We have been commissioned to design a house in a "Modern Style". The term "modern'' is bandied about and often is misused by laypeople, quite understandably given that this "modern style" has been around for 100 years. Not so modern hey. But for some of us, the introduction of an aesthetic that turned its back on the vernacular, showcased and celebrated new materials and new engineering techniques, was a ... highpoint in architecture. It's odd to me that people have no problem accepting a new design of a car, often nudged in a particular direction by necessity, such as the need to have brake lights or to be aerodynamic, but still want their houses to look like a Greek temple. I actually prefer the term "International Style" which is also used to describe the particular aesthetic that I really like because this title embodies something else- a desire to create an architecture that sought to free itself from any nationalistic or regional styles. The irony is that its goals and philosophy got snuffed out by the turmoil of the first world war and nationalistic retrenchment following and then all to be repeated by the second world war. It is of course understandable that people hark back to what they are comfortable with, especially when it is their nest where they go for solace. Anyway, our client prefers to look to the future and not the past stylistically and, since I do not possess a crystal ball, I have had to invoke the most modern of styles and that to us is The International Style.