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An Architecture of AbundanceThree dramatic shifts are required for Second-Century Modernism to become a tangible archite...
10/08/2026

An Architecture of Abundance
Three dramatic shifts are required for Second-Century Modernism to become a tangible architectural reality:

1. Emotional Meaning and Cultural Vibrancy need to be primary determinants of design, in concert with the current hegemony of concept and function. Emotional Meaning in architecture occurs when the elements or the character of a space arouse an emotional response in the user that is meaningful, significant, and enduring. This can span a wide range of emotions: “does an environment feel safe, welcoming, hopeful, or beautiful” or is it “oppressive, heavy, alienating, or empty.”

Cultural Vibrancy is the sum of individual contributions pertaining the enrichment of human experience beyond attending to basic needs and given in urban settlements and rural settings where a sense of the collective is perceived. It is the sense of joy that makes life worth living with others that comes from the arts and social rituals that make up that culture.

2. The Design Process and the priorities embedded within it need to change. For most of First-Century Modernism, we emphasized the verbal over the visual, the mind over the heart. The intuitive was branded as arbitrary and superficial. There are severe limitations that occur when we work with an exclusively linear, rational, and verbal thought process. Second-Century Modernism balances that with a three-dimensional, intuitive, and visual creative process.

3. Expanding the Range of Cultural Values inclusively balances our environments through a Less + More approach, which reconciles and harmonizes seemingly paradoxical conflicts between conceptual issues, such as:
Thought Process + Creative Process
Concept + Emotional Meaning
Pragmatic + Lyrical
Local + Global
Refinement + Innovation
Arbitrary + Rational
Individual + Community
Restraint + Richness
History + Zeitgeist

Second-Century Modernism, therefore, stands for the expansion of the architectural vocabulary to elicit a range of emotionally meaningful responses to the act of building and experiencing architecture. Second-Century Modernism represents a new era in architectural action, where design is technologically advanced, aware of its lasting impact on the quality of people’s lives, and emotionally meaningful to its users. Second-Century Modern architecture conveys a sense of geographical and cultural identity and exhibits poetic ambition.

[Source: Second Century Modernism by John Jennifer Marx, in collaboration with Pierluigi Serraino. Images in collaboration with Jeremy Mende]

First Century ModernismThe promises made by “First-Century Modernism” are still worthy of being fulfilled, but a fundame...
10/01/2026

First Century Modernism
The promises made by “First-Century Modernism” are still worthy of being fulfilled, but a fundamental aspect has eroded in the past 60 years. Indeed, a cornerstone of purpose in architecture is the capacity to affect human emotions, to lift the human spirit. This is what creates the bonds that make societies strong. Modern architecture, in countless manifestos written during the avant-garde period, did help give a programmatic direction to architectural action in the twentieth century. Alas, in the myriad of design languages that were produced in that short time frame, modern architecture shines in far too few occasions, especially when compared to the global production of banal and mundane buildings.

What followed was postmodernism, a mannerist period made palatable with irony. It offered a retreat from the collective alarm toward a raging modernity in the built environment, but resulted in a questionable architectural outcome that was short-lived when compared to the models it was referencing. While great progress was made in raising the consciousness about the link between architecture and the emotional reaction of the general public, it fell short in providing the rich environments that create community. In many ways, the theories behind postmodernism created a compelling goal, but did not go deep enough in terms of understanding how form affects culture and how the foundational processes by which we think about design—and how we actually design—had become out of balance with the goal of creating humane environments.

Second-Century Modernism is an alternative to both First-Century Modernism and postmodernism. It emanates from those original promises, but does so with a particular strategy: it creates an architecture of abundance and embraces paradox.

[Source: Second Century Modernism by John Jennifer Marx, essay in collaboration with Pierluigi Serraino]

It could be said that, Walter Gropius laid the cornerstone of modern architecture in 1919 by founding the Bauhaus. As a ...
09/24/2026

It could be said that, Walter Gropius laid the cornerstone of modern architecture in 1919 by founding the Bauhaus. As a result, modern architecture is now over 100 years old. This first century of modernism has come to a close with a mixed review. Enthusiasm for its achievements goes hand in hand with a discontent about a sizeable portion of its outcome, as well as its effect on the natural and built environments. The most vocal supporters of these modernist ideals crafted epic claims that modernism was bound to deliver progressive and humane environments. Alas, the follow through of those promises was uneven at best.

Can we update this ideological framework, establishing a new outlook that is both open-ended and operational? If the first century of modernism can be considered an architecture of abstraction and ideas, then what might we design if we turn our attention, in this second century of modernism, to an architecture of emotional abundance? Second-Century Modernism creates an architecture of richness and community by placing a higher priority on emotional meaning, through a shift in the design process that balances the rational with the intuitive, and a “Less + More” approach to expanding the range of cultural values we can inclusively balance in our environments. It welcomes you to embrace the paradoxical qualities of human existence.

[Source: Second Century Modernism by John Jennifer Marx, essay in collaboration with Pierluigi Serraino]

Balanceis one of the most fundamentaland least understood aspectsof the inner and outer world we live in.We are in a con...
09/09/2026

Balance
is one of the most fundamental
and least understood aspects
of the inner and outer world we live in.
We are in a constant state
of readjustment
toward technology
toward aging
toward finding contentment

Imagine,
trying to make progress,
high on a tightrope,
blindfolded,
navigating by a sense of smell,
without being able to assume which direction is forward...
all while
there are winds coming from multiple directions,
trying to blow you off that precarious wire.
differing concerns, desires, responsibilities ......

This,
can describe the life condition
of any of us.

[Balance by John Jennifer Marx from Second Century Modernism]

What is Second Century Modernism?Modernism transformed architecture through innovation, efficiency, and rational thinkin...
09/02/2026

What is Second Century Modernism?

Modernism transformed architecture through innovation, efficiency, and rational thinking. It reshaped our cities and changed the way we build.

But as we enter its second century, a new question emerges: Can architecture do more than function well?

Can it create emotional meaning? Foster belonging? Reflect cultural vibrancy? Embrace the complexity and paradox of human experience?

Second Century Modernism proposes that the future of architecture is not about abandoning Modernism's achievements but expanding them.

It seeks a richer balance between logic and intuition, performance and beauty, innovation and humanity.

The ideas shown here—Rebalancing Modernism, Embracing Paradox, Dynamic Balance, Warm Modernism, Cultural Vibrancy, Advocacy, Visual Lecture, and Lyrical Expressionism—are all part of that exploration.

[Source: Second Century Modernism by John Jennifer Marx]

What comes after Modernism?According to Second Century Modernism, the next evolution of architecture is not a rejection ...
08/26/2026

What comes after Modernism?

According to Second Century Modernism, the next evolution of architecture is not a rejection of Modernism, but an expansion of it—one that balances reason with emotion, performance with meaning, and efficiency with human connection.

Over the next several months, we'll explore the future of architecture through the lens of Second Century Modernism.

The central premise is both simple and provocative: while the first century of Modernism transformed the built environment through innovation, abstraction, and rational thinking, it often left insufficient room for the full richness of human experience.

What if architecture could do more than function efficiently? What if it could foster emotional abundance, strengthen community, and create deeper meaning in our daily lives?

Second Century Modernism proposes that the next chapter of architecture begins by embracing the paradoxes of being human. It calls for a design process that balances the rational with the intuitive, elevates emotional meaning alongside performance, and expands the range of cultural values reflected in our built environments.

Rather than choosing between opposing ideas, it asks how architecture can hold both: efficiency and delight, innovation and tradition, individuality and belonging.

In the weeks ahead, we'll explore these questions and what they may mean for the future of architecture.

[Source: Second Century Modernism by John Jennifer Marx]

For more than a century, modernism has shaped how we think about architecture—its forms, its materials, its priorities, ...
08/20/2026

For more than a century, modernism has shaped how we think about architecture—its forms, its materials, its priorities, and the cities we inhabit.

But the world has changed.

Our communities are more diverse. Our environmental challenges are greater. Technology has transformed how we live, work, and connect. The critical questions facing architects and society today are fundamentally different from those of a century ago. This prompted us to consider the future of architecture and more specifically…

What could architecture become in its second century?

That question inspired me to write Second Century Modernism, published by ORO Editions.

Rather than offering a single style or manifesto, the book presents a series of provocations—ideas intended to spark conversation about where architecture goes next. From emotional abundance and embracing paradox to beauty, culture, community, sustainability, and the evolving role of the architect, each chapter explores a different lens for rethinking the built environment.

Over the coming months, we'll be sharing many of these ideas here—not as definitive answers, but as invitations to think differently about architecture and the future we are creating together.

We hope you'll join the conversation.

Every year, when Architizer publishes its list of the 100 Best Architecture and Design Firms in the United States, we fi...
07/23/2026

Every year, when Architizer publishes its list of the 100 Best Architecture and Design Firms in the United States, we find ourselves scrolling through it and recognizing so many firms whose work has inspired us over the years.

Seeing Form4 Architecture included on that list never gets old.

This year marks our third consecutive year being recognized, and we're grateful to once again be ranked #21, among the nation's top 25 firms.

What makes this recognition especially meaningful to us is that it represents years of work—not just a single project or moment. The list is filled with outstanding firms, and to be included alongside so many we respect is humbling and rewarding.

The work itself is what matters most. The best architecture does more than meet practical needs. It brings beauty, creates emotional meaning, and leaves people with places they genuinely enjoy returning to. That's the kind of work we've always hoped to create.

To our clients, collaborators, and the entire Form4 team—thank you for trusting us with work that matters. We're looking forward to what's next.

https://architizer.com/blog/inspiration/collections/best-architecture-firms-in-united-states/

"Second Century Modernism, a book and visual compendium of ideas attempting to shape what this new variant can be, is a ...
07/20/2026

"Second Century Modernism, a book and visual compendium of ideas attempting to shape what this new variant can be, is a worthy interlocutor in that direction. Authored by John Jennifer Marx of Form4 Architecture, the book takes a pensive look at the legacy of modernism so far, actively critiquing the present as well as proposing theoretical alternatives for the future." — Anmol Ahuja, Features Editor, STIR

Second Century Modernism, featured in a June 26 STIRworld review, explores emotional abundance, paradox, cultural vibrancy, and a new direction for architecture in its second century.

Read the full STIR review:
https://www.stirworld.com/inspire-people-many-hands-many-makers-many-modernisms

Second Century Modernism is available through ORO Editions
https://oroeditions.com/product/second-century-modernism

“I think we are in an era of great, extraordinary material abundance, more so than any other era in human history. What ...
07/07/2026

“I think we are in an era of great, extraordinary material abundance, more so than any other era in human history. What we are missing is emotional abundance. One of Second Century Modernism’s main provocations is how do we get emotional abundance back into what we do as architects and as a diverse global society.” – John Jennifer Marx

An evening of many voices. Many disciplines. Many Modernisms.

To celebrate the London launch of John Jennifer Marx’s book Second Century Modernism, published by ORO Editions, STIR hosted Many Modernisms—an evening exploring how architecture can move beyond efficiency toward emotional abundance through collaboration, creativity, and multiple perspectives.

The panel brought together an extraordinary group of thinkers and makers:
• John Jennifer Marx – Architect, author, and co-founder of Form4 Architecture
• Viviana Muscettola – Architect and Director at Zaha Hadid Architects
• Adam Nathaniel Furman – Artist and designer
• Simone Brewster – Designer, artist, and cultural change-maker
• Pelé Cox – Poet and artist

Moderated by Anmol Ahuja, Features Editor at STIR, the discussion crossed the boundaries between architecture, art, poetry, design, and culture—demonstrating that the future of architecture will be shaped not by a single voice, but by many hands, many makers, and many modernisms.

Read the full STIR article:
https://www.stirworld.com/inspire-people-many-hands-many-makers-many-modernisms

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