International style question three: Decline of

international style
Reasons why international style was bound to die off
o It was more suited to skyscraper construction which
at the time was efficient to construct offices and
housing units at the time.
o It’ constrictions limited how far architects could go
with their creativity and designing process.

Reasons for dissatisfaction with international style

 The style had no reference to local or national
vernacular. The style was developed to rid houses of
any sort of ornamentation leaving them with plain
and clean surfaces. The designs were indifferent to
location, site and climate which although was a plus
meant there was no attachment to the community it
resided in.
 It was associated with grungy and clingy low-income
housing. After World War two and the relative
destruction there was a desperate need for an
effective economical architectural solution. With the
new material a solution was found but this also meant
 there was little distinction between the wealthy and
the poor.
 It was criticized for taking away a distinct
neighborhood feel for the residential areas it was
present in.
 The style became so prominent that innovation was
dead. Due to the style’s restrictions to things like
ornamentation diversity was not possible hence
buildings came out similar or looking the same
 As the style was disseminating across the globe it
soon became saturated. The buildings were repeated
to the point of ubiquity/ it was a common occurrence.

International style today. Is it relevant?

 The international style matured with: Hellmuth,
Obata and Kassabaum and Skidmore, Owings and
Merrill perfecting the corporate practice and it
became the dominant approach for decades in the
US and Canada. International skyscrapers came to
dominate many of Canadas major cities.
 Architects went ahead and tried putting new twists
into towers like the Toronto city hall.
 Toronto city hall by Viljo Revell and
Bruce Kuwabara