Modern architecture

Building design in the currently fashionable architectural style; the term was originally used to describe a
movement that combined functionalism with ideals that rejected historical design concepts and forms; it
included styles such as Art Deco, International Style, Organic Architecture, and Prairie Style.

Simplified Forms & Clean Lines. The 'modern look' means simplicity in form and design. Modern
architecture is based on abstraction, which is created by clean lines, basic shapes, and forms. Thus,
simple, plain, geometric forms, rectangular shapes, and linear elements make the characteristics of
modern architecture.

Modernist architecture, or modernism, is a style that emerged in the early-20th century in response to
large-scale changes in both technology and society. It is associated with the function of buildings,
approached from an analytical viewpoint, a rational use of materials, the elimination of ornament
and decoration, and openness to structural innovation.

Modernism developed across all artistic fields, not just architecture, as a means of accommodating and
responding to the new technologies of machines, automation and urban design.

Modernism encompasses many different variations, including Futurism, Constructivism, De Stijl,

and Bauhaus

What is Modernism? In architecture, it’s defined as a design language

with an emphasis on form rather than ornament; structure and materials
rather than picturesque constructions; and the rational and efficient use of
space.

The modern movement in architecture in the United States flourished

beginning in the 1930s and encompassed individual design movements
that expressed modern ideals in different ways, including the
International, Expressionist, Brutalist, New Formalist, and Googie
movements. Technical innovation, experimentation, and rethinking the
way humans lived in and used the designed environment, whether
buildings or landscapes, were hallmarks of modern architectural practice.

While the highest-style examples of modern architecture in the United

States typically date to the early- and mid-20th centuries, Modernism
continued to influence everyday and vernacular design well into the late
20th century. Famous Modernist architects include Frank Lloyd Wright,
Philip Johnson, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Eero Saarinen, and more.

You’ll also see stories here about buildings and landscapes from the
recent past -- a moving window encompassing places constructed or
designed in the past 50 years. Because federal, state, and local
preservation programs typically exclude properties less than 50 years old
from historic designation programs and review processes, many
historically and culturally significant properties are left vulnerable to
demolition, neglect, and other threats.

Fortunately, places both from the Modernist era and the recent past still
have tremendous power to inspire, which is why we at the National Trust
are using all the tools at our disposal -- from our network of historic
sites to our 11 Most Endangered List to our National Treasures portfolio --
to raise awareness and support. (Even our headquarters reflects our
commitment -- you can find us in the famed Watergate complex, a
masterwork of Italian Modernist Luigi Moretti.) Read on to learn more
about these inventive and meaningful places.