A Comparative Reading of the Legacy of Modernism: Berlin Siemensstadt Siedlung and Moscow Narkomfin Building

Abstract

The early 20th century was a period of great change in art, architecture and design, with the modernism movement reaching its peak. This movement emphasizes functionality, minimalist design and industrial production. The early modernist attitude that emerged in architecture in the 1920s and 1930s all over the world is known as modernism in the European geography centered in Germany, while in the Russian geography it is known as the Vkhutemas school.The Siemensstadt Siedlung and the Narkomfin Building were among the important buildings of this period, reflecting the basic principles of the early modernist attitude and contributed greatly to the development of modern architecture and design. The Siemensstadt Siedlung in 1920s Germany and the Narkomfin Building in the Soviet Union emerged as part of this attitude. This article aims to examine Siemensstadt Siedlung and Narkomfin Building, two public housing projects that bear the traces of Bauhaus and Vkhutemas schools, to show how these buildings exhibit the early modernist attitude and to see what kind of influence they have on modern architecture by investigating their effects on modern architecture and the lifestyle of the society.