Tea is versatile. This is also proven by the Tokyo and Shanghai-based architecture firm kooo architects. They developed an innovative and thematically appropriate wall cladding for the new théATRE concept store in Beijing – “tea-earth bricks”. These bricks are pressed from tea leaves and soil in a chemical-free process and, based on the type of tea used, impress with their variety of colors and textures. In the store, their warm, earthy tones, which are also reflected in the floor and ceiling, create a natural, grounding effect. Massive, large tree-edge tables, at which many people can sit together, contrast with modern wooden chairs, which round off the minimalist basic idea of the store. Open glass façades clad with wooden slats provide plenty of natural yet diffuse light. The perfect setting for the next relaxing tea ceremony.

Check out this post on Instagram

A post shared by kooo architects / 小大建築設計事務所 (@koooarchitects)

The classicism of the late 18th and early 19th century marks a return to the ideals of antiquity: measure, symmetry, clarity and rationality characterize architecture, urban planning and public spaces. Developed in the spirit of the Enlightenment, architecture served not only aesthetic, but also moral and social purposes. Monumental public buildings, museums, palaces and memorials reflect political order, republican virtue and the cultural education of their patrons. This first part of the series examines the central characteristics of classicist architecture and presents pioneering examples.

Classicism is based on the architecture of Greek and Roman antiquity and systematically applies its principles to the present day of the Enlightenment. In contrast to the lively Baroque and the playful Rococo, it strives for calm, austerity and harmonious proportions. Rectangles, circles and squares became the basic elements of spatial composition. Symmetry, systems of measurement and clear axes lend buildings rationality and legibility. Column orders, temple fronts, domes and architraves are formally reinterpreted to express stability and moral dignity. This recollection was an expression of enlightened thinking: architecture should make order, reason and moral clarity visible. Every pillar and every proportion follows a principle of spiritual discipline – buildings become manifestos of rational beauty.

A key work of French classicism is the Panthéon in Paris, designed by Jacques-Germain Soufflot (from 1758). Originally conceived as the Church of Sainte-Geneviève, it was rededicated as a national monument during the Revolution – an architectural expression of republican values. Clearly structured façades, a monumental dome, Corinthian columns and a balanced transept create a space full of grandeur and rationality. Soufflot combined structural innovations (e.g. iron-reinforced stone arches) with the rigor of antique form. The Panthéon thus embodies the Enlightenment’s aspiration to use architecture as a moral and political symbol – as a “temple of reason” for a new society.

In Germany, Karl Friedrich Schinkel embodied the ideals of classicism in its purest form. His buildings – such as the Neue Wache (1816-1818) and the Altes Museum (1823-1830) in Berlin – show how antique forms and systems of measurement can be transferred to a modern, bourgeois society. Schinkel’s architecture is characterized by clear symmetries, horizontal structuring, disciplined ornamentation and a didactic spatial dramaturgy. The buildings appeal to reason, a sense of order and moral responsibility. The Altes Museum, with its open columned hall, was regarded as a symbol of democratic education: art became freely accessible, public space became a place of intellectual elevation.
In terms of urban planning, classicism brought about a reorganization of urban spaces. Axes, squares and visual relationships were designed according to geometric and harmonious principles – for example in Karlsruhe, Mannheim and Weimar. Architecture thus became part of a rationally planned community, an expression of an ideally ordered society.

Classicism also shaped the formal language of European court architecture. Palaces and residences – such as those in Schwetzingen, Pavlovsk near St. Petersburg or the Palais Bourbon in Paris – eschewed Baroque grandeur in favor of quiet grandeur. The façades are rhythmically structured, the interiors clearly proportioned and flooded with light. Antique-style decoration – friezes, pilasters, gable reliefs – replaced the floral ornamentation of past eras. The ideal is now: elegance through simplicity, representation through proportion. Architecture became a symbol of intellectual and moral order.

Classicist architects used materials carefully to emphasize duration and clarity. Sandstone, marble and plaster create calm, matt surfaces. Decor is reduced to constructively clear and meaningful elements: Doric or Ionic columns, geometric friezes, acanthus leaves and meandering bands. The interior design follows a logical sequence: vestibule – hall – gallery. Every perspective is rationally legible, every fall of light planned. The building is designed to be understood – not to overwhelm, but to instruct. The result is an architecture of understanding that shows form and function in moral unity.

Classicist architecture is highly ideological and educational. Museums, theaters, court buildings, libraries and memorials became symbols of public responsibility and cultural identity. Architecture was not only an expression of power, but also an instrument of enlightenment – a visible textbook on order, law and reason. Classicism thus drew on ancient ideals of the civis romanus: the educated, morally responsible citizen. This synthesis of art, ethics and rationality reflects the social aspirations of a new era of modern public life. Classicism stands for a conscious return to the ancient language of form as an expression of reason, moderation and clarity. Its architecture is both a manifesto and a medium – it shapes values, not just spaces.
From the Panthéon in Paris to Schinkel’s Berlin architecture and the reformed residences of Europe, the era shaped the image of a cultivated, orderly modernity. Classicism thus forms the bridge between the cheerful sensual culture of the Rococo and the intellectual seriousness of modernism – a balance of rationality, beauty and moral significance.