Inspiration Guide to Modern Architecture

The purpose of this blog is to provide inspiration and knowledge to the building style known as "Modern". Although the PlanetMinecraft community enjoys looking at and constructing "Modern" buildings, some members have little knowledge of what this style of architecture really is, and how to discern it from other forms of architecture. Granted, I am not a student of architecture, nor an expert in architecture. But what I have done is attempt to teach all of you what I have learned in my research.

This blog will be dissected into multiple parts:

1. General Knowledge

2. Things to Consider Before Building

3. Sources of Inspiration

Each part will contain a short introduction, followed by content, followed by a personal response. The personal response will explain how each part is related to Minecraft, and how you can use it to better your Modern builds. Again, I am not an avid designer of modern builds. You can take my personal responses as seriously as you want. Anyways, let’s get to Part 1: General Knowledge.

---

Part 1: General Knowledge

Introduction: Like I said before, more people need to know what “Modern” actually means. Sometimes I see projects on the popreel that claim to be modern, but in reality it’s just a regular old house. This troubles me, so I researched a bit and this is what I think people should know.

Minimalism: a trend in sculpture and painting that arose in the 1950s and used simple, typically massive, forms.

Applied to Architecture: Minimalist architecture became popular in the late 1980s in London and New York, where architects and fashion designers worked together in the boutiques to achieve simplicity, using white elements, cold lighting, large space with minimum objects and furniture. Minimalist architecture simplifies living space to reveal the essential quality of buildings and conveys simplicity in attitudes toward life. It is highly inspired from the Japanese traditional design and the concept of Zen philosophy.

[Link]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimalism#Minimalist_architecture_and_space

Response: It’s nice to occasionally see projects on the popreel that have “Minimalism” in the title. It shows that they are knowledgeable about what they are building. But a huge downside to minimalism is that, if not done properly, can be extremely boring to look at. The lack of shape and edges makes a very boring building, at least when it’s built in Minecraft, and sometimes it can be difficult to find clever ways to decorate the interior of your house. In my opinion, only the most experienced builders can pull off such a building style. Feng Shui should be considered before designing such a building.

Modernism: a style or movement in the arts that aims to break with classical and traditional forms.

Applied to Architecture: Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and an absence of applied decoration. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely.

[Link]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_architecture

Response: Modernism isn’t what you think it is. It was popularized in the 1950’s, so it can be argued that all buildings made in the 21st century are actually “Post-Modern”. In my opinion, PlanetMinecraft needs to drastically improve the quality of their modern builds. There are only a few dozen members who can build a good modern structure, so hopefully the collection of pictures will inspire some of you to make a good build.

Feng Shui: (in Chinese thought) a system of laws considered to govern spatial arrangement and orientation in relation to the flow of energy (qi), and whose favorable or unfavorable effects are taken into account when siting and designing buildings.

Applied to Architecture: a Chinese philosophical system of harmonizing the human existence with the surrounding environment. The term feng shui literally translates as "wind-water" in English.

[Link]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feng_shui

Response: In my opinion the flow and function of the building are just as important as how it looks. What makes me upset about the condition of PlanetMinecraft’s moderns builds are that they are poorly laid out. If you really wanted to make a realistic modern build, I highly suggest following Feng Shui.

---

Part 2: Things to Consider Before Building

Introduction: It’s time PlanetMinecraft members began building smarter. I admit that Feng Shui can be a difficult discipline to be good at, but there are other things you can do to make a better build. Here are just a few things you can do to “wow” your subscribers.



Sustainability: conserving an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources.

Applied to Architecture: In the real world, it has become increasingly important to take consideration of nature and the effects our existence has on our environment. We use natural resources without thinking about the consequences. Luckily, being environmentally conscious is slowly becoming mainstream. I believe that even as insignificant Minecraft builders, we should also consider the effects our buildings have on nature. In my response I will talk about what Modern builders can do to create an environmentally sustainable project.

[Link]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainability

Response: All I want you to consider is the environment when you’re building. Be green. This means that you can’t clear a huge plot of flat land and build from that. Not many buildings in real life were made on flat land with no landscaping difficulties. Don’t alter the environment to fit the build, alter the build to fit the environment.

Function / Practicality: of or concerned with the actual doing or use of something rather than with theory and ideas.

Connection to Nature: the phenomena of the physical world collectively, including plants, animals, the landscape, and other features and products of the earth, as opposed to humans or human creations.

[Link]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature

Orientation of the Sun, Landscape, and Water Sources:

Part 3: Sources of Inspiration

Introduction: Here are a small collection of images I gathered from houzz.com. This is a website that can prove to be extremely useful in your design needs. It’s got pictures of individual rooms, exteriors, and miscellaneous items. Here’s some links.

My Pictures: http://imgur.com/a/KxTMc

Note: I do not own these images and I am not the author of these images. These pictures were taken by individual architectural firms and are used on their websites.

Houzz.com: http://www.houzz.com/

Exteriors Page: http://www.houzz.com/photos/exterior/ls=5

More Sources from Reddit

[City]

[Village]

[Design]

[Architecture]

[House]

I got lazy towards the end of Part 2, sorry.

But hey, I worked pretty freakin' hard on this, so Diamond and Favorite if you want.

Also, I don't plan on posting any projects any time soon, but subscribe anyways if you really want to.