The below can be referenced to: Architecture_and_Modernity_A_Critique

Sigfried Giedion (1888-1968) was a trained engineer with a doctorate in art history. In the early
1920’s, his meeting with Modernist Le Corbusier sparked a “fascination” with the new style of
Modern architecture. Though Giedion shared the views of Hermann Bahr and endeavoured to
address the gap that had become in architecture between the sphere of ‘thought’ and that of
‘feeling’. Essentially his work/writings adopted/acquired/had a “moral appeal” and asserted a new
social role for architecture.

The below referenced to (http://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?

article=1017&context=john_mullin)

In 1925, Ernst May was appointed head of the department of housing and city planning in his
hometown of Frankfurt. Following the war, increased numbers of refugees and returning soldiers
starting new families, boosted the city’s’ population, putting strain on house construction; of which
levels had fallen to less than 1% of the last pre-war year (1913). But May’s efforts, alongside his
associates, successfully managed to provide a remarkable number of new dwellings (15,000, 1 for
every 11 citizens).

May had adopted ideas of those who had gone before him. His solutions had been clearly influenced
by advocates for the Garden City Movement, Theodor Fischer and Sir Raymond Unwin. This approach
viewed “Modernity” as a means for creating a “unified culture”. Ultimately the housing strived to
achieve a society of equality and an absence of conflict. It would seem necessary at this point
however to reiterate the importance that we should not get confused between housing estates in
general, and public housing estates. Whilst the approach to housing in frankfurt was not strictly
concerned with that of public shemes, its solutions did assume an egalitarian mindset with respect to
the private market. Though this does remain relevant as the examples identify an approach to
housing within the estates, that was common amongst Modernists.

May’s plans for Frankfurt depicted a clear breaking up of urban areas into regions of different
characteristics. This reflected other ideas of the Modernist that placed emphasis on the processes of
rationality and functionality.

The estate Riedhof (1927) was a good example of the principles that emerged with the Modernist
approach. The theory of Zeilenbau, translated as ‘the open row layout’, was implemented for the first
time in a housing estate. It challenged the 19 th Century approach to housing which was believed (by
the Avant-garde) to possess poor characteristics/methodologies regarding orientation, lighting and
ventilation. The open row tried to address these concerns but was most strongly focused on the idea
of creating “identical dwellings… implying… that each individual was treated equally”.

In addition to creating a monotony in the landscape which was visually dulling, the row layout
diminished the individual. These same concepts were carried on into many public housing projects
and could be blamed for contributing to the belittlement of individuals. The ideas of the row layout
were fixed, inflexible and lacked any vigour. The ideas that the Modernist row layout lacked were
essential in Giedion’s version of Modern architecture.
The Modernist approach tried to address the rising captilalist nature of the nation. Their approaches
tried to prevent the working class from being immersed into the capitalist world. However, what
eventuated seemed to actually do the opposite and in some regards actually supported capitalism.

Of course May didn’t design the entirety of the housing estates that made up Frankfurt. Many
architects took part in the process of developing housing estates. On a scale that regarded the
housing solutions, an approach toward open row housing was adopted.

The transition from the concept of the garden city to that of the open row was due largely to
financial concerns and the tendancy to call for rationalization through Modernist approaches.

The late 1920’s into the 1930’s saw a great simplification of architecture and design.

Space, Time and Architecture

Durchdringung – spatial interpenetration – For Giedion “refers to an essential characteristic of the

new architecture: its capacity to interrelate different aspects of space with one another

“Architecture no longer has anything to do with objects”

“Architecture might no longer limit itself to the design of representative buildings but should develop
instead into a more comprehensive discipline that is focusing upon the whole environment”