Design 101 - Saxon Henry Part 2 - Florida Modernism

Design and architecture journalist Saxon Henry has just recently released a book, Four Florida Moderns.  The book concentrates on four current masters of Florida modernism and we will look at them in this post.  In Part 1 of our interview with Saxon she started to talk about Florida Modernism by mentioning one of its greatest moments - the Sarasota School era. Before we give you Part 2 of our interview with Saxon we'd like to take a moment to mention the Sarasota School Era.

Rupp-Seibert HouseThis post-war and regional style of architecture is associated with Florida's Central West Coast or more specifically Sarasota, Florida hence it's nickname of "Sarasota Modern". This style is still popular and many great examples still exist today. The Sarasota Architectural Foundation's charter is "to promote preservation and awareness of Sarasota's architecture and design, beginning with the Sarasota School of Architecture and beyond."

For more examples of Sarasota Modernism we found this great virtual tour movie at the PupuluxeBooks Blog

Is there a difference between Florida modernism and tropical modernism?
If yes, how would you describe each one and how would they differ?
Nielsen Media ResearchThe architects featured in Four Florida Moderns have taken the precepts of modernism that date back to the birth of the vernacular in Europe and made it their own. It becomes a tropical style due to the necessity of handling climatological issues. Take Alberto Alfonso’s Neilsen Media Research project, for instance, which has window louvers to act as a brise-soleil, or sun shield, to protect the interiors from strong natural light. Beyond weather, however, there is romanticism in the work of these architects that also makes their projects unique. An example is the mural in the dining area of this same project by Alfonso, which he commissioned Bernie Voichysonk to create. Voichysonk had studied under the German painter and educator Josef Albers, and his mural is a geometrically rich depiction of the sun’s movement across the campus.

Who and what is defining what Florida modernism is?
The architects who are currently exploring modernism in Florida—what it means, where it goes in the future and how it will continue to evolve. Materialism is an important factor in the development of the vernacular and as exciting new materials come onto the scene, the modernists will likely be the first to incorporate them into their projects, thus moving modernism into its most avant-garde utterances.

	Alberto Alfonso Alfonso Architects, Inc.

Chad Oppenheim Oppenheim

Rene Gonzalez Rene Gonzalez Architect

Guy Peterson Guy Peterson Office for Architecture

Saxon Henry/Roaming by Design

Update on October 22, 2010 by Home Infatuation

When we posted Part 2 of Saxon Henry's post on Florida Modernism Guy Peterson's website was down so we were unable to post photos of his work.  Guy's site was up on Thursday so we've posted photos of his work for you to look at.