Contemporary Architecture

 This form of art is of the post 1960 – Modernist Period

It was the period of late 1900s which saw major socio-economics, cultural , political & also educational changes.

 Contemporary artist choose to highlight the idea or impulse behind their work rather than concentrate on the
medium or method used .They unlike earlier artists were not deterred by the thought of using various media and
techniques in combination .
 Topics like racism, global warming, cloning and biotechnology, international politics, human rights, spirituality
and economics are reflected in the work of contemporary artists

Architecture and Contemporary Art :

Architecture and Contemporary Art The interactive relations between contemporary art and contemporary architecture
bring about a brand-new concept of art In the meantime, the definition and function of the architecture are changing
constantly with the development of contemporary art.

CHARACTERISTICS OF CONTEMPORARY ART

 Attempt to push the boundaries of material and technology and especially geometry
 Changes to accepted tradition and accepted taste
 Use of new materials in an innovative way
 Use of nature
 Use of straight lines
 Rejection of ornamentation
 Employment of contemporary technology

NUMBER OF STORIES & MATERIALS

 Materials typically include a variety of metal, glass, and stone.
 Polymers and other “green” materials are being used.
 The majority of residential structures are 1 to 3 stories.
 Industrial and commercial structures have a wide variety of levels.

PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN
Transition- one material to another (metal to glass) Unity- repeating shapes and surfaces Proportion- windows and beams
can overpower the scale of other elements Emphasis and Subordination- focal points can vary from metal columns to
large glass walls.

TOPICS IN CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE

1. Blobitecture
2. Computer aided design
3. Critical Regionalism
4. Deconstructivism
5. Sustainable design
6. High-tech architecture
7. Modernism Novelty architecture Postmodernism

1. BLOBITECTURE :
Blobitecture from blob architecture, blobism or blobismus are terms for a current
movement in architecture in which buildings have an organic, amoeba-shaped, bulging
form.
 2. CRITICAL REGIONALISM :
Critical regionalism is
an approach to
architecture that
strives to counter the
placeless ness and
lack of meaning in
Modern Architecture
by using contextual
forces to give a sense
of place and meaning.
The Sydney Opera
House- designed to
evoke the sails of
yachts in Sydney
harbor

3. DECONSTRUCTIVISM
Deconstructivism in architecture, also called deconstruction , is a development of
postmodern architecture that began in the late 1980s.
It is characterized by ideas of fragmentation, an interest in manipulating ideas of a
structure's surface or skin, non-rectilinear shapes which serve to distort and
dislocate some of the elements of architecture, such as structure and envelope. The
finished visual appearance of buildings that exhibit the many deconstructivist
"styles" is characterized by a stimulating unpredictability and a controlled chaos.
Libeskind's Imperial War Museum North in Manchester comprises three apparently intersecting
curved volumes.
4. SUSTAINABLE DESIGN :

Sustainable design (also referred to as "green design", "eco-design", or "design for

environment") is the art of designing physical objects and the built environment to comply with
the principles of economic, social, and ecological sustainability.

5. HI-TECH ARCHITECTURE :
An architectural style that emerged in the 1970s, incorporating elements of high-tech industry
and technology into building design.
High-tech architecture appeared as a revamped modernism, an extension of those previous
ideas aided by even more advances in technological achievements.
6. MODERN ARCHITECTURE :
Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and an absence of applied decoration.
In a broader sense, early modern architecture began at the turn of the 20th century with efforts to reconcile the
principles underlying architectural design with rapid technological advancement and the modernization of society.
Eg: Seagram Building by Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe
 7. NOVELTY ARCHITECTURE :
A type of architecture in which buildings and other structures are given unusual
shapes as a novelty, such as advertising, notoriety as a landmark , or simple
eccentricity of the owner or architect.
Many examples of novelty architecture take the form of buildings that resemble
the products sold inside to attract drive-by customers.

8. POST-MODERN ARCHITECTURE
An international style whose first examples are generally cited as being from the 1950s, and which continues to influence
present-day architecture.
Postmodernity in architecture is generally thought to be heralded by the return of "wit, ornament and reference" to
architecture in response to the formalism of the International Style of modernism .