Recent historical context, modern architecture, and a few key players in today's architectural landscape

Jon's method of delivering knowledge is very refreshing. I think it's the nature in which this internship is structured—a relaxed, almost informal vibe—that allows for my experiences to have a great deal of wholeness attached to them. At times, I feel like a bug on the wall, just there to observe and take in how things flow through Jon's workplace.

In one of these moments, some not-so-distant historical elements of architecture came up. Jon moved from behind his workstation to sit across from me, and he gave me some great launching points for diving deeper into some well-known architects of the recent past. One in particular, Le Corbusier, "belonged to the first generation of the so-called International school of architecture" (Encyclopædia Britannica) and was extremely influential in shaping the policies and politics of modern architecture through the creation of the Congres Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne, or International Congresses of Modern Architecture. It just so happened that The New York Times was revisiting his work and thoughts as well.

Screen capture of recent NYT article on Le Corbusier
link here

From CIAM's website:

"Founded in 1928, the Congrès Internationaux d’Architecture Moderne (CIAM) quickly came to rank among the leading institutions in international modern architecture of the 20th century. Until 1959 CIAM was organised in a series of eleven working congresses. 

During its existence CIAM knew prominent members like Alvar Aalto, Jacob Bakema, Le Corbusier, Cornelis van Eesteren, Sigfried Giedion, Walter Gropius, Ernst May, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Richard Neutra, José Lluis Sert and Mart Stam. 

Conceived by the art historian Sigfried Giedion, the architect Le Corbusier, and the urban planner Cornelis van Eesteren the legendary fourth congress took place on the liner Patris II cruising the Mediterranean Sea. 

The theme of CIAM 4 was ‘The Functional City’. With its universal agenda CIAM 4 represented a climax of architectural modernism. The legacy of this congress can still be felt in our cities today."

Besides history, some discussion of relevant modern architects came up. Among those most notably mentioned were Michael Graves and A. Eugene Kohn of the architectural powerhouse firm Kohn Pedersen Fox.

Screen capture of Michael Grave's website
link here

Screen capture of Kohn Pederson Fox Associates' website
link here

Becoming more familiar with both the recent history of modern architecture and a few of the bigger players within the current architectural world was an interesting eye-opener. It's fascinating to see the personas of these accomplished architects shine through the design of their buildings.