's
German Pavilion in
Barcelona (2005) The term minimalism is also used to describe a trend in
design and
architecture, wherein the subject is reduced to its necessary elements. Minimalist architectural designers focus on effectively using vacant space, neutral colors, and eliminating decoration, which is meant to emphasize materiality, tactility, texture, weight, and density. Minimalist architecture became popular in the late 1980s in London, England, and New York City, whereby architects and fashion designers worked together in the boutiques to achieve simplicity, using white elements, cold lighting, and large spaces with minimal furniture and few decorative elements. The works of
De Stijl artists are a major reference: De Stijl expanded the ideas of expression by meticulously organizing basic elements such as lines and planes. In 1924, The
Rietveld Schroder House was commissioned by
Truus Schröder-Schräder, a precursor to minimalism. The house emphasizes its slabs, beams and posts reflecting De Stijl's philosophy on the relationship between form and function. in Chicago, Illinois, a minimalist building by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Minimalistic design has been highly influenced by
Japanese traditional design and architecture. Long before the Western version and WWII, minimalism was heavily practiced in
East Asia beyond artistic movements, as a philosophy and way of life. There are observers who describe the emergence of minimalism as a response to the brashness and chaos of urban life. For example, minimalist architecture began to gain traction in 1980s Japan as a result of the country's rising population and rapid expansion of cities. The design was considered an antidote to the "overpowering presence of traffic, advertising, jumbled building scales, and imposing roadways”. The chaotic environment was not only driven by urbanization, industrialization, and technology, but also the Japanese experience of constantly having to demolish structures on account of the destruction wrought by World War II and disasters such as earthquakes and fires. The minimalist design philosophy did not arrive in Japan by way of another country, as it was already part of the Japanese culture rooted on the Zen philosophy. There are those who specifically attribute the design movement to Japan's spirituality and view of nature. Architect
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969) adopted the motto "Less is more" to describe his aesthetic. His tactic was one of arranging the necessary components of a building to create an impression of extreme simplicity—he enlisted every element and detail to serve multiple visual and functional purposes; for example, designing a floor to also serve as the radiator, or a massive fireplace to also house the bathroom. Designer
Buckminster Fuller (1895–1983) adopted the engineer's goal of "Doing more with less", but his concerns were oriented toward technology and engineering rather than aesthetics.
Concepts and design elements The concept of minimalist architecture is to strip everything to its essential quality and achieve simplicity. The idea is not completely without ornamentation, but that all parts, details, and joinery are considered as reduced to a stage where no one can remove anything further to improve the design. The considerations for 'essences' are light, form, detail of material, space, place, and human condition. Minimalist architects not only consider the physical qualities of the building. They pay attention to details, people, space, nature, and materials, believing this reveals the abstract quality of something that is invisible and aids the search for the essence of those invisible qualities—such as natural light, sky, earth, and air. In addition, they "open a dialogue" with the surrounding environment to decide the most essential materials for the construction and create relationships between buildings and sites.
Influences from Japanese tradition dry garden. The clay wall, which is stained by age with subtle brown and orange tones, reflects "" and the rock garden "", together reflecting the Japanese worldview or aesthetic of "wabi-sabi|". The idea of simplicity appears in many cultures, especially the Japanese traditional culture of
Zen Buddhist philosophy. The Japanese manipulate the Zen culture into aesthetic and design elements for their buildings. This idea of architecture has influenced Western society, especially in America since the mid-19th century. Moreover, it inspired the minimalist architecture in the 20th century. Sejima's delicate, intelligent designs may use white color, thin construction sections and transparent elements to create the phenomenal building type often associated with minimalism. Works include
New Museum (2010) New York City, Small House (2000) Tokyo, and House surrounded By Plum Trees (2003) Tokyo. In Vitra Conference Pavilion, Weil am Rhein, 1993, the concepts are to bring together the relationships between building, human movement, site, and
nature, which as one main point of minimalism ideology establishs dialogue between the building and site. The building uses the simple forms of circle and rectangle to contrast the filled and void space of the interior and nature. In the foyer, there is a large landscape window that looks to the exterior. This achieves the simple and silence of architecture and enhances the light, wind, time, and nature in space.
John Pawson is a British minimalist architect; his design concepts are soul, light, and order. He believes that though reduced clutter and simplification of the interior to a point that gets beyond the idea of essential quality, there is a sense of clarity and richness of simplicity instead of emptiness. The materials in his design reveal the perception toward space, surface, and volume. Moreover, he likes to use natural materials because of their aliveness, sense of depth and individualized quality. He is also attracted by the important influences from Japanese Zen Philosophy. Calvin Klein Madison Avenue,
New York City, 1995–96, is a boutique that conveys
Calvin Klein's ideas of fashion. John Pawson's interior design concepts for this project are to create simple, peaceful and orderly spatial arrangements. He used stone floors and white walls to achieve simplicity and harmony of space. He also emphasizes reduction and eliminates the visual distortions, such as the air conditioning, and lamps, to achieve a sense of purity for the interior.
Alberto Campo Baeza is a Spanish architect that describes his work as essential architecture. He values the concepts of light, idea, and space. Light is essential and achieves the relationship between inhabitants and the building. Ideas are to meet the function and context of space, forms, and construction. Space is shaped by the minimal geometric forms to avoid decoration that is not essential. While both minimalist and contemporary minimalism stress simplicity, there are some significant differences. Minimalism emphasizes only the essentials and employs simple, large-sized components in lesser amounts. Modern minimalism, on the other hand, uses more decorative pieces. While modern minimalism includes eye-catching forms, minimalist designs tend to emphasize geometric shapes and straight lines. Another difference is space; modern minimalism permits trendy items, while minimalist environments are open and empty. While modern minimalism incorporates colorful, seductive elements that accentuate the modern aesthetic while keeping a neutral color scheme, minimalist furniture is necessary and practical. Although simplicity is emphasized in both forms, modern minimalism adds trends and gives places a more lively vibe. It is easier to differentiate between the two types when one is aware of these distinctions. == Literature ==