Architecture 101: 5 Foundational 20th Century Architectural Texts

By Pune Media On Oct 15, 2024 19

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When we think of architectural contributions, we tend to envision breathtaking buildings, stunning drawings, conscious urban regeneration practices and even carefully crafted furniture. Still, many architects, especially during the early 20th and 21st centuries, have greatly influenced the architectural discipline not through their physical work but rather through their writings. To challenge the status quo, promote interdisciplinary research and reflect upon the deeper meaning behind architectural discourse, architectural texts have been consistently produced in the forms of manifestos, essays, lectures, books and critiques.

It is not by chance that some of the greatest architects-writers have emerged in the last two centuries, during which architecture drifted away from ornamentation and flamboyancy and followed a rather philosophical-symbolic trajectory. Modernism, Deconstructivism, Structuralism, the Bauhaus school and the post-modernism movement — albeit very different — follow the principle of making architecture that speaks beyond the surface, often touching upon subjects of philosophy, culture, diversity and human existence.

Frank Lloyd Wright, ‘In the Cause of Architecture’

Frank Lloyd Wright was one of the most influential writers for American architecture. In a series of essays titled ‘In the Cause of Architecture’ (1908-1952), he articulates his belief on organic architecture, presenting nature as a guide for the architect to create buildings that ‘grow as a plant grows in its own site.’ He promotes a practice that is not enslaved to ‘orders’ or ‘styles’ but rather understands the organic nature of human buildings, where integrity becomes the primary basis for all forms and materials.

Le Corbusier, ‘Towards a New Architecture’

Le Corbusier’s writings were instrumental at advancing the modernist movement. He published nearly forty books, with his writings starting as early as 1910. One of his most famous and highly controversial books, ‘Towards a New Architecture,’ was published in 1927. The now-classic text features a series of essays that advocate for a discipline that dismisses any architecture that relies on style and instead promotes a new mode of interaction between humans and buildings based on function and pure form. Architectural historian Reyner Banham wrote: “Its influence was beyond that of any other architectural work published in this [20th] century…”

Robert Venturi, ‘Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture’

Written in 1966 and translated into sixteen languages, ‘Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture’ was considered a source text for the postmodernism movement. Venturi’s ‘gentle manifesto for a non-straightforward architecture’ rebels against the austere principles of modernism and argues for an architecture that is meaningful only in the context of its surroundings. He looks at buildings not as sculptures and forms but rather as containers of everyday life that establish dynamic, complex relationships with their inhabitants. Venturi’s writings became a rallying cry against the simplicity of Modernism. He argued for complexity, contradiction, and ornamentation, advocating a “both-and” approach rather than the “either-or” mentality of Modernist architecture.

Aldo Rossi, ‘The Architecture of the City’

Rossi’s writings are rooted in a deep analysis of the urban fabric and collective memory. He was a central figure in the postmodern movement, and his theoretical work challenged the functionalist approach of Modernism, attempting to rediscover the traditional European city. His book ‘The Architecture of the City’ published in 1966, is a critique towards the lack of understanding of cities in contemporary practice. He approaches architecture as a vessel of memory, activated through monuments which in turn, give structure to the city. Rossi’s book was used as a significant reference for the reconstruction of Berlin after the fall of the wall, strongly advocating that history as well as meaning should be expressed through urban form.

Rem Koolhaas, ‘Delirious New York’

Delirious New York serves as a retroactive manifesto for Manhattan between 1850 and 1960 that reinterprets the dynamic relationship between architecture and culture. In the late 19th century, population, information and technology led to the testing of a new metropolitan lifestyle in the famous island. Koolhaas examines New York’s history, the Manhattan grid, Coney Island as well as the development of the skyscraper using witty, illustrated photographs, water color imagery, postcards and maps he collected throughout his time living in the city. Even though the text focuses on Manhattan, Delirious New York explores more broadly the role of chaos and contradiction in shaping cities, challenging conventional approaches to scale, globalization and urbanism.

Building, Thinking, Writing…

Architectural writing acts as a powerful medium, able to convey ideology, emotion and theory that inevitably shapes the way we perceive architecture. Still, the written word in architecture has, unfortunately, a very reserved reach. Mostly directed towards architects, theoreticians and academics, architectural texts have not established an immediacy with the wider public. For the non-architects, Le Corbusier is appreciated because of his modernist projects; Rem Koolhaas’s CMG Headquarter is recognized far more than his texts and when Frank Lloyd Write’s name is mentioned, the Falling Water is the work that immediately comes to mind.

This disconnect between architectural writing and the general public highlights a significant challenge: while buildings themselves are accessible and open to interpretation, the complex ideas and philosophies behind them often remain obscure, locked within academic discourse. To bridge this gap, it is crucial for architects to find ways to communicate their ideas in more relatable terms, allowing the broader audience to appreciate not only the aesthetics or utility of a structure, but also the deeper cultural, social, and philosophical meanings that shape its creation.

Featured Image: Massimo Alberici, Cimitero San Cataldo crop, CC BY-SA 3.0

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