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For more than a century what we know of as Modern Architecture has spread and flourished in every corner of the globe. Though the term International Style was not popularized until the 1930s architects the world over had been discovering the ways in which modern technologies and materials made possible by the industrial age could be put to use in the art of building since well before the turn of the last century. Starting with such great architects as Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan, Philip Johnson, Walter Gropius, Le Corbusier, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the Modern movement in architecture was, and is still, an expression of man’s conquest over his environment; his ability to place the exact same building in any city on any continent anywhere in the world and have it function, look, and feel the exact same. It was the homogenization of architecture, and it was a great fault in human history.
Via Lauren Moss, Lockall
This article gave me an idea for a design task activity consisting of making your own sustainable building. If I were to ever create this activity I'd probably find an old building in the city that was going to be knocked down and create a story that the students had to design the replacement. I'd give criteria based around sustainable practices as well as what functions the building must have. The main focus I'd give them would be that the building needs to meet the needs of the residents without compromising future generations. From this resource I would take the three Ps mention - Purpose (does it fulfill the purpose for which it was designed), Physical (does it achieve the physical requirements given) and Pleasing (does it look good). If I really wanted to extend this task I could create a budget for the building in which the students would have to manage during its creation. I'd definitely do this as a group task because collaboration between students always generates more ideas.