#488 - WHAT IS MODERN ARCHITECTURE?
SUMMARY
This week, David and Marina of FAME Architecture & Design answer the question, "What is modern architecture?" They discuss the history of modern architecture, misconceptions about modern architecture, contemporary vs modern styles, why architecture styles are confusing, search for authenticity in architecture, ornamentation in architecture, and more. Enjoy!
TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) History of Modern Architecture.
(11:19) Contemporary vs modern architecture meaning.
“Modernism and the modern mentality is more important than the form it produces. What it means to be a modernist, is to think about the contemporary setting that you are in, to analyze it, digest it, and then channel that into the work, but also think about where we want to go as a society. All of us who are practicing and designing the built environment, that's actually what we're thinking about. What makes sense to have something, a sculpture and a structure, that's an expression of our principles and our belief system, and where we want to be going. I think that futurist mentality is very much what it means to be a modern architect. ” (13:21)
(21:23) Search for authenticity in architecture.
“The urge for creation and the idea that you could discover something super great that could potentially change how people live, change how other architects think about architecture. Designing for the people of your time. Any major building that was done in the past was modern for its time, because they were trying to push things in a new direction or forward. In a way, I do think if you are an architect, you kind of have to do that. It’s our responsibility.” (27:07)
“This is how architects think. When we produce something, it has to be forward looking because what are we doing otherwise? Buildings last for such a long time, especially when we talk about larger structures, we cannot afford to look backward. We are putting a permanent giant work of structure that costs a lot of money, that is now part of the city. It has to be appropriate and positive. It can't be backward looking. It's the wrong thing to do in my book if you are not pushing and evolving, because every building that we do is a drop in the bucket for where we're going as a species.” (28:21)
(29:36) Misconception about Modern Architecture.
“The misconception of the word ‘Modern Architecture’ is because the meaning of it has been associated with what it was when it first came out. When it first started, modern architecture was maybe cold and minimal. But architecture has evolved, and modern architecture can be many things. The thing that's not really being explained to people today is that modern architecture can take any shape or form. (31:11)
(35:03) Buildings with no style.
(39:35) Communicating architecture to clients without using styles.
(44:43) Right architect and client pairing.
“Balancing the parameters which guide and provide boundaries to what you can do as an architect. Balancing that with freedom is a really interesting problem that's always something that we are continually trying to work on because it's not easy. Oftentimes every project has a new client, new site, new place, so it's always a new context. The client have a goal in mind and we're hired to achieve that goal. But it's also our job to deviate from it slightly, to make sure that we can propose something that's even better than what the client already has in their preconceived notions. But not so much to where it's like, “Well, dude, you just blew my budget. This has nothing to do with the program.” We don't want to go so far outside of that path. But we do want to have wiggle room to venture off of that a little bit, to produce something that actually has meaning and is going to bring a great value to the client and to the property.” (57:51)
(59:55) Ornamentation & Modern Architecture.
(01:03:56) How to make sure architecture has meaning.
“How do you know if what you're drawing makes sense? In a project, you're driven by a lot of things like the site, the client, the program, the budget, etc. But they are not actually enough to make a final decision of where this wall should go or what shape that wall should be. There's an unlimited number of design options, so what is the right solution? Where does it come from? For our office, this really comes down to the concept. It is all about the concept behind the house. Another way to describe concepts could be the artistic statement behind the project. It is the narrative or the thesis behind the work.” (01:04:08)
(01:10:27) Ideal projects & clients for FAME Architects.
“Once you find the story of the project, the concept of the architecture, it kind of starts to write and draw itself. You end up almost simply being this conduit between the concepts and what's being put on paper. Your job is just to be a good conduit. You can sense naturally, once you get enough experience, when you draw something that you're screwing it up. It feels dishonest. It doesn't belong there. Or we need to add something, but you can feel when it's not right. It's almost like what's guiding the hand is not me. It's the story. It's the concept.There's always a moment in the project where that happens and things start to lock into place, and it becomes very clear as to what the design should and should not be.” (01:06:20)
(01:16:04) Summary.
“For clients who are listening to this, stop focusing so much on the labels [or styles] and focus more on the approach and what you're looking for as a client. Are you looking for a very prescribed creation that you're dictating in a way, or are you looking for a more loose process that's a bit more open ended? Try to understand the architect you're looking to hire. What is their approach {and design philosophy?]” (01:16:22)
