1. ArchDaily
  2. Postmodernism

Postmodernism: The Latest Architecture and News

More Lessons From the Father of Postmodernism, Charles Moore

This article was originally published on Common Edge.

About 50 years ago, the renowned architect, educator, and author Charles Moore was hired by Frederick and Dorothy Rudolph to design a vacation house on Captiva Island, Florida, and about a decade later, in the late 1970s, they hired him again to design their permanent residence in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

Moore was often called the father of Postmodernism and was a prolific proponent through such books as The Place of Houses. With the exception of his small houses, however, I was never a big fan of his work. But I still have a tattered copy of that book, because when I read it, it was the first time that someone had articulated the process of designing a house, including a programmatic checklist to follow.

Plans to Renovate the Sainsbury Wing and National Gallery in London Receive Approval by the City Council

The Westminister City Council adopted a resolution to grant planning permission to the National Gallery for a series of adaptations, including Selldorf Architects’ restoration proposal for the Sainsbury Wing, originally designed by Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown. The plans to remodel were revealed earlier this year as part of the NG200 Project to celebrate the National Gallery’s bicentennial in 2024. The first intervention proposal for the Sainsbury Wing was met with widespread criticism, which led to a revision of the plans, released in October this year.

Plans to Renovate the Sainsbury Wing and National Gallery in London Receive Approval by the City Council - Image 1 of 4Plans to Renovate the Sainsbury Wing and National Gallery in London Receive Approval by the City Council - Image 2 of 4Plans to Renovate the Sainsbury Wing and National Gallery in London Receive Approval by the City Council - Image 3 of 4Plans to Renovate the Sainsbury Wing and National Gallery in London Receive Approval by the City Council - Image 4 of 4Plans to Renovate the Sainsbury Wing and National Gallery in London Receive Approval by the City Council - More Images+ 3

Google to Move into Helmut Jahn's Postmodernist Thompson Center in Chicago by 2026

Google has just announced that the company plans to occupy the famous postmodernist icon, the Thompson Center, by 2026 after major renovations works. The building that was under threat of demolition for a while will be renovated by JRTC Holdings LLC and Jahn's architecture studio to meet Google’s needs for its flexible hybrid workforce and to accommodate the tech giant’s 1,800 employees in Chicago.

Re-evaluating Critical Regionalism: An Architecture of the Place

In his 1983 now-classic essay Towards a Critical Regionalism, Six Points of an Architecture of Resistance, Kenneth Frampton discussed an alternative approach to architecture, one defined by climate, topography and tectonics, as a form of resistance to the placeness of Modern Architecture and the gratuitous ornamentation of Postmodernism. An architectural attitude, Critical Regionalism proposed an architecture that would embrace global influences while firmly rooted in its context. The following explores the value and contribution of Frampton’s ideas for contemporary architecture.

Re-evaluating Critical Regionalism: An Architecture of the Place - Image 4 of 4Re-evaluating Critical Regionalism: An Architecture of the Place - Image 3 of 4Re-evaluating Critical Regionalism: An Architecture of the Place - Image 5 of 4Re-evaluating Critical Regionalism: An Architecture of the Place - Featured ImageRe-evaluating Critical Regionalism: An Architecture of the Place - More Images+ 1

What Is Postmodernism?

As the prefix already indicates, postmodernism is a turning point in history, thereby proving the willingness of scholars to define this new era based on the rejection of the previous movement. Postmodernism first emerged in the 1960s as a departure from modernism. As a reaction against the austerity, formality, and lack of variety of modern architecture, particularly in the international style advocated by Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe, postmodernism defends an architecture full of signs and symbols that can communicate cultural values. Postmodernism is a reaction to homogeneity and tediousness by praising difference and striving to produce buildings that are sensitive to the context within which they are built.

What Is Postmodernism? - Image 2 of 4What Is Postmodernism? - Image 3 of 4What Is Postmodernism? - Image 6 of 4What Is Postmodernism? - Image 8 of 4What Is Postmodernism? - More Images+ 5

Berlin’s Architectural Transition to Postmodernism Gets an Overdue Examination

The Berlinische Galerie's exhibition Anything Goes? recounts how a global, contradictory Postmodernism took root on both sides of the Berlin Wall in the 1980s. Florian Heilmeyer in his piece originally published on Metropolis discusses the ambitious exhibition that was able to look simultaneously at both sides of the German city at that time.

Helmut Jahn, Architect of Chicago’s Thompson Center Passes Away at 81

Chicago’s most prolific architect, Helmut Jahn has passed away on Saturday afternoon in a cycling accident. He was struck by two vehicles while riding his bicycle in Campton Hills, in the Chicago suburbs. The German-American designer is best known for his postmodern Thompson Center, currently under threat of demolition and United Airlines Terminal 1 at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

Helmut Jahn, Architect of Chicago’s Thompson Center Passes Away at 81 - Image 1 of 4Helmut Jahn, Architect of Chicago’s Thompson Center Passes Away at 81 - Image 2 of 4Helmut Jahn, Architect of Chicago’s Thompson Center Passes Away at 81 - Image 3 of 4Helmut Jahn, Architect of Chicago’s Thompson Center Passes Away at 81 - Image 4 of 4Helmut Jahn, Architect of Chicago’s Thompson Center Passes Away at 81 - More Images+ 7

Potential Demise of Chicago’s Thompson Center Inches Closer With Proposed Zoning Change

It would seem that the ongoing saga of the James R. Thompson Center, Chicago’s beloved but neglected governmental office building-slash-postmodernist mecca, might be reaching its final act.

Yesterday, Brendan Reilly, alderman of the city’s 42nd ward, announced a proposed rezoning ordinance that could kick the sale of the prized 3-acre site (12,140 m2) at 100 West Randolph Street into high-gear. The cash-strapped State of Illinois has been considering/trying to offload the property as early as 2003.

What is Deconstructivism?

If we define deconstructivism, it literally translates to the breaking down, or demolishing of a constructed structure, whether it being for structural reasons or just an act of rebellion. It is perhaps for this reason that many misunderstand the Deconstructivist movement.

Deconstructivism is, in fact, not a new architecture style, nor is it an avant-garde movement against architecture or society. It does not follow “rules” or acquire specific aesthetics, nor is it a rebellion against a social dilemma. It is the unleashing of infinite possibilities of playing around with forms and volumes.

What is Deconstructivism? - Image 1 of 4What is Deconstructivism? - Image 6 of 4What is Deconstructivism? - Image 7 of 4What is Deconstructivism? - Image 8 of 4What is Deconstructivism? - More Images+ 6

Spotlight: James Stirling

British architect and Pritzker Laureate Sir James Stirling (22 April 1926 – 25 June 1992) grew up in Liverpool, one of the two industrial powerhouses of the British North West, and began his career subverting the compositional and theoretical ideas behind the Modern Movement. Citing a wide-range of influences—from Colin Rowe, a forefather of Contextualism, to Le Corbusier, and from architects of the Italian Renaissance to the Russian Constructivist movement—Stirling forged a unique set of architectural beliefs that manifest themselves in his works. Indeed his architecture, commonly described as "nonconformist," consistently caused annoyance in conventional circles.

Spotlight: James Stirling - Image 1 of 4Spotlight: James Stirling - Image 2 of 4Spotlight: James Stirling - Image 3 of 4Spotlight: James Stirling - Image 4 of 4Spotlight: James Stirling - More Images+ 8

12 Important Modernist Styles Explained

Modernism could be described as one of the most optimistic styles in architectural history, drawing from notions of utopia, innovation, and the reimagination of how humans would live, work, and interact. As we reflected in our AD Essentials Guide to Modernism, the philosophy of Modernism still dominates much of architectural discourse today, even if the world that gave rise to Modernism has changed utterly.

As we say goodbye to 2019, a year that saw the centenary of the Bauhaus, we have collated a list of key architectural styles that defined Modernism in architecture. This tool for understanding the development of 20th-century design is complete with examples of each style, showcasing the practice of Modernism that lay behind the theory.

12 Important Modernist Styles Explained - Image 1 of 412 Important Modernist Styles Explained - Image 2 of 412 Important Modernist Styles Explained - Image 3 of 412 Important Modernist Styles Explained - Image 4 of 412 Important Modernist Styles Explained - More Images+ 8

Spotlight: Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown

Through their pioneering theory and provocative built work, husband and wife duo Robert Venturi (born June 25, 1925) and Denise Scott Brown (born October 3, 1931) were at the forefront of the postmodern movement, leading the charge in one of the most significant shifts in architecture of the 20th century by publishing seminal books such as Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture (authored by Robert Venturi alone) and Learning from Las Vegas (co-authored by Venturi, Scott Brown and Steven Izenour).

Venturi Scott Brown's Sainsbury Wing, National Gallery London Receives AIA 25 Year Award

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has selected Venturi Scott Brown's Sainsbury Wing at the National Gallery of London as the recipient of the 2019 AIA Twenty-five Year Award. Designed by Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown in an international competition, AIA commended the project for its ability to “...make its context better than it found it” - a citation borrowed from Venturi himself.

The award is presented annually to a project that has "stood the test of time by embodying architectural excellence for 25 to 35 years."

Will Snøhetta's Redesign Calm the Outcry From Its Original Controversial Proposal?

Labeled as "vandalism" and "murder" of an icon of postmodernism, Oslo-based firm Snøhetta's redesign proposal for Phillip Johnson and John Burgee's AT&T Headquarters was received with instantaneous backlash across the architectural community last year. Architect Robert A. M. Stern, marched alongside a protest outside 550 Madison Avenue, and even critic Norman Foster, who never claimed to have any sympathy for the postmodern movement, still vocalized his sentiments that "[the building] is an important part of our heritage and should be respected as such."

A rejection of the bland and cold functionality of Midtown's crystal skyscrapers, the AT&T building was intended to encourage a more playful approach architecture in the corporate world; the crazy socks beneath a three-piece suit. It was not without controversy. Upon its completion, the building was derided for its decorative and outsized pediment and occasionally dark interior spaces. Indeed, the building's arched entry spaces were among the only architectural elements to be met with praise from both critics and the public. 

Will Snøhetta's Redesign Calm the Outcry From Its Original Controversial Proposal? - Image 1 of 4Will Snøhetta's Redesign Calm the Outcry From Its Original Controversial Proposal? - Image 2 of 4Will Snøhetta's Redesign Calm the Outcry From Its Original Controversial Proposal? - Image 3 of 4Will Snøhetta's Redesign Calm the Outcry From Its Original Controversial Proposal? - Image 4 of 4Will Snøhetta's Redesign Calm the Outcry From Its Original Controversial Proposal? - More Images+ 1

James Stirling's Postmodern No 1 Poultry Building Reopens as WeWork Offices

No 1 Poultry, the iconic Grade II* listed landmark in London designed by James Stirling, has opened its doors as WeWork’s 28th London location. The Postmodern masterpiece now serves as a WeWork space for 2300 members, as well as shops, a roof garden, and a restaurant.

After being saved from a major renovation that would have eliminated its iconic Postmodern façade, No 1 Poultry building was carefully renovated by WeWork’s in-house team of designers, featuring bold colors, homely furnishing, and artwork inspired by the surrounding area.

James Stirling's Postmodern No 1 Poultry Building Reopens as WeWork Offices - Image 2 of 4James Stirling's Postmodern No 1 Poultry Building Reopens as WeWork Offices - Featured ImageJames Stirling's Postmodern No 1 Poultry Building Reopens as WeWork Offices - Image 3 of 4James Stirling's Postmodern No 1 Poultry Building Reopens as WeWork Offices - Image 4 of 4James Stirling's Postmodern No 1 Poultry Building Reopens as WeWork Offices - More Images+ 5