Opus 12

At the start of the Explorations Unit, we begin to speculate what constitutes Modern Design. In the 19th and 20th centuries design has taken a turn to include the new structural capabilities of steel, glass and concrete. These new systems have the potential to move design in a direction never before seen in history, but designers are not in agreement as to what is modern. Is modern design simply what is being done of the day? As we explore, we are introduced to the distinctions between ‘modern’ and ‘Modern.’ We learn that Modern Design is more than a term, but a specific architectural style consisting of streamlined space, open plan, a more industrial aesthetic with little to no decorative ornamentation. Not all designs of the early 20th century are Modern.

Modern Architecture is composed in much the same way as the modern art movement of the late 19th, early 20th century. By observing art we are able to observe the progression of, and interaction between, art and architecture. Post Impressionism began the trend of simplifying objects, flattening space, to create a more geometric composition. This abstraction of space and objects was simplified down to the basics of pattern and color used to represent a frozen moment in time.

Stretching the artist’s canvas across the landscape, architecture utilizes the forms and ideals already experimented and perfected by modern art in their own designs. How does a solid block of white tell a story all its own? How does it relate to the site? How does it relate to other forms, linear elements, contrasting textures or the function it defines? And does it define the function or does function define it? The architect is left to answer these questions and Modern Design misses the mark. It states that its purpose is to work in relation to its context, but this is not always the case. It states that it is design for all, but still the middle class is unable to afford the buildings highlighted in movies and magazines as the fashion of the times. In this sense, these modern buildings remain purely as art to the general public. Here they are stalled in time.

In contrast to the vignettes on canvas, the overall intentions of Modern Design become about shape and line creating a machine for living. The lack of ornamentation increases the importance of the building form, requiring that these shapes speak for themselves. The horizontal glass banding, geometric concrete forms, open floor plan and simplified color palette speak to a more industrial way of life. The industrial revolution has entered the household not only through furniture and design, but through floor plan and layout, directly affecting movement within the space. Delineation of the new, modern interior actually works to enhance flow as sight lines open up communication between residential compartments.

The Modern Art and Architecture movements realize that their simplification of objects and space have actually created a new and innovating way in which to energize their canvas. Stripping away the decorative elements reveal the beauty of the structural components beneath, allowing the forces that fight gravity and support human habitation to again be of primary importance. Similar to the first structures placed on the earth by humans, these Modern buildings look to create a space with the prime intention of organizing space for human interaction. They are heading in the right direction.

The intentions behind Modern Design were heading in the right direction. The site, building materials and floor plan need to work not only as a residence, but as a machine for living. This does not mean placing the same residence across geographic locations as Modern Architects and those since have done. This means that a residence must be specific to its location, to its natural environment and to its intended function. A house in Boston, Massachusetts should not look the same as a house in Raleigh, North Carolina, yet when I was house hunting in the areas surrounding Boston I saw the same residences and community configurations as I now live in North Carolina. My single deciduous tree on the North side of my residence in Raleigh is not going to protect the interior of my home from the hot summer Southern sun any better than the pine trees on the south side of my parent’s house in Boston prohibit much needed sunlight into the residence in winter months. Both of these simple comparisons have huge impacts. The air conditioner in Raleigh works overtime to counteract the summer heat, while the heater in Boston works double time to single-handedly heat a residence where sunlight could be of great assistance. This is what needs to be brought into designs of the 21st century.