This introductory survey of twentieth-century architecture is divided into three main sections.
The first part, “Confronting Modernity,” surveys
four discrete domains of professional design activity in the period 1900–1940: urban architecture, domestic architecture, the architecture of
industry and transportation, and political architecture. This period is
described as one of intense debate among architects advocating different
approaches such as classicism, modernism, organicism, and craft-based
design.
The second part, “Modernist Hegemony,” reviews
developments during the period 1940–1965. During these years, the
terms of the debate concerning the character of an appropriate
architecture were dramatically revised—and narrowed. It is still a
period marked by lively discussion, but the discourse is now predicated
almost entirely in terms of modernism and modernist conceptions of
appropriate models and design strategies.
The third part, “An Era of Pluralism,” covers the
years 1965–2000. A new consciousness of environmental issues, new
scientific paradigms, and critical theories of knowledge called into
question the certainties of modernism. This part reviews the spectrum of
design movements—postmodernism, deconstructivism, new classicism,
“green” architecture, and even a reinvigorated modernism—
characteristic of the last decades of the twentieth century.
About the Author
Dennis Doordan is an architectural historian, critic, museum consultant and co-editor of the journal Design Issues. He is on the faculty of the School of Architecture at the University of
Notre Dame and has published books and articles on a wide variety of
topics dealing with twentieth century architecture and design.