutalism = ideology. Brutalism = visual style.

Robert Moses

Powerful New York urban planner.

IMPORTANT FACTS

• Built highways, bridges, and urban renewal projects.

• Prioritized automobiles and infrastructure.

• Frequently criticized by Jane Jacobs.

WHY IMPORTANT?

Represents top-down modern planning.

Pruitt-Igoe Myth

DEFINITION

Katharine Bristol’s argument that Pruitt-Igoe became an oversimplified symbol for the “failure” of modernism.

IMPORTANT FACTS

• Social, economic, and political factors contributed to failure.

• Architecture alone was not responsible.

Henry-Russell Hitchcock & Philip Johnson The International Style

How do Hitchcock and Johnson define the International Style?

MAIN DEFINITION

The International Style is a modern architectural style characterized by:

• volume instead of mass

• regularity instead of symmetry

• absence of applied ornament

IMPORTANT FACTS

• Architecture became lighter and more abstract.

• Buildings emphasized space and structure rather than decoration.

• Modern materials like steel, glass, and reinforced concrete became central.

WHY IT MATTERS

Hitchcock and Johnson framed modernism as a universal architectural language that could work anywhere in the world.

“Volume over Mass”

What does “volume rather than mass” mean?

DEFINITION

Buildings should feel light and open rather than heavy and solid.

EXPLANATION

• Traditional architecture emphasized thick heavy walls.

• International Style buildings use thin curtain walls and skeletal frames.

• Space becomes more important than solid masonry.

EXAMPLE

Seagram Building by Mies van der Rohe.

“Regularity rather than symmetry”

Why did modernists reject symmetry?

DEFINITION

Modern architecture emphasized repeated structural systems instead of classical symmetry.

IMPORTANT FACTS

• Buildings were organized through grids and modular systems.

• Design reflected industrial production methods.

• Beauty came from proportion and repetition.

CONTRAST

Classical architecture:

• centered

• symmetrical

• monumental

Modernism:

• flexible

• open

• asymmetrical

Rejection of Ornament

Why did International Style architects reject decoration?

MAIN IDEA

Ornament was viewed as unnecessary and dishonest.

IMPORTANT FACTS

• Modernists believed form should follow function.

• Structure and materials should create beauty naturally.

• Decoration from historical styles was considered outdated.

KEY CONNECTION

Compare with Postmodernism:

• Venturi reintroduced symbolism and ornament.

Jane Jacobs “Orthodox” City Planning

What did Jacobs criticize about modern city planning?

JACOBS’S ARGUMENT

Modern planners treated cities too simply.

WHAT SHE CRITICIZED

• superblocks

• isolated towers

• zoning separation

• destruction of neighborhoods

• automobile-centered planning

IMPORTANT IDEA

Cities are living ecosystems, not machines.

“Radiant Garden City Beautiful”

What was Jacobs criticizing with this phrase?

DEFINITION

Jacobs combined several planning movements into one sarcastic phrase.

SHE CRITICIZED

• Le Corbusier’s Radiant City

• Garden City planning

• City Beautiful movement

MAIN POINT

These approaches prioritized visual order over real urban life.

“Eyes on the Street”

What makes sidewalks safe according to Jacobs?

MAIN IDEA

Safety comes from constant public activity and observation.

IMPORTANT FACTS

Safe neighborhoods have:

• mixed uses

• pedestrians

• active storefronts

• residents observing public space

WHY IT MATTERS

Jacobs argued cities become safer through social interaction, not isolation.

Mixed-Use Neighborhoods

Why did Jacobs support mixed-use areas?

DEFINITION

Neighborhoods containing multiple functions:

• housing

• shops

• restaurants

• workplaces

IMPORTANT FACTS

Jacobs believed mixed uses create:

• constant activity

• economic diversity

• safer streets

• stronger communities

CONTRAST

Modernist zoning separated these functions.

Jane Jacobs vs Le Corbusier

How are Jacobs and Le Corbusier fundamentally different?

BACK LE CORBUSIER

• order

• zoning

• towers in parks

• centralized planning

JANE JACOBS

• complexity

• street life

• mixed uses

• neighborhood interaction

CORE DIFFERENCE

Corbusier viewed cities as machines.
Jacobs viewed cities as living social systems.

Robert Venturi “Less is a bore”

MAIN IDEA

Venturi rejected strict minimalist modernism.

IMPORTANT FACTS

• Challenged Mies van der Rohe’s “less is more.”

• Supported contradiction, symbolism, and complexity.

• Reintroduced historical references.

WHY IT MATTERS

Helped launch Postmodern architecture.

Learning from Las Vegas

Why did Venturi and Scott Brown study Las Vegas?

Ordinary commercial architecture communicates effectively through signs and symbolism.

IMPORTANT FACTS

• Modernists ignored popular visual culture.

• Las Vegas showed architecture could communicate through imagery and signs.

• Everyday buildings became worthy of study.

KEY TERMS

• Duck

• Decorated Shed

Decorated Shed

A normal building that communicates meaning through applied signs and decoration.

IMPORTANT FACTS

• Functional and economical.

• Meaning comes from graphics/signage rather than sculptural form.

VENTURI’S ARGUMENT

Decorated sheds are more flexible and realistic than monumental symbolic buildings.

Duck

A building whose overall form directly symbolizes its purpose.

EXAMPLE

The Long Island Duckling building shaped like a duck.

IMPORTANT FACTS

• Architecture itself becomes the sign.

• Venturi viewed ducks as less practical than decorated sheds.