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High-tech architecture
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An architecture style developed in the 1970s, High Tech Architecture got its name from High Tech: The Industrial Style and Source Book for The Home, a book published in 1978 by Joan Kron and Suzanne Slesin. The book as well as the style made heavy use of industrial materials such as factory floor coverings.
In the 1980s, High Tech became more difficult to distinguish from other Postmodern architecture. Many of its themes and ideas were absorbed into the language of the Postmodern architectural schools.
Hi Tech Architecture or Late Modernism emerged around the 1970s. Hi-Tech architecture appeared as a revamped Modernism; an extension of those previous ideas aided by even more advances in technological achievements. This period serves as a bridge between Modernism and Post modernism; however there remain grey areas as to where one period ends and the other begins. By the 1980s the High Tech architecture had been absorbed by Post Modernism and the distinction ceased.
The buildings were built mainly in Europe and North America. After the destruction of many historicist buildings in Europe during World War II, repairing them was a difficult matter. Architects had to decide between replicating the historicist elements or replacing it with a new modern materials and aesthetic.
The scientific and technological advances had a big impact on societies in the 1970s. The Space Race climaxed in 1969 with Neil Armstrong’s landing on the moon, and came along with excessive military developments. These advances set people’s minds thinking that much more can be achieved with advancing technology. Technological instruments became a common sight for people at the time because of the use of ramps, video screens, headphones and bare scaffolds. These High Tech constructions became more visible everyday to the average person. This developed a love of technology in High Tech Architecture.
High Tech Architecture got its name from a book published by Joan Kron and Suzanne Slesin in 1978 called: High Tech: The Industrial Style and Source Book for The Home. Both the book and the style of architecture had an obsession with using industrial materials. The other name, Late Modernism, came from the fact the many of its principles were an extension of Modernism; a newer kind.
There was a growing disillusionment with Modern Architecture and progression in that manner. The realisation of Le Corbusier’s urban development plans, led to cities of dreadful monotony. Many houses were to made form standardized parts. This played a large role in the monotony. The enthusiasm for economic building led to extremely low quality finishes of the buildings. Many of the residential estates designed degenerated into slums. As a result people became disillusioned with this progress and the West began to acknowledge this failure.
Throughout Modern Architecture’s developemennt, society would have become bored of the Modern aesthetic. This is to be expected given that the Modern buildings were very bland and the novelty of its aesthetic would wear off. Hi-Tech is a response to this to take Modernist aims to other extremes and in doing so, it creates a newer aesthetic: boasting the glamour of greater leaps in technology.
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Since High Tech Architecture expands on many of the themes prevalent in Modern Architecture, it is appropriate to elaborate on the latter and how the trends develop later. High Tech Architecture’s main aims were to shock, create something new and to show of its technical complexities.
Modern Architecture strived to rebel against the established norms to create their new aesthetic. High Tech architecture continues that rebellious attitude. In High Tech: The Industrial Style and Source Book for The Home, when Joan Kron and Suzanne Slesin discuss the High Tech aesthetic, they emphasised using elements "your parents might find insulting". This humour so aptly demonstrates the rebellious attitude.
Kron and Slesin further go on (when coining the name of the movement in the book) to explain the term High Tech as one being used in architectural circles to describe an increasing number of residences and public buildings with a nuts-and-bolts-exposed-pipes technological look.
There is no need to look further than Roger’s Pompidou Centre for an example of this. This highlights the one of the aims of High Tech Architecture: to boast the technical elements of the building by externalizing them. Thus, the technical aspects create the buildings’ aesthetic. For interior design there was a trend of using formerly industrial appliances as household objects; for example: chemical beakers as a vase for flowers. This was because of an aim to use an industrial aesthetic. The aim was partly caused by people moving into formerly industrial spaces to live there. The movement aimed to give everything an industrial appearance.
It is important to note, that the technical elements on show to create the industrial aesthetic aren’t purely there for aesthetic purposes as well. They serve a need in being ordered logically to solve the design problems. They are still functional. This is a deviation of Modernism’s functionalism. However, the industrial elements largely retain a functional appearance and purpose.
The function of the building was also aimed as not to be set. This dynamic property means the building should be a “catalyst” the “technical services are provided but do not become set” .
Another aspect of the High Tech Architecture’s aim was that of a renewed belief in the power of technology to improve the world. This is especially evident in Kenzo Tange’s plans for technically sophisticated buildings in Japan's post war boom in the 1960s. Few of these plans actually became buildings.
High Tech Architecture aimed to achieve a new industrial aesthetic, spurred on by the renewed faith in the progression of technology. These groundbreaking ideas, lead to a radical change in interior design as well. However prominent the industrial look appeared, the functional element of Modern Architecture was very much retained. The pieces still served a purpose in the building’s function.
Characteristics of High Tech Architecture varied somewhat. They included the prominent display of the building's technical and functional components, an orderly arrangement of and the use of pre fabricated elements. Glass walls and steel frames were immensely popular. These traits combined created the industrial aesthetic.
To boast technical features they would be externalised, often along with the load bearing structures on outside. There can be no more illustrious example than Roger’s Pompidou Centre. The ventilation ducts are all prominently shown on the outside. This is radical, as previous ventilation ducts would have been a component hidden on the inside of the building. The means of access to the building is also on the outside, with the large tube allowing visitors to enter the building.
The orderly and logical fashion in which High Tech buildings are designed to keep to their functional essence is demonstrated in the Norman Foster’s Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank HQ. Besides the technology being the overriding feature of the building, its design is very much functionally orientated. The large interior open space and the easy access to all floors very much enhance the function of being a bank. Also the elements of the buildings are very neatly composed to achieve optimal orderliness in order to logically solve the problem of the needs of a bank. This can be seen in the levels structure and the escalators.
Another characteristic involved using industrial objects out of its industrial context for example “factory lights for a living room” .
The High Tech buildings make persistent use of glass curtain walls and steel structure. It is greatly indebted to Modern Architecture for this and Mies van der Rohe’s corporate buildings. The SOM Sears Tower demonstrates that with glass walls and skeleton pipe structure of steel, a very tall building can be built.
High Tech architecture developed a technical language, free of historicist ornaments likes it predecessor, Modern Architecture. An example of this is the Žižkov Television Tower, Prague. From afar the unconventional structure looks like a rocket launching pad. This takes inspiration from the technical advancements of the age.
Many High Tech buildings meant their purposes to be dynamic. This could best be explained by Günther Behnisch and Frei Otto’s Olympic Stadium in Munich. This structure made sport in the open possible and is meant to be used for many purposes. Originally an abandoned airfield it now became a Sport stadium, for various disciplines.
Overall, the characteristic traits of High Tech architecture varied somewhat, yet all deal with the adoration of all technical elements.
- HSBC headquarters - Hong Kong
- Žižkov TV Tower - Prague
- Lord's cricket ground - London
- Centre Georges Pompidou - Paris
- High tech
- High-tech Design
- http://www.archpedia.com/Styles-High-Tech.html - this wikipedia article is paraphrased in part from this article.