International

Design
By Aprille Sarza
Jhona Darryl Escoto
Raniel Joshua SJ. Delgado
 INTRODUCTION
• This new style isn't "international" in the sense that one country is just like the other nor is it
so rigid that you can't distinguish who made what.

• Gradually, It has been defined as different innovations throughout the world that have
successfully carried out parallel experiments.
 CRITICISM OF INTERNATIONAL STYLE

• The stark, unornamented appearance of the International Style met with contemporaneous criticism
and is still criticized today by many.
• The style is commonly described by critics as
Ugly Inhuman
Sterile Elitist

Such criticism gained momentum in the latter half of the 20th Century, from
• academics such as Hugo Kükelhaus and best-selling American author Tom Wolfe's From Bauhaus
to Our House contributed to the rise of counter-movements like postmodernism. The negative
reaction to internationalist modernism has been linked to public antipathy to overall development.
Architectural Character

The typical characteristics of International Style buildings include rectilinear

forms;

plane surfaces that are completely devoid of applied ornamentation; open, even
fluid, interior spaces

First principle: The principle of Volume.

Continuity of the wall surface is also a distinct characteristic;

breaks in the wall surface dampen the effect of the principle of volume.
3 principles of The International Style
1. Architecture as volume rather than mass
- The prime architectural symbol is no longer the dense brick but the open box. The
effect of mass has been replaced by the effect of volume, more specifically, of plane surfaces
bounding a volume. The great majority of buildings are now really made out of plane surfaces
bounding within and around a volume of space.
- Selection of surface material is just as important as the preservation of the wall's
integrity. The surface material must produce a sense of continuity. Breaks in the surface lessen the
impact of the Volume.
 SMOOTH VS ROUGH
STUCCO
STUCCO
• - It can form a continuous even cover but if it's rough,
the sharpness of the design is blunted.

• - still serves as the Hallmark of the contemporary style

• - Although rough stucco suggests mass.

3 principles of The International Style
2. Regularity rather than axial symmetry serves as the chief means of ordering design

• Regularity
equal spaces of supports in skeleton construction.
economic considerations favor the use of standardized parts.

• The principle of regularity:

a means of organization,
a way of giving definite form to an architectural design.
 Necessary Irregularities
Varied purposes w/c most buildings serve cannot be completely regularized:
Example:
• Regular - A hotel's suites repeat themselves throughout and serve only its specific
occupants

• Irregular - kitchens serve the entire building so technically the prime architectural problem
of distribution is to adjust the irregular and unequal demands of function to regular
construction and the use of standardized parts.

( - Approaching absolute regularity also means approaching Monotony - )

• Note that regularity is relative and not absolute in architecture

 Monotonny
• Regularity is modified by equal necessity of achieving a proper degree of interest.

• Characteristics of good modern architecture:

• Orderliness of structure.

• Similarity of parts by an aesthetic ordering, emphasizing the underlying regularity.

 Prejudice
• Critics more familiar with architecture of the past say that this style fails to achieve
a proper degree of interest.

• - They forget the interest they get from irregular construction, much of
which was used in the past.

• - They fail to understand the new and possibly more subtle sort of interest that
comes from the principle of surface, volume and regularity.
 Prejudice
• How to achieve a proper degree of interest is clear:

The Parthenon would not improve if it was as complicated

as the Propylaea and Erechtheum.

The modern architects have learned how to achieve interest

in their compositions while exercising a truly classic
restraint.
 MODERN STANDARDIZATIONS
• Modern standardization gives automatically a high degree of consistency to its parts so
bilateral or axial symmetry isn't needed.

• Asymmetrical schemes of design - preferable aesthetically and technically.

• *Note that the mark of a bad modern architect is using assymetry for decorative reasons, the
mark of a good modern architect is that the regularity of his designs approach bilateral
symmetry.*

• International style aims to adjust rationally the provisions for irregular function to regular
structure and express this adjustment in a clear and consistent design.
3 principles of
The International Style
3. Proscribing arbitrary applied decoration

In terms of structure, it is related to Gothic.

In terms of design, it is related to Classical.

In terms of function, it is from both [ Gothic & Classical ]

 Le Courbusier
• "The first man who made the world know a new style
was being born was Le Corbusier"
- The international style by Hitchcock & Johnson

Conceptions of Design
• classical symmetry - Perret
• Plans - more open than Wright's

• In his housing projects of the next few years, he

surpassed Perret, Behrens and Loos.
 Citrohan House

Citrohan house model of 1921 is a perfect

combination of Gropius' Factory technically &
Oud's Village aesthetically.
 BUILDINGS
• July 17, 2016 - seventeen projects by Le Corbusier in seven countries were inscribed in the
list of UNESCO World Heritage sites as "an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern
Movement".
Architect Buildings Location Date
Le Corbusier Villa Stein France Garches, France 1927
Villa Savoye France Poissy-Sur-Seine, France1930
Carlos de Paris, France 1931
Beistegui
Champs-Élysées
Penthouse
 Villa Savoye
(1928–1931)
• The openness of the Poissy site permitted a freestanding building and the full
realization of his five-point program.
• Essentially the house comprises two contrasting, sharply defined, yet
interpenetrating external aspects.
• The dominant element is the square single-storied box, a pure, sleek, geometric
envelope lifted buoyantly above slender pilotis, its taut skin slit for narrow ribbon
windows that run unbroken from corner to corner.

—Marvin Trachtenberg and

Isabelle Hyman Architecture: From Prehistory to Post-Modernism. p530
 Villa Savoye
(1928–1931)
• became one of the most famous of Le Corbusier's works

• an icon of modernist architecture

• Located in Poissy

• an elegant white box poised on rows of slender pylons, surrounded by a horizontal

band of windows which fill the structure with light.
Villa Savoye
(1928–1931)
 5 points of Architecture:
Villa Savoye
1. The Pilotis, or pylon.

• The building is raised up on reinforced concrete pylons, which allows for free
circulation on the ground level.

• Eliminates dark and damp parts of the house. (The foundation of the points, it
makes possible the light, open vibe of Savoye)
 5 points of Architecture:
Villa Savoye
2. The Free Facade.

• Since the building is supported by columns in the interior, the façade can be much
lighter and more open, or made entirely of glass.

• There is no need for lintels or other structures around the windows.

 5 points of Architecture:
Villa Savoye
3. The Free Plan.
• Load-bearing walls - replaced by a steel or reinforced concrete column so the
interior can be freely designed.

• The interior walls can be placed anywhere, or left out entirely.

• The structure of the building is not visible from the outside.

• (Made possible by the 1st point, now the walls are only for sectioning or creating a
private space.)
 5 points of Architecture:
Villa Savoye
4. The Ribbon Window.

• Since the walls do not support the house, the windows can run the entire length of
the house.

• All rooms can get equal light.

 5 points of Architecture:
Villa Savoye
5. The Roof Terrace.

• The sloping roof is replaced by a flat roof;

• The roof can be used as a garden, for promenades, sports or a swimming pool.

• Flat roofs are preferred in this style - useful

• (although one-sided slant roofs were also successful.)
 5 points of architecture:
Villa Savoye
• "the plan is pure, exactly made for the needs of the house. It has its correct place in
the rustic landscape of Poissy. It is Poetry and lyricism, supported by technique.“ –
Le Corbusier

• The house had its problems; the roof persistently leaked, due to construction faults;
but it became a landmark of modern architecture and one of his best-known works
 Villa Savoye
Architectural Prominade:

• "Arab architecture gives us a precious lesson:

it is best appreciated in walking, on foot. It is in walking, in going from one
place to another, that you see the features of the architecture.
In this house (Villa Savoye) you find a veritable architectural promenade,
offering constantly varying aspects, unexpected, sometimes astonishing.“

- Le Corbusier
 VILLA STEIN
• Built in 1927, located in Garches, France. it is also known as
Villa Garches

• Deconstructed Palladian structure.

• Initially known as Villa de Monzie, taken from the original

client’s name, Gabrielle Colaco-Osorio De Monize, the Minister
of Culture
 VILLA STEIN
• Villa Stein differs from the typical family house because of the fact
that two families are living in one house

• One part for the Stein couple

• Another part for the De Monzie couple

• Combined space for cooking & common areas – 1st floor

• All private spaces of the two families – 2nd Floor
• Guest & staff rooms – 3rd Floor
 VILLA STEIN
• The façade accommodates symmetrical parts in vertical direction

• On the left you got a big element, the garage. On the right you got a similar big dominant
element, another window.

• The same is for the fake balcony and the shed above the two entrances. All of these
‘symmetrical elements’ differ in shape but make one symmetrical facade.

• The other facades contain also elements of symmetry but less powerful as the front
facade.
 VILLA STEIN
• The house is this transparent because of the hobby of the Stein couple.

• They like to collect and show their art at the house.

• Therefore Le Corbusier designed a very open and transparent house to make the spaces
very light and open.

• The windows follow the principle of the golden section

 COLUMNS
• uses columns also called the ‘pilotes’ to create free spaces on concrete
floors instead of load-bearing walls

Le Corbusier used 3 types:

• Square Columns - used in the construction when the columns are
placed between the smaller non-weight bearing inner walls

• Round and egg-shaped columns are used in the free space or

whenever there’s a column in the middle of the room.
 VILLA STEIN
Oval and Square

• A classic principle in both shapes: the proportions of the facade are purely
Palladian.

• The cubical feeling is broken only with oval shapes, inspired by the chimneys of
the big transatlantic luxury ships
 MATERIALS
• White plaster - in the facades and balconies and gives the house appear as one
united and one solid element.

• Glass - contributes to the transparency of the house and proportions.

 MATERIALS
• Dark steel elements - esp. the windows - in contrast with the white
plaster give a very closed and private character despite being
transparent glass.

• Every hand-rail in the villa and other steel elements are all
made out of the dark steel which gives the house together
with the glass and white plaster an uniform character
 MATERIALS
3 Types of Glass in the house:

1. The more private parts of the house which have small windows with thin
lines like bars. This emphasizes the function and more private character of
these rooms.

2. Repeating rectangular windows of the first and second floor. These windows
are a lot bigger and more transparent. These rooms are more important and
need more light because of their functions.

3. Huge windows in the side facades. These windows are huge glass elements
which give the villa even more light and bring the nature and surrounding
trees inside the villa.
 PSEUDOBALCONIES
• These ‘balconies’ give the house a more open character from the
inside

• contribute to the proportion in the facade even though they can’t really
be used as a balcony.
 CARLOS DE BEISTEGUI
PENTHOUSE
• Architects: Le Corbusier and Jeanneret Perre

• Investor and decorator: Charles de Beistegui

• Address: 136 Avenue des Champs-Elysees

• Date design and construction: 1929-1931, (destroyed during World War II)
CARLOS DE
BEISTEGUI
PENTHOUSE
 CARLOS DE BEISTEGUI
PENTHOUSE
Le Corbusier has equipped this residence in numerous eye-catching gadgets that are:
• hidden movie projector with retractable screen,
• a spiral staircase hanging just above the floor wrapped around the threaded glass
• column and a periscope that allows guests inspection of the Parisian skyline without leaving
the roof.
• sun terrace on the roof (most famous) with greenery in a Mediterranean style
• The roof terrace was surrounded by a motorized hedge
CARLOS DE BEISTEGUI
PENTHOUSE
The Spiral Staircase
CARLOS DE
BEISTEGUI
PENTHOUSE
• The Column
and Periscope
CARLOS DE BEISTEGUI
PENTHOUSE
The Sun
Terrace
SUN
TERRAC
E
• The floor of the
terrace was
covered with a
carpet of grass
• a mock rococo
fireplace.
CHARLES DE
BEISTEGUI
PENTHOUSE

Icons of Paris protruded from

behind the white wall

• The Arc de Triomphe

• The Eiffel Tower
 CHARLES DE BEISTEGUI
PENTHOUSE

• Beistegui was a synthesis of a rational-purist and surrealism making surprising

contrasts.

• The effect teetered on the verge of absurdity with elegance and giving oneof the most
decadent implementation in his career as architect.
 PHILIP JOHNSON
(1906–2005)

• Cleveland native
• Harvard graduate
• First director of the Department of Architecture at
the Museum of Modern Art. (MOMA)
• promoted the work of modern architects including
Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius,
• With Henry-Russell Hitchcock, he curated the
controversial 1932 show “Modern Architecture:
International Exhibition”
• In 1979, Johnson was the first recipient of the
Pritzker Prize.
 THE GLASS HOUSE
• New Canaan, Connecticut

• Architect: Philip Johnson

• Built: 1949

• 49-acre property with 14 structures built between 1949 -1955.

• designed to be open to the surrounding landscape

• Now a National Trust for Historic Preservation Site

• welcomes visitors for tours from May through November.

 THE GLASS HOUSE

• 17 m long, 9.8 m wide and 3.2 m high.

• Inside are the kitchen, dining and sleeping areas

• Initially was lived in but later the glass-walled building was only used
for entertaining.
 THE GLASS HOUSE
Materials
• The exterior sides of the Glass House are charcoal-painted steel and
glass.

• The brick floor is 10 inches above the ground.

• The interior is open with the space divided by low walnut cabinets

• a brick cylinder contains the bathroom and is the only object to reach
floor to ceiling.
THE GLASS HOUSE
THE CRYSTAL CATHEDRAL
 THE CRYSTAL CATHEDRAL
City/Town: California, USA

Completed: Jan 01 1980

Structural Height (m): 39.01

Architect: Philip Johnson, John Burgee

Designed as a religious theater: acts as a television studio and stage to a

congregation of 3,000.

Commissioned by Robert Schuller

“Open to the sky and the surrounding world."
 THE FACADE
• more than 10,000 glass panels
affixed to a framework of steel
trusses

• The panes are single-glazed and

held in place by structural silicone,
reducing the visual prominence of
the joints.
THE WINDOWS
• Mechanically controlled

• When closed, the operable windows are

indistinguishable from fixed panes, preserving the
continuity of the glass facade.

• When opened, they project like glass gills from the

otherwise smooth surface.
THE WINDOWS
 THE PLAN

• star-shaped plan to enliven the monolithic, monochromatic volume

• 400 feet by 200 feet in length and width

• modification of the typical Latin Cross plan

• Shortened nave and widened transept
- bring seats closer to the chancel
STAR SHAPED PLANS
 PARKING LOT
• parking lot was designed for a drive-in congregation to listen to the sermon via car stereo in
response to car culture of Los Angeles.

• 90-foot-high doors beside the chancel open onto the parking lot, providing ventilation and a
visual connection between attendees.
 Entrances
• simple, rectangular breaks in the glass skin
• are derived from function rather than context .

Balconies
• supported by massive columns at each vertex.
THE INTERIOR
• "an independent building
without setting.“

• 130-foot-high ceiling

• The lattice of white steel forms

a continuous membrane of
walls and ceiling.

• enclosed by the transparent

glass
Mirrored Glass
• Environmental mediation – its greatest architectural feat.

• Transmits only eight percent light into the space

• Allows only ten percent total solar energy into the space

• Mechanically controlled

• Allows for an entirely passive ventilation system

 ADDITIONAL HISTORY
• Crystal Cathedral Ministries, formerly led by Reverend Schuller, filed for bankruptcy in
2010, claiming $50 million in debt.

• The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange acquired the property the following year and
rechristened the building "Christ Cathedral."
 Seagram Building
Location: The Seagram Building, New York, NY 10022, United States

Architects: Mies van der Rohe + Philip Johnson

Structural Engineering: Severud Associates

Commissioners: Seagram Liquor Company

References:
Zimmerman, Claire. Mies van der Rohe. Taschen America Llc, 2006. Print. and
www.nyc-architecture.com

Area: 150918.0 ft2

Project Year: 1958

PLAN

It is a
rectangular
building
supported on
piles
FACADE
• consisting of steel beams and columns of bronze, without a structural
role fits perfectly with the large windows that are the most visible
material.

• although the columns were to be built of steel but because of

complaints the company decided to use bronze

• Façade is very simple.

Materials

• use of travertine marble or

pink granite for decoration.

• light shades of pink in the

curtain wall facade help to
give this work a kind of
charming New Yorker.

• metal profiles and panels in

bronze and glass
Profiles
• Steel profiles seen in American buildings are rarely
identical to the building structures, because the
legislation police fire
• prevention prescribes the steel liner.

• But the metals seen around the building are identical

projections of the skeletal structure inside thus the
visible symbol of “hidden reality”.