ASSIGNMENT 1

FUTURISTIC

ARCHITECTURE

13605
7th SEMESTER

1. ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF FUTURISTIC

ARCHITECTURE.
Introduction:
Futurist architecture is an early-20th century form of architecture born in
Italy, characterized by strong chromaticism, long dynamic lines,
suggesting speed, motion, urgency and lyricism: it was a part of
Futurism, an artistic movement founded by the poet Filippo Tommaso
Marinetti, who produced its first manifesto, the Manifesto of Futurism in 1909.
As the movement was witnessed in the era of the WORLD WARS therefore a
cult of the machine age and even a glorification of war and violence were
among the themes of the Futurists.
The architect Antonio Sant'Elia, who, though building little, translated the
futurist vision into an urban form.
Therefore, the essential characteristics of the Manifesto of Futurism were as
follows:
The art movement rejected the traditional aesthetics and tried to nglorify
contemporary life, based on two major issues :
o Machine
o Motion
Its purpose was to awaken the world of cultural apathy that was sunk from
the late 18th century, attacked the museums and academics, the worship of
ancient art and all the other times.
It is the architecture pf reinforced concrete, steel, glass, cardboard, textile
fibre and of all those substitutes for wood, stone and brick that enable us to
obtain maximum elasticity and lightness as the concept of transparency
was taken into account
The decorative value of futurist architecture depends solely on the use and
arrangement of raw or bare or violently coloured materials.
The fundamental characteristics of Futurist architecture will be its
impermanence and transience.
The utopian project where the measure was not given for the building, but
the urban structure, relying on the new architectural typologies, such as
train stations and airports, power electrical, tiered houses with elevators.
It was conceived as a new vertical and mechanical world, which would be
connected through networks of iron and glass elevators.

 It the architecture of calculation, the architecture of reinforced concrete,

iron, glass, cardboards, etc. allowing maximum flexibility and lightness.
The oblique and elliptical lines are dynamic which have a higher
expressive power than horizontal and perpendicular ones.
An effort to harmonize with freedom and great audacity environment and
man, that is, make the world of things in a direct projection of the spirit
world.
Vast monolithic skyscraper buildings with terraces, bridges and aerial
walkways that embodied the sheer excitement of modern architecture and
technology.
Combat the embalming, reconstruction and reproduction of ancient
monuments and palaces.
The Futurist architecture is not because of this an arid combination of
practicality and usefulness, but remains art, i.e. synthesis and expression
The architecture as the art of arranging forms according to pre-established
criteria was finished.

CENTRAL STATION OF
CITTA NUOVA

SKYSCRAPERS

2. AVANT GARDE
The avant garde pushes the boundaries of what is accepted as the norm or
the status quo, primarily in the cultural realm.
These are people or works which are experimental and innovative with
respect to art, culture and science.
Futurism is an avant garde movement founded in Milan in 1909 by the Italian
poet as it was also a creative innovation influencing art, music, paintings,
literature and architecture as it pushed the boundaries of what is accepted as
within definitions of art/culture/reality. The term may also refer to the
promotion of radical social reforming the aims of its various movements
presented in declarations called manifestos.
It focussed specifically on visual communication design and implemented it as
a modus operation in the early 20th century.