40 Stunning Pics Of 20th-Century Architecture, As Shared On “Old Architecture”

The Old Architecture Facebook page is dedicated to all of the most stunning buildings that were created in the 20th century. And if you’re not an avid architecture enthusiast, have no fear, the pics are beautiful enough for anyone to appreciate them. This page has amassed an impressive 67k followers since its creation in 2012, and it has managed to find gorgeous photos of the world’s most captivating buildings. But if you’re interested in more than just photos, we’ll discuss 20th century architecture a bit to give you a greater understanding of how these buildings came to be.

Now, the architecture of any given time can vary greatly based on location and the architect in question, but one thought held by Italian architect Bruno Zevi (1918-2000) was that, “Architecture does not derive from a sum of lengths, widths and heights of the constructive elements that envelop the space, but emanates from the void itself, from the enveloped space, from the interior space, in which men die and live.” The 20th century gave birth to many architectural styles and trends that were “largely characterized by the search for functionality and the importance of interior space, to the detriment of the ornamental work of the facade,” STACBOND explains on their site. 

In contrast to the Cast-iron architecture of the previous century, modernist architecture emerged in the 1900s, presenting deeply decorative trends with many rounded shapes. “This type of architecture seeks to break the monotony of the lines of the facade through the asymmetry and the curved and free forms,” STACBOND explains. “The most commonly used materials are steel, wrought iron and glass, typical elements of industrial-type architecture, but used in combination with the forms of nature and a revaluation of craftsmanship.”

Particularly in Spain, the modernist school gained lots of traction in Catalonia, with Antoni Gaudí popularizing it. Some of his most famous works include Casa Batlló, Casa Milá, Colonia Güell Church, and Sagrada Família, whose creative designs feature curved lines, a variety of mosaics, polychrome and stucco.

“The complex geometries of a Gaudí building so coincide with its architectural structure that the whole, including its surface, gives the appearance of being a natural object in complete conformity with nature’s laws,” Britannica explains. “Such a sense of total unity also informed the life of Gaudí; his personal and professional lives were one, and his collected comments about the art of building are essentially aphorisms about the art of living. He was totally dedicated to architecture, which for him was a totality of many arts.”

Following the decline of Art Nouveau during the inter-war period of the 1900s, the Art Deco or Hollywood style became increasingly popular. Contrary to Soviet constructivism, which was simultaneously gaining popularity, Art Deco is a “decorative and eclectic style,” STACBOND writes. “The use of geometry is not dedicated to the straight line, but also to the usual use of curves, circles, polygons, etc. Aztec, Egyptian or Mesopotamian motifs also appear, as well as zigzag lines. Perhaps its greatest representative is the Chrysler building in New York, despite which there are numerous examples throughout the world and the style has transcended popular culture in the form of setting for video games, animation or films.”

What is considered to be the primary architectural style of the 20th century, which is featured many times on this list, is Rationalism. Rationalism focused on constructing large housing blocks of simple, symmetrical geometric shapes, most often utilizing concrete. There are five main points that Rationalism includes: pilotis, free design of the ground plan, a free facade, the use of light through large horizontal windows, and terrace and roof gardens. The pilotis support the building and allow space for cars, without allowing commercial ground floors and basements, and having a free design of the ground plan “opens the possibility of modifying the uses and interior spaces, making them independent of the structure,” STACBOND explains.

Having a free facade means that the building’s skin is mostly used for protection, rather than bearing any structural load. Large horizontal windows are also possible thanks to the loss of supporting walls by means of pillars and slabs. Ideally, light enters the whole room equally through these windows. And the terrace and roof gardens come in contrast to traditional, sloping roofs that buildings before had seen. “In this way, the terraces of the buildings become another element of the development that can be used for different purposes by the tenants,” STACBOND writes.

One facet of Rationalism that I’m sure we’re all familiar with is Brutalism. This Soviet-born style was incredibly common during the 1970s in Eastern Europe and Anglo-Saxon countries. Concrete and steel were the main materials utilized, and the buildings included “imposing geometric [shapes] of large volumes” to highlight the raw materials used. These buildings tend to be rather simple, with harsh, straight lines, and according to STACBOND, they’ve recently had a revival, despite the deterioration that many of these structures have suffered over the past few decades.