The streamline design style

The streamline style emerged in the United States during the 1930's trough the 1950's. It was an architectural and design style which changes the design in the united states and influenced the rest of the world. This style varied from architectural design to product design and interior. it even influenced automotive design which was evident throughout the years from the variation of different cars which are designed in streamlined style.

Streamline car

This style contrasted the Art Deco movement which was going on in that time as Art Deco focused on upward movement and angular and geometric shapes unlike streamline which displayed a more organic and curved design.

Strealine architecture

Art Deco architecture

During the Streamline era other design movements were going on such as the International style which was a development on Art Deco with new construction and design techniques but still with more geometrical shapes used opposing the organic shapes of the streamline design. Bauhaus was in the end of its era which introduced new techniques in design to push forward mass production of products with new material introduced. other Movements and styles were Organic design style, Deutsher Werekbund and constructivism.

Streamline started from aerodynamics especially when Hungarian born engineer Paul Jaray redesigned the Zeppelins which at the time used to look like a tube rather than the now famous streamline look.

Air Zeppelin

In 1932 Norman Bel Geddes wrote that " an object is streamlined when its exterior surface is so designed that upon passing through a fluid such as water or air the object creates the least disturbance in the fluid."

Once the streamline design was introduced in the market, it literally changes the lifestyle of the majority of the people as at that time almost everything was streamlined from their cars to the home products. during this time as well as Bauhaus which was going on in Germany, the aesthetics of every products became an important element in manufacturing of every product.  This style was then introduced to existing products which were redesigned to join other streamlined products. During this time the advertisement rocketed after the great depression in America. And by introducing more posters for advertisement the sales increased as the consumer had the opportunity to look at visualizations of products on posters before buying them. this was the same technique which was introduced in the Industrial Revolution when the rise in middle class and more wealth to many people gave them the opportunity to by products that they need less which brings more comfortable life, this time in the Industrial revolution can be compared with the time after the great depression when rapid growth came in the 30's.

Reference:
National Railway Museum. 2013. National Railway Museum. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.nrm.org.uk/. [Accessed 14 December 2013].


The Origins of Streamline Design in Cars. 2013. The Origins of Streamline Design in Cars. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.autoevolution.com/news/the-origins-of-streamline-design-in-cars-2998.html. [Accessed 14 December 2013].


History Of Streamline Design - Streamline Properties South Beach Miami Beach Real Estate Broker. 2013. History Of Streamline Design - Streamline Properties South Beach Miami Beach Real Estate Broker. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.stream-line.com/realestate/history/. [Accessed 14 December 2013].

Streamlined Design: Modernity in America . 2013. Streamlined Design: Modernity in America . [ONLINE] Available at:http://architecture.knoji.com/streamlined-design-modernity-in-america/. [Accessed 14 December 2013].

Ultra Modern Architecture Cabel Headquarters by Massimo Mariani - HomeHouseDesign.Com. 2013. Ultra Modern Architecture Cabel Headquarters by Massimo Mariani - HomeHouseDesign.Com. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.homehousedesign.com/ultra-modern-architecture-cabel-headquarters-by-massimo-mariani/. [Accessed 14 December 2013].

Zaha Hadid - The Woman Who Completes Contemporary Architecture

The Pritzker Architectural Award winner of 2004 which the the equivalent of a Nobel prize in the architectural field, Zaha Hadid is known as one of the most powerful architect of the world with her fluid design and strange shapes of her buildings.

Different from other architects Zaha hadid has a wide variety of design areas, from architecture to furniture and interior, From silver ware to fashion design such as shoes. Thew wide range of design that Zaha Hadid developed let her influence every section of the design industry leaving a big impact on on other designers. She owns one of the largest design firms with from 300 to 400 employees which is a good workforce when it is considered that Hadid  worked on over 900 large scale projects in 20 years.

This sucsess was not an immediate one for Hadid as it was a very tough to breakthrough to the architectural industry as it was a man's profession at time and she was a woman in a man's job. But after her first commission which was to design a Fire house in Germany. With many other projects that followed she became a very important figure in the industry but her success that her designs gave her were helped by other important work that was done throughout history.



In England during the industrial revolution the steel mining increased as it the revolution itself boosted the consumption of the material. After the time steel was a very important material for construction. in construction steel is used to reinforce concrete and is used for building support instead of concrete walls. The new use of steel pillars that was being used in architectural design  by architects such as Le Corbusier, helped architects of today such as Zaha Hadid to design new contemporary and innovative buildings. The use of steel and pillars for support is a major breakthrough which helps Zaha to produce her Organic and fluid designed building to be constructed as the majority of the designs of Zaha Hadid are build from support pillars and steel construction frame instead of solid concrete walls.




Some parts of her work reassembles some area of the work of Antoni Gaudi whit organic and fluid shapes that dominate the exterior of the buildings. The designs of Hadid's buildings is diffeerent from the majoraty of other architects as every level is a part of the whole masterpieces as every one of them id different from the other. It is the same way that Antoni Gaudi designed his buildings with every level being different from another which is another reassemble in the design of both architects which came in different time with more than 100 years apart.

Anotoni Gaudi Building

Building by Zaha Hadid which every level is different from another

Apart from architecture Zaha Hadid design and produce a series of products that range from furniture to fashion items such as shoes. Her products are manufactured in a minimal amount and in the design world her products are considered as high end products with a lot of value. This idea of small amount of products manufacture gives the item more prestige and some of them are considered as collectibles rather than for use.
As these products are not mass produced the attention to detail is phenomenal and some of the process of manufacturing are hand built. This fact in Hadid's products reassembles the idea that William Morris had and emphasized on which was the about the quality and value of the product rather that being mass produced with a cheap material.

Although there are a lot of things which are used form the past. the design of Zaha Hadid is still phenomenal and one of the best of our time which gives her the title of one of the best and most phenomenal architects of today.

Reference:

pritzker prize. 2004. Pritzker Price. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.pritzkerprize.com/laureates/2004. [Accessed 08 December 13].

MIRA BAR HILLEL. 2013. Independent . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/. [Accessed 08 December 13].

J.Meades. 2008. More Intelligent Life. [ONLINE] Available at: http://moreintelligentlife.com/story/zaha-hadid. [Accessed 08 December 13].

Biography. 2013. Biography. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/antoni-gaud%C3%AD-40695. [Accessed 08 December 13].

Brittanica. (2013). The International Movement. Available: http://www.britannica.com/. Last accessed 23th November 2013.

2013, 08 December 13, About Zaha Hadid. 1. 27 February 13, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1s0x5jmggo. 08 December 13.

Charles & Ray Eames

Ray and Charles Eames

From two individuals on separate lines of study in life, it became one of the most renowned couple in the design world development which still effects the world of today.

Charles Ormand Eames started as an architectural student in Washington University in 1929. Later he opened an architectural firm in St louis and was a keen fan of the famous architect's work of Frank Loyd Wright. On the other hand Ray Eames started as a student in collage which later continued her studies with Hans Hofmann studying Abstract expressionist painting.

The couple met at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigen were Charles was working as a teacher and Ray was attending in the academy as a student. One can state that their romance was one of the most important love stories for the Design world as later in their life they moved forward and gave influence to the design all over the world by their hard work in exploring new designs for furniture and products and even their contribution for the development of new materials and techniques which regard the manufacturing of products and the selection and manipulation of new materials.

One of the most important leap forward in their career which effected their design ideas and the world in general in different ways was when their started to experiment in wood bending. In 1942 Ray and Charles developed and designed the Eames Splint for the U.S Navy which was a piece of bent wood which will hold the legs of injured soldiers in battle. This splint was modeled and developed on Charles Eames himself. It was estimate that 150,000 units were made. 

Leg splints manufacture from Bent Plywood for the U.S Navy by Charles and Ray Eames

After a year of studying and exploring the options and techniques in bending wood which led to their work for The U.S Navy , Ray and Charles Eames started to design various furniture and other products which featured bent plywood. This technique in wood gave them options in designing furniture such as their famous chairs which features different curves which also improved ergonomics which were made from a single sheet of plywood.

Charles and Ray Eames bent wood chair

Another great contribution which Charles and Ray Eames made to the industry and to the world in general was the start of using plastic for their products that were being manufactured . They were the first to industrially manufacture plastic chairs. their designed chairs are still being manufactured today, The only difference and  improvement made in today's manufacturing of the product designed by the Eames is that nowadays a more eco-friendly materials are being used instead of the plastics that were available in their time.

Ray And Charles Eames plastic chair

Apart from wooden and plastic chairs Ray and Charles introduced wire mesh chairs. These chairs were made from metal wires transformed into a designers chair that was steady and lightweight. such chairs are still in production today and many companies are using this type of design for their chairs. Some Designers today are inspired by the work of Ray and Charles Eames such as Tom Dixon. Tom Dixon designed a series of chairs that are manufactured by using metal wires. In some of his product such as the Link Easy Chair, the influance of the Eames is evident in the design of this chair as it incorporated Tom Dixon's ideas with the design of Ray and Charles design.

Charles and Ray Eames wire chair

Tom Dixon's metal wire chair

Reference:

Eames. 2013. Eames House. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.eameshouse250.org/timeline.html. [Accessed 30 November 13].

The Architecture of Art Deco

A movement which started in the beginning of the 20th century at the era of Bauhaus and the International style which both of them left an impact on the architectural world. The Art Deco was not just a movement which effected the architectural world but it left a huge impact on furniture, art and fashion.

The movement started in 1925 in a great exhibition that display Nouveau designs in the french museum ' Le Musee des Arts Decoratifs'.

As a movement the Art Deco was one which displayed  dominance in architecture as the features of it's architectural design showed the importance of the building. The design  of Art Deco was used by big business for their building design as it was ideal to express the wealth and strength of the company by the characteristics of the design such as the vertical geometric shapes which were bold in the design as buildings that started to be designed in the Art Deco style in the cities were more prominent than other ordinary building. A clear example of a dominant building which still dominate the skyline of New York is the Empire State Building.

Empire State Building

Although the different movements of Art Deco, Bauhaus and International Style took place in the same era, the work produced were much different then each other. Bauhaus took a different and more contemporary approach which combined the mass production with contemporary design and introduction of new materials. Art Deco was a movement which its architecture stated dominance with the bulky vertical geometrical shapes combined with decorative ornaments on the top of the building , and the international style took different approach in architectural design and different approach to the construction of buildings.

When it comes to the design of Art Deco, one of the main features of the building which is the windows were built in a continuous horizontal strips of glass almost like the ordinary windows that we find in common buildings. In contrast the this type of window construction, the architects from the International Style were heading to a new approach in design and started to design buildings with large windows like thew were trying to invite the outside inside their home. A key element in design which gave them the chance to do so was their new approach in construction by using pillars inside they managed to reduce the sizes of the wall and enlarge the windows. This feature enabled to create new way of inserting large windows as less supporting walls were needing unlike the construction of Art Deco buildings which needed larger walls to support the structure.

International Style building

Reference:

wenthworth. 2013. wenthworthstudio. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.wentworthstudio.com/historic-styles/art-deco. [Accessed 28 November 13].

Rendy Juster. 2010. Decopix. [ONLINE] Available at: http://decopix.com/about_art_deco_architecture/. [Accessed 28 November 13].

The International Style And The Change In Architecture

A step forward in architecture by the name of The International Style which was officially named by the publish of the catalog which was written by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Phillip Johnson in 1922 for an architectural exhibition held in the Museum of Modern Art in 1922. Hitchcock and Johnson defined three important characteristics for the International Style which were "Perception of architecture as volume rather than mass, Regularity instead of Symmetry and avoidance of extraneous ornamentation".

Developed in Europe and the United States of America in 1920's and 30's , it dominated the majority of the architectural design in mid 20th century and is still influencing some architects of today. The main characteristics of the design which was introduced in the International style is the introduction of a " visually weightless " visual aspects with the removal of applied ornaments which was common in architecture especially from buildings which remark Art Nouveau. when comparing the architectural design of both of movements one can see a clear and bold difference in the approach of design with the International movement stating the famous "less is more" and the growth of amount of certain materials which were introduced in the design.

A drastic change from highly decorated Art Nouveau architecture to Simple architecture of International Style

A drastic increase in the use of glass can be notices which contrast well with the previous design which were build with small windows and huge concrete walls. To  remove the bulkiness of the concrete walls a construction method which used steel frames gave the architecture " weightless structure" with less visible concrete. This method which was introduced by architects in from the International Style era is used in today's architecture. this breakthrough in design by the international style architects paved the way to today's architects such as Zaha Hadid. Although Zaha Hadid style consists of strange organic shapes, the principle in construction by using steel frames for construction. If this method was not introduced by the architects of the time, the design of Zaha Hadid and other of today's architects would be rather impossible to produce,

The Buildings which were designed in the era reassembles the work of Walter Gropius and Le Corbusier from the Bauhaus movements which was going on in the same era. Both architects and architects of the international style were using the same principles in their design.

Philips Pavilion By Le Corbusier

Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre By Zaha Hadid

Steel construction frame of Zaha Hadid's Heydar Alyev Cultural Centre

Le Corbusier which was instrumental in Bauhaus was a great influence in the International movement. He pointed out 5 points which described the "new style " of  The International Movement. these are the points which Le Corbusier pointed out,

Building Designed by Le Corbusier

-The introduction of pillars or stilts for the building support which gives more interior space for various functions such as parking. More valuable space was earned by the support concrete or steel pillars which supported the ceiling and building load.

- Free Plan, freer and larger interior was made possible by the introduction of pillars and the removal of supporting walls which gave the architects wider choices for their design.

-Ribbon or Stripes of windows. By using just concrete and bricks  limited the amount and size of the windows in the buildings designed before The International Movement. By the introduction of pillars structure support enabled the architects to use larger windows which caused more natural light to enter in the interior of the building.

Le Corbusier himself preferred horizontal ribbon of windows to light the space in a uniform way.

- Free Facade

- Roof  Gardening which served for more neutral environment awareness and insulation for the building itself.

The 5 elements in architectural design which Le Corbusier is Now a days commonly used in today's architectural design especially the introduction of steel frame, pillars or stilts supporting the structure with introduction of parking spaces inside the building itself and other elements which The International Movement introduced into the design world which changes the way of architectural design today.


Reference-

artlog. (2013). The International Movement. Available: http://www.artlog.co.il/telaviv/what.html. Last accessed 24th November 2013.

Brittanica. (2013). The International Movement. Available: http://www.britannica.com/. Last accessed 23th November 2013.

Bauhaus

The Bauhaus movement introduced it self into the history in 1919 in Weimar and in its short period of time it was intended to introduce different ways of thinking when it comes to design and design education. The blame for its short period of time is the Nazi government which interfered in the education facility of Bauhaus.

Bauhaus building in Weimar

Founded by German architect Walter Gropius, the intentions of Bauhaus were to introduce different style of design education were it combine the elements of art with elements of design. students that came from different areas of studies and community were introduced to the preliminary course which introduced the student to the study of materials, Color theory and formal relationships in preparation to more specific studies further on.

One of the concepts of Bauhaus was to make a reform in art education to boost the German economic stability.It was intended to further strengthen it's labor force and with more professional and thoughtful approach to design, Germany was to become an exporter of more Hi-quality and sophisticated product to contradict the lack of natural resources that Germany own by increasing the income from these product exports. This objective by Bauhaus was reached as still today's German design is renominated for it perfection and for the excellence of German products.

Bauhaus student's were introduced to different materials and were assigned in different workshops which included metal working, cabinet making, weaving, typography, pottery and wall painting. Walter Gropius had the idea of combining arts through crafts but later in progress it was realized that it was impracticable and later  the importance of mass production was emphasized  and the slogan of "Art into industry" was adopted inside the Bauhaus.

Bauhaus building in Dessau

In 1925 Bauhaus was transfered to Dessau in a new building designed by Gropius himself with the interior of this building which was designed by some of the staff and students of Bauhaus. In this period Bauhaus, one of the most popular workshop was that of cabinet making which was under the diction of Marcel Breuer which himself took an innovative approach in design. Inspired from his bicycle , Breuer introduce the used of metal tubing in furniture, a development which is still being used in the most of today's products and furniture. he introduced the used of metal tubing which led to lightweight chair that can bee mass produced . Some of his Chairs were later produced and installed in the theater of Dessau's Building.

The metal tubing chair designed by Marcel Breuer

This technique of bending metal tubing today is very popular and used by  famous designer which produce high end products. one example if the "wire dining chair" which is designed by Tom Dixon. This chair was inspired by a paper clip and with Tom's creative design was transformed into a contemporary dining chair. same techniques were used in pipe bending, which are the same that Breuer developed in the Bauhaus era. c

The wire dining chair by Tom Dixon, Designed in 21st Century

During the world war II, most of the key figures of Bauhaus emigrated to the united States which were a great influence to yound architects and designers. Marcel Breuer and Joseph Albert taught at Yale, Gropius moved on in Harvard and Moholy-Nagy established the New Bauhaus in Chicago in 1937.


Reference:

Griffith Winton, Alexandra. "The Bauhaus, 1919–1933". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/bauh/hd_bauh.htm (August 2007)