Expressionist Architecture Guide

How to Recognize Expressionist Architecture

Expressionist buildings are among the most visually distinctive in architecture.

Materials

Brick is the most common material, often used in exaggerated patterns — stepped, faceted, or corbelled into dramatic forms. Rendered surfaces (as on Mendelsohn's Einstein Tower) create the appearance of a single continuous form. Glass is used for dramatic effect — stained, coloured, or arranged in angular compositions.

Forms & Massing

Dynamic, asymmetric silhouettes. Pointed or angular forms that seem to be in motion. Towers, spires, and jagged rooflines dominate the skyline. Jensen-Klint's Grundtvig's Church in Copenhagen rises as a series of stepped brick gables, creating an organ-pipe silhouette that is pure Expressionism. Scharoun's Berlin Philharmonic uses a tent-like roof that defies conventional geometry.

Facade & Surface

Surfaces are textured, faceted, or sculpted rather than smooth. Brick patterns create visual rhythm through corbelling and stepping. The facade often suggests upward movement — vertical lines, pointed arches, or converging angles that pull the eye skyward.

Details

• Angular, faceted surfaces — nothing is flat or neutral

• Pointed or jagged silhouettes against the sky

• Decorative brickwork used structurally (not applied)

• Asymmetric compositions — no two sides identical

• Dramatic entrances — oversized doors, sculpted portals

• Visible craft — handmade quality, irregular textures

Context

Expressionist buildings are designed to stand out. They are landmarks by intention — buildings that demand attention and provoke reaction. Their relationship to context is theatrical rather than deferential.