ARCHITECTURE - Reaching for the Sky

Architecture is the art and science of designing buildings and structures. A building
reflects the scientific and technological achievements of the age as well as the
ideas and aspirations of the designer and client. The appearance of individual
buildings, however, is often controversial. The use of an architectural style cannot
be said to start or finish on a specific date. Neither is it possible to say exactly what
characterises a particular movement. But the origins of what is now generally
known as modern architecture can be traced back to the social and technological
changes of the 18th and 19th centuries. Instead of using timber, stone and
traditional building techniques, architects began to explore ways of creating
buildings by using the latest technology and materials such as steel, glass and
concrete strengthened steel bars, known as reinforced concrete. Technological
advances also helped bring about the decline of rural industries and an increase in
urban populations as people moved to the towns to work in the new factories. Such
rapid and uncontrolled growth helped to turn parts of cities into slums. By the
1920s architects throughout Europe were reacting against the conditions created by
industrialisation. A new style of architecture emerged to reflect more idealistic
notions for the future. It was made possible by new materials and construction
techniques and was known as Modernism. By the 1930s many buildings emerging
from this movement were designed in the International Style. This was largely
characterised by the bold use of new materials and simple, geometric forms, often
with white walls supported by stiltlike pillars. These were stripped of unnecessary
decoration that would detract from their primary purpose — to be used or lived in.
Walter Gropius, Charles Jeanneret (better known as Le Corbusier) and Ludwig
Mies van der Rohe were among the most influential of the many architects who
contributed to the development of Modernism in the first half of the century. But
the economic depression of the 1930s and the second world war (1939-45)
prevented their ideas from being widely realised until the economic conditions
improved and war-torn cities had to be rebuilt. By the 1950s, the International
Style had developed into a universal approach to building, which standardised the
appearance of new buildings in cities across the world. Unfortunately, this
Modernist interest in geometric simplicity and function became exploited for
profit. The rediscovery of quick-and-easy-to-handle reinforced concrete and an
improved ability to prefabricate building sections meant that builders could meet
the budgets of commissioning authorities and handle a renewed demand for
development quickly and cheaply. But this led to many badly designed buildings,
which discredited the original aims of Modernism. Influenced by Le Corbusier’s
ideas on town planning, every large British city built multi-storey housing estates
in the 1960s. Massproduced, low-cost high-rises seemed to offer a solution to the
problem of housing a growing inner-city population. But far from meeting human
needs, the new estates often proved to be windswept deserts lacking essential
social facilities and services. Many of these buildings were poorly designed and
constructed and have since been demolished. By the 1970s, a new respect for the
place of buildings within the existing townscape arose. Preserving historic
buildings or keeping only their facades (or fronts) grew common. Architects also
began to make more use of building styles and materials that were traditional to the
area. The architectural style usually referred to as High Tech was also emerging. It
Reading celebrated scientific and engineering achievements by openly parading the
sophisticated techniques used in construction. Such buildings are commonly made
of metal and glass; examples are Stansted airport and the Lloyd’s building in
London. Disillusionment at the failure of many of the poor imitations of Modernist
architecture led to interest in various styles and ideas from the past and present. By
the 1980s the coexistence of different styles of architecture in the same building
became known as Post Modern. Other architects looked back to the classical
tradition. The trend in architecture now favours smaller scale building design that
reflects a growing public awareness of environmental issues such as energy
efficiency. Like the Modernists, people today recognise that a well-designed
environment improves the quality of life but is not necessarily achieved by
adopting one well defined style of architecture. Twentieth century architecture will
mainly be remembered for its tall buildings. They have been made possible by the
development of light steel frames and safe passenger lifts. They originated in the
US over a century ago to help meet the demand for more economical use of land.
As construction techniques improved, the skyscraper became a reality.