The cylindrical forms and long horizontal windowing in architecture may also have been influenced by constructivism, and by the New Objectivity artists, a movement connected to the German Werkbund.

Examples of this style include the 1923 Mossehaus, the reconstruction of the corner of a Berlin office building in 1923 by Erich Mendelsohn and Richard Neutra.

Built beginning in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration, it features the distinctive horizontal lines, classic rounded corners railing and windows of the style, resembling the elements of ship.

Another example is Hollywood, California's Julian Medical Building, which has been described as a "landmark",[3] "an architectural masterpiece",[4] and "one of the crowning achievements of Streamline Moderne.

The French version was inspired by the launch of the ocean liner Normandie in 1935, which featured an Art Deco dining room with columns of Lalique crystal.

Another 1935 Paris apartment building at 1 Avenue Paul Doumer in the 16th arrondissement had a series of terraces modelled after the decks of an ocean liner.

[12][14] The defining event for streamline moderne design in the United States was the 1933–34 Chicago World's Fair, which introduced the style to the general public.

The grills and windshields tilted backwards, cars sat lower and wider, and they featured smooth curves and horizontal speed lines.

One reason for the simple designs in functionalism was to lower the production costs of the items, making them affordable to the large European working class.