What is Modernism?
Modernism is an ethos of revolution, a global movement in society and culture, born from a utopian desire to create a better quality of life, ways of working, a better world for all.

The National Theatre
Denys Lasdun, 1976

National Theatre
It was a vociferous rejection of history, conservative values and tradition in favour of new modes of expression, imagery, materials and techniques that better reflected the realities and hopes of a new generation, just like The Sans today. Early modern architecture evidenced an absence of ornamentation beyond necessity in response to the stylistic excesses of Victorian and Edwardian architecture. Modernism in architecture isn’t just another architectural style but an evolution in design encompassing many architectural expressions.
A Timeline

1920s: Bauhaus

1920s: Bauhaus

Bauhaus was a style of architecture born in the Staatliches Bauhaus, a German art school, that produced simple yet beautiful designs that were functional and could be mass-produced.

The Isokon Building
Wells Coates, London, UK, 1933

Isokon

1930s: Functionalism

1930s: Functionalism

Functionalism is the principle that buildings should be designed based solely on their purpose and function, a style and ethos often linked with the ideas of socialism and modern humanism

De La Warr Pavilion
Erich Mendelsohn and Serge Chermayeff, Bexhill-on-Sea , UK, 1935

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1940s: Minimalism

1940s: Minimalism

Minimalism in architecture is based on the belief that reducing the form of a design to its bare essentials, the bare minimum, reveals the true ‘essence of architecture’.

Edith Farnsworth House
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Plano, USA, 1951

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1950s: Mid-century Modern

1950s: Mid-century Modern

A design aesthetic typically characterised by clean simplicity, an integration with nature, honest use of materials, one that generally does not include decorative embellishments.

The Smithson
Alison and Peter Smithson,
London, UK, 1964

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Now

Now

Being released from what has gone before with an increasing sense of freedom, collectively we are witnessing the unravelling of new visions for office, architecture and city. Discover The Sans, mid-century modern for the now.

The Sans
Buckley Gray Yeoman, London, UK, 2023

312 Priory House View 01 Exterior St John Square v2