International Style

The International Style was coined in 1920, the same year of Art Deco. It was inspired from the previous movements including the Deutscher Werkbund, Constructivism, De Stijl and Bauhaus. This style was characterised by neat rectilinear forms, flat roofs, open interior spaces, lack of ornamentation and use of new materials and technologies. Two good examples that inspired the international style were; the gleaming white concrete houses by Le Corbusier in the 1920s from the Purism period, and the glass skyscrapers by Mies Van Der Rohe in the 1940s from Bauhaus. 

Mentioning skyscrapers, at their early years skyscrapers were being critised, but by this time materials and technologies were advanced and so it was more possible to build these types of buildings. Their advantages at the moment were: 

- easy to build

- adaptable

- hard-wearing

- profitable

Olivetti Building, NYC

During this period there were mass housing problems when it comes to the use of materials. This was during the second world war as the world was suffering due to damaged houses. Because of this , Le Corbusier applied concrete to habitats to try to solve these problems. By this time, concrete was mainly being used in industrial buildings before the architect Frank Lloyd Wright was the first one to introduced reinforced concrete in houses.

                                                                                                               Citrohan House, Le Corbusier

As already mentioned, this style was influenced from De Stijl and this particular house the 'Citrohan House' can be compared with the 'Schroder  House' from De Stijl designed by Rietveld. They are both constructed by having straight lines, steel and glass apertures including in the corners.

                                                                                                     
                                                                                                 Schroder House, Gerrit Rietveld

Moving on, a few days ago I went in a shop in Swieqi and found this little fish tank that reminded me of this style. It is called 'Fish Hotel' designed by Teddy Luong for Umbra and can be stacked on top of each other.

                                                                                                     Fish Hotel, Teddy Luong

References:
Jeffery Howe, 1997. 20th Century Architecture. [image online] Available at: http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/arch/20_schroder.html [Accessed 28th November 2013]

Studyblue, 2013. Le Corbusier. [image online] Available at: http://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/lecture-10/deck/2845335 [Accessed 28th November 2013]

Jaime Derringer, 2013. Fish Hotel By Teddy Luong. [image online] Available at: http://design-milk.com/fish-hotel-by-teddy-luong/ [Accessed 28th November 2013]

Mary Ann Sullivan, n.d. Olivetti (formerly Pepsi Cola) Building. [image online] Available at: http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/som/som8.html [Accessed 28th November 2013]