The idea of postmodernism in architecture is a unique trend which started in the 60s. At first, it was a reaction against the formality, austerity, and overall lack of variety that the modern architecture had at that time. That’s why Denise Scott Brown, which was an urban planner at that time, worked closely with Robert Venturi, an architectural theorist to try and come up with something new. The style was flourishing during the 80s and 90s, and it still has a lot of people that enjoy it even up to this date, which is incredibly important to keep in mind.
What are the main postmodernism characteristics?
In the architectural world, postmodernism was all about focusing on the façade, adding in the use of historical allusions, unusual materials, historical elements as well as modulation and fragmentation. They were not happy with the modern architecture in the 60s which lacked ornaments, and which was focused on uniformity. Plus, modernism at that time was ignoring the city culture and history, which was extremely challenging.
Many people like Robert Venturi, Michael Graves, Charles Moore, Phillip Johnson, Frank Gehry and many others worked extremely hard to bring in a new perspective and clever, unique postmodernism ideas into the mix. They really wanted to bring in something that’s different, with unusual shapes, but still very creative and engaging at the same time. The idea of postmodernism spread all over the world, and we have postmodernism in the US, as well as Europe, Japan and a vast range of other countries all over the world.
Are the postmodern characteristics still obvious in present day architectural layout?
Yes, and the reason for that is postmodernism is bringing a new way of life in architecture. It doesn’t keep things stale, instead it encourages the use of unique, different shapes and ideas. It’s an architectural style that doesn’t keep things stale at all. It helps immensely, and you will find that it works flawlessly. You’re not locked with specific things that might not work for you. Instead, you can try out new things and adapt, which is always helpful.
Why postmodernism in architecture still rising?
The main advantage of postmodernism for architects is that it allows them to use their creativity and try out new things. It’s a great architecture style that always expands and you’re not as limited when compared to other options out there. While postmodernism has evolved throughout the years, it still manages to stand out of the crowd with its unique creativity and attention to detail.
At the end of the day, postmodernism is bringing in a lot of creativity, while making it easy for architects to try out something different. The fact that it’s innovative, yet easy to work with and very engaging is what postmodernism is all about. It continually delivers tremendous value, while allowing clients to express themselves. Since we live in a time when self-expression is very important, we get to see more and more postmodernism architecture popping up all over the world, and that’s great for this architectural genre!