As we continue to explore the aesthetic power of water in architecture, we look here at its use in our own modern designs.

From the Bauhaus era of architecture (1920s - 30s) on into the present day, the great modernist architects have often integrated water into their architectural designs.

Water has long been incorporated into the architectural design of cities and homes around the world, as both a necessity and sensory pleasure.

Oscar Niemeyer, the modernist architect who brought curves to concrete and a sense of sculpture to public design, famously worked until the end of his life, continuing to go into the office daily, well into his hundreds.

Oscar Niemeyer, modernist architect of the curved line, fled Brazil’s right wing military dictatorship in 1965, and set out on a self-imposed exile, which lasted nearly twenty years. During this time, he opened up an office on the Champs Élysées in Paris, and began taking international commissions.

Oscar Niemeyer, one of Brazil’s most celebrated architects, and an internationally recognized titan of 20th century modern design, introduced curves to a modernist style that almost exclusively celebrated straight lines and angles.

It’s always fun to see the evolution of our projects, as they change hands with new ownership. Our original client for Benedict Canyon was from the sports world, and he wanted an open-plan house for entertaining, that would also include a photography studio and gallery space for displaying his large scale artworks.

Instantly recognizable with their bright squares popping in primary colors, expanses of bright white, and intersecting lines in asymmetrical grids, Mondrian’s modern art was groundbreaking in its day, and still inspires artists, architects, and designers today.

We continue our exploration of biophilic design, its benefits, and the ways we incorporate this practice into our modern resort style homes with part II of our blog, The Nature of Biophilic Design.

Psychoanalyst, social psychologist, and sociologist Erich Fromm first introduced the word “biophilia” in 1973, with the meaning, attraction to that which is alive.