Modern Architectures facing the sea

The focus of this exhibition is on nautical aesthetics, inseparable from the emergence of architectural rationalism – and even its precedents – in our country. Since industrialization, the fascination with machines, and in particular with one of the maximum expressions – large ocean liners – generated an image of modernity that was soon translated into the architectural language. This section explores the various ways in which this nautical aesthetic shaped an expressive language characteristic of rationalism, especially in the 1930s and the early 40s, within the Spanish context.

The Influence of Transatlantic Ocean Liners on Modern Architecture

The appearance of large ocean liners in the late 19th and early 20th centuries not only revolutionized maritime transport but also made them a powerful symbol of modernity, luxury, and industrial progress. These “floating cities” profoundly influenced cultural imagery and architectural design, inspiring both the aesthetics of skyscrapers in cities like New York and the development of styles such as Art Deco and its nautical evolution, Streamline Moderne. The latter, characterized by curved forms, horizontal lines, nautical references, and industrial materials, saw its most emblematic expression in Miami Beach. Following the 1926 reconstruction, a vibrant, tropical cityscape emerged, adapted to the coastal climate and geared toward tourism, where neon and maritime elements transformed the architecture into a visual manifestation of modernity and sophistication.

Yacht Club Architecture

The architecture of yacht clubs, especially in Spain, found an ideal language in rationalism and the modern movement to express their connection with the sea through pure, horizontal, and functional forms that evoke nautical elements without falling into literal imitation. Inspired by the horizon, ships, and their decks, these buildings incorporate details like portholes, metal railings, and fins, elegantly reinterpreting maritime imagery. Their spatial organization generates a hierarchy of functions by levels, connecting visually and physically with the coastal landscape through accessible roofs and glazed facades. Modern materials such as concrete, steel, and glass, along with local wood and stone, reinforce an aesthetic of lightness, austerity, and adaptation to the coastal environment. Examples like the Royal Nautical Club of San Sebastián and the one in Vigo stand out for their clear nautical metaphors, with white volumes, curves, exterior staircases, and forms that resemble docked ships, consolidating “nautical architecture” as a modern expression of seaside leisure.

Nautical References in Early Modern Spanish Architecture

Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, the nautical aesthetic influenced by Art Deco, Streamline Moderne, and the modernist principles of Le Corbusier – especially his idea of the house as a “machine for living” – had a profound influence on Spanish rationalist architecture. This influence, transmitted through publications, international exhibitions, and architects’ travels, was translated into buildings that incorporated formal elements taken from the seafaring world, such as curved volumes, horizontal lines, metal railings, and portholes. From urban expansion areas in northern Spain – such as Gijón, A Coruña, and Santander – to modern single-family homes in Barcelona, Bermeo, and Oleiros, and coastal neighbourhoods like Ciudad Jardín in Almería, the architecture adopted solutions that evoked the modernity and dynamism of transatlantic ocean liners. This aesthetic current, shared across different areas of the Spanish coastline, reflects a broader cultural transformation, in which modern architecture adopted maritime references as a symbol of progress, technical efficiency, and formal sophistication.

• In depth Modern Architectures by the Sea