Blog Post 4. Are we over modernism

 Are we over modernism?

 

 

Now for many generations of architects and architecture students modernism has been the corner stone of architecture. Post-modernism and smaller architecture movements has tried to mix things up, but they haven’t been too successful. 

            For modernism I mean roughly the architecture movement started by Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius who were the pioneers of the movement. Modernism rejected ornaments and focused on embracing minimalism in architecture. Also, modernism was aesthetic pleasing, but it was associated being more rational and cost efficient. The modernist movement gained the notoriety after second world war when there was huge housing crisis all over the world and people needed houses to live in. 

As for modern I mean things that are new and are made in this time. 

            Architecture is not the same as it was 50 years ago it has changed a lot but compared to other technology or even art and design it seems architecture has stuck to the basic ideas and thinking outside of the box is difficult. The construction, electrify, plumbing, heating and so on have changed dramatically, but the architecture itself has seen some downfall. It seems strange to me that we are richer, “smarter” and healthier at the same architecture is not thought as art anymore. In finnish, the word “architecture” was before “rakennustaide”, which in roughly translated to English means “construction art”. 

            Architects like to talk about not having money enough to do good plans, but even at the architecture competitions the proposals often are not that humane or livable. 

            It feels a bit like we are at some hybrid state of architecture of modernism, climate crisis and internet/social media. The climate crisis will obviously change how we build architecture and cities, but unlike modernism it was first more aesthetic thing. But you could argue that moss roofs and roof gardens are not a new thing, but they have been here since the start of time. In today’s world I find it hard to believe we could follow only one architecture principle; the information and inspiration is so massive.