Current Architecture

[ndrwmls10]

What is the current style of architecture called now? Like the Trump Tower in Chicago or the never built Chicago Spire. I'm doing an informative speech on skyscraper architecture. I'm doing a chronological list of styles. They are First Chicago School, Art Deco, Second Chicago School, and now I can't figure out what to end it with.

[M.K.]

Best Chronological References here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architectural_style

[headcase]

Originally Posted by ndrwmls10

What is the current style of architecture called now? Like the Trump Tower in Chicago or the never built Chicago Spire. I'm doing an informative speech on skyscraper architecture. I'm doing a chronological list of styles. They are First Chicago School, Art Deco, Second Chicago School, and now I can't figure out what to end it with.

Things are almost always named in hindsight, whatever is being built now won't be named for years. "Contemporary" is a good way to go.

SSDD

[Jasoncw]

There are actually a lot more styles than that, and each style has sub-styles.

Off the top of my head, I'd probably go with:

Chicago School - Late 1800s
Revival styles (beaux-arts, neo-gothic, neo-classical, etc.) - Late 1800s to about 1930
Art Deco - mid 1920s through the great depression
Modernism - after WW2 (in the United States)
Postmodernism - after the 1960s

I think we're currently in a transitional phase (but that's just imo, not something you should give in your presentation). I'd say that today most academic/artsy architecture, like a lot of the stuff in the cool modern architecture thread, is modern in aesthetic but postmodern in spirit. I think we're currently transitioning either back to modernism, to an evolution of postmodernism, or something new altogether.


I wouldn't call anything Second Chicago School though, since I don't think that's a real movement or style. Basically, Mies van der Rohe, a modern architect moved to Chicago in the late 30s and headed IIT's architecture program. Since Mies was doing "modern skyscrapers" and since the original Chicago school was "modern skyscrapers" a link was drawn between the two. Other than Mies being in Chicago, there's nothing about modernism that's particular to Chicago over any other place. So I would just call it modernism.

[M.K.]

Originally Posted by headcase

"Contemporary" is a good way to go.

Actually never existed this one. It only says that the today ones are 'with current time' = Con (with) + Temporary (time), but i don't know why people confund this, probably not knowing well, or ignoring the significance of the terms. Inside those 'modernist contemporaries' have an immense spectrum of styles for the tendencies of what is build in current time, (Really Ignorance, as I see, people continue repeating)

[HomeInMyShoes]

I'd agree with the hindsight naming. Current is what I'd call today's architecture with subcategories of: glassy; psuedo-organic; cheap-ass historicisim; and the catch all of WTFism.

[Cirrus]

Actually never existed this one. It only says that the today ones are 'with current time'

That's the whole point. It's not a name, it's a descriptive term. As long as people use it as an adjective and not a noun then you have nothing to complain about.

Anyway, I would call Trump and Spire modern/postmodern hybrids. They share some similarities with both. We might call them Neo Postmodernist, but that would be invention of a new term.

[M.K.]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

Anyway, I would call Trump and Spire modern/postmodern hybrids. They share some similarities with both. We might call them Neo Postmodernist, but that would be invention of a new term.

Right for 1, but for 2 is not the case of LATE MODERNIST then to better express your term for at least Trump? For Chica Spire I would say those with Scuptural terms like Drillism or maybe Penisism, I mean correlating the specific forms, which people say 'Green' 'Organic', because I don't consider really as review of Futurism neither Structural Expressionism, neither neo of something from modern in the immense sub-modernist and neo-modernist categories or post things, even when here inside SSP has better terms, I can't see anymore. For me it is something like 'Torsional Organic', because resembles the beach shells like Calatrava wants to mention. However WTFism of our HIMS colleague does not fit well, but it is a good term to , just because is not that crazy enough like many ... well unbelievible recent proposals. I'd say just ORGANIC, if it has, resembling nature simple repetitive forms, in final not that very simple. Still Miss some schools !

[urbanlife]

I have to agree with everyone that says these things are named in hindsight....though I will add to it and say that there may never be a singular term to describing a style of architecture anymore...much like music, there is so many different forms that are currently being practiced and influenced differently based off of theory or regionalism or technology or reduction of energy or maximizing of energy production or whatever.

I will say, it will be interesting if there is ever some form of global reaction that causes another unified style of architecture...but I just don't see it happening, and I am not sure I want to see what kind of event that would cause such a global reaction.

[Zerton]

What is taught today is not post-modern, at least in the 80s sense. That was almost universally reviled during the beginning of the decade. I would say now it is viewed positively only as a sort of kitsch.

Contemporary is the word I'd go with, even though it doesn't mean anything

[Rizzo]

I think we are bringing back alot of modernism IMO, but correcting the miserable mistakes.

[headcase]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

That's the whole point. It's not a name, it's a descriptive term. As long as people use it as an adjective and not a noun then you have nothing to complain about.

SSDD

[debbymiao]

I just know many modern skyscrapers all over the world share many common features..