1925 — Present
The International style developed in Europe as a movement away from the past architectural traditions in a uniquely new style that was not based on any previous style and made use of new modern materials and building technologies. Brought over to the United States from architects fleeing a tumultuous Europe, this style was based on
the idea that function should follow form. However, this style rarely made for a very comfortable home.
In comparison to previous building techniques, the walls of the International style acted only as wall cladding instead of a support system; the walls essentially became a curtain that simply dressed
the steel structural system. Windows were usually in long strings that wrapped around the structure’s comers and, in some cases, large plate glass windows were used as walls. International style buildings had flat roofs without the ledge that would have been found on an Art Moderne structure, but the walls remained smooth and usually unadorned. The building’s façade was often asymmetrical with cantilevered sections of balcony or roof that dramatically overhung the wall below, thus supporting the idea that the walls offered zero support to the structure.
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