Hi everyone!
We are going to continue talking about American architecture just where
we left it last time. After the Victorian age came the Arts & Crafts Era.
Arts & Crafts Era (1860-1920)
The characteristic in this era was the use of handmade traditional
material in a decorative way. The founder of this style was the Victorian Englishman
William Morris, who mixed quality with color
and integration. The styles in this era were:
- The
Bungalow style: is a variation of
the craftsman itself, although they are very similar, but in this style the
constructions have influences from the Bengal region of India with large low
porches with square columns and an horizontal view.
 |
| Bungalow Style House |
- The
Colonial revival style: simplicity
is used over elaboration with symmetrical floors and classical and colonial
decorative elements.
- The
Mission style: influenced by the Spanish
colonial style, it uses stucco walls, red tile roofs, arches, etc.
- The
Tudor revival style: this style is characterized by the use of exterior colors as brown, white and black or red by bricks with stonework in order
to give them an older appearance.
- The
Prairie style: famous for Frank
Lloyd Wright, is considered the first modern style. These constructions are
mostly low and horizontal with big windows.
 |
| Prairie Style House |
Modernism (1920-1960)
In this time there were used abstract styles and simplified geometric
forms with new materials and structural technologies. It is called Modernism
because is looking forward the future, with all the advances of style or size
but at the same time it bases its ideas in past constructions. The styles at
that time were:
- The
Art Deco Style: named like this by the British historian Bevis Hillier, taken
from the 1925 "Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs Industriels et
Modernes"(International of Industrial and Modern Decorative Arts), held in
Paris. This style is very futuristic and uses new materials as Bakelite, steel
or aluminum with bright colors and neon lightning. Also, it uses vertical lines
and stretched forms.
 |
| Art Deco Style House |
- The
International Style: It is original
from Europe and it eliminated every decoration that was not utilitarian.
Besides, it utilized geometrical forms, flat roofs, glass, simply colors (white
or grey), man-made materials and wood.
- The
Streamline Moderne Style: these
constructions are based in aerodynamic ideas and it uses nickel or chrome
metals with a smooth polished surface, curving lines and cylindrical motifs. This
make houses look as though, as they are not stick in the ground, as they were
about to take off.
 |
| Streamline Moderne House |
- The
Post War Modern Style: After WWII, there was a housing boom with familiar structures, bigger and better
constructed because of the new building methods and the use of power tools. They also included a garage.
 |
| Post-World War II Style House |
- The
Spanish Revival Style: It combines
historic design elements such as red tile roofs, abode or stucco walls, native
landscaping with modern elements to create bright and comfortable homes. These
constructions perfectly fit in the outside while the interior is warm, spacious
and informal.
- The
Postmodern Eclectic Style: these
constructions mix a lot of styles and features from different ideas (as
Colonial, Federal, Victorian, Craftsman, and Modern elements) in order to
create a mixture of vintage and modern. These constructions include high ceilings,
open floors, abundance of windows, light interiors and preference of comfort
over decoration. Exteriors are normally made by brick, stone, adobe, wood or
aluminum and interiors by drywalls, asphalt or slate tiles.
Well, we have seen all the styles divided by eras in 19th and 20th
century. We mostly focused on houses but these styles were applied to every
construction possible, even public buildings. As you can see, practically all
the styles are based in other countries or according to the needs of the people
in every time. What we want to say with this, is that the architecture, as every
art, is completely influenced by the own country and the time or likes of the
population, and of course, the history. If every war, event or even the life of
the artist or the globalization would have occurred in any other way, maybe the
buildings nowadays would be totally different, do not you think? Can you imagine
an alternative style that still does not exist? No one of us knows how will be architecture
in hundreds of years, but imagination can help!
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
PICTURES:
http://architecturestyles.blogspot.com.es/2008/03/prairie-style.html
http://www.kuwans.com/compelling-modern-american-houses-pictures/
http://www.mosbybuildingarts.com/blog/2013/09/26/5-reasons-to-remodel-a-ranch-house/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/403424079094293945/
No comments:
Post a Comment