The Modern Language Of Architecture

by Bruno Zevi

Frank Lloyd Wright called Bruno Zevi ”the most penetrating architectural critic of our time,” and one could ask for no better proof than Zevi's masterpiece, The Modern Language of Architecture . In it, Zevi sets forth seven principles, or ”antirules,” to codify the new language of architecture created by Le Corbusier, Gropius, Mies van der Rohe, and Wright. In place of the classical language of the Beaux Art school, with its focus on abstract principles of order, proportion, and symmetry, he presents an alternative system of communication characterized by a free interpretation of contents and function, an emphasis on difference and dissonance, a dynamic of multidimensional vision, and independent interplay of elements, an organic marriage of engineering and design, a concept of living spaces that are designed for use, and an integration of buildings into their surroundings. Anticipating the innovations of postmodern architecture, Zevi argues forcefully for complexity and against unity, for decomposition dialogue between architecture and historiography, finding elements of the modern language of architecture throughout history, and discussing the process of architectural innovation. Sumptuously illustrated, and written in a clear, accessible manner, The Modern Language of Architecture will long remain one of the classics of architectural criticism and history.

Genres: Architecture, Nonfiction, Art

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

Reviews

[P.E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sound, sharp and unrelenting attack on architects building structures consisting entirely of boxes and right angles.



Palazzetto dello Sport, Rome - Pier Luigi Nervi (1960)

Matching Soundtrack :
AC : Revelations - Desmond's Journey: Part III - Escape OST

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J'aime beaucoup l'idée de base de Bruno Zevi.
Posons-nous la question du pourquoi en architecture. Dépassons l'architecture des boîtes accolées les unes aux autres, obsessionnellement, par pur mimétisme, degré zéro de l'architecture.


Pier Luigi Nervi Petit palais des Sports, Rome - Pier Luigi Nervi (1960)


Voilà les pistes que l'auteur propose pour dépasser nos fameuses boîtes à chaussures :

1) Faire l'inventaire des éléments d'architecture, puis les re-sémentiser. (Pourquoi ici un empilement, pourquoi ici une séparation, pourquoi cette orientation pour la fenêtre ?)

2) Cultiver l'asymétrie, la dissonance. Être capable de s'affranchir de la façade, qui n'est pas inévitable en architecture, rendre la façade non finie.

3) Jouer avec la tridimensionnalité des volumes. Dépasser l'enfermement de l'homme dans des boîtes à toutes les échelles. Partir des piliers, non du modèle de la boîte. Comme dans cet espace de bureaux :


Johnson Wax Building, New York - Frank Lloyd Wright (1939)

4) Temporaliser l'espace,

5) et le réintégrer dans son territoire.


Bruno Zevi remarque l'influence directe de l'architecture dominante sur l'esprit contemporain. Ainsi, nos boîtes traduisent certainement le besoin obsessionnel de sécurité, le refus de l'indétermination, de la relativité, la peur de la maturation.

L'architecture, c'est comme une musique, l'histoire des villes, c'est comme une langue vivante.



Taliesin West, Scottsdale, Arizona, Etats-Unis - Frank Lloyd Wright (1937)


Matching Soundtrack :
AC : Revelations - Desmond's Journey: Part III - Escape OST

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

the 7 invariables which Zevi outlines in this book are compelling and from my perspective a good start at defining a modern vocabulary for architects. there's much more to add, since this was published in 1978, but it's a great start. just excuse Zevi for his sometimes ridiculous tirades (at one point he makes a case that symmetry, homogeneity, and homosexuality are all tied together. i shit you not.).

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zevi was a wonderfully cranky Italian architect-writer (born 1918) who set out to create a lanugage of modern architecture to compete with that of classical architecture. This new language may not help you describe a Frank Gehry building, but it goes a long way in helping put it in context. You'll never look at a T-square and symmetrical architecture the same again.

[Stefano Vitucci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great discourse on architectural history. I particularly enjoyed the discussion on how symmetry was a key way of expressing fascism. Other interesting topics included spatial syntax, classism vs. anti-classism, composition of space, integration of buildings in an urban setting, structural engineering interfacing with architecture, and so on.