The new movements & schools of

Thought on Architecture

21-03-2012
 Emphasis upon materials and
craftsmanship. Existed between 1880
and 1910
 Originated in the UK, i.e. the most
industrialized in Europe as a rejection to
urbanization.
 Inspired by the Romantic writings of
John Ruskin and William Morris
Hand craftsmanship was considered for usefulness &
aesthetics.

Natural floral patterns were evolved—this will bring about next

movement, Art Nouveau

William Morris, the artist-writer, who led the movement:

Believed that mass production was killing the
appreciation of hand-crafted artisanship
Formed a co-operative group called the “Firm”
Was inspired by medieval guilds and design
affectations.
Believed in good design, craftsmanship and dignity.
Basically rejected the
cold, impersonal
aesthetics brought on
by the Industrial
Revolution
Objects made during
the Arts & Crafts
movement were
smaller, affordable
objects such as
textiles, pottery,
furniture, etc.
The Red House, built for
W.Morris, at Bexley
Heath(1859-61), shows a
picturesque and romantic
grouping of roof and
chimneys around the focal
point of a well-head.
Simply vernacular, with tall
chimneys and long ridge
lines of the old English
farm or manor.
Used brick, tiles and oak.
There is practically no
ornament or stylistic detail,
and is inspired by Gothic
features as well as 17th
The Gamble
House
Greene and
Greene
1908
Pasadena, CA
WILLIAM MORRIS, Green Dining Room, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, England, 1867*.
 Eclecticism is a conceptual approach that does not hold rigidly
to a single paradigm or set of assumptions, but instead draws
upon multiple theories, styles, or ideas to gain
complementary insights into a subject, or applies different
theories in particular cases. The term eclecticism is used to
describe the combination in a single work of elements from
different historical styles, chiefly in architecture and, by
implication, in the fine and decorative arts. The term is
sometimes also loosely applied to the general stylistic variety
of 19th century architecture after Neo-classicism (c. 1820),
although the revivals of styles in that period have, since the
1970s, generally been referred to as aspects of historicism.

 Eclecticism plays an important role in critical discussions and

evaluations but is somehow distant from the actual forms of
the artefacts to which it is applied, and its meaning is thus
rather indistinct. The simplest definition of the term—that
every work of art represents the combination of a variety of
influences—is so basic as to be of little use.
 In some ways Eclecticism is reminiscent of Mannerism in that
the term was used pejoratively for much of the period of its
currency, although, unlike Mannerism, Eclecticism never
amounted to a movement or constituted a specific style: it is
characterized precisely by the fact that it was not a particular
style.

 Many architects of the mid to late-nineteenth century

composed buildings by mixing styles drawn from different
periods of history and (often exotic) geographies. This approach
was commonly called eclecticism. Through a comparative
analysis of two key writers, John Ruskin and Alexander von
Humboldt, the research will demonstrate that this approach to
architectural design was informed by two theoretical positions
on nineteenth-century culture: cosmopolitanism and
regionalism. The interdependence of understandings of place,
race, modernity, style and social reform in nineteenth century
architectural design. 
 Chicago's architecture is
famous throughout the world
and one style is referred to as
the Chicago School that evolved
around the turn of the 20th
century. They were among the
first to promote the new
technologies of steel-frame
construction in commercial
buildings, and developed a
spatial aesthetic which co-
evolved with, and then came to
influence, parallel
developments in European
Modernism. A "Second Chicago Architects whose names
School" later emerged in the are associated with the
1940s and 1970s which Chicago School include
pioneered new building Henry Hobson Richardson,
technologies and Dankmar Adler,
structural systems such as the Daniel Burnham,
tube-frame structure. William Holabird,
William LeBaron Jenney,
Martin Roche, John Root,
Solon S. Beman, and
Some of the distinguishing
features of the Chicago School
are the use of steel-frame
buildings with masonry cladding
(usually terra cotta), allowing
large plate-glass window areas
and limiting the amount of
exterior ornamentation.
Sometimes elements of
neoclassical architecture are
used in Chicago School
skyscrapers. Many Chicago
School skyscrapers contain the
three parts of a classical column
. The first floor functions as the
base, the middle stories, usually
with little ornamental detail, act
as the shaft of the column, and
the last floor or so represent the
capital, with more ornamental
detail and capped with a cornice
The "Chicago window"
originated in this
school. It is a three-
part window
consisting of a large The Chicago window
fixed center panel combined the functions of
flanked by two smaller light-gathering and
double-hung sash natural ventilation; a
windows. The single central pane was
arrangement of usually fixed, while the
windows on the two surrounding panes
facade typically were operable. These
creates a grid pattern, windows were often
with some projecting deployed in bays, known
out from the facade as oriel windows, that
forming bay windows. projected out over the
 The Reliance Building is a
skyscraper located at 32 North
State Street in the Loop
community area of Chicago, Illinois.
The first floor and basement were
designed by John Root of the
Burnham and Root architectural firm
in 1890, with the rest of the building
completed by Charles B. Atwood in
1895. It is the first skyscraper to
have large plate glass windows
make up the majority of its surface
area, foreshadowing a feature of
skyscrapers that would become
dominant in the 20th century.
 The plan for the Reliance Building
was consistent with the growing
concept of the Chicago school of
architecture, which emphasized the
importance of designing to
address the function of a building
 Atwood used white glazed architectural terra-cotta
cladding. At the time, it was believed that the
recently-developed enameled terra-cotta would
never need to be cleaned because its smooth
surface would allow any dirt to wash away in the
rain. The steel framing on the top ten floors was
completed over fifteen days in 1894. The Reliance
Building, so named for its functionality, opened in
March 1895. It was one of the first skyscrapers to
offer electricity and phone service in all of its
offices. In its first few decades, it provided office
space for merchants and health professionals.
 The addition of the remaining floors in 1894–1895
completed the building and marked the "first
comprehensive achievement" of the Chicago
construction method.
The building's plate-glass windows are set
within the terra-cotta-tiled facade. Its steel-
frame superstructure is built atop concrete
caissons sunk as much as 125 feet beneath
the footing.
The Reliance Building has been called
"proto-Modernist" in its lack of the hierarchy
found in Classical facades. Its stacks of
projecting bay windows and terra-cotta
cladding create an effect of extraordinary
lightness. It was a direct precursor of the
all-glass Friedrichstrasse skyscraper
proposed by Mies van der Rohe in 1921.
(French term for 'new art') is
an international style of art,
architecture and design
that peaked in popularity at
the beginning of the 20th
century (1880-1914) and is
characterized by highly-
stylized, flowing, curvilinear
designs often incorporating
floral and other plant-
inspired motifs. The name
'Art Nouveau' derived from
the name of a shop in Paris,
Maison de l'Art Nouveau,
that showcased objects
that followed this approach
to design.
The style's patterns and
motifs were taken
primarily from nature and
were often carried out
with unrestrained
exuberance of form,
color, and especially line.

The french architect

Hector Guimard,made
brilliant use of art
nouveau in his design for
the entrances to the new
Paris subway system, the
metro. There after the
style was called "le style
metro.“
Victor, Baron Horta (6
January 1861 - 8 September
1947) was a Belgian architect
and designer. Horta is one of
the most important names in
Art Nouveau architecture; the
construction of his
Hôtel Tassel in Brussels in
1892-3 introduced the style to
architecture from the
decorative arts.
He focused on the curvature of
his designs, believing that the
forms he produced were highly
practical and not artistic
After introducing Art Nouveau in
an exhibition held in 1892, Horta
was inspired and he transfused
the recent influences into
Hôtel Tassel, completed in 1893.
The design had a groundbreaking
semi open-plan floor layout for a
house of the time, and
incorporated interior iron
structure with curvilinear
botanical forms, later described
as “biomorphic whiplash”. Ornate
and elaborate designs and
natural lighting were concealed
behind a stone façade to
harmonize the building with the
more rigid houses next door. The
building has since been
recognised as the first
appearance of Art Nouveau in
architecture.
HORTA MUSEUM/HORTA
HOUSE
The House

The Studio
HORTA
ART NOUVEAU-Contribution of Victor Horta
 Towards Art Deco &
Modernism:
The post-war austerity
meant that Art Nouveau was
no longer affordable or
fashionable. From this point
on Horta, who had gradually
been simplifying his style
over the previous decade, no
longer used organic forms,
and instead based his
designs on the geometrical.
He continued to use rational
floor plans, and to apply the
latest developments in
building technology and
building services engineering
. The Palais des Beaux-Arts
Palais des Beaux-Arts in ,BRUSSELS
Brussels, a multi-purpose
cultural centre designed in a
formal style that was new at
the time, but which
foreshadows Art Deco as well
Externally the building is clad in stone,
however it was largely built using
reinforced concrete Internally, Horta's
complex floor plans again demonstrate
his talent for rational design.
Combining his love of both music and
architecture, Horta designed an
unusual egg-shaped concert hall which
is regarded as one of the Worlds'
greatest, although modifications in
1970 harmed the acoustics.
ART NOUVEAU-Contribution of Antonio Gaudi
 Antoni Gaudí i Cornet (Catalan
pronunciation: ; 25 June 1852–10 June
1926) was a Spanish Catalan
architect and figurehead of
Catalan Modernism. Gaudí's works
reflect his highly individual and
distinctive style and are largely
concentrated in the Catalan capital of
Barcelona, notably his magnum opus, His work
the Sagrada Família. transcended
 Much of Gaudí's work was marked by mainstream
his four life passions: architecture, Modernisme,
nature, religion and love for culminating in an
Catalonia.3 Gaudí studied every
detail of his creations, integrating organic style
into his architecture a series of crafts inspired by nature.
in which he was skilled: ceramics, Gaudí rarely drew
stained glass, wrought ironwork
forging and carpentry. He introduced detailed plans of his
new techniques in the treatment of works, instead
materials, such as trencadís, made of preferring to create
waste ceramic pieces. Gaudí’s them as
Roman Catholic faith intensified
during his life and religious images three-dimensional
permeate his work. This earned him scale models and
the nickname "God's Architect . molding the details
as he was
ART NOUVEAU-Contribution of Antonio Gaudi

In 1883 Gaudí was put in

charge of the recently-
initiated project to build a
Barcelona cathedral called
Basílica i Temple Expiatori
de la
Sagrada Família
(Basilica and Expiatory
Church of the Holy Family,
or Sagrada Família). Gaudí
completely changed the
initial design and imbued
it with his own distinctive
style. From 1915 until his
death he devoted himself
entirely to this project.

SAGRADA FAMILIA, BARCELONA

Spanish Late Gothic, 
Catalan Modernismand to 
Art Nouveau .  has a great
complexity of parts, which
include double aisles, an 
ambulatory with a chevet of
seven apsidal chapels, a
multitude of towers and three
portals, each widely different
in structure as well as
ornament. Where it is
common for cathedrals in
Spain to be surrounded by
numerous chapels and
ecclesiastical buildings, the
plan of this church has an
unusual feature: a covered
passage or cloister which
forms a rectangle enclosing
the church and passing
through thenarthex of each of
its three portals. With this
peculiarity aside, the plan,
influenced by Villar's crypt,
barely hints at the complexity
SAGRADA FAMILIA, BARCELONA
 The church plan is that of a Latin cross with five aisles. The central nave
vaults reach forty-five metres while the side nave vaults reach thirty
metres. The transept has three aisles. The columns are on a 7.5 metre
grid. However, the columns of the apse, resting on del Villar's foundation,
do not adhere to the grid, requiring a section of columns of the
ambulatory to transition to the grid thus creating a horseshoe pattern to
the layout of those columns. The crossing rests on the four central
columns of porphyry supporting a great hyperboloid surrounded by two
rings of twelve hyperboloids (currently under construction). The central
vault reaches sixty metres. The apse is capped by a hyperboloid vault
reaching seventy-five metres. Gaudí intended that a visitor standing at
the main entrance be able to see the vaults of the nave, crossing, and
apse, thus the graduated increase in vault loftiness. There are gaps in the
floor of the apse, providing a view down into the crypt below.
 The columns of the interior are a unique Gaudí design. Besides branching
to support their load, their ever-changing surfaces are the result of the
intersection of various geometric forms. The simplest example is that of a
square base evolving into an octagon as the column rises, then a sixteen-
sided form, and eventually to a circle. This effect is the result of a three-
dimensional intersection of helicoidal columns (for example a square
cross-section column twisting clockwise and a similar one twisting
counter-clockwise).
 Essentially none of the interior surfaces are flat; the ornamentation is
comprehensive and rich, consisting in large part of abstract shapes which
combine smooth curves and jagged points. Even detail-level work such as
the iron railings for balconies and stairways are full of curvaceous
elaboration.
THE CRYPT
CASA MILA, BARCELONA

Casa
Milà ,
meaning
the 'The
Quarry'),
is a
building
designed
by Antoni
Gaudí and
built
during
the years
1905–
1910,
being
considere
d
officially
complete
d in 1912
CASA MILA, BARCELONA
It was a controversial
design at the time for the
bold forms of the
undulating stone facade
andwrought
iron decoration of the
balconies and windows,
designed largely by Josep
Maria Jujol, who also
created some of the
plaster ceilings.
Architecturally it is
considered an innovative
work for its steel structure
and curtain walls – the
façade is self-supporting.
Other innovative elements
were the construction of
underground car parking
and separate lifts and
stairs for the owners and
their servants.
CASA VICENS, BARCELONA
 Casa Vicens is a family
residence in Barcelona ,
designed by Antoni Gaudí and
built for industrialist Manuel
Vicens. It was Gaudí's first
important work.
 This early work exhibits
several influences, most
notably the Moorish (or
Mudéjar) influence,
particularly evident at the top.
The house is constructed of
undressed stone, rough red
bricks, and colored ceramic
tiles in checkerboard and
floral patterns. The owner,
Manuel Vicens, was the owner
of a brick and tile factory, so
the ceramic tiles pay tribute
to his employment. The
yellow, zinnia-flowered tile,
designed by Gaudí, was
manufactured by Vicens.