Discovering Deconstructivism: A Revolutionary Architectural Style

[Music] have you ever wondered how anyone could have built something like this or this

or this it's not something we are used to seeing in the history of architecture right in

today's episode we are going to learn about deconstructivism an architectural style that forever

changed the course of architecture if you'd like to see more episodes on architecture be sure to give us a like

and tell us which topics you want to learn about next everyone knows that architecture is a

conservative discipline since the beginning of time it has demanded order stability and logic

however the 1980s saw a rising architectural sentiment that changed all of that

[Music] it wasn't a radical new movement but rather a concept of architecture shared

and practiced by forward-thinking professionals worldwide namely peter eisenmann bernard schumi frank gehry rem

koolhaas daniel lieberskind co-op himmelblau and zaha hadid among others they were called deconstructivists

although many of them rejected the label their up-and-coming emerging style came to the world's attention with the 1982

park de la villette design competition in paris and the moma's 1988 deconstructivist architecture exhibition

in new york organized by philip johnson and mark wigley the announcement of the exhibition

explained it perfectly deconstructivists deliberately replaced harmony with discord unity with

fracturing and clarity with mystery the architects featured in the mentioned exhibition felt that architecture had

fallen into monotony and aspired to go beyond traditional modernist vocabulary by

deconstructing familiar architectural concepts so no more form follows function

no more purity of form or truth to materials [Music]

deconstructivism developed alongside yet apart from post-modernism which was a movement that emerged in the 1960s as a

reaction against the formality of modernism while both approaches shared a combative

confrontational attitude toward the order purity and rationality found in modernism deconstructivist architects

instead rejected the architectural history that postmodernists wholeheartedly and happily embraced

deconstructivism sprung from the philosophical theories of deconstruction from french philosopher jacques derida

who suggested a radical rethinking of tradition deconstructivist architects attempted to

translate his ideas and principles by dramatically altering or blatantly rejecting age-old architectural forms

and spaces they call into question the shapes and structures of buildings in favor of

design that creates a sense of movement while provoking strong emotions these attempts have taken shape in

structures characterized by paradoxes fragmentation distortion rejection of symmetry linearity continuity and a

radical break from the form function relationship some architects like the legendary frank

gehry focused on deconstructing dual concepts such as function and structure beauty and ugliness and interior and

exterior [Music] so

what do deconstructivism creations look like the finished buildings appear unstable confusing while lacking any

visual logic with conflicting abstract forms they shock the eye with risky perplexing

forms that challenge the visitor yet despite this confounding first impression the buildings still have

consistency they serve a purpose and possess unconventional beauty in their wild flaws and chaos

this makes the stay in their space an experience worth remembering almost all deconstructivist buildings

have distinctive architectural elements called follies or eye catchers in fact buildings are not accepted as

deconstructivist architecture without these key features they are parts of a structure primarily found in the

exterior and constructed not only for decoration but also to help visitors gain a sense of direction and navigate

through the sometimes perplexing spaces [Music] besides deconstruction philosophy

architects also found inspiration in other art movements particularly russian constructivism futurism analytical

cubism expressionism abstract expressionism and postmodernism which all showed tendencies toward the radical

treatment of form and perspectives the advancement in technology and architectural software programs allowed

deconstructivist architects to unleash their creativity and communicate their unorthodox message through

unconventional buildings some have criticized the movement as inhuman and elitist

[Music] despite that the style gained institutional support and social

acceptance over time and it seems that it will not go out of fashion anytime soon

deconstructivism is still very much alive moving architects around the world to invent and dream up the buildings of

tomorrow it may well be fashion but one thing is for sure

deconstructivist architects have changed the course of architecture forever how do you find this style how does it make

you feel let us know in the comments and don't forget to subscribe to us on youtube and

instagram for your regular dose of culture from curious muse if you'd like to support us you can now

do so by joining our channel your membership means we can keep this project running and continue to share

knowledge with more curious muses thank you for your help [Music]

you