Modern Architecture: Origins, Movements, and Global Adaptations

All flashcards

What is functionalism in architecture?

Functionalism is the principle that a building’s form and organization should respond to its purpose. It is often summarized as “form follows function.”

What is reinforced concrete?

It is concrete strengthened with embedded iron or steel bars, combining concrete’s compressive strength with reinforcement that helps resist tension.

Why was the Crystal Palace significant?

Joseph Paxton’s Crystal Palace, built for the 1851 Great Exhibition, showed how iron and large plate-glass panels could be used to create a vast building.

What technologies helped make skyscrapers practical?

Steel frames supported taller structures, safety elevators improved access, and electric lighting reduced reliance on hazardous gas lighting.

How did Viollet-le-Duc influence modern architecture?

He argued that architects should use the materials and knowledge of their own era rather than follow traditions that no longer suited contemporary needs.

Quiz questions

1. Which principle says that a building’s form should respond to its purpose?Answer: Functionalism
2. What construction innovation helped make the Home Insurance Building possible?Answer: A steel frame
3. How did the safety elevator affect urban building design?Answer: It made upper floors of tall buildings practical to use.
4. How was the International Style presented to a wider American audience?Answer: Through a 1932 Museum of Modern Art exhibition.
5. In Fazlur Rahman Khan’s tube structures, what structural role does the exterior frame play?Answer: It helps act as the building’s main structural system.