Post Modern Architecture Examples: A Guide to Understanding the Style

Post modern architecture is all about playfulness and irreverence, often blurring the lines between high and low culture. It's a style that celebrates individuality and rejects the seriousness of modernism.

One of the key characteristics of post modern architecture is its use of historical references, as seen in the work of architects like Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown. They incorporated elements from past architectural styles, such as colonial and neoclassical, into their designs.

Post modern architecture often features bright, bold colors and unconventional materials, making it a far cry from the sleek, minimalist aesthetic of modernism. Think of buildings like the AT&T Building in New York City, which features a distinctive glass pyramid at its entrance.

The post modern movement also challenged the idea of a single, universal architectural style, embracing instead a more eclectic and diverse approach to design.

Postmodern architecture began as a critique of Modernism, questioning its ability to be a utopian remedy for social problems. By the late 1960s and early 1970s, Modernism was no longer seen as radical or even relevant.

Designers like Stanley Tigerman started to challenge the idea that architecture had the power to solve social problems. Tigerman's 1978 photomontage, The Titanic, is a memorable example of this critique.

The Titanic shows Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's iconic Crown Hall sinking into Lake Michigan. Tigerman's alma mater, the Illinois Institute of Technology, is the location of Crown Hall.

In 2015, Tigerman unveiled a response to his original work, New Titanic "The Epiphany".

Postmodern architecture was a reaction against modernist architecture, which had run its course by the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The idea that architecture could solve deep-rooted social, political, social, and racial injustices had lost its appeal, and a new style was needed to replace modernism.

Robert Venturi published a book in 1966 titled Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture, which explored the ways a new style could replace modernism and feature a complex and contradictory architecture.

Venturi's book was a call to action for designers to create buildings that narrate their function, rather than just expressing it through minimalist design.

The postmodern movement was about creating buildings that revel in contradictions and explore them, rather than trying to resolve them.

Postmodern design welcomed exploration and featured an irreverent combination of styles, forms, and humorous details, as seen in notable buildings like the Neuer Zollhof building complex designed by Frank Gehry in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Postmodern architecture is all about embracing variety and playfulness. It's a style that rejects the minimalist approach of modernism and instead celebrates eclecticism.

Postmodern buildings often feature a mix of different architectural styles and periods, which can be a bit jarring at first, but that's kind of the point. Designers like to "quote" or reference historical styles, but in unexpected ways, like combining classical motifs with modern materials.

You'll often see postmodern buildings with bright, bold colors and patterns, both inside and out. This is a deliberate choice to create a sense of visual interest and excitement. In fact, one of the defining characteristics of postmodern design is the use of asymmetry, which means you won't often see perfectly symmetrical floor plans.

Postmodern architecture also loves to play with materials and textures. Designers might use materials that look like something entirely different from what they actually are, like a high-tech building with classical columns. This creates a sense of surprise and curiosity.

Some common characteristics of postmodern architecture include:

Overall, postmodern architecture is all about embracing complexity and playfulness, and rejecting the clean lines and minimalism of modernism.

Charles Moore and Perez Architects designed the Piazza d'Italia in New Orleans, a public plaza with an Italian peninsula-shaped fountain and Roman temple.

The Piazza d'Italia was completed in 1978 and features multiple hemicyclical colonnades. It's located behind the American Italian Cultural Center.

The Vanna Venturi house, designed by Venturi for his mother, is a quintessential postmodern-style residential building in Philadelphia. It's defined by its monumental façade, despite being only 30 feet tall.

The Vanna Venturi house was included in Venturi's book "Complexity and Contradictions in Architecture" as an embodiment of his theories. The property's ornamental appliqué arch is seen as a rejection of modernism.

Philip Johnson and John Burgee designed the AT&T Building in New York, which is considered the "single most important architectural detail of the last fifty years."

The Pompidou Center in Paris is a great example of postmodern architecture. It was designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers in 1971.

This building is notable for putting its building services on full display for the public to see. The exposed piping creates a unique texture that's quite compelling.

A diagonal escalator adds movement to the exterior of the building, making it even more visually interesting. The structural cross bracing created by Piano and Rogers is a great example of their innovative design.

The Pompidou Center underwent a $110-million restoration in 2017, highlighting the importance of maintenance for high-concept, high-design buildings. This type of unique fabrication often requires more maintenance over time.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall, designed by Frank Gehry, is a masterpiece of modern architecture. It's a building that truly stands out from the crowd, with its curvilinear form drawing the eye from blocks away.

The exterior of the building is made of titanium, a rare and expensive material that's rarely used in architecture. However, it has great characteristics for exterior use due to its lightness, strength, and resistance to environmental degradation.

Frank Gehry's designs often leave visitors searching for direct representation and meaning in his forms. But Gehry himself has stated that his curvilinear forms are completely abstract, leaving interpretation up to the viewer.

Charles Moore, a renowned postmodernist architect, designed the Piazza d'Italia in New Orleans, which features an Italian peninsula-shaped fountain surrounded by a Roman temple, clock tower, campanile, and multiple hemicyclical colonnades.

The Piazza d'Italia was completed in 1978, a significant year for postmodern architecture. Venturi's Vanna Venturi house, designed for his mother, is an exemplary postmodern-style residential building located in Philadelphia.

The Pompidou Center in Paris, 1971, is a prime example of postmodern architecture's focus on creative risk-taking. Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers designed this iconic building, which features exposed piping and a diagonal escalator that adds movement to the exterior.

This building is a great example of the postmodern era's shift away from pure form. The designers put the building services on full display, showing the public how buildings operate.

The Pompidou Center's structural cross bracing makes the exterior even more unique. The immense level of unique fabrication required for this high-concept building often leads to higher maintenance costs in the decades that follow.

In 2017, it was announced that the Center would undergo a $110-million restoration. This highlights the importance of considering maintenance costs when designing high-concept buildings.

As the 1960s and 1970s approached, Modernism's reputation began to wane. Designers started questioning whether architecture could truly be a utopian solution to social problems.

The Chicago architect Stanley Tigerman was one of the first to challenge Modernism's ideals. In his 1978 photomontage, The Titanic, Tigerman depicted Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's iconic Crown Hall sinking into Lake Michigan.

Tigerman's work was a commentary on the decline of Modernism. He aimed to show that even the most iconic buildings could be vulnerable to the forces of nature.

In 2015, Tigerman unveiled a response to his original work, a new photomontage called New Titanic “The Epiphany”.