Neo-eclectic architecture

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Neo-eclectic architecture is a name for the architectural style that has dominated residential building construction in North America in the later part of the 20th century and early part of the 21st. Neo-eclectic architecture combines a wide array of decorative techniques taken from an assortment of different styles. It is a rejection of the simple and unadorned modernist styles, such as the ranch house that dominated North American residential construction in the decades after the Second World War. It can be considered an outgrowth of postmodern architecture. It differs from postmodernism in that it is not attempting to be experimental.

Neo-electic architecture is most prominent in what are pejoratively known as McMansions, but it has been embraced by almost all residential builders. Across North American the suburbs built in the last three decades can largely be described as neo-eclectic.

Some neo-eclectic buildings will combine an array of different styles in a single building. More often houses, or whole subdivisions, will focus on one revival style. Different styles predominated in different regions. In California elements from the Spanish Revival style are most popular, while in New England the Neo Colonial is more common.[1] In neo-eclectic architecture the revival elements are almost always decorative consisting of surface elements such as claddings and windows. The base construction of neo-eclectic houses are unchanged. Homes with identical floor plans can be adapted to

[edit] References

  1. ^ "What Not to Build: Do's and Don'ts of Exerior Home Design." By Sandra Edelman, Judith Kay Gaman, Judy Gaman, Robby Reid, Creative Homeowner Press.