An architectural style that celebrates and exposes advanced technology, industrial materials, and building systems as aesthetic elements. It emphasizes structural expressionism, prefabrication, and the integration of sophisticated mechanical systems.
Shortened from 'high technology,' the term was applied to architecture in the 1970s, notably by critic Reyner Banham. It described buildings that embraced industrial aesthetics and advanced engineering as architectural expression.
Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano's Lloyd's of London building is high-tech architecture at its most dramatic - external elevators, exposed ductwork, and stainless steel cladding create a building that looks like a oil refinery crossed with a spaceship. This movement proved that industrial beauty could be as compelling as classical architecture, influencing everything from airport terminals to contemporary museums.
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