Functionalism (architecture) in the context of Humanism

Modern architecture, also called modernist architecture, or the modern movement, is an architectural movement and style that was prominent in the 20th century, between the earlier Art Deco and later postmodern movements. Modern architecture was based upon new and innovative technologies of construction (particularly the use of glass, steel, and concrete); the principle of functionalism (i.e. that form should follow function); an embrace of minimalism; and a rejection of ornament.

According to Le Corbusier, the roots of the movement were to be found in the works of Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, while Mies van der Rohe was heavily inspired by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. The movement emerged in the first half of the 20th century and became dominant after World War II until the 1980s, when it was gradually replaced as the principal style for institutional and corporate buildings by postmodern architecture.

Dieter Rams (born 20 May 1932) is a German industrial designer who is most closely associated with the consumer products company Braun, the furniture company Vitsœ, and the functionalist school of industrial design. His unobtrusive approach and belief in "less, but better" (German: Weniger, aber besser) design has influenced the practice of design, as well as 20th century aesthetics and culture. He is quoted as stating that "Indifference towards people and the reality in which they live is actually the one and only cardinal sin in design."

The Tampere Bus Station (Finnish: Tampereen linja-autoasema) is a bus station in the city center of Tampere, Finland, located in the Ratina district along the Hatanpää Highway. It takes about 20 minutes by bus to Tampere Airport from the bus station. The bus station, designed by Jaakko Laaksovirta [fi] and Bertel Strömmer, representing functionalist architecture, was completed in 1938, and is now a protected cultural site as well as an architectural attraction. When completed, it was also the largest bus station in the Nordic countries.

The bus station was at its busiest in the late 1960s, with around 470 departures on normal weekdays. By the end of the 1980s, the number had shrunk to less than 400, mainly due to an increase in the car traffic, but also partly due to the relocation of some local routes to the Pyynikintori square. When the cargo handling facilities at the bus station had become cramped, a new freight station was built between the bus station and the Tampere Highway, which was opened in early 1985. The bus station also had the office of Länsilinjat Oy [fi] until 1984, when all the company's operations moved to new premises in the Sarankulma's industrial area.

Rigshospitalet (meaning the National, State, Kingdom or Hospital of the Realm, but not usually translated) is the largest public and teaching hospital in Copenhagen and the most highly specialised hospital in Denmark. The hospital's main building is a 16-storey functionalist highrise, one of the tallest structures in the central parts of the city. Rigshospitalet neighbours the Panum Building which houses the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen. As a teaching hospital it is part of the framework organisation Copenhagen University Hospital.

Nordic Classicism was a style of architecture that briefly blossomed in the Nordic countries (Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland) between 1910 and 1930. The style was also known as Swedish Grace architecture in Sweden.

Until a resurgence of interest for the period during the 1980s (marked by several scholarly studies and public exhibitions), Nordic Classicism was regarded as a mere interlude between two much better-known architectural movements, National Romanticism, or Jugendstil (often seen as equivalent or parallel to Art Nouveau), and Functionalism (aka Modernism).

The International Style is a major architectural style and movement that began in western Europe in the 1920s and dominated modern architecture until the 1970s. It is defined by strict adherence to functional and utilitarian designs and construction methods, typically expressed through minimalism. The style is characterized by modular and rectilinear forms, flat surfaces devoid of ornamentation and decoration, open and airy interiors that blend with the exterior, and the use of glass, steel, and concrete.

The International Style is sometimes called rationalist architecture and the modern movement, although the former is mostly used in English to refer specifically to either Italian rationalism or the style that developed in 1920s Europe more broadly. In continental Europe, this and related styles are variably called Functionalism, Neue Sachlichkeit ("New Objectivity"), De Stijl ("The Style"), and Rationalism, all of which are contemporaneous movements and styles that share similar principles, origins, and proponents.

A hexagonal window (also Melnikov's or honeycomb window) is a hexagon-shaped window, resembling a bee cell or crystal lattice of graphite. The window can be vertically or horizontally oriented, openable or fixed. It can also be regular or elongately-shaped and can have a separator (mullion).

Typically, the cellular window is used for an attic or as a decorative feature, but it can also be a major architectural element to provide the natural lighting inside buildings. The hexagonal window is relatively rare and associated with such architectural styles as constructivism, functionalism and, occasionally, cubism.

Hotel Pallas is a wilderness hotel located in the Pallastunturi Ski Center in Muonio, Finland. The hotel was designed by architect Jouko Ylihannu and was opened in 1948.

The former functionalist style hotel designed by architects Väinö Vähäkallio and Aulis E. Hämäläinen, completed in 1938 and blown up by the Germans in October 1944 when they left Lapland during the Lapland War, was located about a kilometer from the site of the current hotel.

The architecture of Finland has a history spanning over 800 years, and while up until the modern era the architecture was highly influenced by Sweden, there were also influences from Germany and Russia. From the early 19th century onwards influences came directly from further afield: first when itinerant foreign architects took up positions in the country and then when the Finnish architect profession became established.

Furthermore, Finnish architecture in turn has contributed significantly to several styles internationally, such as Jugendstil (or Art Nouveau), Nordic Classicism and Functionalism. In particular, the works of the country's most noted early modernist architect Eliel Saarinen have had significant worldwide influence. Even more renowned than Saarinen has been modernist architect Alvar Aalto, who is regarded as one of the major figures in the world history of modern architecture. In an article from 1922 titled "Motifs from past ages", Aalto discussed national and international influences in Finland, and as he saw it:

The temporary capital of Lithuania (Lithuanian: Laikinoji sostinė) was the official designation of the city of Kaunas in Lithuania during the interwar period. It was in contrast to the declared capital in Vilnius, which was the capital of the Republic of Central Lithuania (1920-1922), and part of Poland from 1922 until 1939. Currently, the term temporary capital, despite being factually out of date, is still frequently used as a nickname for Kaunas, the second largest city in Lithuania.

On 18 September 2023, the modernist buildings in Kaunas that were built while Kaunas was the temporary capital of Lithuania and experienced rapid urbanization were recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. With this designation, Kaunas became the only European city representing large scale urbanization during the interwar period and a variety of modern architecture (Art Deco, neoclassicism, traditionalism, functionalism, etc.).

Danish design is a style of functionalistic design and architecture that was developed in mid-20th century. Influenced by the German Bauhaus school, many Danish designers used the new industrial technologies, combined with ideas of simplicity and functionalism to design buildings, furniture and household objects, many of which have become iconic and are still in use and production. Prominent examples are the Egg chair, the PH lamps and the Sydney Opera House (Australia).

Erich Mendelsohn (German pronunciation: [ˈeːʁɪç ˈmɛndl̩ˌzoːn] ); 21 March 1887 – 15 September 1953) was a German-British architect, known for his expressionist architecture in the 1920s, as well as for developing a dynamic functionalism in his projects for department stores and cinemas. Mendelsohn was a pioneer of the Art Deco and Streamline Moderne architecture, notably with his 1921 Mossehaus design.

Traditionalist architecture is an architectural movement in Europe since the beginning of the 20th century in the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Germany et al. In the Netherlands Traditionalism was a reaction to the Neo Gothic and Neo-Renaissance styles by Pierre Cuypers (Rijksmuseum Amsterdam 1885, Centraal Station Amsterdam 1889). One of the first influential buildings of Traditionalism was the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam, finished in 1903. Since the 1920s Traditionalist architecture has been a parallel movement to Modern architecture (Cubist, Constructivist and Expressionist architecture).

In Dutch architecture, the Traditionalist School was also a reaction against Functionalism as well as the Expressionism of the Amsterdam School, and meant a revival of rural and national architectural styles and traditions, with tidy, visible brickwork, minimal decoration and "honest" (that is, traditional and natural) materials.

The Beurs van Berlage (literally Berlage's stock market) is a building on the Damrak, in the centre of Amsterdam. It was designed by architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage and constructed between 1896 and 1903. It influenced many modernist architects, in particular functionalists and the Amsterdam School. It is now used as a venue for concerts, exhibitions and conferences.

The building is constructed of red brick, with an iron and glass roof, and stone piers, lintels and corbels. Its entrance is under a 40-metre (130 ft) high clock tower, while inside lie three large multi-storey halls, with offices and communal facilities grouped around them.