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Postmodernism architecture is a movement starting in the 1960s. Postmodernism really flourished in the 1980s and 1990s. Postmodernists believed that modernism was bland, stale, and uninteresting. Many postmodern architects focused on introducing more life into their architecture including the increased use of bright colors, playfulness, and using classical designs with a modern twist. Postmodernist buildings also included a variety of building materials and shapes. This came in stark contrast to the sterile homogeneity of modern architecture. Some key influential figures of the postmodern movement include Frank Gehry, Renzo Piano, and Santiago Calatrava. Works of each of these artists will be explored in later posts. The attached video briefly explains the history and constructs of postmodernist architecture.

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What is POSTMODERNISM ARCHITECTURE - A Brief Summary

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The prevailing modern architecture of the time began to seem stale to many postmodernists. Modernists would say "Less is more" however postmodernists would say "Less is bore". The homogeneity of the architecture is what fostered the environment that lead to the postmodern movement. Postmodernists believed that modernists were overly focused on function which lead to stark, harsh, and boring buildings.
Another factor that lead to postmodernism is that some monotonous blocks became slums. In an attempt to revitalize these degrading slums, postmodernists believed that adding color and vitality would revive these areas. Postmodernists believed that function was not the only important factor of architecture and that  adding color, personality, and unique shapes and building materials made them interesting and powerful works of art.
The advancement of technological communication acted as a catalyst for the adoption of the postmodern movement. Ideas spread fast and technology served an important role in the spread of this movement.

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Frank Gehry is one of the most influential postmodernists. He is a Canadian American architect. This building, Dancing House, was built in the Netherlands and was financed by a dutch insurance company. This building was a collaboration between Bank Gehry and Croatian-Czech architect Vlado Milunić. One of the important techniques used in this building was the contrast between one static building and one dynamic building. This monument is called the dancing houses because it looks as if they are dancing and the one on the left is leaning on the one on the right. The glass tower seems to narrow at the waist.
This building importantly adopts the style on some ways of the buildings surrounding it. Rather than being like a completely foreign piece of architecture, it is instead viewed as distorted version of the neighboring buildings. Although it has many similarities to its neighbors, the differences are in stark contrast such as the protruding windows. The site of this building has historical significance because the previous building on the site was destroyed by U.S. bombings during World War Two.

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Frank Gehry was selected as the architect for the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Las Angeles California. This project was built in 2003 and was funded by Walt Disney's widow. The design of this building was first sketched by hand and then modeled in 3D with a computer program. The shape of the building leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Many say that it looks like sails of a boat, others say that it symbolizes flowing music. Thin malleable metal panels allowed for the flowing smooth, curves seen in the architecture.
Inside the building there are no divisions between the orchestra and the audience and some of the audience seats face in the same way as the orchestra. "This arrangement was inspired by the director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra, who was keen to avoid any sense of hierarchy." (theartstory.org) This embodies the postmodern ideas of challenging why things were done they way they were and changing things up to me more interesting and less monotonous.

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Milwaukee Arts Museum: Santiago Calatrava

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Milwaukee Arts Museum: Santiago Calatrava

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Santiago Calatrava, a Spanish architect and structural engineer is known for his unique bridges, railway stations, stadiums, and museums. His background as an engineer shows in the support and structure of his buildings. His first building in the United States is the Milwaukee arts museum pictured above. Calatrava was one of 7 architects who submitted designs for the museum and he was ultimately selected as the architect for the project. "Calatrava is known for his flowing, curved buildings. He uses steel, concrete, and new computer modeling to create compositions that appear at once natural and structurally impossible." (mam.org) Many of the design elements used in Calatrava's works were ornamental and not structural. This represents a shift from he "Form follows function" ideas of the modern era. His architecture synthesizes his love for the structure of mathematics with the flow of nature to create truly amazing pieces of architecture.

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Postmodern Architect Artist Spotlight: Renzo Piano

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Postmodern Architect Artist Spotlight: Renzo Piano

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Renzo Piano was born in Italy in 1947. He followed in his fathers steps to become an architect and studied at the Polytechnic in Milan. He formed a partnership with Richard Rogers from 1970-1977. Their works were known to unique and known for the integration of technology. "Piano’s interest in technology and modern solutions to architectural problems was evident in all his designs... one of his designes utilized ferroconcrete leaves in the roof, which served as both a heat source and a form of protection against ultraviolet light." (Brittanica.com) One of his most prominent works was the Pompidou Centre in Paris France which has a very futuristic design. Some of his works were requested as an attempt to revitalize certain areas.

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One of Renzo Piano's most famous works is nicknamed "The Shard" and is located in London. The Shard was unique in that is was going to be developed as a multipurpose building. The developer said, "The vision for the shard was to create an architecturally striking vertical city incorporating retail, offices, hotel, apartments, restaurants and a public viewing gallery." (the-shard.com)
This building is far from conventional. Piano did not want this to be your average office building. "Eight sloping glass facades, the "shards", define the shape and visual quality of the tower, fragmenting the scale of the building and reflecting the light in unpredictable ways." (The-shard.com) The shard embodies postmodern ideology by incorporating unique shapes and designs in the architecture. Its unique pyramid shape and fragmentations on the top of the building generate a lot of interest and emphasize its unique architectural qualities.

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Philip Johnson was the first to incorporate the postmodernist ideology into skyscrapers. Modern era skyscrapers focus on simplicity and uniformity however postmodern skyscrapers add another level of dimension to the architecture. The windows have very diverse widths and lengths and sizes. The building is topped with a large circular hole that starkly contrasts with the bland rectangle office buildings surrounding it. The building design is inspired by classical architecture with sections that resemble a base, shaft, and a capital. Instead of being produced purely with glass, the architecture used a granite facade which helped it be one of the most energy efficient skyscrapers in the area. (Wikipedia.com)