International Style

The International Style or internationalism is a major architectural style that was developed in the 1920s and 1930s and was closely related to modernism and modernist architecture. It was first defined by Museum of Modern Art curators Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson in 1932, based on works of architecture from the 1920s. The terms rationalist architecture and modern movement are often used interchangeably with International Style, although the former is mostly used in the English-speaking world to specifically refer to the Italian rationalism, or even the International Style that developed in Europe as a whole. It is defined by the Getty Research Institute as "the style of architecture that emerged in The Netherlands, France, and Germany after World War I and spread throughout the world, becoming the dominant architectural style until the 1970s. The style is characterized by an emphasis on volume over mass, the use of lightweight, mass-produced, industrial materials, rejection of all ornament and colour, repetitive modular forms, and the use of flat surfaces, typically alternating with areas of glass." Around the start of the 20th century, a number of architects around the world began developing new architectural solutions to integrate traditional precedents with new social demands and technological possibilities. The work of Victor Horta and Henry van de Velde in Brussels, Antoni Gaudí in Barcelona, Otto Wagner in Vienna and Charles Rennie Mackintosh in Glasgow, among many others, can be seen as a common struggle between old and new. These architects were not considered part of the International Style because they practiced in an "individualistic manner" and seen as the last representatives of Romanticism. The International Style can be traced to buildings designed by a small group of modernists, the major figures of which include Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Jacobus Oud, Le Corbusier, Richard Neutra and Philip Johnson.

About this result

This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.

Related publications (2)

Related concepts (75)

Related courses (35)

Related lectures (25)

On the Symbiosis of People and Building

Sytse de Maat

Controversies continue to exist between architects and the public about what is a good building. High-style modern architecture is often disliked by the public. Moreover, in everyday life people blame

EPFL2015

Erweiterung des Funktionalismus 1930-1950

Christoph Wieser

Functionalism serves as the guiding concept of this piece of work, on the example of which shall be traced the changes that took place in modern architecture between 1930 and 1950. This choice seems a

EPFL2005

Modern Architecture and Climate

Explores the relationship between modern architecture and climate science, focusing on optimizing the built environment for climatic conditions.

Future Scenarios: Holmgren's Vision

Explores David Holmgren's future scenarios and their societal implications, including slow oil decline and green technology.

Manfredo Tafuri, Robert A.M. Stern

Explores Manfredo Tafuri's historical perspective and Robert A.M. Stern's post-modernist approach in architecture.

I. M. Pei

Ieoh Ming Pei (ˌjoʊ_mɪŋ_ˈpeɪ ; ; April 26, 1917 – May 16, 2019) was a Chinese-American architect. Raised in Shanghai, Pei drew inspiration at an early age from the garden villas at Suzhou, the traditional retreat of the scholar-gentry to which his family belonged. In 1935, he moved to the United States and enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania's architecture school, but he quickly transferred to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Modern architecture

Modern architecture, or modernist architecture, was an architectural movement or architectural style based upon new and innovative technologies of construction, particularly the use of glass, steel, and reinforced concrete; the idea that form should follow function (functionalism); an embrace of minimalism; and a rejection of ornament. It emerged in the first half of the 20th century and became dominant after World War II until the 1980s, when it was gradually replaced as the principal style for institutional and corporate buildings by postmodern architecture.

International Style

Le cours aborde l'étude de l'architecture produite en Suisse dans le contexte culturel du Mouvement moderne d'entre-deux-guerres et d'après-guerre. Autant les élaborations théoriques (diffusées à trav

Le cours offre une méthode pour discerner et comprendre les idées, les théories et les valeurs culturelles dans des bâtiments et des projets d'architecture.

L'atelier traite de la forme architecturale du point de vue de du logement comme systeme de stockage. Une occasion de questionner de manière critique la place du logment dans le monde capitaliste. Mai