History of Architecture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

History of Architecture - Essay Example (Wagner 21). Wagner’s architectural style embraced and clearly manifested a distinct change in traditional and the emergence of purpose built buildings. The church at Vienna’s Steinhoff sanitarium, the Postal savings Bank and several entrances for Vienna’s city railway are some of Wagner’s most memorable buildings. (100) . The belief of art having purpose was expressed when he stated, â€Å" The practical element in man, which is particularly pronounced, is evidently here to stay and every architect is going to have to come to grips with the postulate, a thing that is unpractical cannot be beautiful† (100). In the exploration of the idea of modernity in architecture, he used the designs of his own buildings, where he used new technology, materials and simpler ornamentation. The Postal Savings Bank is seen as an important early work of modern architecture. This represented Wagner’s move from Neoclassicism. The building was constructed using reinforced concrete. Square marble plates cover the faà §ade attached to the man brick structure with mortar and ornamented with iron bolts with aluminum caps. The picture below shows the exterior of the main faà §ade of the Postal Savings Bank. The ideas of Jugendstil were represented in Wagner’s work in the 1980’s. Other architects seemed to set him apart because of his perspective on industrialization that meant the use of machine aesthetic, glorification of technological advancements and the incorporation of new materials such as iron in his architectural work. This incorporation of an open metallic crown with floral decoration that topped the main building in his 1897 project for an Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna was noticeably a modern element.