Streamlined: From Airplanes to Architecture

April 16–August 2, 2009
The Wolfsonian–FIU @ 1001 Washington Avenue

In the 1930s, industrial designers began applying the scientific principles of aerodynamics to the design of all sorts of vehicles in an attempt to cut down on wind resistance. As “streamlined” fleets of trains, planes, and automobiles captured the public’s eye and imagination, consumers began to associate boxy lines with old-fashioned products, and to equate streamlining principles with a “new and improved,” modern look. The popularity of the new aesthetic drove the designers of other consumer goods and even architects to apply and integrate streamlined shapes and curves into products and buildings that had no need to be aerodynamic.

Streamlined: From Airplanes to Architecture, a small installation of items from The Wolfsonian Library, highlighted this design principle in the realms of transportation and construction.