International Style Architecture
The style that gave the world the corporate “glass box”
« All Arche-tecture | Last Updated 2022
If you’ve ever stood in the narrow canyons of a major city’s downtown, surrounded on all sides by seemingly identical turrets of sleek metal and glass, and you get the sneaking suspicion that nameless corporations are watching over you, then you are probably already familiar with the International Style. The design became popular with corporate architects in U.S. and Europe during the mid-twentieth century because the workforce was expanding rapidly, and advancements in construction meant that boxy buildings made of easy- and cheap-to-produce components like glass and steel could go up quickly to meet the need, even if it sacrificed some aesthetic beauty. As a result, the International Style and its “glass box” are now emblematic of that Mad Men era when downtowns boomed.
Beyond necessity, though, the style was also a progression of architectural taste that increasingly disdained superfluous ornamentation, unnecessary adornment, and classical reference. Art Deco started the process, but still maintained a foot in the past. Streamline Moderne took the next step of streamlining building forms, but stopped short of an obsession. It wasn’t until the International Style that architects plunged completely into the philosophy of function over form, arguing that it was only ethical to do so, or else the building was wasteful at a time when it couldn’t afford to be.
Later architects, appalled by what “modern” styles had culminated in, rallied in the ’70s and ’80s to create a “post” modern revolution that unraveled the core notions of the International Style and its spiritual sibling, Brutalism. The rebellion didn’t happen before the “glass box” became ubiquitous, however, and the style made an indelible mark on architectural history and the downtowns of most major cities the world over.
Elements
Absence of ornamentation
The sleek, bare façade of the Seagram Building, NYC | arch2o.com
The name of the game is utility, so any superfluous or unrelated building elements are tossed out – perhaps the defining feature of the style
Absence of ornamentation
The repetitive bareness of International style buildings | Martin Vacht | Pinterest
The name of the game is utility, so any superfluous or unrelated building elements are tossed out – perhaps the defining feature of the style
Boxy shapes
Lake Shore Drive Apartments, Chicago | Selda Sekerci | Pinterest
An emphasis on minimalism means most buildings have a basic, rectangular shape (hence the “box” part of the “glass box” phrase)
Boxy shapes
Lake Shore Drive Apartments, Chicago | architecture.org
An emphasis on minimalism means most buildings have a basic, rectangular shape (hence the “box” part of the “glass box” phrase)
Streamlined surfaces
UN Secretariat Building, NYC | Sue Goss | Pinterest
Glass, especially when used in large sheets for a curtain wall, lends a smooth, streamlined surface (the “glass” part of the phrase)
Repetitive modular forms
Repetition on the Seagram Building, NYC | Richard Walker Works | Instagram
Small patterns created by steel, concrete and glass are repeated with regularity, making buildings look as if they were constructed in modular sections
Prominent vertical mullions
The thick mullions of the original World Trade Center, NYC | Kelvin Lin | Pinterest
Though facades in general are streamlined, it isn’t uncommon to see prominent vertical mullions of steel or concrete slightly protruding out
Prominent vertical mullions
White mullions of the General Motors Building, NYC | SKWRT APP | Instagram
Though facades in general are streamlined, it isn’t uncommon to see prominent vertical mullions of steel or concrete slightly protruding out
Thick horizontal spandrel panels
Seagram Building, NYC | Jacquelin Sewell | Pinterest
While vertical mullions emphasize height, they are balanced out by the horizontal nature of thick spandrel panels, usually of bronze or steel
Strong straight lines
Toronto Dominion Centre | Estudio Manso | Instagram
Bold horizontal and vertical lines create sharp 90-degree angles and compliment the general boxy shape of the building
Flat roofs
News Corp Building, NYC | Nikolas Koenig
In keeping with the streamlined surfaces and unadorned forms, building roofs are almost always flat, and usually have HVAC equipment at the top
Ribbon windows
Pepsi-Cola Headquarters, NYC | Smithsonian.com
Large panes of glass, usually floor-to-ceiling, are arranged into horizontal bands to emphasize space and light as well as to maintain uniformity
Minimalist plazas
Federal Center, Chicago | chris schroeer-heiermann | Flickr
Many buildings are complemented by minimalist plazas surrounding their bases, which frequently feature an abstract sculpture
Minimalist plazas
Seagram Building, NYC | Places Journal
Many buildings are complemented by minimalist plazas surrounding their bases, which frequently feature an abstract sculpture
Minimalist plazas
140 Broadway, NYC | SOM; 3. Seagram Building, NYC | Places Journal
Many buildings are complemented by minimalist plazas surrounding their bases, which frequently feature an abstract sculpture
Monotonous uniformity
International Style Buildings | Pinterest
Because uniformity of features is of utmost concern, monotonous scenes can be created when buildings are grouped together
Monotonous uniformity
Avenue of the Americas skyscrapers, NYC | Tom Reese | Flickr
Because uniformity of features is of utmost concern, monotonous scenes can be created when buildings are grouped together
Soulless corporate-ness
Scenes from A Cure for Wellness | All rights belong to 20th Century Fox
Prominently used in corporate architecture for decades, the style is thus often used to depict a certain soullessness and routineness of corporate America
Soulless corporate-ness
Scenes from A Cure for Wellness | All rights belong to 20th Century Fox
Prominently used in corporate architecture for decades, the style is thus often used to depict a certain soullessness and routineness of corporate America
Showcased raw materials
John Hancock Center, Chicago | Daz Manchild Smith, Instagram
Proud to showcase new construction techniques and raw materials of glass, steel, and concrete, buildings even use the exoskeleton in the design
Cantilevered bases
Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin | CHUCHU NY | Pinterest
Although more common in residental modern architeture, cantilevers were used in commercial architecture as well, particularly around the base
Uniformity, but not symmetry
Lever House, NYC | ArchDaily | Pinterest
Facades must be regular and uniform, but the overall shape of the building does not need to be symmetrical from front to sides, and often isn’t
Midcentury legacy
Scene from Mad Men | All rights belong to Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Again because the style was so prominent in the mid-20th century, images of those decades are tied very closely to this architecture, especially for offices
Midcentury legacy
Seagram Building interior, NYC | Artnet | Pinerest
Again because the style was so prominent in the mid-20th century, images of those decades are tied very closely to this architecture, especially for offices
Midcentury legacy
TD Centre, Toronto | Design Kultur | Pinterest
Again because the style was so prominent in the mid-20th century, images of those decades are tied very closely to this architecture, especially for offices
Experience It
Visit Chicago
Even more so than New York, Chicago houses some of the most legendary buildings of the style, including. the Lake Shore Drive apartments, 330 N Wabash, and more. There’s nothing quite like seeing them in person.
Visit New York
Midtown Manhattan, while iconic for multiple different architectural styles, is the poster child in places for the International Style. Spend any time in these glass caverns and you’ll immediately see why.
Watch "Mad Men"
This series takes you inside and outside of 1271 Avenue of the Americas, the stand-in for the Sterling Cooper & Partners headquarters, and really gives you a good feel of an iconic NYC building in its native era.
Watch "A Cure for Wellness"
Well really just the beginning part. Though the film takes the depiction of corporate soul-sucking to the extreme, the scenes in the city sum up the hollow corporate feel that this style of buildings can often evoke.
Watch "American Psycho"
Not for the faint of heart, but this movie serves up its fair share of mid-century modern imagery, internally and externally. In this case it is used negatively, to portray Wall Street as soulless and soul-sucking.
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Brutalism
The harsher, more austere cousin of the International Style, with the same philosophy