The Post Modern era in Architecture is associated with the 1960s. During the 60s the conflict between The Establishment and individual identity and self expression affected architecture as it did nearly all things. The break from the established rules of architecture was most evident in public structures and housing for the affluent. The change to architecture in moderate housing was less related to style than to how it melded with, and was impacted by, the surrounding environment. City planning also became essential due to burgeoning population growth.
During the 60s, individual concepts and the desire to express change and informality created disparity between theory and practice in architecture. A new generation of architects emerged, forming a communication network that promoted and expanded the exchange of ideas outside academia. This new breed of architects proposed that architecture was more than the creation of isolated structures but that it required social and environmental considerations as well. Use of space age technology, real and envisioned, coupled with the new concepts of complex architecture, led the way toward environmentally and ecologically focused design.
The 1970s was a turbulent decade. The unpopular Viet Nam War caused social, political and economic distress. By the mid 70s the energy crisis and resulting economic recession added to social change that would last throughout the decade. Globally, the style of major architecture projects in the 70s was experimental and unconventional. Individualism and extremism prevailed. The impact in the US on home architecture was less extreme but no less dynamic.
The end of the Viet Nam War brought an increased demand for new housing. The increasing violence in cities and the basic 70s return to nature trend increased the movement to suburbs and rural areas. Architecture in new home construction continued to lean toward the established designs of the 60s but the interior was updated with advances in technology. Increased energy costs and awareness of the need for energy conservation advanced the use of energy efficient products and development of alternate sources, such as solar and wind.
One of the biggest changes in the architecture of the 70s was the reuse of existing structures. Consumer preference to renovate old structures, rather than build new ones, increased demand for architecture plans for the restoration of old houses, barns, deserted schoolhouses etc. Warehouses and old factories were being converted to apartments, restaurants and shopping malls. Desire for revival and reintegration created a new trend in the common architecture of the decade.