This thesis takes as it starting point an extended understanding of modernism in architecture.
It doesn't understand modernism simply as an architectural movement from the 20th century
but as the moment of rupture in the history of architecture – the moment of opening of an
entirely different way of thinking and acting in the field of architecture. This thesis argues that
such moments of rupture are particularly important for architecture and that they should be
closely examined. Something happened in the history of architecture then, and we can learn
from it. Such understanding of modernism also enables that in the contemporary practice of
architecture we not only learn from the cases that come from a not-so-distant past, but actually
ground our thinking and practice on the centuries long experience of the rich developments of
the creative practice of architecture.
As an example of such a groundbreaking moment in history, I would like to present Gothic
architecture. The focus of the discussion will be on the technological experiment of
construction that allowed for a break from traditional massive construction in favor of a
slender skeleton. Since no computational methods for determining the mechanical strength of
buildings were known in the Middle Ages, contemporary builders relied on their intuition
gained through experience with systematic testing of structures. Crucial to such a method of
working was the gradual development of the structure, the appropriate building design, the
building process, the form of architectural profession, and the coordination of those involved.
All this and more, as we will see in the following pages, is of great importance for
contemporary architecture.
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