The Rise and Fall of Modernist Architecture

Theoretical Perspectives, Centre for Research on Politics; University of Dhaka, 1995

Modernism in the arts is a general term used to describe various tendencies in the first three quarters of the twentieth century. It refers mainly to a conscious attempt to break away from the artistic traditions of the nineteenth century, and also to a concern with form and the exploration of technique as opposed to content and narrative. Le Corbusier, probably the greatest proponent of Modernism, in a series of theoretical discourses on the subject laid down the ground rules which subsequent generations of architects have painstakingly followed. The structure of the artistic world, like that of the political world, reflects the nature of contemporary society . As in other fields, modernism in architecture addressed the social issues first and foremost and was aimed at providing an environment which could be enjoyed by a far wider user-group than could be imagined under the classed society of the nineteenth century. Technology and communication were given their due importance as the prime forces shaping the new world, free from the inhibitions of the nineteenth century. The theory was gradually put into practice by architects first all over the western world by the first half of the century, and with increased communication and need into the hither-to neglected third world by the sixties and seventies. Modernism through its sub-theme of internationalism proclaimed the universality and world-wide applicability of certain values of architecture and over the past 60 years, almost totally discarded all 'regional' building activity. In fact, it has been said about the architects of the time that " for them it mattered not at all whether a building bore any relation to its setting or to established cultural traditions. Indeed the less integrated it was, the more impact it would have, and the more effective it would be as an aesthetic manifesto" . This paper does not criticize the modern movement in architecture, for the 'style-lessness' of the modern movement was an indispensable necessity for its time, it was a movement for the general masses to make architecture accessible to all, rather than a chosen few. Society and values however are not static and the last quarter of the present century has seen discontent with the rigidity and plainness of previous generations. Various new movements have been born out of the residue of the modern phase. Now is the opportune moment to attempt a re-understanding of the principles behind the modern movement and to examine the reasons that alternatives to that purist movement are being sought. This paper also explores the present search that is being conducted for new directions in architecture at the thresh-hold of the new century, and comments on their validity in the context of third world urban centres.

The adage that history repeats itself, the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce, 5 is complicated in the case of typology, which appeared the first time as enlightenment, the second time as modernism, and the third time as urban critique. Only in its fourth iteration as the marketing tool of anti-urban development has it fulfilled its destiny as tragi-comedy. 6

Journal of Design History, 2009

During the decades following the 1939-45 War, damage done to British towns and cities was immense, as municipal authorities devised and implemented radical schemes to reshape and 'modernize' them. In the process councils destroyed far more than enemy action managed to inflict. It is as though certain places attempted to self-destruct: the case of Glasgow is particularly dramatic, for it had suffered somewhat less from aerial bombardment than other comparable British cities. In this book, Gold, drawing on a vast range of primary documentation and information gathered from interviewing architects involved in the postWar 'redevelopment' schemes, drily chronicles the whole sorry tale. It has long been clear that architecture is the most politicized of all professions, and was taken over by Leftist ideologues many decades ago. One interesting case is that of Donald Edward Evelyn Gibson (1908-91), who, not yet 30 years old, was appointed to the new post of City Architect by the Labour Council of Coventry in 1938. From 1939 to 1940 he and his colleagues organized an exhibition which opened in May 1940, a propaganda exercise to soften up the public for what was actually comprehensive redevelopment: in fact Gibson's plan, which involved the demolition of "some fine buildings which very few people care about", 1 the creation of a ring-road that was far too near the centre, a pedestrianized shopping area, and the retention of a few old buildings left isolated without any context, became possible to realize when the Luftwaffe conveniently did the draconian job of flattening the place for him. The essentials of the Gibson plan for Coventry thereafter became familiar in virtually all proposals for postWar British towns and cities, to their great detriment. It is worth noting that alternative plans were put forward by Coventry's City Engineer, Ernest Ford, and indeed there was considerable animosity between the established City Engineer's Department and the new City Architect, something that was to be repeated all over the Kingdom, not least when engineers prepared wasteful road layouts, and the architects (who were no longer capable of designing anything that was not a simple rectangular block, leaving useless patches of waste ground between the roads and the buildings 2) filled in parts of the bits left. The other enormously problematic aspects of the great amount of destruction and new building were not just the huge waste of resources, the disruption of communities, and the killing of the urban organism, but the mediocrity, vulgarity, and incompetent detailing of the architecture. The obliteration of the past, the making of the tabula rasa from which the Leftist dream of Modernism would

On account of their size, their social importance and the radical way in which they are architecturally formulated the housing complexes of the post–war period provoke an ongoing critical discussion of the questions: “How do we want to live?” and “How should we live?” Opinions are very much divided over the dimensions, the normative floor plans, and the social structure of these large housing developments. The debate seems to be conducted between three different camps. There are those who suggest that there is a direct causality between form and function and attribute the social tensions within housing complexes to their external structure. Others uphold the autonomy of architecture and in the process either do not consider social policy and the residents or even hold them responsible for the negative image of this form of housing. The text that follows below can be allotted to the third camp: this viewpoint recognizes the complex interaction between form and political, economic, and social practices and examines their relationship to the autonomous development of the form of housing, which has its own history of development and an inherent rationality. Starting from architecture’s ability to operate using its own tools in a heterogeneous field between ideological, economic, and political practices, in this text consideration is given not only to how new social demands on existing housing can be met but also to how, in view of these hotly debated buildings, architects can in the first place adopt a critical and socially relevant approach.

Trace Notes on adaptive reuse N°2 On Modernity, 2020

In the aftermath of WWII, many cities in Europe suffered from considerable housing shortages, leading to new housing developments, many of which were high-rise housing estates, built following the principles of the Modern Movement and CIAM (Congrès Internationaux d’Architecture Moderne). The ideology is based on the concept of the ‘Functional City’, implemented through ideas such as function-based city zones, with minimum dwellings together with collective infrastructures; low-rise and high-rise buildings in extensive green areas; the ideal of ‘air, light and nature’ combined with high-density living and standardisation; open ground-floor plans and pedestrian areas separated from traffic routes. In the context of an urgent need for housing, the strong, uncompromising approach was accepted without hesitation. Politicians and planners built according to architectural notions, in which high-rise served as a potent symbol of a ‘new architecture for new people’ in a modern post-war age of multi-family living, communal facilities and social equality. Despite the lofty ambitions of the Modern Movement, many of these projects have undergone a critical shift in meaning, and are today associated with problematic living conditions, deprived areas, isolated locations, a low-income population, social isolation, pollution, crime etc. As a consequence, questions emerge about how to solve these problems, in many cases resulting in demolition, even of the most iconic projects, such as the Pruitt-Igoe in St, Louis, USA, or the Smithsons’ Robin Hood Gardens in London. Despite the negative connotations of this architectural typology, some interesting refurbishment projects have been executed over the past decades, in which the pre-existing was not eliminated. This article illustrates three refurbishment projects in which the architects succeeded in adapting the original ideologies and aspirations of a different generation to those of today: Park Hill Estate in Sheffield, Kleiburg in Amsterdam, and Tour Bois-le-Prêtre in Paris. These projects will be analysed based on their origins and evolution, transformation, and re-interpretation of modernist ideas.

TU Darmstadt - Faculty of Architecture, 2018

In recent decades, modernist planning has been subject to a series of damaging criticisms, some of which have substance. This chapter makes a qualified defence of modernist ideals against those critics who too easily make the planners the cause of the problems with which planning is called upon to deal. Those problems remain and require a revaluation of the planning process.

Architecture is the most public and political of the arts, one generally encountered in a mood of digression and complicit in social control. It could even be argued that the success of the city may have less to do with its aesthetic accomplishments and more to do with the countless emergent factors taking place in such an interface as the street: thus one learns to see buildings as good when they make possible the good lives of their users, as if ethics and aesthetics have a common root. The following article traces different current approaches to avant-gardism in architecture, but relating them to the questions of progress and estrangement so central to modernism.

transcript Verlag eBooks, 2024

In cities, almost no topic is as intensely discussed as housing. The attractiveness of cities and the resulting steady influx of new residents have led to shortages in the housing supply. Above all, there is a lack of affordable accommodation. The higher demand has led to tensions in the low-price segment of the housing market, which, in turn, have led to an increase in rent burden for lower-and middle-income groups. The need to build affordable housing is also a topic of intense discussion in the large cities of Germany, Russia, and Ukraine. The release of formerly state-owned and communal housing onto the private market, exploding rent prices, and a lack of new construction cumulatively mean that inhabitants are becoming increasingly worried about having a roof over their head. In Germany, some initial steps have been taken by public administrations and politicians to cope with this problem. These steps include the (re-)establishment of municipal housing associations, testing and initiating new models for allocating and developing land, and a great deal more. Housing cooperatives have become popular again. But further steps must follow. Above all, local communities face the task of building new dwellings that meet the needs of the population. This requires proposals for innovative concepts of use, innovative building types, and innovative architectural design concepts. In addition, the development of inclusively designed residential space in cities must be addressed. Moreover, issues of housing are always a political and social question that must be answered in a differentiated manner in view of the divergent situations in each city.

2008

The city! What concept could possibly be as important as this one? It encapsulates the results, and to some extent the ends and the means, of human social life. the events of humanity's collective aspirations. The history of urban design is the very history of humanity; the development of the city is the development of human civilization. Accordingly, it should be kept in mind that to the extent that we can predict it, the architectureofthe future shall beanartofthecity,itsfatemust coincide with the development of the city, and it must be civic and democratic. H. P. Berlage'