Ever since the ancient world civilizations have strived to build and design structures which inspire and impress the world. The ancient Greeks had the Acropolis in Athens for example which took several years to build and commemorated one of their most important gods, Athena. Then we have the Romans of course, who built some of the most impressive structures in history. The Colosseum in Rome is still one of the most intricate and dramatic buildings of all time with millions of people choosing to visit the building every year.
In the modern era, the world of design has exploded and with new technology, our capability to create awe-inspiring structures has vastly increased. This influx in buildings has led to a variety of design styles that dominated new builds for years. These styles have become so influential in fact that many new build projects have attempted to push the movements forward.
There have been many outstanding examples of brilliant design over the last 100 years but what are these architectural designs and styles? Read on to find out more!
Bauhaus
This design movement all centred around one architectural engineering school in Germany called the Staatliches Bauhaus. The school was founded by the German architect Walter Gropius who laid the foundation for the architectural movement. Bauhaus design centres around geometric shapes such as spheres and rectangles. Buildings that are designed in the Bauhaus style are often extremely functional and focus on the ergonomics of rooms and walkways.
Minimalism
Arguably the most iconic forms of modern architecture, Minimalism started life as purely an artistic movement in post-World War Two Western art. The design movement rapidly grew during the 1960 and 70s and found its way to building design. Within building design the main principles centre around the use of natural light in a space and large void spaces.
One of the largest inspirations for modern Minimalist architects is traditional Japanese design. These buildings focus on bringing nature inside the home and combining both the simplicity of the natural world and the effectiveness of sunlight.
Brutalist
There’s no denying that brutalist architecture is the most divisive of the three movements on this list. Britain during the 1950s found itself in need of thousands of new homes as part of its economic recovery from World War Two. To combat this huge demand many architects began utilising the convenience of concrete.
Though after a few years designers started to realise that the material had huge potential for creating amazing geometric shapes and dramatic cantilevers, and just like that brutalism was born. The movement then exploded throughout western Europe and many flats, homes, and offices were built in the style.
Nowadays though the movement has become incredibly divisive as many people see the structures as large, obnoxious, and even ugly. As a result, many of these buildings have been demolished in recent years to make way for offices and flats built using a more international modern design framework.
If you’re in need of some architectural services then contact our experienced staff today! We can help with all of your domestic design needs!
