science

New Formalism (architecture)

New Formalism (architecture) is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand New Formalism (architecture) rather than just read about it. In short: New Formalism is an architectural style that emerged in the United States during the mid-1950s and flowered between the 1960s and 1980s. Buildings designed in that style exhibited many Classical elements including "strict symmetrical elevations" building proportion and scale, Classical columns, highly stylized entablatures and colonnades.

Key takeaways

New Formalism (architecture) belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect New Formalism (architecture) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of New Formalism (architecture) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

New Formalism is an architectural style that emerged in the United States during the mid-1950s and flowered between the 1960s and 1980s. Buildings designed in that style exhibited many Classical elements including "strict symmetrical elevations" building proportion and scale, Classical columns, highly stylized entablatures and colonnades. The style was used primarily for high-profile cultural, high tech, institutional and civic buildings. Edward Durrell Stone's New Delhi American Embassy (1954), which blended the architecture of the east with modern western concepts, is considered to be the symbolic start of New Formalism architecture.

Origins and principles Common features of the New Formalism style include:

Use of traditionally rich materials such as travertine, marble, and granite or man-made materials that mimic their luxurious qualities Buildings usually set on a podium Designed to achieve modern monumentality Embraces classical precedents, such as arches, colonnades, classical columns, and entablatures Smooth wall surfaces Delicacy of details Formal landscape: use of pools, fountains, and a sculpture within a central plaza. Born as a rejection of the rigidity of architectural modernism, New Formalism attempted to wed Classical architectural with concrete's ability to take on fluid, expressive forms to create new shapes such as umbrella shells, waffle slabs and folded plates. Early innovators of this style, such as Edward Durell Stone, believed that International Style's focus on function was not enough and that buildings must put a greater or equal value on aesthetic beauty. In 1958, Stone famously called for a re-examination of classical and ancient artistic traditions in a Time magazine interview in which he stated: "What we need is to put pure beauty into our buildings". Stone's rejection of the glass facades in favor of arabesque grilles are clear to see in the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India, opened in 1959. In addition to grilles or screens instead of glass and exterior walls made of exotic material, New Formalist structures have a carefully organized hierarchy of space, and an emphasis is placed on the structural grid of the building.

Notable architects Ellerbe Becket Welton Becket Gunnar Birkerts Moshe Harel Philip Johnson Friedrich Silaban Edward Durell Stone Minoru Yamasaki

Notable examples

2 Columbus Circle, New York City (1964) (remodeled) Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles, California (1967) Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, New Haven, Connecticut (1963) Cambridge Tower, Austin, Texas (1965) Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles, California (1964) Equitable Building, Los Angeles, California (1969) Hollywood Home Savings and Loan, Los Angeles, California (1967) Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta, Indonesia (1978) John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C. (1971) Koffler particle accelerator, Rehovot, Israel (1976) Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York City (1962–1969) Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California (1965) (demolished) McGregor Memorial Conference Center, Detroit, Michigan (1958) Memphis International Airport, Memphis, Tennessee (1963) Northwestern National Life Building, Minneapolis, Minnesota (1965) Original World Trade Center, Lower Manhattan, New York City (1966) (demolished) Pacific Science Center, Seattle, Washington (1962) San Diego Sports Arena (now Pechanga Arena), San Diego, California (1966) Teacher Retirement System of Texas Headquarters, Austin, Texas (1973) The Forum, Inglewood, California (1967) Weber County Main Library, Ogden, Utah (1968)

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with New Formalism (architecture)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what New Formalism (architecture) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to New Formalism (architecture) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about New Formalism (architecture) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of New Formalism (architecture)

In research: New Formalism (architecture) appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses New Formalism (architecture) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: New Formalism (architecture) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 20th-century architectural styles, American architectural styles, Architectural history, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for New Formalism (architecture) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study New Formalism (architecture) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what New Formalism (architecture) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain New Formalism (architecture) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is New Formalism (architecture) in simple terms?

Why does New Formalism (architecture) matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study New Formalism (architecture)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on New Formalism (architecture).