Minimalism architecture is a form of architecture that used simple designs and little to no decorations. It uses simple shapes, clean lines and plain materials. All of these are used to reach what they like to call "the essence of architecture." They want their architecture to be just that without the extra things that they deem unnecessary. The lack of clutter in the designs allows for a peaceful experience when seeing and interacting with the architecture. Minimalism architecture also uses nature along with the architecture to achieve a balance between man made materials and the environment.
Minimalism architecture comes from multiple different origins. It was inspired by Japanese architecture along with the De Stijl and Bauhaus movements of the 1920s. Both De Stijl and Bauhaus came from cubism. De Stijl uses simplicity and abstraction to reduce their art to the most simple colors and forms. It is about functionalism which leads it to have no decorations that don't serve a purpose. Bauhaus is all about reduced forms. The Bauhaus architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, described it with the phrase "less is more." Minimalism architecture uses concepts from both of these movements and embodies the phrase "less is more."
