Modernist structure emerged within the early Twentieth century as a response towards the decorative kinds of the Victorian period and Artwork Nouveau. Rejecting ornament, modernism prioritised operate, embracing new applied sciences and supplies that arose from the Industrial Revolution. It additionally responded to the rising want for housing on account of urbanisation. This was structure for a brand new century, using new development strategies and a recent aesthetic that addressed social, technological and cultural shifts.
A whistle-stop introduction to modernist structure
All through the Twentieth century, modernism spawned distinct regional variants. Le Corbusier’s 5 factors of structure (extra on this under) got here to outline the Worldwide Type, which might be what most individuals consider after they consider modernism, characterised by clear traces, a ‘reality to supplies’, and hallmarks equivalent to flat roofs, glass curtain partitions and metal frames.
In Europe, the Bauhaus College emerged as a distinguished supply of modernist considering, with offshoots together with brutalist structure. America turned a serious centre for modernism, growing variants equivalent to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie College, California modernism and midcentury modernism. In Brazil and different equatorial areas, tropical modernism tailored the motion’s rules to native climates, whereas, in India, the search for a postcolonial identification gave rise to its personal iteration.
Within the post-war interval, modernist kinds turned the dominant aesthetic for institutional and civic buildings – referred to as late modernism (Nineteen Fifties-Seventies). With the rise of minimalist modernism, which supplied the blueprint for skyscrapers, and brutalism, which was usually utilized in city planning, the type confronted mounting criticism for being sterile and monotonous. The architectural pendulum, as ever, started to swing again, sparking a renewed curiosity in complexity that heralded the rise of postmodernism.
Well-known modernist architects
To sort out the lengthy checklist of well-known modernist architects, we now have organised them by their continent of origin. This checklist is not at all exhaustive – modernism’s huge and numerous nature means there will probably be many extra – but this can be a robust start line for the motion’s most influential proponents.
Additional, it displays the societal imbalances of the Twentieth century – as an example, when it comes to gender. Structure has traditionally been a male-dominated occupation, with ladies usually pigeonholed into interiors or furnishings design somewhat than constructing design. Recognition and attribution biases additional obscured their contributions, steadily lowering their roles to collaboration or help.
Eurocentric aesthetic requirements have additionally formed the historical past of modernism, with Western actions usually elevated as common benchmarks, which is why we now have chosen to signify a geographically numerous choice. That mentioned, we now have began with Europe, the place modernism originated.
Europe
Le Corbusier (1887-1965)
(Picture credit score: Noor Dasmesh Singh)
Type: Worldwide type
Well-known works: Villa Savoye; Unité d’Habitation; Chapel of Notre Dame du Haut, all France; the town of Chandigarh, India
Swiss-French architect and concrete planner Le Corbusier seen structure as ‘a machine for residing’, and was one in every of modernism’s most influential figures. He developed the ‘5 Factors of Structure’ – a set of rules advocating the usage of pilotis (stilts), open flooring plans, free façades, horizontal home windows and rooftop gardens – which primarily constitutes the acquainted modernist aesthetic. Le Corbusier can be recognized for the pivotal function he performed in designing the Indian metropolis of Chandigarh.
Walter Gropius (1883-1969)
The Bauhaus constructing in Dessau, Germany
(Picture credit score: Getty Photographs / JOHN MACDOUGALL)
Type: Bauhaus
Well-known works: Bauhaus Dessau, Germany; Gropius Home, USA
Walter Gropius based the Bauhaus College in Germany in 1919 (later compelled to shut by the Nazis in 1933). The motion embraced key modernist concepts equivalent to kind following operate and ease in design, whereas additionally introducing distinctive ideas just like the fusion of artwork and trade and the usage of supplies equivalent to metal and glass. The Bauhaus constructing in Dessau, the artwork faculty’s HQ, is an iconic instance of this structure.
Alvar Aalto (1898-1976)
Finlandia Corridor, Helsinki, Finland
(Picture credit score: Juho Kuva)
Type: Humanist modernism, natural structure
Well-known works: Paimio Sanatorium; Finlandia Corridor, each Finland; Viipuri Library, Russia
Alvar Aalto was a Finnish architect and furnishings designer who embraced purposeful modernist rules whereas humanising them by the usage of pure supplies – particularly wooden – and natural kinds. His profession coincided with Finland’s speedy industrialisation within the early Twentieth century, serving to set up the type that he developed together with his spouse, Aino Aalto, as a blueprint for the Scandinavian trendy aesthetic.
Eileen Grey (1878-1976)
(Picture credit score: Manuel Bougot)
Type: Worldwide type
Well-known works: Villa E-1027; Tempe à Pailla, each France
Irish designer and architect Eileen Grey struggled to determine herself in a male-dominated discipline, however is now celebrated as one of the crucial necessary figures in Twentieth-century design. Her type blended artwork deco magnificence with modernist performance, exemplified within the E-1027 home in France, a minimalist villa that includes built-in furnishings and sliding panels, which was incorrectly attributed to Le Corbusier for a few years.
Lisbeth Sachs (1914-2002)
(Picture credit score: Adam Stech)
Type: Natural structure, humanist modernism
Well-known works: Summer time Home Strauss, Switzerland
The work of Lisbeth Sachs, one of many first registered feminine architects in Switzerland, is marked by an natural sensibility, with curvilinear kinds, expressive supplies and structural readability. She created areas the place inside and exterior boundaries blur, exemplified in her 1976 mission, the Summer time Home Strauss. Her long-overdue recognition culminated with a devoted showcase on the Swiss Pavilion throughout this 12 months’s Venice Structure Biennale (2025).
Africa
Hassan Fathy (1900-1989)
New Gourna Village, Egypt
(Picture credit score: Getty Photographs / YASEMIN OZDEMIR)
Type: Vernacular modernism
Well-known works: New Gourna Village, Egypt
Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy blended modernist rules with conventional constructing methods, utilizing indigenous supplies equivalent to mud brick and vernacular strategies like Nubian vaults and passive cooling to attain climate-responsive design. Culturally, Fathy sought to develop community-centered, reasonably priced housing for rural, economically deprived Egyptians. This philosophy is exemplified in New Gourna, a deliberate resettlement village close to Luxor, designed within the Forties.
Demas Nwoko (b. 1935)
The chapel on the Dominican Institute, Ibadan, Nigeria
(Picture credit score: Andrew Esiebo)
Type: African modernism
Well-known works: Dominican Institute, Nigeria
Demas Nwoko, a Nigerian architect, artist and designer, built-in indigenous African motifs, supplies and crafts into trendy architectural practices, difficult Western conventions. He seen design as a power to positively form the surroundings, in search of to create significant cultural and social areas for African communities, equivalent to the academic Dominican Institute, constructed within the Seventies.
Asia
Charles Correa (1930-2015)
Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur, India
(Picture credit score: Getty Photographs / The India As we speak Group)
Type: Contextual modernism
Well-known works: Gandhi Memorial Museum; Kanchanjunga Residences; Jawahar Kala Kendra, all India
Though he was born in Mozambique, Charles Correa is primarily related to Indian structure, with a lot of his work addressing city planning challenges within the nation and serving to redefine nationwide structure within the post-independence period. His type fused conventional components with modernist rules whereas adapting to native local weather and tradition. The Gandhi Memorial Museum in Ahmedabad showcases Correa’s signature use of open areas, pure mild and air flow.
Balkrishna Doshi (1927-2023)
Doshi’s workplace in Sangath, Ahmedabad, India
(Picture credit score: Edmund Sumner)
Type: Humanist modernism, brutalism
Well-known works: Indian Institute of Administration; Aranya low-cost housing, each India
Balkrishna Doshi was profoundly influenced by mentors Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn, however cast his personal Indian interpretation of modernism. His work usually featured components suited to India’s local weather, equivalent to open courtyards, shaded terraces and pure air flow. Awarded the Pritzker Prize in 2018, Doshi was celebrated for his humanistic strategy, which focuses on low-cost housing, communal areas and sustainable city design.
Geoffrey Bawa (1919-2003)
(Picture credit score: heritancehotels.com)
Type: Tropical modernism
Well-known works: Kandalama Lodge; Lunuganga Property; Sri Lankan parliament constructing, all Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa is broadly considered the daddy of tropical modernism – an architectural type that merges modernist rules with the calls for of tropical climates. His designs steadily blur the traces between indoor areas and luxurious pure environment, that includes open plans and pure supplies. Bawa’s work is climate-responsive, with examples together with the Kandalama and Lunuganga lodges, the place you possibly can keep in the present day.
Tadao Ando (b. 1941)
Chichu Artwork Museum, Naoshima, Japan
(Picture credit score: Tadao Ando)
Type: Minimalist modernism
Well-known works: Church of the Gentle; Naoshima Modern Artwork Museum; Chichu Artwork Museum; the Koshino Home; the Water Temple, all Japan
Tadao Ando buildings are usually minimalist sanctuaries crafted from uncovered concrete with loads of pure mild and water options. His work displays the Japanese Zen philosophy, with a deal with calm, contemplation and concord with nature. Iconic initiatives just like the Church of Gentle in Osaka and the Naoshima Modern Artwork Museum redefined up to date Japanese structure.
Minnette de Silva (1918-1998)
(Picture credit score: Mack Books)
Type: Tropical modernism
Well-known works: Karunaratne Home; Pieris Home; Watapuluwa Housing Scheme, all Sri Lanka
Minette de Silva was the primary Asian girl elected as an affiliate of RIBA. She blended modernist rules with crafts, supplies and kinds suited to the tropical local weather of her native Sri Lanka, utilizing, for instance, strategies equivalent to rammed earth and wattle-and-daub and options like open courtyards, passive air flow and adjustable partitions. De Silva’s work was largely missed as a result of gender biases of the Twentieth-century architectural institution, however her affect on figures like Geoffrey Bawa is being more and more recognised.
North America
Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959)
Fallingwater, Pennsylvania
(Picture credit score: © Richard A. Cooke/CORBIS/Corbis by way of Getty Photographs))
Type: Natural structure, Prairie type
Well-known works: Fallingwater, Pennsylvania; Guggenheim Museum, New York; Robie Home, Chicago
Frank Lloyd Wright revolutionised American structure over his 70-year profession together with his philosophy of natural structure – buildings that harmonise with their pure environment. His Prairie type, distinguished between 1900 and 1917, sought to create a distinctly American aesthetic impressed by the landscapes of the Midwest, that includes cantilevered roofs, open flooring plans and horizontal traces. Past his Prairie properties, Wright’s celebrated works embody Fallingwater, a masterclass in environmental integration.
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969)
Seagram Constructing, New York
(Picture credit score: Getty Photographs / Michael Lee)
Type: Worldwide Type, minimalist modernism
Well-known works: Seagram Constructing (with Philip Johnson), New York; Crown Corridor, Chicago
Although he was born in Germany, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe made his mark within the US after emigrating there, serving to to outline the glass-and-steel aesthetic that laid the inspiration for the trendy skyscraper. The Seagram Constructing turned, in some ways, the worldwide blueprint for company structure. Credited with popularising the phrase ‘much less is extra’, van der Rohe’s designs are characterised by clear traces, open flooring plans and light-filled, clear areas.
Richard Neutra (1892-1970)
Kaufmann Desert Home, California
(Picture credit score: Images: Joe Wolf)
Type: Mid-century modernism, California modernism
Well-known works: Kaufmann Desert Home; Lovell Well being Home, each California
Austrian-American architect Richard Neutra was a key determine in midcentury modernism, significantly in Southern California, the place buildings such because the Kaufmann Desert Home in Palm Springs helped outline the California trendy type. His designs are modern, light-filled and open plan, emphasising well being, life-style and a reference to the outside by the usage of glass and pure supplies.
Louis Kahn (1901-1974)
Salk Institute, California
(Picture credit score: Getty Photographs / Eddie Brady)
Type: Monumental modernism
Well-known works: Salk Institute, California; Kimbell Artwork Museum, Texas
Louis Kahn, recipient of each the AIA Gold Medal and the RIBA Gold Medal, was famend for his monumental, monolithic buildings that showcase their weight, supplies and construction somewhat than concealing them. Kahn’s designs mix modernism with classical influences, characterised by geometric kinds and supplies like brick and concrete.
Charles and Ray Eames (1907-1978 and 1912-1988)
(Picture credit score: Joshua White)
Type: Mid-century modernism
Well-known works: Eames Home, California
Maybe two of probably the most influential figures in Twentieth-century design, married couple Charles and Ray Eames are famend for his or her contributions to structure, furnishings and industrial design. Their use of latest supplies like moulded plywood and fibreglass mixed performance with aesthetics. The Eames Home, inbuilt 1949 in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, stands as a landmark of midcentury trendy residential structure.
South America
Oscar Niemeyer (1907-2012)
Niterói Museum of Modern Artwork, Brazil
(Picture credit score: Todd Eberle)
Type: Brazilian modernism, sculptural modernism
Well-known works: Civic buildings of Brasília; Niterói Museum of Modern Artwork, each Brazil; United Nations Headquarters, US
Strongly influenced by Le Corbusier, Oscar Niemeyer’s use of free-form concrete, usually solid in sinuous curves that echoed the pure landscapes of Brazil, led some to dub him a ‘sculptor of monuments’. Together with city planners Lúcio Costa and Joaquim Cardozo, Niemeyer helped design the brand new capital of Brasília within the Nineteen Fifties, together with the Nationwide Congress, the cathedral and the Palácio da Alborada.
Lina Bo Bardi (1914-1992)
(Picture credit score: Joalpe)
Type: Brazilian modernism, humanist modernism, brutalism
Well-known works: SESC Pompéia; Glass Home; São Paulo Museum of Artwork, all Brazil
Born in Italy, Lina Bo Bardi is well known for her contributions to Latin American structure, significantly in Brazil, the place she navigated challenges as each a foreigner and a girl. An advocate for structure’s social potential, she created buildings marked by cultural and materials sensitivity, mixing brutalist kinds with Brazilian vernacular influences.
Carlos Raúl Villanueva (1900-1975)
Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas, Venezuela
(Picture credit score: Getty Photographs / Bloomberg)
Type: Regional modernism, brutalism
Well-known works: Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas; Olympic Stadium, each Venezuela; Aula Magna, Mexico
Venezuelan however raised in Europe, Carlos Raúl Villanueva introduced modernist beliefs to Latin America, the place he fused them with native cultural and climatic contexts. A defining idea in his work was the concept of ‘synthesis of the humanities’, a perception that structure ought to be built-in with portray, sculpture and different visible arts. Villanueva additionally drew from brutalism, with intensive use of strengthened concrete, and his initiatives usually had a social dimension – he performed a serious function in shaping the city cloth of cities like Caracas and Maracay.
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