The International Style was mainly one which focused on architecture. It developed in Europe and the United States in the 1920s and 1930s, and later it also spread to countries like Finland, Norway and Denmark to create what is now known as the Scandinavian Design movement. The International Style consisted of a large number of architects and designers which include Eileen Gray, Mies van der Rohe, Walter Gropius and Le Corbusier among others.
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| LC2 and LC3 Grand Confort - Le Crobusier |
The style came to be due to a number of reasons. For example, the excessive use of decoration and more-over, a mash-up of decorative elements from different periods and styles of the past which they wanted to eliminate, as well as the development of new technologies which facilitated the use of material such as glass, iron, steel and concrete. The philosophy behind the style was to create rationalist and disciplined designs, ones which expressed the potential of the material used and which created a harmony between technology and function.
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| Seagram building in New York - Ludwig Mies van der Rohe |
The characteristics of designs produced in line with the International Style were said to be cold and soul-less. Rectilinear forms were preferred; glass curtain walls were a must; open interior space; flat surfaces; no sign of ornamentation. High-rise buildings were constructed in a sleek and boxy manner. These qualities gave way to the construction of the first skyscrapers in the United States.
Many criticized the International Style for the lack of individuality in design. The Style was more adapted towards those who preferred a repetitive style. I personally think that this is true; if I was to be presented with a handful of different images of skyscrapers I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them all. Apart from certain elements and the personal touch of the architect in question, the designs all look relatively the same.
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| Mcgraw-Hill building in New York - Raymond Hood |
As can be seen from today's America, the style was generally more applied to industrial building rather than houses. Even though this style represented the American symbol of corporate power and outlined the height of the modern movement in the United States and Europe, after a number of years architects and designers wanted to explore the possibility of more innovation and decoration in their designs rather than be constrained by the rigidity and limitation of the International Style. This resulted in the birth of another movement which came to be known as Postmodernism.
References
Craven, J. (2015). Picture Dictionary of Modern Architecture. [online] About.com Home. Available at: http://architecture.about.com/od/20thcenturytrends/ig/Modern-Architecture/International-Style.htm [Accessed 9 Jan. 2015].
Encyclopedia Britannica, (2014). International Style | architecture. [online] Available at: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/291280/International-Style [Accessed 9 Jan. 2015].
