tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91982071891083323162024-02-07T02:44:41.553-08:00The Lying TruthWhat follows is a series of entries concerning my thoughts on architecture, and how it inherently has paradoxical and contradictory agendas: providing protection and creating beauty. Architecture is the grandest statement in the realm of art and engineering, two fields that essentially are opposites. Thus, my passion is a paradox, and I’m ready to embrace that.ARGitecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14239555699064269677noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198207189108332316.post-90566984079998224992010-08-22T17:49:00.001-07:002010-08-22T17:53:52.252-07:00I HAVE MOVED!I have moved this blog to Wordpress. You can find the new site here: <div><br /></div><div><a href="http://thelyingtruthofarchitecture.wordpress.com/">http://thelyingtruthofarchitecture.wordpress.com/</a><div><br /></div><div>There will be no new updates to this website. I think Wordpress is a more appropriate forum for my type of blog. Plus, after having this blog on Blogger for almost a year, I just now realize that I spelled the word architecture wrong in my web address!! Whoops! (Insert: blushing cheeks)</div></div>ARGitecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14239555699064269677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198207189108332316.post-85911114359204626122010-08-06T11:16:00.000-07:002010-08-06T11:48:37.445-07:00Old in the New: The Innovation/Tradition Duality of Le Corbusier<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglE6ssPEJ8SM-GlcJpqAYnocNoWGvkomL8nPtUgkwguDhttlmpsY2HlVMwWuutUMPVNnUlv070_cV0Ut-MTW7W8zjIdvqVFo2SxEsOT9V-ySVUUIpKIZR40AWjKANGqA6zS4kNbyjL8IQ/s1600/00-vit-corb-man.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 201px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglE6ssPEJ8SM-GlcJpqAYnocNoWGvkomL8nPtUgkwguDhttlmpsY2HlVMwWuutUMPVNnUlv070_cV0Ut-MTW7W8zjIdvqVFo2SxEsOT9V-ySVUUIpKIZR40AWjKANGqA6zS4kNbyjL8IQ/s320/00-vit-corb-man.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502365321567052706" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;text-indent: 0.5in; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Vitruvian Man Vs. Modern Man (Da Vinci and Le Corbusier)</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">The common story about Modern architecture was that it was a complete break from the past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Certain new avant-garde art movements combined with new ways of building created the emergence of a new aesthetic that emphasized a break from tradition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Hardcore Modernists, Futurists, and the De Stilj rejected the past as unnecessary and oppressive, but we see that the master architects of the modern era still retained links and connections to the past in subtle ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They also looked back further for their inspiration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Some architects became interested in the idea of the primal building; the building that would link us to the essence of ancient mankind.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This primitivism was an attempt to find a deeper truth about architecture instead of the shallow and blind reuse of traditional classical symbolism. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Le Corbusier can be thought of as the godfather of modernist vocabulary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He is a perfect example of the way that buildings could be made in an era of new technology and ideology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>His five points of architecture were a brand new rulebook for design.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But if one takes a closer look at his work and reads a little in his most revolutionary book, Towards<i> a New Architecture,</i><span style="font-style:normal"> one cans see clear and strong links to the traditions of architecture.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Le Corbusier learned many lessons from ancient architecture and he incorporated these into his revolutionary new synthesis. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-style:normal"><br /></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMln6e9OqTdBsbzrc6Q_aAas_YWO4g0nH99VTc7IxxG-of5JCLamvclHGKS8AUHIDrt_PZJAbuX8iq_BEL6dYyCNRoEI804Gh1fqmJUMHaEHU_np5txlzBekU22T_8VW5p-J1bc-QTe18/s1600/1-La-Tourette.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 272px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMln6e9OqTdBsbzrc6Q_aAas_YWO4g0nH99VTc7IxxG-of5JCLamvclHGKS8AUHIDrt_PZJAbuX8iq_BEL6dYyCNRoEI804Gh1fqmJUMHaEHU_np5txlzBekU22T_8VW5p-J1bc-QTe18/s320/1-La-Tourette.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502363197296901954" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">La Tourette by Le Corbusier. A fount of geometry.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Geometry of the ancients:<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Le Corbusier spoke of a lesson to be learned from Rome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The lesson, according to Towards<i> A New Architecture</i><span style="font-style:normal"> is basically that the vocabulary of Ancient Roman architecture used pure geometric shapes to create bold buildings.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The use of geometry that is unfussy and done in an ordered unified way created a rhetoric of power. It also defied and conquered the chaos of nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Le Corbusier argued that the use of these simple geometries expressed the “pure and simple beauty of architecture.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This lesson is so fundamental that it can easily be translated into the Modernist architectural idiom without specifically evoking Roman precedents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The pure geometries found in the Villa Savoy or La Tourette exude the same bold power of Roman precedents without being derivative of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>One would never mistake the Villa Savoy as Neo-Roman!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The duality is that the buildings are taking inspiration from ancient architecture while simultaneously being unprecedented and revolutionary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFoP4XkqAXOOawcqaQGXpUx_1wDcBGJuxArAi0bppoHnDgk6w-R2d58Z2qrv-RnC5hnBrNU556uUrKj7dVd3XY0h6F5_ijZWqAwxf8wM0TGAfBjatdsHMxlgVny8_3iELG8pEViWPaqEw/s1600/2-nds.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 112px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFoP4XkqAXOOawcqaQGXpUx_1wDcBGJuxArAi0bppoHnDgk6w-R2d58Z2qrv-RnC5hnBrNU556uUrKj7dVd3XY0h6F5_ijZWqAwxf8wM0TGAfBjatdsHMxlgVny8_3iELG8pEViWPaqEw/s320/2-nds.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502363115351422706" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Lines of Notre Dame from Towards a New Architecture by Le Corbusier</span></i>.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEUfLI25ceLBaiVgzMQAZHdF1qGcktCt9FrRUIwuiSIBvjSxkG2QgfFDoIaxrvMtIZzDypdIUr46yDBlAAhUhpRac8ZxzUiKYZL38KeodLh2gd6aXncVZPGRiR_-ASROYUL2OxO2PdBzQ/s1600/3-RHF-24.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 164px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEUfLI25ceLBaiVgzMQAZHdF1qGcktCt9FrRUIwuiSIBvjSxkG2QgfFDoIaxrvMtIZzDypdIUr46yDBlAAhUhpRac8ZxzUiKYZL38KeodLh2gd6aXncVZPGRiR_-ASROYUL2OxO2PdBzQ/s320/3-RHF-24.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502362995910325778" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Villas La Roche-Jeanneret by Le Corbusier with regulating lines. </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Regulating Lines:<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"> Le Corbusier expounded on regulating lines his whole career.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He believed that a proportional system placed on the facades of his buildings would create aesthetically beautiful results.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>By studying major works throughout history including Notre Dame Cathedral, Petite Trianon and the Campidoglio, Corbusier was able to discern proportional regulating factors that sought to create a more wholly unified facade. He subsequently took these systems and applied them to the facades of his ultra Modernist villas. Once again, he takes a fundamental basic lesson from history and translates it onto his revolutionary work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He has found a way to use the past without being imitative.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"> <o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB6DK8bhY2ppp7rZxaSAeeruU7_uZOHGfIis1qSu7bjd2QU-J5nD17XxIF9H9pyfsWMAYDgt9vqmooGKyMSePOklwrLSDz5jiaCHdVaoxevnsc9R696YPnrG9ypEz74zu-ClkwXbYguOY/s1600/4-towards.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 242px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB6DK8bhY2ppp7rZxaSAeeruU7_uZOHGfIis1qSu7bjd2QU-J5nD17XxIF9H9pyfsWMAYDgt9vqmooGKyMSePOklwrLSDz5jiaCHdVaoxevnsc9R696YPnrG9ypEz74zu-ClkwXbYguOY/s320/4-towards.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502362890955771698" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Dualities right on the page!! The Standard.</span></i> </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6XQ7Se7IZjzJ3Q_F8O_b4mvJpwI29LI7LoVfQZFRF9eaIe2tXXl2bBJdrHiR2nV__sfKX6im4xnXnJjfhbO6ON81QzV2Pij77cNB6Mx3cbyfAUoPaRpLkG8o2HUcgJGbE4xUnPWKBqx8/s1600/5-heidiweber1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 156px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6XQ7Se7IZjzJ3Q_F8O_b4mvJpwI29LI7LoVfQZFRF9eaIe2tXXl2bBJdrHiR2nV__sfKX6im4xnXnJjfhbO6ON81QzV2Pij77cNB6Mx3cbyfAUoPaRpLkG8o2HUcgJGbE4xUnPWKBqx8/s320/5-heidiweber1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502362809230820962" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>Le Corbusier used a standard of proportion and construction to create the Heidi Weber Pavilion.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>The Standard:<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">The chapter in <i>Towards a New Architecture</i><span style="font-style:normal"> about the goal of creating a standard is the most obvious and intriguing duality found in the book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Here Le Corbusier compares the evolution of the Greek Temple with the evolution of the car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He argues that both of these developing systems were leading towards a perfect standard.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This means he believed that through constant improvement and refinement the automobile would reach it’s perfect state in a similar fashion that the Greek Temples reached perfection with the Parthenon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Nothing in the history of architecture is more fascinating than looking at the Greek Temples in chronological order and literally seeing mistakes rectified and proportions refined.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He believed the same process was happening with the development of the car and that someday it would reach perfection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>When this happened perhaps all cars would look and operate the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is largely true, but as we have seen cars are constantly changing due to the needs of the consumer to constantly have something new even though the basic technology of the car changes little.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Le Corbusier argued that architecture needed to relearn the concept of refining the standard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He lived in a time of fierce blind tradition and stubborn nostalgia.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Architecture needed to break away from this and forge a new way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Ironically ancient precedents inspired the new standard that Corbusier proposed.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Once again we see that Le Corbusiers’ revolutionary new way of making architecture was fundamentally grounded on lessons he learned from the past. Great works of art are steeped in precedent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This gives them their subconscious potency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">I feel that the standard is something that most young architects are not interested in any more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They believe that every building should be something new and fresh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The concept of deriving ideas from a project before it seems uninspired or unoriginal. But we should be constantly learning from our past to make each building better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If this is done with diligence, I think eventually all works by a certain architect will begin to look the same, at least on a superficial level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I view this as a positive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Once an architect has reached this plateau they are no longer innovating, but refining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is where perfection can be reached.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is the creation of the standard. Mies Van Der Rohe got to this point in his late career and Renzo Piano is there right now. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"> Pure geometries, regulating lines and the goal of the standard all work together to create architecture of rhythm and harmony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The fundamental qualities of architecture are retained but used in new ways.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Architecture evolves and adapts. Le Corbusier is teaching us that the wheel should never be reinvented; it should just be reinterpreted through the means and constraints of our time.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">For the next post I will explore how other modern architects reconciled the duality between forging a new way of building while utilizing the past.</p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGUu4sq3sTW8SYEqehtzgMpPdq2PgNvypN9h2IXW7jKkCFM1m5kdueumkEnHJjhXtMmV3xjolH6mIs2ToatdnR7hSiEHJrYye_vkJZD63KBOkplyPeIRU7wsTv6SMtxgjryhGvfS5pk8Y/s1600/6-DSCN4356.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGUu4sq3sTW8SYEqehtzgMpPdq2PgNvypN9h2IXW7jKkCFM1m5kdueumkEnHJjhXtMmV3xjolH6mIs2ToatdnR7hSiEHJrYye_vkJZD63KBOkplyPeIRU7wsTv6SMtxgjryhGvfS5pk8Y/s320/6-DSCN4356.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502362691932254434" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Mies Van Der Rohe achieved a standard. Chicago Federal Center. (Photo by Argitect</span></i>)</div>ARGitecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14239555699064269677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198207189108332316.post-74765201060575782692010-07-08T12:13:00.001-07:002010-07-08T12:31:29.418-07:00Commodity and Delight.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRhfdopM1q6HLzCDZkgrAscjC2n7gDCcKCPifZutaJ_0QhuzSYostOoWXfS9gddhegwnS1QNv46U1jiBel-u80_D0SE-OC4sLavaAX6T5h6MSqf-C1HkO6LDciZ8WXN9k-Pi8oroy17Qo/s1600/george-carlin-in-classic-form.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 210px; height: 294px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRhfdopM1q6HLzCDZkgrAscjC2n7gDCcKCPifZutaJ_0QhuzSYostOoWXfS9gddhegwnS1QNv46U1jiBel-u80_D0SE-OC4sLavaAX6T5h6MSqf-C1HkO6LDciZ8WXN9k-Pi8oroy17Qo/s320/george-carlin-in-classic-form.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491616502484395058" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; font-family:'times new roman', serif;font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRhfdopM1q6HLzCDZkgrAscjC2n7gDCcKCPifZutaJ_0QhuzSYostOoWXfS9gddhegwnS1QNv46U1jiBel-u80_D0SE-OC4sLavaAX6T5h6MSqf-C1HkO6LDciZ8WXN9k-Pi8oroy17Qo/s1600/george-carlin-in-classic-form.jpg"></a><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The lovable George Carlin.</span></i></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">George Carlin has a hilarious standup routine where he takes the Ten Commandments and distills them into two. It got me thinking about the holy trinity of architecture by Vitruvius: commodity, firmness and delight. Now, really when you think about it, commodity and firmness basically speak of the same thing. They are both dealing with pragmatic concerns. Commodity includes the logical development of program, economy, and integrated systems within the building. Firmness deals with the structural soundness of the building. These are both logical and necessary concerns. A truly successful building should operate efficiently, economically and structurally. So in the tradition of George Carlin I propose we combine these two rules into the all encompassing word of Commodity. Commodity is a much broader word than firmness. It’s a definition that can successfully imply structural integrity. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Delight speaks of the aesthetic will of the architect. It talks of the more intangible practice of creating beauty. Delight is the effort by the architect to integrate all the pragmatic concerns into a visual language that has rhythm and harmony. This is elusive, indefinable, and (removed of context) seemingly arbitrary. Therefore the rule known as Delight could not possibly be combined with Commodity because they do not share similar motivations. </span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf2E5Q-IUFU2N7anqViSxYA0L3cgJ3NqpYWzO31N9RqY9bLa3A0OmBEHE92zDeq7Tk_OsC7MWgoKfnsiFqRnmOM8lo5QJ7UVamxNtJFDojUEdeaeoJq8PBmV8Cbe5m3UqiEAfSK81JE38/s1600/frank_gehry_star_wood_hotel_31.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf2E5Q-IUFU2N7anqViSxYA0L3cgJ3NqpYWzO31N9RqY9bLa3A0OmBEHE92zDeq7Tk_OsC7MWgoKfnsiFqRnmOM8lo5QJ7UVamxNtJFDojUEdeaeoJq8PBmV8Cbe5m3UqiEAfSK81JE38/s320/frank_gehry_star_wood_hotel_31.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491615947383039714" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Too much Delight? Frank Gehry</span></i>.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCFCeo1c-YkvhyphenhyphenDdtgEmGKeMzMgnonfPr_tyij4BeZ_xusVv_SfB1vxtTszqiBkJeE0IcEdKv5_ld1VYnCsFLrXh8FEA2HvUfG4z6sR1vRvJf0jx0Vy7tpW2cfnET3xpKpaGgTAwFmCM/s1600/Walter_Gropius_photo_Gropius_house_Lincoln_MA.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 228px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCFCeo1c-YkvhyphenhyphenDdtgEmGKeMzMgnonfPr_tyij4BeZ_xusVv_SfB1vxtTszqiBkJeE0IcEdKv5_ld1VYnCsFLrXh8FEA2HvUfG4z6sR1vRvJf0jx0Vy7tpW2cfnET3xpKpaGgTAwFmCM/s320/Walter_Gropius_photo_Gropius_house_Lincoln_MA.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491615871398061538" /></a><!--StartFragment--><span style="Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-USfont-family:";font-size:12.0pt;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The impossibility of artistic bias. Walter Gropius House.</span></i> </div></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-USfont-family:";font-size:12.0pt;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Some of the so called Functionalists of the early twentieth century would argue that a building created in perfect commodity would be by it’s very nature delightful. They would say that aesthetic concerns are outcroppings of logical building. If a true pragmatic functionalist were writing this article right now he/she could go further than me. He or she could pair down the Vitruvian triad to only one rule: Commodity. I love the functionalist ideology, and I believe in it as well, but I also acknowledge that it is next to impossible to be completely impartial when designing a building. The aesthetic will of the architect will present itself no matter how hard one tries to repress it. What is fascinating about the Functionalists is that their aesthetic vocabulary (which they think they didn’t have) is actually a creation of functionalist symbolism. Only in hindsight do visual cues begin to emerge in these harsh buildings that attempt to be free of rhetoric and artistic will. Still, I think it is a noble direction to strive in. I believe in the power and posterity of the universal over the individual. </span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span><!--EndFragment--> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij81WJ67nWG1Y2m-vjtmOuXCUdoMLw7jOTeiWcpQbvBmP1YdtUtzg8j86VaXtgj2JFFANHXspjCPRu37IE0ymCHrlUo5MCbXniM-EJYQJPhgzduUXfs3Sn4ieOGiUOeu_BzkVjUDBqsNg/s1600/vit-grop.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 288px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij81WJ67nWG1Y2m-vjtmOuXCUdoMLw7jOTeiWcpQbvBmP1YdtUtzg8j86VaXtgj2JFFANHXspjCPRu37IE0ymCHrlUo5MCbXniM-EJYQJPhgzduUXfs3Sn4ieOGiUOeu_BzkVjUDBqsNg/s320/vit-grop.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491615749000762946" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">R<i>obert Venturi's diagram of the Functionalist Vitruvian method. (From Learning from Las Vegas).</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">So, discounting the Functionalists, there are two basic tenets of architecture; Commodity and Delight. The architect must walk a tightrope between aesthetic and pragmatic concerns. This is the dual nature of the architect. By our very nature we are conflicted individuals. We are unsatisfied with total logic. We are unsatisfied with the complete freedom awarded to the fine artist. We are hypocrites towards our own desires. Long live the dual natured architect!</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Now for some comedy: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzEs2nj7iZM">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzEs2nj7iZM</a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div></div>ARGitecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14239555699064269677noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198207189108332316.post-4478679938165312562010-07-05T09:42:00.001-07:002010-07-05T17:28:26.520-07:00Visit to Greensburg<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCv8IUCmRDja2hUIwQPqM0qe3otrqkE-2jV5qunwXrV1b4YxBbzzWV6uWhJqODD0u_mbvR7cGC9Sv_OoUTkYkvrbHTafHYjglW2FNbFKT0GQqHnchnHBqjObMmGYYVId1AEhkxYbFOd-Y/s1600/DSCN4740.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCv8IUCmRDja2hUIwQPqM0qe3otrqkE-2jV5qunwXrV1b4YxBbzzWV6uWhJqODD0u_mbvR7cGC9Sv_OoUTkYkvrbHTafHYjglW2FNbFKT0GQqHnchnHBqjObMmGYYVId1AEhkxYbFOd-Y/s320/DSCN4740.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490464562988891890" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Progress is born of devastation. Greensburg right after the tornado.</span></i></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSt9UMHSDnDp3FgNDyX3N4wkhdpV1c9eH8mMZlBfhG3DqUI4zWyp1Bv77MjLaV4-3nnp00FGurXoemNCpqx3QOtYuw5GrT5vInTDwoeNpoI-hneHSCB1jVuje10FYrz4QtnyvHik6GXPE/s1600/DSCN4724.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 288px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSt9UMHSDnDp3FgNDyX3N4wkhdpV1c9eH8mMZlBfhG3DqUI4zWyp1Bv77MjLaV4-3nnp00FGurXoemNCpqx3QOtYuw5GrT5vInTDwoeNpoI-hneHSCB1jVuje10FYrz4QtnyvHik6GXPE/s320/DSCN4724.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490464416724661954" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;text-indent: 0.5in; ">A<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> city reborn. (Photo by Argitect)</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Opening note: I am generally averse to using the phrases Green and Sustainable simply because they have lost their meaning with overuse. I will use them here ,however, in the absence of being able to think of elaborate replacements. </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The Great Conflagration of Chicago in 1871 was a catalyzing event for architecture.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The means and methods for a new way of building were already in place but the urgency was not there.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Overnight, the fire leveled the entire metropolitan area of Chicago creating open real estate in a big city.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The American spirit of perseverance called for immediate rebuilding of the town.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The rising cost of land and the increase in population meant that the town could not be rebuilt the same as it once was.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Architects exploited the new industrial technology to meet new demands, and the skyscraper was born.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The means and methods for the epoch shift in building were already in place but the fire was the catalyzing event that created the urgency for a new way of building.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Over this past weekend I visited a good friend in Greensburg, Kansas.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">In May of 2007 an F5 tornado leveled almost 95 percent of the small town killing eleven people.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The never-ending American spirit of perseverance called for an immediate end to mourning and a swift rebuilding.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I have a romantic vision of the leaders of the town huddled tightly around a table in a FEMA trailer with fingers on a map of Greensburg.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">In that humid and cramped meeting the idea came to not only rebuild the town, but to make it new.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">They decided to make Greensburg a green town.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">In other words, they would rebuild their great little town not as a duplication of what it once was, but as an entirely new and unprecedented city of buildings made in a way that are responsible and caring towards the earth. This is an amazing feat considering that the town mostly consists of staunch conservatives that believe in tradition.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">But, whether you are liberal or conservative the means for creating green buildings is not only the responsible thing to do, it is cost saving in the long run and will last longer.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It is the logical solution.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0XGcPvNmkiocmBqdQGovd7mGpu0evA78BeX6OLqb463dvPJfA7F7fRshmzHlmlEdkPGtZ7Ap1kymI3diV7uS1S-70ntHGJ-G3U3_SsKs-8OvrIHuhYPi8xgWJwfdFTX_E9v2HPt17OMU/s1600/DSCN4714.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0XGcPvNmkiocmBqdQGovd7mGpu0evA78BeX6OLqb463dvPJfA7F7fRshmzHlmlEdkPGtZ7Ap1kymI3diV7uS1S-70ntHGJ-G3U3_SsKs-8OvrIHuhYPi8xgWJwfdFTX_E9v2HPt17OMU/s320/DSCN4714.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490464304861403602" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Greensburg City Hall. (Photo by Argitect</span></i>)</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucI5X18i15iYtFHaCsCj1ciiMFjPBSGp0zcPPSbjnlGVvDy14RmA115mQsgNxpIHFzp1OXyuuew-vkf2zl4ythk3gENdhPXiWBI9gVgyubyxaRkkWLQjAB3nKRsUdIKY9Gi765-fY-XQ/s1600/DSCN4745.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucI5X18i15iYtFHaCsCj1ciiMFjPBSGp0zcPPSbjnlGVvDy14RmA115mQsgNxpIHFzp1OXyuuew-vkf2zl4ythk3gENdhPXiWBI9gVgyubyxaRkkWLQjAB3nKRsUdIKY9Gi765-fY-XQ/s320/DSCN4745.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490464191226264194" /></a><!--StartFragment--><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Stunning new museum in Greensburg. (Photo by Argitect.</span></i>)</span></div></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Well, I’m here visiting in 2010 and there is a large handful of important new buildings built to exacting standards for the maximum in responsible earth conscious design. There is a wind farm that supplies the power to the city. There is a water collection system on Main Street that collects the water for a cistern. On Main Street there is an incubator business building, a couple new banks, and the new City Hall all built to LEED standards. The city hall is the star of Main Street. It is the first LEED Platinum city hall in the entire United States and utilizes solar and geothermal heating. In true phoenix fashion the building is partially clad in bricks recovered from the rubble of the tornado. This is a potent symbol for the brave new town bouncing back from devastation. Nearby is a new LEED Platinum museum designed and built by students at the University of Kansas. The building is stunningly modern, clad mostly in recovered wood that is faced in clear glass panels. It is shocking to see such interesting and fearless modern architecture in such a conservative rural setting. There are no alleviating vernacular features to soften the boldness of this project. It is the best example of the bold new spirit of the town. You just don’t find buildings like this in towns with populations less than 1000! </span></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </span></span></div><div><span style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb-Njo4Xoea8Xehbe-X11G6avSXLMf0mNRNeV5iKJ7TWtTU6NXeyZYkDDSFu9t4haMCXz6M2TsvGpOkQFTVcNSpzBrl-yqlT4lQ6CfItCqDUG3jJMW8JqV1UFAuiJGhU3OrVfLLgcFa9I/s1600/DSCN4712.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb-Njo4Xoea8Xehbe-X11G6avSXLMf0mNRNeV5iKJ7TWtTU6NXeyZYkDDSFu9t4haMCXz6M2TsvGpOkQFTVcNSpzBrl-yqlT4lQ6CfItCqDUG3jJMW8JqV1UFAuiJGhU3OrVfLLgcFa9I/s320/DSCN4712.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490464074583321762" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Silo Eco Home. (Photo by Argitect)</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The hub for all this green activity is found at the Silo Eco-Home, which is the office for Greentown.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This is where my friend works.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This is the window for visitors to the town. They give tours and show off building products that are environmentally conscious.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The best example for the movement however is the house itself, the first in a chain of a proposed handful of case studies meant to showcase possibilities for economical green home building.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It has a solar panel for electricity, a green roof, a water run-off garden, a permeable driveway, composite recycled countertops, rapidly renewable bamboo floors, super efficient toilets, and many other features. It also reminds us that the best way to be green is to reuse materials.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The railings on the stairway are made of discarded farm machinery parts. The kitchen was designed around some cabinet doors that were recovered from a dilapidated house right outside of town.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Besides being green, another requirement for the new buildings in town is that they must be tornado proof.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Regionalism in architecture is influenced not only by climate and local materials, but by what kinds of disasters are prevalent in the area.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Had Greensburg been the result of an earthquake or a flood, the new buildings would have been built differently. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">After spending several days in Greensburg it really sunk in how truly amazing and unlikely all this was.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A small town struck down by the worst of tornadoes rebuilds with bravery, open mindedness and an eye to the future. The communities around Greensburg are dying fast.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The small towns once sustained by agriculture are now surrounded by corporate farms that have taken the local livelihood away.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Wilmore is a nearby town that is on the abyss.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The residents are all elderly and it is doubtful their homes will be occupied after they pass on.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The town will live out the span of its residents and that’s it.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Greensburg Greentown has the tenacity and perseverant spirit to overcome this fate by adopting a progressive new way of building.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Not only is it responsible building, it is a tourist attraction and a magnet for new residents interested in living in a new kind of town. This is one of the most amazing examples ever of the adage; “Every cloud has a silver lining.”</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The means and methods for a new greener way of building have slowly emerged in the last forty years.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It is only in the last ten years that a catalyzing event has signaled an epoch shift in the way we build.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We finally have an urgency to build this way.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The tornado in Greensburg is a reminder and model for how a new town can be built in a responsible manner.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The members of the Greentown initiative also acknowledge that these methods can and should be implemented in all cities in already existing buildings.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The best way to be green is to reuse existing structures and retrofit them with new methods of operation.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Now, obviously Greensburg is not Chicago.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The epoch shift here is much more subtle. We still live in an industrial age, but the circumstances and motives for building have fundamentally changed.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The recent never ending oil spill is yet one more shot fired in the call for a better, more responsible future.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This future lies with a humbler humanity. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"> <o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4KKHN4NAvlpsb4yh4Inx8a-secllnDHfw5N-XBHifaYukgG5e3b5iVpPI4Nh472QXLDRRN0RgCs1cBl3-0DnHSg06NvYvKVdXNZ8TQo04FKEDZcCshJTlgZt8xFCswBBZRaKHEj1rHyk/s1600/DSCN4696.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4KKHN4NAvlpsb4yh4Inx8a-secllnDHfw5N-XBHifaYukgG5e3b5iVpPI4Nh472QXLDRRN0RgCs1cBl3-0DnHSg06NvYvKVdXNZ8TQo04FKEDZcCshJTlgZt8xFCswBBZRaKHEj1rHyk/s320/DSCN4696.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490463906693167970" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The beautiful new Greensburg School. (Photo by Argitect</span></i>)</div></div>ARGitecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14239555699064269677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198207189108332316.post-45548676661959797412010-06-03T08:12:00.000-07:002010-06-03T08:42:12.110-07:00The Antipodes of Post Modernism<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyE35TI3J8VKis47Wc4ecPrt7AJsv69bGh09Rw667jeo8EIMCFkG2MQ8g7HIEHOlnOC2_bknwwKjfBQE4ERY6YXVHo67W-ZBWkIS4oHgtyiEttmvT5g6IBU5CsXfkRWC0dnNifZaZHWR8/s1600/146319517rrBVuS_fs.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPX0YOF-91tBcVt7DxlREMFlrxjsIdF5Jo34FpL0XM0CUiHeouZmAx1B9i6FHqnDdTb7I3UjwEu6ftQBG4ah_6OfE7-ljWOj7Z9hCiR-pVsxUhK0Am-riunwgJtVwYAJynzgRFXldgey0/s1600/the+quiet+sinking+of+the+tigerman.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPX0YOF-91tBcVt7DxlREMFlrxjsIdF5Jo34FpL0XM0CUiHeouZmAx1B9i6FHqnDdTb7I3UjwEu6ftQBG4ah_6OfE7-ljWOj7Z9hCiR-pVsxUhK0Am-riunwgJtVwYAJynzgRFXldgey0/s320/the+quiet+sinking+of+the+tigerman.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478567519300725186" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;text-indent:.5in"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Quiet Sinking of a Little Ship (Original collage by Stanley Tigerman, new collage with a Stanley Tigerman building in it by Argitect.)</span></i><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: left;text-indent: 0.5in; "><i>“A feeling for paradox allows seemingly dissimilar things to exist side by side, their very incongruity suggesting a kind of truth.”- August Heckscher (as quoted in Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture.)</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: left;text-indent: 0.5in; "> Post-Modernism is a period in architectural history we would just like to forget.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s like looking at an old photograph of yourself and saying “OH god my hair, and what was I wearing.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Architecture will always be reactionary, and by the seventies the modern movement had grown stale.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>All the master architects that produced the modern movement were dead and the second wave didn’t have the finesse to keep modernism sophisticated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So, inevitably rebellion ensued.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Venturi declared that less is actually a bore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Tigerman sunk the Titanic (Crown Hall) The shots were fired. But, what beautiful writing these Post-Modernists had.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Complexity and Contradiction has to be one of my all time favorite books on architecture ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is vital!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>One of the biggest shocks comes at the end when you actually get to see examples of Venturi’s work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I scratched my head and thought to myself; “He wrote so beautifully, and <i>this</i><span style="font-style:normal"> is his solution to architecture?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Needless to say, Venturi’s inclusive, contextual, symbolic architecture has most definitely not stood the test of time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Perhaps it was not meant to. Perhaps it was meant to be a placeholder in the evolution of architecture. Such fleeting architecture will always rub me the wrong way because the very essence of architecture is posterity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A building will live longer than it’s inhabitants, it will live for a long long time.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>With architecture it is always a bad idea to use trends because future users will hate it so much they will want to tear it down before it’s time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>How many skyscrapers in Chicago are so ugly now that we would just like to see them go?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Unfortunately, these buildings are much younger than ones by Sullivan, Burnham, Wright, and Mies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These post-Modern buildings with their bright colors, mirrored glass and suggestive forms are so abhorrent to us now we almost don’t see them as contributions to architectural history.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">So where is the duality in Post-Modernism?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The duality lies primarily in the two major branches of architectural expression found in the period of PoMo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>One branch is characterized by a bloated symbolism that reintroduces classical and symbolic elements, which I’ll call Classical Post-Modernism.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The other branch is a bold exaggeration of the functional systems in modern building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is known as High-Tech Modernism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The common factor for both of these branches is theatrical exaggeration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The subtlety and minimalism of high-Modernism is replaced by camp and excess in both strands of Post-Modernism.</p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKf6IuuB6nsL-2r51Uwpxk_uOwUzKDfhatx6frVHAyCx3vqh94TWpxMR8WeEFdGBsn80kO49RpE3Se1C0jbB9mornVtUaRlVPCQ5LE_LJ263qIcCAVDQbJlpTRp_bWIGszQHJWrP0FXiE/s1600/85260-050-92228AE4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKf6IuuB6nsL-2r51Uwpxk_uOwUzKDfhatx6frVHAyCx3vqh94TWpxMR8WeEFdGBsn80kO49RpE3Se1C0jbB9mornVtUaRlVPCQ5LE_LJ263qIcCAVDQbJlpTRp_bWIGszQHJWrP0FXiE/s320/85260-050-92228AE4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478567379670975506" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Philip Johnson and his AT&T Building. A long long way from the glass house.</span></i></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6wiFEW0CAmDccFbb70zYzrmSO_y4804o4kKzlq8MvB04FkAu3n5it2qltKAiG6RFN9mXpEzAOeejZAVrtY5UfKxEDqulB8BKbvN8gHk3fVyoHTHpS37OKcu18r4FRTS_VWsPa2wFMZvc/s1600/portlandbuilding-model.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 308px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6wiFEW0CAmDccFbb70zYzrmSO_y4804o4kKzlq8MvB04FkAu3n5it2qltKAiG6RFN9mXpEzAOeejZAVrtY5UfKxEDqulB8BKbvN8gHk3fVyoHTHpS37OKcu18r4FRTS_VWsPa2wFMZvc/s320/portlandbuilding-model.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478566565354904146" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;text-indent: 0.5in; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">P</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">ortland Building by Michael Graves. It is impossible to show his buildings in Black and White.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">The Classical Post-Modernists sought to incorporate the idea of image back into architecture. Their solution was to take elements from classical architecture previously shunned as irrelevant by the Modernists and reintroduce them in wildly oversized fashion. These symbols were recontextualized, just like the large pop art of Claus Oldenburg, to give society some kind of historical linear connection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The first shot fired in this direction that got major headlines was the AT&T Tower by, of all people, Phillip Johnson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The building is obviously less about glass and more about solidity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Most noticeably though is the use of very large exaggerated classical symbolism. The top is capped with an enormous ridiculous looking broken pediment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is what led critics to call it a giant Chippendale furniture piece.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The entrance is a large Renaissance looking arch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We see architecture that is willfully playful and unfunctional.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Amazingly the AT&T tower has stood up over time better than most of its contemporaries mainly because of it’s fine proportioning and homogeneous use of muted color.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Michael Graves now notorious Portland Building of 1983 was once a famous example of the Post-Modern counterpoint to the minimalist glass box.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is dolled up in fake ribbons and giant keystones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Its proportions are almost a complete square.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But it is building on the most superficial level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It has nothing to do with Classicism, it has nothing to do with regionalism or context; it is merely reactionary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As one character in Woody Allens’ Bergmanesque drama <i>Interiors</i><span style="font-style:normal"> said, it is<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>“Form without Content.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This building is symptomatic of the extreme cases of Post-Modernism that plagued the eighties. Unfortunately for us this Post-Modern temperament happened at a time of great financial prosperity so there is a lot of this stuff in the skylines all over America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The wealthy clients also liked this Po-Mo posturing because the ties with tradition seemed to bolster their conservative nature. It is similar to Pop Art in the sense that it appealed to the masses even if they didn’t understand it’s meaning. The surface was loud, glossy, unsubtle and the message was irrelevant to the client. Classicist Post-Modernism is case of pure aesthetics run amok.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;text-indent: 0.5in; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyE35TI3J8VKis47Wc4ecPrt7AJsv69bGh09Rw667jeo8EIMCFkG2MQ8g7HIEHOlnOC2_bknwwKjfBQE4ERY6YXVHo67W-ZBWkIS4oHgtyiEttmvT5g6IBU5CsXfkRWC0dnNifZaZHWR8/s320/146319517rrBVuS_fs.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478570162292594402" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHJ_Pxhh0dsDthdTsSN0Sff2QDGcX1TyH6JnASH3hX1sIT1B0gMimLaU_XA48Vb7UaLwfV5cuGxLdtxOzQpEVe27MLIf8bYYIybGQ7GkR_7FQiCG-_hMzhPMUxoyQh0kJr_OuHocwYVWc/s1600/lloyds.jpg"></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;text-indent: 0.5in; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-style: italic; font-size:small;">Centre Pompidou by Richard Rogers. The canonization of utility.</span></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHJ_Pxhh0dsDthdTsSN0Sff2QDGcX1TyH6JnASH3hX1sIT1B0gMimLaU_XA48Vb7UaLwfV5cuGxLdtxOzQpEVe27MLIf8bYYIybGQ7GkR_7FQiCG-_hMzhPMUxoyQh0kJr_OuHocwYVWc/s1600/lloyds.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHJ_Pxhh0dsDthdTsSN0Sff2QDGcX1TyH6JnASH3hX1sIT1B0gMimLaU_XA48Vb7UaLwfV5cuGxLdtxOzQpEVe27MLIf8bYYIybGQ7GkR_7FQiCG-_hMzhPMUxoyQh0kJr_OuHocwYVWc/s320/lloyds.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478566344025409954" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 262px; height: 320px; " /></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;text-indent: 0.5in; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">L</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">loyd's of London-Richard Rogers</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">High-Tech Post Modernism is the antipode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is a case of pure functionalism run amok.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Whereas the Classicists PoMos aggrandized empty symbolism, the high tech designers took the systems of building and exploited their appearance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Ductwork was no longer hidden or marginalized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was made huge for effect, painted bright colors, and given a reverent location. Cables strung everywhere. Trusses criss-crossed all over the place.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>All of the “unsightly” aspects of architecture the Modernists were trying to minimize and hide were embraced by the High Tech movement. This is just another example of the exaggerated nature of architecture in reaction against the rationality of minimalist Modernism. The most famous example (the yin to AT&T’s yang) of this high tech PoMo is the Pompidou Center by Richard Rogers and Partners. Mechanical and structural systems are exposed in such a pronounced way it appears as if the building is inside out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Ducts are painted bright colors, the shear bracing cables are spider webbed across the facade, and the escalator is enclosed in a glass tube, giving it the appearance also of a mechanical utility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Essentially the same story is found at the Lloyd’s of London Building, by Richard Rogers, which also looks inside out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Staircases are shiny corkscrews and ducts seem to snake in every direction, it looks like it belongs in a Terry Gilliam movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The famous Hong Kong bank by Norman Foster also takes this idea of inside out architecture and literally puts the building cores on the perimeter. This allows a glazed open cavity in the middle.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The building is held up with complex structural acrobatics that resemble stacked suspension bridges.</p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXODfx-LKq8L_CL6jZ66Je3G3ZEMfGDvffGWZKBpRDawNHnGymr9gFwsvyHXDMu-Llav1g_vJl_qM0shMy3fHhdQ2jr9ZYBbUbmVxBnaDqObxqJP5YAGlxrX6QJ0G3ZSqxRTwDW_DsxIs/s1600/hong_kong_bank_foster_ianlambot2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 254px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXODfx-LKq8L_CL6jZ66Je3G3ZEMfGDvffGWZKBpRDawNHnGymr9gFwsvyHXDMu-Llav1g_vJl_qM0shMy3fHhdQ2jr9ZYBbUbmVxBnaDqObxqJP5YAGlxrX6QJ0G3ZSqxRTwDW_DsxIs/s320/hong_kong_bank_foster_ianlambot2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478565987325130482" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;text-indent: 0.5in; ">N<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">orman Foster and Partners. Hong Kong Bank. An inside-out building.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">The problem I find with High Tech architecture is it’s extreme loudness. It has no subtlety of expression; it is busy and makes one nervous. It has a dystopian nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Why would anyone want that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The problem I find with Classical Post Modernism is it’s extreme transitory nature.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s appeal lasts maybe five years, however it’s existence is perhaps a hundred.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The reaction against modernism was a reaction against the subtle refinement of post industrial, non-regional, non-symbolic building.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Unfortunately this reaction did not have posterity on its side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was a necessary step in the evolution of architecture and some of its lessons still dominate architectural practice such as an interest in context and region.</p><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>One last note: I am not suggesting here that Post Modernism only consisted of two very opposite styles. The very nature of the Post Modern era was pluralism. Each individual architect approached the question of what to do after the Modern era in differing ways. The ones I discuss here are just the extremes in the antipodes of thought. Someone like Helmut Jahn arguably combined the high tech look with symbolic classicism in some of his eighties work. But that is for another post. </i></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"> </p> <!--EndFragment--> </div>ARGitecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14239555699064269677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198207189108332316.post-19789487602156707542010-05-07T08:51:00.000-07:002010-05-07T09:07:24.434-07:00The Duality of Density<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9sCoEiEu2RDzlkGS7j9QKn6IJDRCriPzlHjvsEdYINFhiGTV6zRBzYZ6EGqiWyOWRJ-kCAv-l4TrAQZCWAPjpYxy1DPYGZ6wIOIlG45cQ0PmqtY8JWjk6LyKXbRkA-Q-ldwnaNymJ-9c/s1600/1-CD3.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX-GE7LMNKnUkTWbe1QjC-VZANvOF9CtiVNWLUVaA2lRe7Oh0qCZuNsyVRsJzVJEGNsgmlQ6ZMtr23EEfts45mb-tpZpxL2aNgEIfJUkRt_qgoh8gVEtmIf35Muc6CSlQ-KCs3yEHEHxo/s1600/2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX-GE7LMNKnUkTWbe1QjC-VZANvOF9CtiVNWLUVaA2lRe7Oh0qCZuNsyVRsJzVJEGNsgmlQ6ZMtr23EEfts45mb-tpZpxL2aNgEIfJUkRt_qgoh8gVEtmIf35Muc6CSlQ-KCs3yEHEHxo/s320/2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468557989285574850" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;text-indent: 0.5in; "><i>L<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">e Corbusier: Chandigargh. Superimposed Independence.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">It’s a given today that most buildings have open airy public spaces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In these buildings, the private functionally dense spaces such as bathrooms, utility rooms and vertical transportation tend to be clustered into private dense cores.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These contrast greatly with the open, usually light filled and glazed open spaces that contain the more ambiguous function of human interaction and use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The cores are function concentrated, the public spaces, even though they may be given the titled function of (for example) lobby, or reception hall, contain within a freer nature in regard to their functions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If this is ubiquitous and happens in most modern buildings I could name off any number of arbitrary examples to describe this duality of density , but I will look at something else: This density duality becomes interesting when the architect acknowledges and aggrandizes this contrast for effect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The super functional dense space is then balanced with the freer space creating a tension between; opacity/transparency, density/openness, and strict functionality/organic functionality. </p> <!--EndFragment--> <div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9sCoEiEu2RDzlkGS7j9QKn6IJDRCriPzlHjvsEdYINFhiGTV6zRBzYZ6EGqiWyOWRJ-kCAv-l4TrAQZCWAPjpYxy1DPYGZ6wIOIlG45cQ0PmqtY8JWjk6LyKXbRkA-Q-ldwnaNymJ-9c/s320/1-CD3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468558053094425762" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 186px; " /></span> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;text-indent: 0.5in; "><i>L<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">e Corbusier: Domino Structural System.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">The Industrial Revolution allowed for column and beam design to span much greater distances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>When architects such as Le Corbusier finally embraced this we suddenly see a distilled separation between building functions that were once contained in unity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Domino column system Le Corbusier developed finally allowed walls the freedom from structurally bearing loads. This allowed freedom of placement and materiality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Inevitably this led to the ubiquitous use of glass facades in public rooms. By necessity this forced more private and unsightly functioning rooms such as bathrooms to remain opaque and concealed. Le Corbusier may have brought the Domino system to the modern world but he didn’t utilize the freedom it garnered as much as his contemporaries in the 1920s. Le Corbusier, even after the Domino system, continued to create sculptural form driven buildings that held up ambiguities in functional density. He does do it, but not as clearly as Mies Van Der Rohe would.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Villa Savoye plays with programmatic and structural contrast but packages it in an ambiguous fashion. The elements are less distilled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The House of Parliament in Chandigargh India built in 1961 demonstrates a clear separation between the rigid structural grid matrix and a free plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Stairs, bathrooms and the parliament assembly hall float in allotted spaces not determined by the grid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Structure and function operate in superimposed independence. </p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkLuI4mM2t3g6_nSyXvCqRFkjGFlfwCXOEy6d-RZaQA2w0XC6bf4RK8Ww9Cp-1klLCYA1rMGgBTrdT8eXoQRcck3xJigPTI_k33VqhFnpNr85k8OfzOZbVyRp9hpoxjJTowObnb5nW4-I/s1600/3-chicago+fedcenterlobby.jpg"></a></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkLuI4mM2t3g6_nSyXvCqRFkjGFlfwCXOEy6d-RZaQA2w0XC6bf4RK8Ww9Cp-1klLCYA1rMGgBTrdT8eXoQRcck3xJigPTI_k33VqhFnpNr85k8OfzOZbVyRp9hpoxjJTowObnb5nW4-I/s1600/3-chicago+fedcenterlobby.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 178px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkLuI4mM2t3g6_nSyXvCqRFkjGFlfwCXOEy6d-RZaQA2w0XC6bf4RK8Ww9Cp-1klLCYA1rMGgBTrdT8eXoQRcck3xJigPTI_k33VqhFnpNr85k8OfzOZbVyRp9hpoxjJTowObnb5nW4-I/s320/3-chicago+fedcenterlobby.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468557922548912610" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">MVDR: Chicago Federal Center Lobby</span></i>.</div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Mies Van Der Rohe took the distillation of function and density and perfected it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The pinnacle of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>dual density can be found in his glass skyscrapers. The Chicago Federal Center is a perfect example of his skyscraper archetype. The lobby is the best place to start because the public part has an ambiguous functionality. In other words, function in a lobby is liquid, it changes periodically and adapts to certain uses, whether it be asking for information at a kiosk, getting coffee or waiting for a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>rendezvous.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The lobby is glazed and open, columns are minimized in order to allow as free and indeterminate space as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In bold contrast to this are the hyper functional cores, opaque, clad in granite, containing elevators, stairs, and other mechanical utilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Openings are minimized. It is meant strictly as a solid element.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The ground and cores are clad in the same material to reinforce this solidity. The duality is uncompromising: when in the open lobby we are confronted with giant monoliths of functionality.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A lesser architect would have broken up the severity of the contrast, even added clerestory windows in the bathrooms!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But Mies does not, he chooses to exploit the contrast completely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Mies may have not been the first one to have a skyscraper with a core, but he was the first to completely distill the core from the rest of the building in such a complete way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Almost all architects after him copied this skyscraper archetype to such a degree it is hard to appreciate the original.</p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6W-0DGbW0pjmKhlqisPAhEAaorsUcJYG5JFLN8C6L1W_CUdOdNedx-7dH1nsTcvMmkB7Loen_sECOe00gzfcsoJ0Acb53Yt7afwlMtmdlb5YXsRkFDDZmErvDa7lv_ktcLOLO5iglbaY/s1600/4-crown-sect.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 137px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6W-0DGbW0pjmKhlqisPAhEAaorsUcJYG5JFLN8C6L1W_CUdOdNedx-7dH1nsTcvMmkB7Loen_sECOe00gzfcsoJ0Acb53Yt7afwlMtmdlb5YXsRkFDDZmErvDa7lv_ktcLOLO5iglbaY/s320/4-crown-sect.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468557850069947538" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">MVDR: Crown Hall Section Showing Sectional Density</span></i>.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinK6ocknlPEAdfppf2YoFx5RJhpekBKHeJ99GV9hZp2ghbu2scSMHm5EPZRDNbijfPGr6LN8A49ObFR9HTeCeSFcYtSslNGnaVC2UyKjAMaHkK-bB1xKRMNeOKdjcvpB_ozbf-xERzcWk/s1600/5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinK6ocknlPEAdfppf2YoFx5RJhpekBKHeJ99GV9hZp2ghbu2scSMHm5EPZRDNbijfPGr6LN8A49ObFR9HTeCeSFcYtSslNGnaVC2UyKjAMaHkK-bB1xKRMNeOKdjcvpB_ozbf-xERzcWk/s320/5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468557783815705650" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;text-indent: 0.5in; "> <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The basement into Crown Hall. Oooh ominous.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Mies utilized this core distillation in several of his other notable “Pavilion” type buildings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>With the pavilion type he began distilling function by levels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Crown Hall and the Berlin National Gallery are both essentially dense opaque plinths full of function topped off by glass pavilions completely open, uninterrupted and functionally liquid. To further the freedom of the space he relegates the structural supports to the outside allowing for almost no interruptions whatsoever in the pavilions. Visiting Crown Hall it is jarring to descend the open stairs of the glass pavilion and arrive in a dark concrete block hallway with minimal light.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s like walking into a completely different building, one that is certainly more conventional.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Mies put the serious constraining business of his buildings in these plinths allowing the space above an uncluttered haven for<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>creative thought and open dialogue.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCRXUPvrH8NylHtBxB64XLwuVjzWXP7icCL_D8H9VBFaReUC-oW_Z7RJgLkXKZDmnThMhnqqylNXc-BeQ8ElOB2sDMW3LpIuKpAgXxQjQTDXPgDjJXeK_ZqOXXFtVJpGHIO6_MopHUM5o/s1600/6-PLANS.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 274px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCRXUPvrH8NylHtBxB64XLwuVjzWXP7icCL_D8H9VBFaReUC-oW_Z7RJgLkXKZDmnThMhnqqylNXc-BeQ8ElOB2sDMW3LpIuKpAgXxQjQTDXPgDjJXeK_ZqOXXFtVJpGHIO6_MopHUM5o/s320/6-PLANS.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468557704498797106" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;text-indent: 0.5in; ">J<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>ohnson's Glass House Plan.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Philip Johnson Glass House arguably demonstrates this dual density more successfully than the Farnsworth House. In Johnson’s House the core is asymmetrically placed, cylindrical and clad in brick, just like the floor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The fireplace in the core grounds it further.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is the anchor and the glass house seems pinned down by it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The tension is marvelous between the shape, the materiality and the completeness of the opacity versus the transparent walls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The ceiling, which is also opaque is not embraced by the core and floor, but instead seems to float by using the simple trick of cladding it in white plaster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Had it been a darker color or clad in brick the house would have taken on too much of a severity, the contrast would have remained ambiguous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Now that I think about this, the rule of floating ceiling and grounded floor seem to be almost universal in mid-century minimalism.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I will explore this in another post.</p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjRcXX8ryeYli5W008R8VJESnxsdVKqr9i676ou_Ja0rihdf99lUST9B3jbSxhIkpfIH6BKi3sVr1ZG4zkuFxOzAHrA3OF7FDgocLR3OyBmHcdGU-zwzSFnkmTm1FwdQK2d0AGXxP_dg0/s1600/7.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 242px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjRcXX8ryeYli5W008R8VJESnxsdVKqr9i676ou_Ja0rihdf99lUST9B3jbSxhIkpfIH6BKi3sVr1ZG4zkuFxOzAHrA3OF7FDgocLR3OyBmHcdGU-zwzSFnkmTm1FwdQK2d0AGXxP_dg0/s320/7.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468557633214977074" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;text-indent: 0.5in; ">K<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">ahn: Richards Medical Research. Density chimneys.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Many of you may be thinking by now that Louis Kahn has already expressed this duality when he spoke of his servant and served spaces, and yes I agree with you. Louis Kahn exploited contrast when it came to functionality. His architecture is bold and unambiguous in this way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Richards Medical Research Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania is an early and great example of dual density. The labs are comprised of autonomous squares connected by transitional hallways. The squares are glazed and uninterrupted by structural supports.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The function is liquid; the scientists are free to conduct their business. The functionally dense portions of the lab are relegated to core elements attached on the center perimeters. These functionally dense spaces are appropriately opaque, being clad in brick. They also have a vertical thrust that contrasts with the horizontal stacking of floors. One small criticism: Had Kahn used brick exclusively in the vertical core elements instead of using brick accents on the facade the contrast would have been better distilled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The brick on the facade is used to articulate structure versus infill, but some slight difference in hue or materiality in contrast to what is used in the cores might help. (I’m not arrogant enough to suggest that Louis Kahn got it wrong, the building is stunning as is, and his dedication to his craft leads me to believe he exhausted every possibility before deciding on the final solution of this building.)</p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4wqorX1akWynEwddwJNJRYWu8SLXp0PBLefWBH0gzCpj5JBTAFifI_TCV3X5mkdD34H8EG9wVCOe6nHZLrxg09ip2PmQ-ArwZmhX8Rv5e3BxX0WHytPvgYXxH4pA3SuZKeDvQPCEoYDs/s1600/8-kahn2_350.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4wqorX1akWynEwddwJNJRYWu8SLXp0PBLefWBH0gzCpj5JBTAFifI_TCV3X5mkdD34H8EG9wVCOe6nHZLrxg09ip2PmQ-ArwZmhX8Rv5e3BxX0WHytPvgYXxH4pA3SuZKeDvQPCEoYDs/s320/8-kahn2_350.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468557564337556770" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;text-indent: 0.5in; ">K<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">ahn: Salk Court. Is there a more perfect space?</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">The Salk Institute is another strong example by Louis Kahn of this functionally dual density. In this building we find a complete distillation between freedom and density.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The stairs, elevators bathrooms and utilities are relegated to opaque core elements clad in concrete. These cores, in rhythmic ribbons, are offset by completely open laboratory floors where Scientists are unhindered in their pursuits. Taking this distillation to the next level, Kahn relegated all mechanical and structural systems in the interstitial floors between the laboratories. So basically, a lab is found on every other floor with a utility floor sandwiched between them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Similar to what Mies did with his pavilion buildings, functional distillation is remedied in section. Kahn addresses the dual density once more with the dramatic courtyard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The courtyard separates the building in two. It is open in every way, its function is completely liquid, in fact it has a fountain that embraces the coastline in the distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is a place of repose, reflection and escape in contrast to the heavy task of work. Louis Kahn acknowledged, embraced and exploited the myriad dualities found in architecture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He was truly a genius.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Many more examples come to mind of this duality of density, most notably the Lloyd’s of London Building whose drill bit stairwells contrast with glass floors, albeit the building is so busy with high-tech clutter the distillation is not entirely clear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The master architect, when dealing with functions that vary wildly, is able to tease a distilled clarity from the complex and confusing realm of architecture.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqU4GNS-sOwndzRuXuSGo06MR8lQFIY0JPR77B-d93wqknRCLhAnvZZ_jI4sByWtrPCFLWw_4mw9MmeBb-FBq2FlvtZ1sxLm2oWeynv442_-kpY04MaLRUTQJnYv2H6mDK_FUgYqnfyg/s1600/9-lloyds_london_building.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 242px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqU4GNS-sOwndzRuXuSGo06MR8lQFIY0JPR77B-d93wqknRCLhAnvZZ_jI4sByWtrPCFLWw_4mw9MmeBb-FBq2FlvtZ1sxLm2oWeynv442_-kpY04MaLRUTQJnYv2H6mDK_FUgYqnfyg/s320/9-lloyds_london_building.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468557505869700226" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Lloyd's of London. Busy Business.</span></i></div></div>ARGitecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14239555699064269677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198207189108332316.post-87643226015240368482010-04-26T11:43:00.000-07:002010-04-26T11:45:40.532-07:00DelayedSorry for the delay in blog posts, I am between addresses. I have one in the works right now about the duality of density that should be up shortly.ARGitecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14239555699064269677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198207189108332316.post-75883042704528115392010-03-25T13:39:00.000-07:002010-03-25T13:58:09.248-07:00Protection and Connection Part III: Pre-Modernism<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk5EakNSDHjBVe7rU6htwR2f1HcGtYeW93XsVk32OnDs6i1Or7B5HH6JDNOToIla8KKgljrDxzOg14qiK1rNEA7t8h_7OTmsR-YXglMhaAizB4EBveCNlyMtLCYuBhQbfpdqVFqo8Lims/s1600/DSCN0395.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk5EakNSDHjBVe7rU6htwR2f1HcGtYeW93XsVk32OnDs6i1Or7B5HH6JDNOToIla8KKgljrDxzOg14qiK1rNEA7t8h_7OTmsR-YXglMhaAizB4EBveCNlyMtLCYuBhQbfpdqVFqo8Lims/s320/DSCN0395.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452675831387818690" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Typical Villa in Pompeii (photo by Argitect)</span></i></div><div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">As I’ve pointed out earlier, the concept of protection and connection in architecture has been around since the beginning of building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This post will show the protection/connection devices of pre-modern architecture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>The rhetoric and technology of ancient architecture inclines itself towards a protective nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The architecture is heavy, thick walled, and sparsely windowed. This is done for two pragmatic reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>First; the ancients needed to protect themselves from invaders. Second; the limited building technology available at the time (monolithic post and lintel) prevented architects from creating large light filled spaces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For non-pragmatic reasons one still felt the need for architecture to be a buffer against the true harshness of nature. In other words, architecture is a corporeal force that keeps death and hardship at bay.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>For a time this rhetoric outweighed a desire for a re-connection with nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The first civilizations had their fill of nature, it was time to go indoors. The stake of mankind in the realm of nature is assured.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Nature is alleviated, mitigated, conquered! </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmJkP3r2vcD_gmHGTTXgz2l2xApV1THO1hpsvnKeqcryrfdbychGlJpADHRXzWLtlNYIOFLDw8nY2poP8S8QjuP0TIiU08iY4CVEqZkcnmDHVkn_m8_-wBPdReZSgD5jltxP7ZE9h9KE/s1600/14-egypt-temple-edfou-plan.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmJkP3r2vcD_gmHGTTXgz2l2xApV1THO1hpsvnKeqcryrfdbychGlJpADHRXzWLtlNYIOFLDw8nY2poP8S8QjuP0TIiU08iY4CVEqZkcnmDHVkn_m8_-wBPdReZSgD5jltxP7ZE9h9KE/s320/14-egypt-temple-edfou-plan.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452675734671679698" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: small; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; font-style: italic; "><br /></span></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmJkP3r2vcD_gmHGTTXgz2l2xApV1THO1hpsvnKeqcryrfdbychGlJpADHRXzWLtlNYIOFLDw8nY2poP8S8QjuP0TIiU08iY4CVEqZkcnmDHVkn_m8_-wBPdReZSgD5jltxP7ZE9h9KE/s1600/14-egypt-temple-edfou-plan.gif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: small; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; font-style: italic; ">Temple of Edfu, Egypt. The portico surrounded courtyard is the large open area.</span></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Portico and Courtyard:</b><span style="font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">The Ancient Egyptians did desire a connection with nature within their limited technology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This was accomplished with spaces that had the ambiguous quality of being neither indoors nor outdoors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The portico and courtyard (which are used in architecture throughout history), create a connection to nature while at the same time protecting. The early Pylon facade temples of Ancient Egypt usually had an interior court skirted by a column-supported portico.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Under the portico, one was protected from the most basic of nature’s torments: sun and rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The portico does not protect from wind and temperature. It provides a view to the sky and landscape. The view is framed and thus given more order.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The interior courtyard, with the porticos eliminating all views of the outside but the sky, also seems to be a place of ambiguity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is connected with nature but quarantined from it. It is a space demonstrating protection and connection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The contrast between the courtyard and the interior temple are profound and will be discussed in a later post about dual density.</p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMN2-DAFwn8P9Ol8st3tEVY5HG133AcgpQ_o0Nhf-_LBYMfA44SX8vriCrtMYE9GcceGQnQ39XTw5tKknrluYKdYqRBeOhnKqROAgnbsofedQdFZwtaOX8e64BcweO9h1w4cP0VO0L_I/s1600/3926774170_1ffb3b338d.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 210px; height: 164px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMN2-DAFwn8P9Ol8st3tEVY5HG133AcgpQ_o0Nhf-_LBYMfA44SX8vriCrtMYE9GcceGQnQ39XTw5tKknrluYKdYqRBeOhnKqROAgnbsofedQdFZwtaOX8e64BcweO9h1w4cP0VO0L_I/s320/3926774170_1ffb3b338d.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452675619251947010" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;text-indent: 0.5in; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Le Corbusier sketch of Greek Ruins</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">The portico was famously developed in Greek temples. A traditional Greek temple would house a usually windowless and dark, thick walled temple. This temple would be surrounded by a columned portico.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Parthenon is the most perfect example of the Greek Temple and it’s supreme archetype.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The portico is vast and set upon a pedestal that distances itself from the earth.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Fluted columns frame carefully planned and beautiful views of nature. One is neither inside nor out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Protection and connection is in balance.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Roman temples added nothing new to the archetype except for the arch and the dome whose<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>best example is at the Pantheon (Whose Oculus is another great example of protection/connection).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The arch and the dome allowed for large interior spaces. One could argue that this actually hindered the buildings from further connection to nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The large vaulted basilicas and public baths usually had small windows that perhaps didn’t let much light in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These buildings had a hermetic tendency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>The typical house of Ancient Rome made use of an interior courtyard that would allow for the entrance of fresh air and light and the exit of smoke and funk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The courtyard is surrounded by thick walled living quarters that are unfriendly to the street.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These rooms had very small windows if any. They opened inwards toward the courtyard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A donut of<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>protection surrounds an island of connection.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdPO-tbo_WIe7qHrLAVAMiGMePwskVqViXLFFlFcMxNzAfiHy8JVmsbX4tiYryVvU9hX-anR018eD13cgUkESabqd2vPNvjWNNlqBNhZ2XUHBWfv3MZBpUMKutOs2elXIppHslfIZOy1M/s1600/51-Goth-Chartres-glass.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdPO-tbo_WIe7qHrLAVAMiGMePwskVqViXLFFlFcMxNzAfiHy8JVmsbX4tiYryVvU9hX-anR018eD13cgUkESabqd2vPNvjWNNlqBNhZ2XUHBWfv3MZBpUMKutOs2elXIppHslfIZOy1M/s320/51-Goth-Chartres-glass.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452675381764422210" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>G</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>othic Glass.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Translucent Glass:</b><span style="font-weight:normal"> <span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In the Gothic Cathedral one finds a desire for the buildings to have more light, to look more lightweight, but also to remain sealed in upon themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Just like in Egyptian Temples, the front of a typical Gothic Cathedral is bold and has terrifying proportions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The inside however utilizes much more glass than has ever been seen before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The glass, is not transparent but translucent, and consists of colorfully rendered biblical scenes. Had the large expanses of glass been transparent the connection with nature would be much more pronounced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The murky glass, while letting light in, buffers one from the outside world. So, with Gothic Cathedrals, we see a style that develops the flying buttress to allow for more windows, but keeps the windows from connecting with nature fully.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is a strange Pro/Con duality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj71Yi8kXxS7mpKasrU5jhSVxoSG5p3unei8Sz7qmXNe-KH6otA6Gllyho7KC7RCqniPRnCpmm7JUY-wf5IDX23JhVu02hXhTuaDQIdbzumWYLb-PCcx0m8RUu0JofZET0yyqPbyD6xAcw/s1600/59-renn-piazza-del-campidoglio.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj71Yi8kXxS7mpKasrU5jhSVxoSG5p3unei8Sz7qmXNe-KH6otA6Gllyho7KC7RCqniPRnCpmm7JUY-wf5IDX23JhVu02hXhTuaDQIdbzumWYLb-PCcx0m8RUu0JofZET0yyqPbyD6xAcw/s320/59-renn-piazza-del-campidoglio.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452675155841887842" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">C<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">ampidoglio by Michelangelo.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Perspective:<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">The Renaissance contributes little to the protection/connection duality. The discovery of perspective did find it’s way in some buildings. This perspective manipulation had the potential to aesthetically draw nature within.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’m sure there are better examples of this but the one that comes to my mind is the courtyard of the Campidoglio in Rome by Michelangelo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The two flanking building of the Campidoglio are at angles in such a way as to make the courtyard between them become a trapezoidal shape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This manipulated courtyard when seen from the steps of the central buildings can trick the eye and make one believe the courtyard is larger than it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It can also be used to lure the horizon toward it. This embrace could create a closer connection with nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtxnoEgAFycLjR9FyK2EzLEHw8d6xLGxhwFkVyMfg0EYa87pmLgDZ7z-ckm77drOztgw54zLoBoSD14JNiFI_nSLaXkzXU-JW0Vmw6yol3QcyHY7oO9nNh90hJ4350Ecp9HrL9MdUv_4/s1600/Altes_Museum_Treppe_Schinkel.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtxnoEgAFycLjR9FyK2EzLEHw8d6xLGxhwFkVyMfg0EYa87pmLgDZ7z-ckm77drOztgw54zLoBoSD14JNiFI_nSLaXkzXU-JW0Vmw6yol3QcyHY7oO9nNh90hJ4350Ecp9HrL9MdUv_4/s320/Altes_Museum_Treppe_Schinkel.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452674972351595442" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Schinkel: Altes Museum Entr</span></i>y</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij9B1HYvRD4xa3k2EzUAaDfWB8iyQCZtC00Hhl2kYL10OipoxxFZvRbYuUN7ODpN9bofcXfnifX8EuTTGdiJVr5GM0xtDWl1U3TAyJFDzRCdZZ4x1revX2XGnSXTK0Z5okXQ0WwP3jdE8/s1600/schinkel.gaertnerhaus.350.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 220px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij9B1HYvRD4xa3k2EzUAaDfWB8iyQCZtC00Hhl2kYL10OipoxxFZvRbYuUN7ODpN9bofcXfnifX8EuTTGdiJVr5GM0xtDWl1U3TAyJFDzRCdZZ4x1revX2XGnSXTK0Z5okXQ0WwP3jdE8/s320/schinkel.gaertnerhaus.350.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452674796159229154" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Schinkel Villa</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>19<sup>th</sup> Century:<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Just before the aesthetics of architecture were influenced by the Industrial Revolution Karl Friedrich Schinkel was perhaps the last major architect to utilize some pro/con techniques.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>His Altes Museum had a central entry portico that reached inside the building so effectively it created a wonderful interstitial space that bridged the gap between exterior and interior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>His villa projects also utilized portico spaces to create an ambiguous transition between inside and out. The “Roman Baths” at the Villa in Chalottenhof has an ivy covered portico that branches off of the main building and wraps around a tailored garden. The device is effective as a protection connection element.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLE29LEktonfeNh-hS3CgRW2OR2H1HKdwWMDHer-rKVsUmq_B8NFHGjkNSQ4EoHy6Sc_wjJf9_9AvUxImlzJ-7EliXZCtFTzoKkKc0yUrAIojJsL6wByvISPdIeyuzsqO8z4bN_rR3B_8/s1600/london+crystal_palace+int.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLE29LEktonfeNh-hS3CgRW2OR2H1HKdwWMDHer-rKVsUmq_B8NFHGjkNSQ4EoHy6Sc_wjJf9_9AvUxImlzJ-7EliXZCtFTzoKkKc0yUrAIojJsL6wByvISPdIeyuzsqO8z4bN_rR3B_8/s320/london+crystal_palace+int.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452674649397253026" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;text-indent: 0.5in; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Joseph Paxton: Crystal Palace.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Early Industrial Revolution feats include the Crystal Palace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Here the concept of protection and connection is complete.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Walls and roof are made of transparent glass and held up by a light filigree of iron structure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>All visual barriers to outside are eliminated while all the negative effects of nature are mitigated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>(Well.... not entirely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I imagine the greenhouse effect could be quite high in such a space as that.) </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><!--StartFragment--> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">The concept of protection/connection throughout architectural history has been an important motif since the earliest days of building. The demands of architecture by the people are the same as they have always been: a building that protects one from nature, but done in such a way as to not cut one off from nature. What a defiant and comforting feeling we have when witnessing a thunderstorm from behind glass. </p> <!--EndFragment--> <p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzi4SceNrLuk-ZIlCyqSb6AXD5uaVNeZ9nstVnkZzpKH2O_O258Lm_by3KCjtRIFr_hccfZ-vZJoVa2g6Cleet39DPaNZcPrGpoepHQwSv_GyogldwhBYND6KXFYWU3SQgtThMzIG6v70/s1600/CRI_140184.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzi4SceNrLuk-ZIlCyqSb6AXD5uaVNeZ9nstVnkZzpKH2O_O258Lm_by3KCjtRIFr_hccfZ-vZJoVa2g6Cleet39DPaNZcPrGpoepHQwSv_GyogldwhBYND6KXFYWU3SQgtThMzIG6v70/s320/CRI_140184.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452674252556194210" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">A sketch by Mies Van Der Rohe of a garden proposal for the Tugendhat House. View from window of main house.</span></div></span></div>ARGitecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14239555699064269677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198207189108332316.post-16677564793592244662010-03-15T09:03:00.001-07:002010-03-15T09:29:54.598-07:00Protection and Connection Part II: Albert Frey<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-RcQa6DjDYUUsGemszxjbrC4h6RPFyO-JfoePNPkOg8VwXiZ5S39d0YMHJ8Z9o2Thl0rR5S_xaQbYvzBv7qXgjflzBP-kUyamhGUZHLqWRRaHc3-TpPj1_PCY6SAQMDIvLcxLLKL7OUk/s1600-h/FreyHouse1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 254px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-RcQa6DjDYUUsGemszxjbrC4h6RPFyO-JfoePNPkOg8VwXiZ5S39d0YMHJ8Z9o2Thl0rR5S_xaQbYvzBv7qXgjflzBP-kUyamhGUZHLqWRRaHc3-TpPj1_PCY6SAQMDIvLcxLLKL7OUk/s320/FreyHouse1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448892076649636306" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;text-indent: 0.5in; ">F<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">rey House I: Showing extension of walls and overhang of roof.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Albert Frey is an important modern architect who studied under Le Corbusier for a time and built almost all of his work in Palm Springs, California.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Most of his buildings are potent examples of the protection/connection duality that I have discussed in my previous post.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He took many of these elements farther than any architect. The illusion of ambiguity he created between inside and outside was so effective photographs are sometimes no help in discerning where building and nature divide. Below I will discuss the connection devices of his work. The protection device will again not be discussed in too much detail, but it is found in all his works as a large flat overhanging roof.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This roof is the abstracted buffer zone between inside and out. It hovers over the proceedings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><b>Connection devices applied to the works of Albert Frey</b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Horizontal Thrust:</b><span style="font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Most, if not all, of these connection devices can be shown in the constantly evolving house that Frey built for himself in Palm Springs. (Unfortunately this house was torn down in the 60’s by a developer who ended up going bankrupt. Nothing was developed on the site; the demolition was all in vain!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The horizontal thrust is shown foremost in the fact that most of his buildings are a single story. This gives them a horizontal appearance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In Frey’s house, as well as the Loewy House, a perimeter pergola around the outside of the private garden extends construction beyond the interior and creates an embracing line that combines with the distant horizon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b> Floor to Ceiling Glass</b>:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This does not need to be elaborated, but yes, all of his later works incorporated floor to ceiling glass in almost every exterior facing wall.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <b>Homogeneous Use of Inside and Outside Materials</b>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Combined with the large expanses of glass and the extension of walls and roof, the homogenous use of materials is very effective in his houses and reinforcing this connection with outside space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In his own house he would transform the floor as it went outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The grid of the concrete porch would protrude in spots and create chairs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These chairs looked like strange outcroppings with cushions on them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Creating built in furniture on the outside also furthered the blurring of the line between in and out.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>The Extension of Wall</b>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Frey used this device very effectively in his own house as well as the Hatton House. He said these, “walls that go out and make spaces within the landscape.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These walls used the same materials from inside to out and floated between the planes of the floor and the ceiling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The extensions of these walls in plan evoke a compacted version of the brick country house project by Mies Van Der Rohe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They accomplish a lot towards drawing one outside and bringing nature inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>An innovation Frey brought to this concept is the extending of glass walls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In his own house one can see a glass wall with a metal frame continue beyond it’s necessary edge out into nature.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The frame continues but once it goes outside the glass is gone. This is one of the most effective examples of extended walls I have ever seen in terms of its ambiguity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXEqND67xaOEkNn6TZRAcyr8nxe9LE0GICD4_a7Awb6FrlWIYd58K6JxaSu2ZPUxcIbZBEQe_5Y902E4F0Kc6kYsdFMvfc29wEZfwy_n3RpGZy7UYYdXhdi57HGPHY0hvY8VgmnK5E9qg/s320/FreyHouse1Int.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448892421984631714" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 255px; " /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Frey House I: Extension of walls. Also note the inside/outside relationship between furniture.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><b>The Overhang of Roof</b>: In almost all of these low one-story houses the roof overhangs and the materials between inside and out on the ceiling are often the same. The overhang is very necessary in the hot desert climate of Palm Springs. But beyond pragmatism, the overhanging roof is just one more element that reinforces this embrace towards the horizon. At the same time it reaches out for nature it protects one from nature. The overhanging rood does double duty as protector and connector. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><b> Disappearing Glass</b>: He used sliding glass doors often and effectively in his own home. This literally destroyed the barrier between inside and out, and put the entire burden of protection on the roof. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><b> The Pool</b>: No other architect was more effective at using a pool that straddled between inside and out. Frey used it most effectively in the Loewy House. A large swimming pool dips into the living room. This combined with sliding floor to ceiling glass creates a completely ambiguous line between inside and out. The only cue of division is found on the floor; the living room is carpeted and the porch is concrete. Other than that the connection is perfect. The plan of the Loewy House perfectly shows many of the dualities I have been discussing in my recent posts. It is a perfect example of Mullet Architecture in that the front facade is private, has few windows and seems to hermetically shun it’s environment. The private garden facade is all glass and thus open to nature. The duality between order and chaos as mentioned previously with the Villa Mairea by Alvar Aalto is evoked in the relationship between the ordered house and the amoebous swimming pool. This whole house is about dualities.</span></p></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlAw7kYldYFXh2-v3-z0Jvcd6mm7GJWpTvMAFubPB7WeN2uyJ3e1KYydfThG4Xfoi50KtLx41ve5OrHgawbqC7J4N25J81FtWum9J_GdLPFm5FG9nOQhyd3AyOTZKPPogFZJQPu8_i10/s320/Shulman_Raymond_Loewy_House.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448892821179701362" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 242px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Loewy House: The pool, disappearing glass, horizontal thrust.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTgku-EWqRwXepht3ZuSkxFg3DIqpKEmOfOqFG6m6tV-Q859h2JjpEvs0Rxtscj7EaqJRdAwNNHGrPbt082_m7hRCa_62s4ipXY_0ssPdK6vukpa1Q3WvOM0SpL5wCEv8gGKdYoEo4p1E/s320/loewyplan.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448893122567813986" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 270px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Loewy House: The Pool, Mullet Architecture, order and primitivism.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">-</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">The Natural Element</span></b><span style="font-weight:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">:</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">(This is a new connection device that was not in the previous post because I could not find a good example besides Frey.)</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">An element of nature that is brought inside the house and integrated into the architecture is yet another powerful way of creating a connection with the outside.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">A wonderful example of this can be found in the house that Albert Frey designed for himself in Palm Springs in 1964.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">The house is built on a rocky mountainside and its most noticeable feature is the wall that separates the living room from the bedroom. It is not a wall at all but a giant boulder! The house was designed around the giant boulder. The rock is an integral part of the design. It also goes a long way in creating an ambiguity between the inside and the outside especially when used in conjunction with continuous glass curtain walls.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">All of the previous connection devices I have mentioned were aesthetic and mostly implied connections through a visual blurring of inside and out. At Frey’s house, the boulder is still nature. The house is connected to its environment by having a prominent piece of it in the house.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">The duality of protection and connection becomes more complicated here as well. The connecting element in this case is also the major protecting element.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">The rock anchors the house and gives the tenant a feeling of support and strength if any bad weather should strike. This is literally true because the boulder allows the house to be earthquake proof. Frey said; “..whenever there is a quake the house moves with the rock and there’s no damage.”</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">The rock serves the dual purpose of protection from nature and connection with nature.</span></span></p></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW5vdI1ZMO7X7ZWNfZtwAiQNe7RJO_lqnEJJFVzVB0frZ_70g06X2_B1V3MQ_12qdlnNfde1v7MvLOjy9GTVx1m1nmDaxdX_mRGQpWSRLu3KRsm9YpBFmEhmETDdI1rPgcj-FpREVfwuE/s320/FreyHouse2-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448894427611920258" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 320px; " /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Frey House II: The boulder as natural element. Protection and Connection!</span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">Albert Frey was a master at creating modern architecture that had a serious relationship with nature.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">Too bad, in the second decade of the twentieth century, most people are still choosing to live in houses that are cut off from the outside: Too much protection, not enough connnection.</span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Note: All the photographs in this post were taken by the amazing architectural photographer, Julius Shulman.</span></i></span></div></span></div></div>ARGitecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14239555699064269677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198207189108332316.post-10801301366562618372010-02-27T10:57:00.000-08:002010-02-27T11:17:03.015-08:00Protection and Connection Part 1: Architecture's Dual Relationship with Nature<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBPUd7BhibZZxL0Aw4aEEnogv3XlzfLrKAsoBcT8mZ5eD-q1mJtpmtDDeVRi6yKxQJJywlp-xL_Us0Tx2TZdtOvrJAMEUqTmkq24D6RL_bsgjP9oGDHSPSZY4tGa7YrLURyjIxqAf7xg/s1600-h/chuey_house.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 245px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBPUd7BhibZZxL0Aw4aEEnogv3XlzfLrKAsoBcT8mZ5eD-q1mJtpmtDDeVRi6yKxQJJywlp-xL_Us0Tx2TZdtOvrJAMEUqTmkq24D6RL_bsgjP9oGDHSPSZY4tGa7YrLURyjIxqAf7xg/s320/chuey_house.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443000814597251394" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;text-indent: 0.5in; ">R<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">ichard Neutra: Chuey House</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Since the beginning, protection from the elements was the initial motivation for the invention of Architecture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In the past this has been accomplished rather well with walls and sloped roofs. The walls of pre-modern structures were almost always load-bearing. This required them to have a certain thickness. This thickness also allowed the walls to serve as great insulators from temperature fluxes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Small windows allowed a glancing connection to nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This need for connection as well as protection has been a vital duality in architecture since it’s beginnings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The use of small windows and light-filled courtyards allowed the benefits of nature to inhabit the dwellings while leaving the discomforting elements out.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">In the Modern Era it’s evident that the desire for a closer connection to nature took root.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The increased use of glass combined with the separation of structure from facade (Le Corbusier’s Domino frame) allowed this development to occur.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For mainly spiritual reasons, the modern movement sought to blur the lines between inside and out. They sought to allow buildings to breath from under the weight of gravity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Architecture must protect, but beyond that the Modern Architects devised a number of tricks to give the illusion of free exchange between inside and outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In this world of connection the wall disappears and the roof stands out as the main symbol of protection.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold; ">Connection Devices:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"> - <b>Horizontal Thrust</b><span style="font-weight:normal">: The horizontal line is the line that goes along with nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The vertical line declares its independence from nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The emphasis of the horizontal can most clearly be seen in the early development of the Prairie Style by Frank Lloyd Wright.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These early houses seek a connection with nature by blending into the horizontal countryside they inhabit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The house becomes less intrusive, less about being clearly man made, and more a part of their environment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>From inside the low horizontal lines seen in railings and overhangs compliment the distant line on the horizon and include it as part of the aesthetic experience of the house. Naturally this would work best in the actual countryside where the horizon is uninterrupted.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Prairie Houses in urban areas tend to lose this effect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <p></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD5eYmwW1-WjvUEql9hZlDbjSX7KbG5nBvW9WV__TyEFHBJ_h86aMlPkOlRExDdlDdptg8EdKpP4ZBMLz39pCdd1BQG7AHaIrhneOyDcr3NcLCOUFcMAYdppeGDUuc12bn_sZ7xdoMlFo/s1600-h/4794_118459115378_56200560378_3274753_3264764_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD5eYmwW1-WjvUEql9hZlDbjSX7KbG5nBvW9WV__TyEFHBJ_h86aMlPkOlRExDdlDdptg8EdKpP4ZBMLz39pCdd1BQG7AHaIrhneOyDcr3NcLCOUFcMAYdppeGDUuc12bn_sZ7xdoMlFo/s320/4794_118459115378_56200560378_3274753_3264764_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443000605250988258" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>Mies Van Der Rohe: Farnsworth House demonstrating floor to ceiling glass and homogenous materiality.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">-<b>Floor to ceiling glass</b><span style="font-weight:normal">:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The use of floor to ceiling glass is the most obvious and effective way to establish a visual connection between inside and out by foiling any obstructions of view. The perfect example of this is at the Farnsworth House.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The true effectiveness of the glass must be experienced in person to understand just how open and connected the house is with nature. The only cues that there is any disconnect from the outside is in the perception of wind. One can see the wind whipping the tree, but one can’t feel or hear it. Well-cleaned glass goes a long way in establishing a kinship with nature in domestic houses to a degree unimagined even a hundred years prior. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> -<b>Homogenous use of inside and outside materials</b><span style="font-weight:normal">: When using large expanses of glass, the use of the same materials on the same plane in the exterior and the interior is very effective at creating the illusion of connection to the outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There are many examples of this. The Farnsworth house, once again, uses travertine on the outside porch as well as in the inside living space. The rustic stone floor in the living room at Fallingwater seamlessly pours out onto the terraces.</span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5rsT6XKuSFHLEKMo-31uC8R_6iQ6y-pTP8j3rCizqgu9AESP-zGC0N1536xz-bIrZtgTCXqUK9jKd2iXoPXcv0Mdu5CM1iUMdnttuvLgjcLR4D4f1gKb7qB7obAQhTFL1sG0eD2mZ310/s1600-h/mvdr-country.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 294px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5rsT6XKuSFHLEKMo-31uC8R_6iQ6y-pTP8j3rCizqgu9AESP-zGC0N1536xz-bIrZtgTCXqUK9jKd2iXoPXcv0Mdu5CM1iUMdnttuvLgjcLR4D4f1gKb7qB7obAQhTFL1sG0eD2mZ310/s320/mvdr-country.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443000450734733698" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">MVDR: Project for a brick country house. The extension of walls.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal">-<b>The extension of walls</b><span style="font-weight:normal">:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Where an opaque wall abuts a large amount of glass, the extension of the wall to the outside creates an illusion of continuation from outside to inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>No built project can convey this idea better than the floor plan Mies Van Der Rohe drew for the Brick Country House.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The plan is intentionally abstract to read, and the inside is difficult to distinguish from the outside. This is accomplished because the walls do not enclose space, they envelop around it, creating incidental room-like areas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These walls extend beyond their necessary edges and reach out into the landscape. They leave the impression of continuation into infinity. This is similar to what happens in Mondrian’s paintings:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>the lines slide past each other and beyond the painting implying a snapshot of an infinite condition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This outreach into nature is an embrace that invites nature to connect with the interior spaces. </span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhboHF-iiDa2Cj9c9GLOOFXhfX0eQVU_-ZjD0eWb4mgFgO0fYddZNz_UxhAqxPpylss_7qXYY3EhNBAKLUeVi5lU11uLd5G7_6M6O9fYS5yecoVkwN6htJrZ7v03Ki4Ih5-QGg2BexlATY/s1600-h/11-1-kaufmann-neutra-2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhboHF-iiDa2Cj9c9GLOOFXhfX0eQVU_-ZjD0eWb4mgFgO0fYddZNz_UxhAqxPpylss_7qXYY3EhNBAKLUeVi5lU11uLd5G7_6M6O9fYS5yecoVkwN6htJrZ7v03Ki4Ih5-QGg2BexlATY/s320/11-1-kaufmann-neutra-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443000226324650034" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">N<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">eutra: Kaufmann House showing the overhang of roof and disappearing glass.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal">-<b>The overhang of roof</b><span style="font-weight:normal">: Similar to the extension of walls, the extension of roof into the outside can blur the boundary between inside and out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This technique is only truly effective when the overhang is flush with the interior ceiling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Richard Neutra’s houses are really good with the connective overhang.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>His most famous example of this roof projection can be found in his residence for Edgar J. Kaufmann (yes the same guy that commissioned Fallingwater).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The floor to ceiling glass in the living room reveals an overhang that extends far beyond the glass wall. This effectively confuses the in/out boundary. Neutra’s use of beams on the roof that extend from inside to outside is also very effective in helping this illusion. Sometimes the beams continue beyond the roof and rest on thin columns. The columns are usually the same as the ones on the inside. All of these elements collaborate to create an embracing connection with nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO5pCVTePf9sYetIcBshFL75ekxZR51it6s900__7Xhd_UP0WC695pS13CGwsRLMElv6MA4D10-JRcsKhUm1B2YfE6SY2PI9XsSC93t9C_maLhIevFIpJOpQqHP1waImUYAgMHHMlR4l4/s320/CW-ext1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443000089863740562" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 227px; height: 320px; " /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">S<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">higeru Ban: Curtain Wall House: Disappearing glass. </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal">-<b>Disappearing glass</b><span style="font-weight:normal">:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Glass walls that can be slid away on tracks or sunken or raised like garage doors also quite literally break the connection between inside and out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As I’ve mentioned in the previous post, the Tugendhat House by Mies Van Der Rohe had glass that could roll into the floor below and completely disappear. Neutra’s Kaufmann House has giant floor to ceiling glass planes that can slide away from the edges, completely opening them up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>To dramatic effect the literally titled Curtain Wall House by Shigeru Ban is a completely open house that has large curtains on the perimeter. These curtains can be opened so that the house is a complete exterior space with railings around the edges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The desire by architects to destroy the barrier between inside and out cannot be accomplished more effectively than simply doing away with walls completely! </span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO5pCVTePf9sYetIcBshFL75ekxZR51it6s900__7Xhd_UP0WC695pS13CGwsRLMElv6MA4D10-JRcsKhUm1B2YfE6SY2PI9XsSC93t9C_maLhIevFIpJOpQqHP1waImUYAgMHHMlR4l4/s1600-h/CW-ext1.jpg"><br /></a></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1Ok5sqnhfAedFPySvQ4oXbnven3sHn0BCmp_soG9hwefUpRbhq6l-yeXn8Jj0B6rALj-jKw0E7l7d1A_674QXknJawHPKhDJX3ThauMKPXX-59hq9GoUzKy0bddSITKsLTc3yyzbnGk/s1600-h/jacobs2_plan.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 162px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1Ok5sqnhfAedFPySvQ4oXbnven3sHn0BCmp_soG9hwefUpRbhq6l-yeXn8Jj0B6rALj-jKw0E7l7d1A_674QXknJawHPKhDJX3ThauMKPXX-59hq9GoUzKy0bddSITKsLTc3yyzbnGk/s320/jacobs2_plan.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442999877597194562" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">F<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">LLW: Second Jacobs House. The pool is the circle on the left of the glass side.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal">-<b>The pool</b><span style="font-weight:normal">: Many modern architects have used a wading pool that is half indoors and half outdoors to reinforce the idea of connection with nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Second Herbert Jacobs House of 1944 by Frank Lloyd Wright is one of the earlier examples I am aware of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Here, a circular pool is situated on the facade so that one half is indoors and the other is outdoors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Lily pads and swimming fish contribute to the effect of connecting pools. The Nesbitt House by Richard Neutra actually predates the Second Jacobs House by two years and also incorporates a half-in half-out wading pool in the entryway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The single large pane of glass above the pool is effective in blurring the exterior division of this pool. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>These are just a few of the many aesthetic devices used to connect architecture with nature. The protective element will not be discussed in as much detail as the connective elements because the Modernists were trying to deemphasize this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Protection is found primarily in the roof, which became abstracted and flattened into its essential nature: the boundary between sky and house.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Architecture will always need to protect its inhabitants from the rain and the wind and whatever else Mother Nature decides to throw at us. Because of this I do not believe that the spiritual desire for the connection will ever completely conquer the pragmatic need for protection. Next post, I will explore how all of these techniques are incorporated in the work of Albert Frey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Until then, faithful readers.....</p><div style="border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext .75pt;padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext .75pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <o:p></o:p></p> </div> <!--EndFragment-->ARGitecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14239555699064269677noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198207189108332316.post-83612116636919423972010-02-26T19:07:00.000-08:002010-02-26T19:14:01.738-08:00Country House Ad Infinitum<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9XiUNx9nlOB4mO6-m5-bxR9qL9oSWmRlXtEZWFFOMb6Mp5TnkTXifcFjfvPIKqCDyjANsfphuPOmEWH3LqVR1WPcr3Y-J9X6BNafOMFBoNKJzVavcuHJfVvydN01R3FZnkZOkdcR5yI/s1600-h/country-house-infinite.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9XiUNx9nlOB4mO6-m5-bxR9qL9oSWmRlXtEZWFFOMb6Mp5TnkTXifcFjfvPIKqCDyjANsfphuPOmEWH3LqVR1WPcr3Y-J9X6BNafOMFBoNKJzVavcuHJfVvydN01R3FZnkZOkdcR5yI/s320/country-house-infinite.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442755467223673122" /></a><i><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">Mies Van Der Rohe's Project for a Brick C0untry House reimagined in infinte space. Image by Argitect.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Extend things beyond the necessary edge. This implies infinity. This implies the transient nature of being.</span></span></div></i>ARGitecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14239555699064269677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198207189108332316.post-42901415164878004932010-02-20T11:44:00.000-08:002010-02-20T12:16:03.265-08:00Mullet Architecture Part II: Glass and Privacy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf0aj6gliauWyhrawbdbOABp-IJq8veOZadOOE2v9XVbWMKc-VMfF9w1ScCgBclHZwqtRA6uriM5mELEQZNz3YeicohxrZmTn1janV8wgQTjYEe8tZ6wKd_wc-8-O5W-bHt1OzIT0Koow/s1600-h/n56200560378_2420410_8150.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf0aj6gliauWyhrawbdbOABp-IJq8veOZadOOE2v9XVbWMKc-VMfF9w1ScCgBclHZwqtRA6uriM5mELEQZNz3YeicohxrZmTn1janV8wgQTjYEe8tZ6wKd_wc-8-O5W-bHt1OzIT0Koow/s320/n56200560378_2420410_8150.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440418438196828098" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;text-indent: 0.5in; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Tugendhat House Frosted Glass Entrance Stair: MVDR</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Mullet architecture emerged in the twentieth century for other reasons besides the necessity of hiding architectural flights of fancy from an intolerant and conservative public (For more information on this topic refer to the previous post on Mullet Architecture). Before Modernism, buildings tended to be very bulky and made of masonry. Windows were intermittent and mostly minor interruptions in an opaque facade. This allowed for optimum privacy, especially in private dwellings. As the 20<sup>th</sup> Century progressed, glass, concrete and steel replaced masonry as the major materials for building. This increased use of glass allowed for buildings to have a closer connection with the outside world. The downside to this liberal use of glass, especially in residential architecture, was the lack of privacy it garnered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The solution that many modern architects developed was a kind of mullet architecture, where the building was suppressed, guarded and uninteresting on the public side (business) while the backside was an open and free glass facade that engaged a private view (party).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Many architects embraced this hermetic sequestered front facade approach when using increased glass. It is almost a complete reversal of the rules of architecture in the past, wherein a buildings main aesthetic delights were relegated to the front public facade. Here the roles are reversed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The individual’s comfort and privacy take precedence over showing off to the public and creating a status symbol.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBVhF4wmGJ4cJNvNIIy6xLdZcB63QrRk42ZBOEIomEFLth2QJ9xVk_V4XrVZgClW9u6snRdTDfD08vd3eE7n6MskaTny-6FrDNlf-vPXCDfJSrV05zSyIGkh7u2OT8fgBXI08KcC-l-EM/s1600-h/CRI_70146.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBVhF4wmGJ4cJNvNIIy6xLdZcB63QrRk42ZBOEIomEFLth2QJ9xVk_V4XrVZgClW9u6snRdTDfD08vd3eE7n6MskaTny-6FrDNlf-vPXCDfJSrV05zSyIGkh7u2OT8fgBXI08KcC-l-EM/s320/CRI_70146.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440418315461098018" /></a><div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivBbH5zf6TGaRYKyaJ-yrsKM5G7Pr3W1lg22ZCaP5mNRB4ypKPf86s1owY22kHRo44n4KRLXxOKCwNw_ILD5NvzQSpQv9A22k0ZwWPxgXbjTEbMPjtR4mn6Econi6iIODsfBysR3ogpvE/s320/2412_68308270378_56200560378_2584848_48_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440416827604637506" /></div><div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">MVDR: Court House Projects. Sketch and plans. </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">The early court house (houses with courtyards, not places to go for traffic violations) projects by Mies Van Der Rohe were an interesting early example of mitigating increased glass use and a desire for privacy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The exterior walls of the houses are floor to ceiling glass. These glass houses are surrounded by spacious gardens that terminate in high opaque masonry walls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These “extension” walls create the privacy from neighbors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Indeed the only thing a person would see on the sidewalk is a tall bland brick wall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These bounding walls also help with the blurred illusion of inside and out that Mies and most modernists were interested in. So the delight and the interesting architecture are hidden from public view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Business in front, party in back indeed.</p></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWF3w7IkamSlndCtyIQq6o5cxif7t8s1MVR1ZYsTR4Duc9tRsoCBt0XaEBskt4vXY1B0klsk2EQ57bWpjpV_c45tGXSIB0HHL2BCz5CXPq_o9rMo0p5US2XUwGR-zpyVXaZ2zveglw0PA/s320/tugendhat1928.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440415973964221106" /></div><div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 206px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Gum8UZdvTQEmzPu-L2XLcbYKkytxZHWpFYKwYdg9a01Tsp7ClTa8MYt9VahPLK0KG70Q_uxkcjMOSqS1_-9NJlMnSv_BfD3DKkaf4pwJNB9pN63jLEFlKZ1w99hrZd01XKdhxS6D7gE/s320/n56200560378_2258430_5687.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440416575261944162" /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Tugendhat House: MVDR. Party in the back, business in the front!</span></i></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Of Mies’s early built works, the Tugendhat House also uses the concept of privacy driven Mullet Architecture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The house itself is on a hill. The front side is on the high end so the house only appears to be one story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The front is mostly white plaster with high clerestory windows and frosted glass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These elements in the front keep it very private, almost unwelcoming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The backside is a different story. The facade is floor to ceiling glass that actually, and ingeniously, is mechanically devised to slide into a hidden pocket and completely disappear. The connection between inside and out is dissolved!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This open facade is a vast difference from the opaque front. At about the same time in Los Angeles Richard Neutra was employing the same Mullet Architecture effects to the Lovell Health House of 1929.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoySCffU8nU9OmknVOpndIhDL8gfcF10Rg6mDGoABbwQTBUgc2Cfr9_DknJObh4T79CkS7MZmQkEMZHZwCNrYDpIDUQiCaBBmXzgTOY_N9KWCVi4plAFNXp_PQBAzn-2E0B0IbCDza6WY/s320/2336411628_ea80310a58.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440417249082333874" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 260px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ZXJy5hiQ-vyNIE-GqwmRNhItY_qmCBsvaqkQyBRr6C6Ci9OsvSheP6Lu11n3P5fS0fR7H2QpEzOzL1vJL6uaSEj78lElhKmRCpU_ONVA1x1-i4u9fKQOlmgIaLssqBITiwFX_0Z-qc8/s320/2336885690_1de0a0b374.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440417600732476434" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>Richard Neutra: Lovell Health House</i></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4E7pvauzb5bDcdfOgXK0DX_5BSjBM0axSrHkbvEk3Ve7_swg5MWbwcBWxQfmfS4G2PQJLg07ldqxYkOI5mDHVyisaU6rIv2-ejL3GdEUtZQ5cyWgldwzPGCpn64wKdlgK7jgsVURRNB8/s320/jacobs101.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440415726544817826" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5uCkLTxqpud2cPOFMyf1o4buOplnfs-X3LrwRK4UICZZXrKwlWy9O-wsRZZ_GJ5mTrkk8-jgATgHeTioLsMv7oOHppMG1MVwBeawwrHc3wZ1PnP_t7rlRmM66yGgbIXb2jWx8c-5IO8/s320/JacobsHouse_exterior.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440416313525339666" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;">FLLW: Herbert Jacobs House</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">About the same time Frank Lloyd Wright was also increasing his usage of glass, which in turn required a heightened need for privacy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The development of the Usonian House was realized with the prototypical Herbert Jacobs House (in my opinion the best example of a Usonian House).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This house is an L-Plan that opens up to a private high fenced garden in the back. The back facade in the living area is composed mostly of floor to ceiling glass doors that can be opened, thus destroying the barrier between inside and out. The front facade, containing an inconspicuous entrance, a carport, and the utility core is a very hermetic facade, the only windows being high clerestories.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The old way of creating a beautiful street facade as a status symbol is gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The modern dwelling is interested only in the privacy and enjoyment of its tenants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Showmanship no longer is a priority. A further distilled Mullet House can be seen in the second Herbert Jacobs house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This so called “Solar Hemicycle” is an arch shaped wedge that derives its shapes according to the movement of the sun. The south, and private, concave facade is all glass and the north convex facade is brutal stonework that resembles a medieval castle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Nowhere is privacy driven Mullet Architecture more clearly articulated.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The duality of domestic architecture is found in the need for freedom and privacy.</p> <!--EndFragment--> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 187px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7KWiNzjXGyKHJbpQFU9MiWOrYW69kBk86TqiWtXV8hRkA-uNxNxCzh2PjpnYwSoVEllbdboywESf2CJ-wDApLcbtCl7xTIVIXFlAuHdEXVHdR8FvQW8BBnrQIgVw7ialpkvZvxQE-Sc/s320/solar-hemicycle-house.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440415388889268098" /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;text-indent: 0.5in; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Herbert Jacobs House II: The bermed and uninviting back.</span></i></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div><div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2aOVlODwi4PkYJ5BXHw66fHq6XezTJGSYXOtp6x2ATtliAswZRpRJTdIUl2gk8Ug39BGZ0w4vZLzGMC0807lMOS_FkLC9LwRV938acmXKHlwlXk9xmD5OkuHuuLwmVFnfUl24abUpIg/s320/4127453065_9af4d59680_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440415072338902674" /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZLhp-zIrz7secCCOUPne3I2tncFEJpp0IbpmZH6Z4L3hmaC6uYn6ZC2Td2kcx2dd4z3Tu0ISIsjAVGdXOi_Yr1kyTZ4Ab_0TgWaC6e6zQraYUFn2YmSEhzRhR1r3KYNygbQWw58-gIk/s1600-h/4128224498_9b58890956_o.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 222px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZLhp-zIrz7secCCOUPne3I2tncFEJpp0IbpmZH6Z4L3hmaC6uYn6ZC2Td2kcx2dd4z3Tu0ISIsjAVGdXOi_Yr1kyTZ4Ab_0TgWaC6e6zQraYUFn2YmSEhzRhR1r3KYNygbQWw58-gIk/s320/4128224498_9b58890956_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440414994777931986" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Ando: Azuma House</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Glass is still a common material used in domestic architecture, so in heavy urban areas the need for a private front and an open back is the norm.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">There are countless examples of this new paradigm of architectural approach.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The houses of Tadao Ando are a perfect example of privacy derived Mullet Architecture.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Ando uses his characteristic dimpled concrete as an imposing privacy screen.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The back facades are often huge uninterrupted expanses of glass. (Although I guess one could argue that Ando’s dwellings obsess to an exaggerated degree the notion of privacy) </span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The juxtaposition of pure glass and pure concrete in his work is perhaps the mot distilled example yet of the duality of architecture in terms of privacy and freedom.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Final Note: The Farnsworth by Mies Van Der Rohe and Philip Johnson’s glass house clearly do not fit into the category of Mullet Architecture. Privacy in these buildings is created by the fact that the houses are situated in secluded and gated areas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They are surrounded by trees and set far back from the road. So one could make an interesting argument about the extension of architecture reaching to the front gate of a property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The front gate then, in these examples, would be the sober and private business yin to the glass freedom party yang of the houses. Architecture is just like the layers of an onion. One could go as deep into the core as arguing that skin is architecture, just as one could go as far as arguing that our atmosphere is architecture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But, I am getting ahead of myself here. </p> <!--EndFragment--> </div></div></div></div>ARGitecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14239555699064269677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198207189108332316.post-85021967379007204132010-02-03T10:20:00.000-08:002010-02-03T10:38:24.994-08:00Mullet Architecture: FLLW and Hans Scharoun.<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnrFDYYXVMddCQxgPAWm9w3Uzz8fs8lnEeabKf65PQf4trMBb15s9QnP0PCQLMPzahyK6LHbJgy9VcwyuXj23l7GAjrwy4N8LTDAsYkRfeAHrrvkFRX-Ku5GibLsywTXdRHZlG2aW4_L8/s1600-h/winsplan.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnrFDYYXVMddCQxgPAWm9w3Uzz8fs8lnEeabKf65PQf4trMBb15s9QnP0PCQLMPzahyK6LHbJgy9VcwyuXj23l7GAjrwy4N8LTDAsYkRfeAHrrvkFRX-Ku5GibLsywTXdRHZlG2aW4_L8/s320/winsplan.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434084704778775490" /></a><!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family:";"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-style: italic; ">FLLW:Winslow House Plan. 1894. Business in the front, party in the back.</span></div></span><div><span style="font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Throughout history Architects have given clients the most bang for their buck by putting all the “architecture” on the street facade.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This is done to show off to the public.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The utilitarian needs of the building behind the main facade are clad functionally and without elaboration.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Renaissance and Baroque Churches have grandiose front facades, many times larger than they need to be to project a massive building.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The false front covers up an ordinary church behind it. This was also utilized in old west buildings, where simple gabled wood construction buildings had large, oversized fronts decorated and bejeweled in various ways.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Even today this can be seen in any upper middle class suburb. The front of the house is clad in a brick veneer while the sides and back are covered in cheaper vinyl siding.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This is what I call reverse mullet architecture.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It is party in the front and business in the back.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The duality of the building (that being the aesthetic thrust versus the utilitarian thrust) is distilled between front of the house delight to back of the house commodity.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Only during the emergence of modernism did this duality shift. This antipode I deem Mullet Architecture.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In this instance, however, it is not about delight and commodity, it is a reaction to the conservative eye of the time.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyoUgEw5RWtoTUzudJ2-leHpQcCFysv6e3ujiH5sPLQFxsmBM-zoFbrqc9TTjvw3fyk1SEIsD7kPU6k-Xi7byrFGpt6kEmQyQtTn2h7I-pGQjdoJ8ahMLWI4ZkoOE5WqiMDDKiLPuo6GI/s1600-h/winslow01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 204px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyoUgEw5RWtoTUzudJ2-leHpQcCFysv6e3ujiH5sPLQFxsmBM-zoFbrqc9TTjvw3fyk1SEIsD7kPU6k-Xi7byrFGpt6kEmQyQtTn2h7I-pGQjdoJ8ahMLWI4ZkoOE5WqiMDDKiLPuo6GI/s320/winslow01.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434084632494247698" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwIV-dA_-BofnW1Sijv0ed9hrqPp2Q576cgIZDhl0LYqwIxP6slN8X0EV6rM7K6xVmYph4GXfSvxtZvc4pVpz3Nh26CJkWjl7CGWX67Ccit7546aYDHEVXDRFg0cB-Qunb8XVEo_V4yvA/s1600-h/winslow-house1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 305px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwIV-dA_-BofnW1Sijv0ed9hrqPp2Q576cgIZDhl0LYqwIxP6slN8X0EV6rM7K6xVmYph4GXfSvxtZvc4pVpz3Nh26CJkWjl7CGWX67Ccit7546aYDHEVXDRFg0cB-Qunb8XVEo_V4yvA/s320/winslow-house1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434084569148565938" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;text-indent: 0.5in; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Winslow House: Top; Front Facade. Bottom; Back Facade</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Frank Lloyd Wright’s Winslow House of 1894 is an early and potent example of Mullet Architecture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Wright designed the front facade of the house in a more conservative manner giving it symmetry and weight. The front entrance is clearly inspired by certain mausoleums Sullivan was working on at the time. The ornamentation as well is very much in the vein of Sullivan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So even though this is conservative by our standards of Wright, it was still deemed highly modern at the time. Even so, Wright’s truly revolutionary ideas about domestic architecture are subdued in the front of this house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Only in the back does one start to get an idea of where Wright was really headed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The back of the house, in marked contrast to the front, is asymmetrical in plan and elevation. The dining nook thrusts out into the backyard in a semicircle while the stair tower rises above the roof plain, like a castle turret, in the shape of a half octagon. These extruded basic geometries evoke the Froebel block teachings of Wright as a boy, but they also suggest the asymmetrical massing of Henry Hobson Richardson, another of Wright’s influences.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In order to “blend” more clearly with the surrounding neighborhood, Wright played all of his fun games with architecture on the back facade of the house while keeping the front relatively subdued and orderly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was strictly business in the front, while the party stayed in the back!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This is building as duality, where sobriety and order dominate the front, playfulness and asymmetry dominate the back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was just a matter of a couple years before Wright would abandon this<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>conciliatory gesture towards the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>neighbors and really start on his revolutionary prairie style.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Here the party would be all around in a pinwheel of asymmetrical projections. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3r1ybvaMzx1ge6UYBxXKtjBs7LDv-VLxMpbPB93WsByiCc8NCyPtQo8C_rGpzNnTbdE7RzYeUwlbSQxX6QpU3RAQE5IQnGJ7lyCFlPKP746Er7TtjhU-Bs5xumu_fU1PEqdA9ehYcUio/s320/tumblr_ktp8nmA8O11qa4tai.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434086127708034306" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 233px; height: 320px; " /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hans Scharoun :Schminke House. 1930. Before the Nazi's ruined everythihng.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>A much more grim circumstance of Mullet Architecture can be found in the World War II era domestic work of Hans Scharoun.<span> </span>Unlike Gropius, Neutra and Mies, Scharoun stayed in Germany while the gauntlet of artistic freedom, especially of the Modernist idiom, was systematically and disturbingly dismantled by the Nazi regime. The Bauhaus was closed and book-burning campaigns tried to eradicate all things unpatriotic to the German Motherland.<span> </span>Modern Art and Architecture and its aim for a universal message were deemed un-German. A new era of nationalism steered the arts and architecture into the direction of traditional vernacular forms.<span> </span>Hans Scharoun had made many interesting Modernist designs before the Nazi rise to power, including a dwelling at the Weissenhofsiedlung, and, most notably, the Schminke house of 1930.</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1AgZx-cxMgu6jYdC2NVHioB2Kiv9o7OkqNjCbxq41kYz8LC1tzKDt_VVVgnVKd97_d9WBeYXiJNNE9_S6R1xLN9Z_1Aj-SIId2_5akk465XM_jdtCGFMhgR-6mkhz_LlEVySqqA-dEw/s320/mohrmannhouse+1939front.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434084427023227042" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 295px; " /></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9m7gj6_wOsqGOa5t7cIu10INTfkpe0cPS3Wws6_ZUEo_qd4nwqPJbw7eko_o-6DHB7B7PITXOKHnS-x3Ro0M07QMQJ9lUZtcdD2uDXIDxSjBnSrUewz-EVFs_1tjnRgvI4opDmfGm8Y/s1600-h/mohrmannhouse+living.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9m7gj6_wOsqGOa5t7cIu10INTfkpe0cPS3Wws6_ZUEo_qd4nwqPJbw7eko_o-6DHB7B7PITXOKHnS-x3Ro0M07QMQJ9lUZtcdD2uDXIDxSjBnSrUewz-EVFs_1tjnRgvI4opDmfGm8Y/s320/mohrmannhouse+living.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434084504792592114" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Scharoun: Front and interior view of the Mohrmann House. 1939.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Once the Nazi hammer came down, in the form of strict building codes, Scharoun was forced to make markedly more conservative designs for fear of being in trouble with the powers that be. On top of this, the war effort needed steel, so Scharoun was required to build with more traditional masonry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It must have been a terrifying time for the architect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The artist in him found ways to subvert these stringent aesthetic requirements.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Mohrmann house of 1939 has a gabled front facade that looks like a quaint little cottage. It is business in the front.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In the back however, we see the irreverent freedom Scharoun found on the private facades of his houses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The back of the house is clearly asymmetrical. The walls are at all kinds of strange angles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Even in section, the house is split up in many different levels. The flooring in the front part of the house is traditional hardwood, while the living portion in the back is floored in various sized shards of stone pieced together like a broken plate. Scharoun justified these seemingly arbitrary planning effects as being influenced towards maximizing the land and the views of the specific location.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>More interestingly though is the contrast that these wild angles have with the front facade. The front gives no indication of what’s happening in the back.</p> <!--EndFragment--> <div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89UFOtA4Bd4qv_QyTrRS-MYz16N0Y03rqhiFnCxP8P1SRXRmHFLImOa1-af6J7GX8zt7RU1WIuNWwDr0mSpXfI3fyQ7OdoyWUNWm3P5y8KAfPZwe84azegh3m_GoMdypl-YhYrykRm3Q/s320/baensch+front+.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434084212850328386" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 238px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1AgZx-cxMgu6jYdC2NVHioB2Kiv9o7OkqNjCbxq41kYz8LC1tzKDt_VVVgnVKd97_d9WBeYXiJNNE9_S6R1xLN9Z_1Aj-SIId2_5akk465XM_jdtCGFMhgR-6mkhz_LlEVySqqA-dEw/s1600-h/mohrmannhouse+1939front.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiON1c7fFY1xHzqI7_04Tqjku-OkxqiHTchbxH72XDHrTdfsh3dnT9RRf7cC-3aigQMbPg6QW5Pn7cTLiykQbjB12A2lnWLXWbWElTShRB16GgiNGTVMOXSHsbl0OcMmHQyBaC9ZugRhrM/s1600-h/baenschhouse1935plan.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 249px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiON1c7fFY1xHzqI7_04Tqjku-OkxqiHTchbxH72XDHrTdfsh3dnT9RRf7cC-3aigQMbPg6QW5Pn7cTLiykQbjB12A2lnWLXWbWElTShRB16GgiNGTVMOXSHsbl0OcMmHQyBaC9ZugRhrM/s320/baenschhouse1935plan.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434084357645756898" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>Scharoun: Baensch House. 1935. Front Facade. Floor Plan. (entry in orange)</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>My favorite example of this Mullet Architecture by Scharoun is the Baensch house of 1935.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Here again the front is very conservative and meant to look like a traditional vernacular German cottage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In the back the building positively explodes in myriad angle, and curved surfaces. Another interesting thing to point out is his use of glass. The front of the house consists of the traditional windows punched into thick stucco, while the back opens up floor to ceiling glass views out to the private garden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In the living room, a convex built in couch thrusts one out into nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Scharoun also seems to deconstruct the building itself as it meanders towards the garden side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The ordered brick walls terminate on the garden side into crumbling serrated edges. This suggests the building going from order to chaos, as well as an attempt to integrate the building with nature via an aesthetic transition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is also disturbing in imagining that Scharoun probably had experience with bombed fallout cities during WWI.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These buildings show practical, and scary, reasons for creating architecture with a duality about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Mullet architecture was essential for Scharoun to keep practicing during the Nazi era.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After the war Scharoun abandoned his false facades and went further in his direction of organic building, with seemingly chaotic angles that suggested a strictly programmatic agenda.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>His buildings went where they wanted to now that they were free from the Nazi stranglehold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjxbN7YTjkAWgVsseBLDZ5u_5WduNLbiA5B9UJkmiDI8t8z_BXeCKbezxpqVRzM0VHT2CulraUFOE4JYDGBELMoToA5Hhy5hknVb4gHpJlIP5YBxLpsERngDOESgODsMfIDgvbCYh_3_g/s1600-h/baensch+stone.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 314px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjxbN7YTjkAWgVsseBLDZ5u_5WduNLbiA5B9UJkmiDI8t8z_BXeCKbezxpqVRzM0VHT2CulraUFOE4JYDGBELMoToA5Hhy5hknVb4gHpJlIP5YBxLpsERngDOESgODsMfIDgvbCYh_3_g/s320/baensch+stone.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434084287298916322" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>Baensch House. Deconstructed Walls.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Mullet architecture was the reversal of the traditional way of making buildings. Buildings today are increasingly more driven to fit into the contexts in which they inhabit, in such a way that Mullet architecture may still have justification in certain locations.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Some building codes in America, in the name of “beautification” sound almost as stringent as those laid out by the Nazis. I sure hope somewhere, in the sea of McMansions,<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>a quaint Mullet building sits with an unassuming conservative front and a party in the back!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--> <div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89UFOtA4Bd4qv_QyTrRS-MYz16N0Y03rqhiFnCxP8P1SRXRmHFLImOa1-af6J7GX8zt7RU1WIuNWwDr0mSpXfI3fyQ7OdoyWUNWm3P5y8KAfPZwe84azegh3m_GoMdypl-YhYrykRm3Q/s1600-h/baensch+front+.jpg"></a></div>ARGitecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14239555699064269677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198207189108332316.post-79574729026302316782010-01-18T08:57:00.000-08:002010-01-18T09:17:19.244-08:00Alvar Aalto: The Functionalist Aesthete<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3q_P35PO688GY9l_LM8GIDDQkVl2foCjIOY11EUok_OWeXRsyJwHBfcMGvm4X_VQeagKaCV-epdkzOQxtiytfTNSvFfaBeCkmrc-_l6MAY1IvT6iy32c3gEjED0Y2KIwVSB8ou1yArqI/s1600-h/Sanitorium++front_ShiftN.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuT_OOl5fS6rbUrMoTvDSOULQc_fxiy6ZuIwje7Hka0TpR9z6vvSYszOtyeNwXCQXTQ0u9fUTz_rID-LMaLJ34BWRS2aoPxgonZWzCiDy9Db1HH4laDNuBlyjW7d4_w6NtrxWpE3MQSrU/s1600-h/finlandia+front_ShiftN+1000pix.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 221px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuT_OOl5fS6rbUrMoTvDSOULQc_fxiy6ZuIwje7Hka0TpR9z6vvSYszOtyeNwXCQXTQ0u9fUTz_rID-LMaLJ34BWRS2aoPxgonZWzCiDy9Db1HH4laDNuBlyjW7d4_w6NtrxWpE3MQSrU/s320/finlandia+front_ShiftN+1000pix.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428125653332929714" /></a><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Aalto:Finlandia Hall, Helsinki, 1967. Ratonal and aesthetic collision.</span></i><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuT_OOl5fS6rbUrMoTvDSOULQc_fxiy6ZuIwje7Hka0TpR9z6vvSYszOtyeNwXCQXTQ0u9fUTz_rID-LMaLJ34BWRS2aoPxgonZWzCiDy9Db1HH4laDNuBlyjW7d4_w6NtrxWpE3MQSrU/s1600-h/finlandia+front_ShiftN+1000pix.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></a><div><br /></div><div><i>“The only possible factors and motives with which one can replace the old criteria are scientific studies of what people and society unconditionally need in order to remain, or better yet, to develop into a healthy organism.” Alvar Aalto</i></div><div> <p class="MsoNormal"><i> “In order to achieve practical goals and valid aesthetic forms in connection with architecture, one cannot always start from a rational and technical standpoint- perhaps even never.” Alvar Aalto</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Alvar Aalto embraced many nuanced dualities throughout his career. He did not try to suppress the dual nature of the architect (the disparity between rationalism and the spiritual will). Instead he found a way to create spaces that served people on a very sensual scale, all the while being purely aesthetic about it.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWz_y8j4nZIoO9rR6m27bdY6VAqH3kN5QLhF4hyphenhyphen9VKfbpKfvIiVIdgxAgoreogjz7gm01ZWk7Q5mCUD1j8IUS6eOmsMnLCFR73nXAppSI3caxzpQhcBoleCFvweERGqkCjySFA9h0RnjM/s320/Sanitorium++front_ShiftN.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428126420357382994" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 230px; " /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoyZr_dlm49K4ARGCI7q0VW91-r6jiQIhyhJ6F5H-HAfIqtAYl9tgXgs0xVu0eNdTLe8jUuVu21tzpt-OR6uP_Amqf43s75boE36ijSvkNJWZ6symyICxfmoZz2lWDIKLFvsITBQfQPao/s320/Paimo_Main_Plan.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428126104438910098" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 279px; " /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Paimo Sanatorium 1929. Rational and playful elements on the facade of the patients wing. Plan showing separation of program.</span></i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">An early example of this embraced duality can be found at the Paimo Sanatorium of 1929. The functionalist aspects manifest themselves in the shape of the building, which is splayed by function into very distinct entities where the main connecting element between the wings is the entrance lobby and the main vertical circulation. (This dissected building was no doubt influenced by Duiker’s Sanatorium) The locations of these separated functions of the building are arranged according to solar considerations as well as creating adjacencies meant to be programmatically logical as well as noise reductive. Exterior aesthetic functionalism is expressed in the banishment of ornament and the use of clean white walls. On a more human scale, the patient’s rooms are rigorously designed with an obsession for comfort and well-being. The windows and the placement of the patient’s bed were designed with strict solar consideration. The ceilings are painted in tranquil colors, and the light fixtures are designed for no glare. The list continues with; noiseless sinks, easy to open door handles and unfortunately, wardrobe cabinets that looked like coffins! Conversely, all of these designed elements, while achieving comfort, were ultimately dictated by aesthetics (I’m sure the coffin thing was a case of hindsight saying “what the hell was I thinking with that one?”). Aalto did what many master architects do, and that is design with the total union of aesthetics and function in mind. The more aesthetically functional elements of the Sanatorium include, multi-colored canopies, a sinuous front desk, a trademark kidney shaped entrance canopy etc. These elements weave through the building and prevent it from being a cold and truly functionalist space. </span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLA-m-U7Q7KqLy5CYUvDATlcDfI-4YbnHmKdEh5CjH6GLHEa4xQ5LSPFPJNL0s2Irp3-7lV2lWBTxU64FcTtkUsRkvJM3LUzAWwtwoNKIUVDyzlZP-bMVp8oEbwO6IEMLHx9OjMP5UBXk/s320/Alvar+Aalto_Villa+Mairea_D1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428126561832607138" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 309px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Villa Mairea. 1938. </span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><!--StartFragment--><span style="Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-USfont-family:";font-size:12.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>As Aalto’s works progressed, the duality between aesthetic and function began to become clearer. In the Villa Mairea we see a logical orthogonal plan treated with elements of pure aesthetic delight. The plan is completely liberated at the swimming pond, which has the kidney shape again. This playful element, contrasted with more linear form, also carried a symbolic reference about the nature of the architect. The pond is meant to be the primordial element; early mankind dominated by nature. As the house leans to more functional/orthogonal realms the progression of man’s history in regard to his ability to control nature is manifested aesthetically. Aalto also used the idea of the egg and the full-grown being when talking about this metaphor. The interesting and consistent thing about Aalto’s buildings in his later work, is this clear contrast of an element that seems to be free and naturalistic (the head) set against and element of rigid rationality (the tail). My personal favorite example of this is the Seinajoki Library where the reading room is an undulating wave that plays fantastic games with light. This collides with the rational and more practical other functions of the library, which are housed in a rectilinear portion. Here, it also seems that a less practically demanding space, such as a reading room, is allowed more freedom and irreverence as compared to the more rigid demands of administrative offices and bathrooms. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;color:#000000;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOM5tgNHgceiUV4xCzr1ZjsGiG26iNkjSc1dqQRpkHR9TCwq4gD8H7tkITQcJ_ttFqzllpSj0nywXT7pMhztFmBd61dkvjLAucxefqh1_sGjyisX2DPTOzhSWQaRJVcctTmEPE_oHn0I/s320/Seinajoki_Plan.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428126781180162338" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 149px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">Seinajoki Library Plan. 1963.</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Aalto is a complicated architect and a difficult one to read. He seemed to belong to neither the camp of the modernists or to the camp of the spiritualists. He was not a Modernist because it seems the demands of abstraction did not interest him. He was not a Spiritualist or a “Biological” architect because his forms were not mastered by that metaphor either. He was a little bit of both, but his tendencies in the end always were dictated by aesthetics, which is only as arbitrary as particular individual taste. This is something that I don’t like about Aalto, this arbitrary element, although to his favor it seems that he acknowledged this, framed as a general problem of the architect, by inducing violent contrasts between freedom and restraint in his work and separating these differing elements like oil and water. Perhaps this is a more appropriate approach to the duality of the architect than the exaggerations of both the Rationalists and the Spiritualists. The dual demands expected of a master architect are clearly and symbolically seen in his work.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div></div></div></div>ARGitecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14239555699064269677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198207189108332316.post-37258522996145387822010-01-08T09:00:00.000-08:002010-01-08T09:28:32.933-08:00Rendering in Squint<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtfuSNsU6XRPn3M2XqlRmq6v5a-F7q5nyHc-hhqyP2rLYMtVoU-lIe701hfzTX0aqA102OrRuWv1-TgtNxOxdCTOkjuyNUzBbBUi6BUreqL4OBuczJQ0ZsQ1VceKf7VVZ-88RvyIpZWk/s1600-h/28702033.JPG.jpeg"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt22cyFNUwMmuL85_yVqwJIRU_ZMxsKrzs6EbEVol1M4mPHbRctjzTiNMJD7Q40aEgGlq4KuMbeO025SIv9wYzlPnH3O3GrfMAEdzsTvFrSnosFHrBnKBSkx3Pbi5gXQyoK_qBsa0IUO0/s1600-h/4101731160_651e6d58c0.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI18leqF1EyEf1KOSHRWllVnmMV8NEPBBsR-E9a96ZVYjBJhvV0Avqu5lcNF32B9PpRgfK0yryAbl9HaEtANoBu1NRcr3qxywHWT_8sXbHR2XJ186H4wzxlWRuSoPHjD74WyqzA5gWpuM/s1600-h/van+allen+bldg,+clinton.jpg"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtsceFhgcBwxjmkWoqovZx0wSW_rCyLPGPbvPbp6EmBf7TvOOiujsoaBeWblTPFIMiDkKooXV7a6fwuy7f7Ik4AEl8jklDPYn5ss72iSaGFqbz-gFM7xTEL3uYrUXUoSAuyuEpbTXRWU/s1600-h/rbuI2lpgap3swc6ttsriXJpGo1_500.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 249px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtsceFhgcBwxjmkWoqovZx0wSW_rCyLPGPbvPbp6EmBf7TvOOiujsoaBeWblTPFIMiDkKooXV7a6fwuy7f7Ik4AEl8jklDPYn5ss72iSaGFqbz-gFM7xTEL3uYrUXUoSAuyuEpbTXRWU/s320/rbuI2lpgap3swc6ttsriXJpGo1_500.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424416030241164386" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><b>Frank Lloyd Wright and the Epiphany of Mimetic Abstraction</b></span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">FLLW:Johnson Wax Research Tower, 1944 </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>“I believe in God, only I spell it Nature”</i><span><i> </i></span><i>Frank Lloyd Wright</i></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Frank Lloyd Wright advanced an entirely new and revolutionary direction in the eternal concept of mimesis (the imitation of nature). Before Wright, mimesis generally took the form of ornamentation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Since the ancients, buildings have been clad in frozen homages to plant and animal life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The capitals of columns in Egypt imitated the lotus plant, just as the Corinthian column of ancient Rome imitated acanthus leaves. However, these buildings did not imitate nature in their basic form or construction. The use of masonry molded into an architrave, an arch, or a groin vault were evolutions in structure mostly unrelated from mimesis; they were merely a result of human ingenuity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Frank Lloyd Wright was the first to have large mimetic breakthroughs in regards to planning, form and structure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>(One could argue for Antoni Gaudi and Viollet Le Duc, but their forms, while organic, were less mimetic and more alien.)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">In the Ward Willits house of 1901, one sees an early example of Wright’s flowing pinwheel plan.<span> </span>The hearth stakes its place in the center of the house as the various rooms such as living, dining and kitchen protrude from it. The plan itself evokes a tree; the hearth being the trunk and the rooms being the branches.<span> </span>This is mimesis that goes beyond mere applied ornamentation.<span> </span>It is an intrinsic mimesis that uses the idea of the tree as an ordering device. Structurally, the use of the cantilever suggests a branch protruding from a trunk.<span> </span>The low hipped roof and the leading horizontal lines on the exterior contain a more abstract mimesis, evoking with their lines the uninterrupted and romantic vistas of the prairie.<span> </span>The prairie and the tree seem to be Wrights most imitated forms.<span> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtfuSNsU6XRPn3M2XqlRmq6v5a-F7q5nyHc-hhqyP2rLYMtVoU-lIe701hfzTX0aqA102OrRuWv1-TgtNxOxdCTOkjuyNUzBbBUi6BUreqL4OBuczJQ0ZsQ1VceKf7VVZ-88RvyIpZWk/s320/28702033.JPG.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424418367690861106" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 249px; " /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><br /></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">FLLW:Early Guggenheim Proposal</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">Structural and form-driven mimesis (almost unprecedented before Wright) shows up in further potent examples.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Wright uses the shape of the lily pad for the dramatically slender interior columns in the Johnson Wax Building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Hanna House utilizes the hexagon as a unit of design, effectively creating a beehive inspired residence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Morris Gift Shop and early proposals for the Guggenheim suggest a nautilus shell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And perhaps most dramatically, the unbuilt proposal for the mile-high skyscraper in Chicago is designed structurally to be completely like a tree.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The central core was to be the only supporting element, as the floor plates would protrude from it just like the branches off of a tree trunk. This trunk-core system sounds insane but was effectively utilized in the Johnson Wax Tower as well as Wrights only real built skyscraper, the Price Tower. </p></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI18leqF1EyEf1KOSHRWllVnmMV8NEPBBsR-E9a96ZVYjBJhvV0Avqu5lcNF32B9PpRgfK0yryAbl9HaEtANoBu1NRcr3qxywHWT_8sXbHR2XJ186H4wzxlWRuSoPHjD74WyqzA5gWpuM/s320/van+allen+bldg,+clinton.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424417245312219298" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt22cyFNUwMmuL85_yVqwJIRU_ZMxsKrzs6EbEVol1M4mPHbRctjzTiNMJD7Q40aEgGlq4KuMbeO025SIv9wYzlPnH3O3GrfMAEdzsTvFrSnosFHrBnKBSkx3Pbi5gXQyoK_qBsa0IUO0/s320/4101731160_651e6d58c0.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424417588963414850" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 182px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Sullivan: Van Allen Bldg. (Clinton, IOWA!) and FLLW: Willits Glass 1901.</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">So, Frank Lloyd Wright innovated on an entirely new level the way that architecture could imitate nature.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Paradoxically, Wright was also one of the first architects to abstract himself from nature (as opposed to expressly imitating it). This can clearly be seen in his early stained glass work.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Louis Sullivan created an entirely original and new form of decoration on the facades of his buildings, however for the most part they were still literal evocations of actual natural plant life. Frank Lloyd Wright’s early ornamentation was indebted to Sullivan’s, which can be seen in his terra cotta work at the Winslow House.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">As Wright develops his prairie style this direct mimesis of nature in the ornamentation begins to break down into distilled forms.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">FLLW abstracted nature for perhaps the first time in his early stained glass. </span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The Willits House was the first important example of this stained glass work and is made up entirely of geometric forms completely abstracted from the true natural form that inspired them. This breakthrough was no doubt helped by Wright’s gift for pure geometric form, which he learned as a child with Froebel Blocks.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">One wonders to what degree this early abstraction of nature influenced the modern art movement particularly in Picasso’s discovery of cubism and Mondrian’s reductive distillations of the visible universe.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Abstraction of nature found in Wright’s work goes beyond ornamentation by using aesthetic devices such as low horizontal lines and shallow hipped roofs to evoke the prairie in distilled form.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Structurally, the metaphor of the lily pad and the tree with branches is also a highly abstracted concept and in no way aesthetically evokes the natural forms that inspired them.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Which brings us back full circle:</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">FLLW managed to evolve mimesis to a whole new level, while at the same time completely abstracting it.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">This is a true and interesting paradox found in Wright’s work. His contributions to mimesis, as well as mimetic abstraction, were paramount in influencing the modern age.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Subsequent early Modernists would abstract themselves from nature to such a high degree their buildings no longer appeared to have anything to do with nature. This abstraction of nature combined with the mimesis of the machine heralded the bold forms of Modernism in the early to mid-twentieth century.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv2PFIgPFmXmWr2K-hY__YmAAiQ3_NyKICUCwOPk4SOkWST5foJjYKliXRZxByXHFYs9QI4Ox34wj7cd7lm3LCkCtUdHLkDQ4oMLlovgUOpGozznsyslQ7v7fSKfy4Q0elleEGUGBFIDE/s320/mon-coonley.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424418941881437122" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px; " /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Left:FLLW: Coonley Playhouse Glass 1912.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Right: Mondrian: Trafalgar Square. 1939. </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div></div>ARGitecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14239555699064269677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198207189108332316.post-86703726854400326882010-01-04T08:12:00.001-08:002010-01-04T08:23:44.620-08:00Tethered Magic Carpets: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Flotation/ Grounding Duality<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvwYk2TCtETTFklEFMQOF-V19HWIH8b5o1X_KMHRtGPcoA3p_t8XdNiCtzA709vpM6e4f6nON77FVW9KmYOnSOro1FswJaSM2DSVDNga5flPJdz-7aJz-24VGwi_MMDWBd8VaoKtE5Frk/s1600-h/DSCN3722.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvwYk2TCtETTFklEFMQOF-V19HWIH8b5o1X_KMHRtGPcoA3p_t8XdNiCtzA709vpM6e4f6nON77FVW9KmYOnSOro1FswJaSM2DSVDNga5flPJdz-7aJz-24VGwi_MMDWBd8VaoKtE5Frk/s320/DSCN3722.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422918893574518562" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>Heurtley House by Frank LLoyd Wright. 1902 (Photo:Argitect)</i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">“Simplicity and repose are the qualities that measure the true value of any work of art.” Frank Lloyd Wright</span></i></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i> <!--StartFragment--> </i></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><i><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Frank Lloyd Wright was a master architect because he embraced the duality of architecture in two key ways (among many others). First he embraced the opposing concept of flotation/grounding in his buildings. Second, his buildings were directly inspired by nature, yet at the same time they projected a large degree of mimetic abstraction. In the history of architecture up to his time, Wright came closest and furthest from the concept of mimesis (imitation of nature).</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Frank Lloyd Wright’s dual relationship with gravity can be seen clearly in the Heurtley House of 1902. Looking at the front exterior facade one can clearly see the roof and upper stories have a quality of flotation, achieved by the close repetitive banding of windows, the horizontal leading lines in the brickwork, and the low sloped overhanging roof. The separation of the lower part of the facade from the roof via the windows creates the illusion that the roof plane is hovering over the building. Wright uses these tricks of aesthetics to relieve us from the effects of oppressive gravity. Yet on the opposite spectrum, the ground floor uses aesthetic tricks in such a way to create an illusion of heaviness. Somehow, at the top of the building the banding of the brickwork helps reinforce the floating nature of the roof, but as one gets closer to the ground, the banding seems to visually settle into sedimentary layers until it gets to the stone base. The stone base is of a huge proportion, almost a foot tall, and truncated inwards, to create a feeling of heaviness and firm attachment to the earth. The overly large arched entrance exaggerates the weight that the arch is carrying above it. The tricks are quite effective in making one feel the building is firmly placed. This tension between heaviness and lightness is what makes Wrights facades so effective aesthetically, and psychologically. A person living in this house would simultaneously feel the stability and comfort of a grounded building, but not be overburdened by the effects of gravity. The one thing pinning the top of the house in place, at least visually, is the large fireplace poking through the top and center of the hipped roof. The hearth is the literal and figurative anchor of the home. The concept of mimesis can be inferred by relating the house to that of a tree. The trunk (hearth and base) grounds the tree and keeps it firmly in the soil, while the filigree of branches and their leaves (the floating roof) reach toward the sky in need of nourishment. The tree has the duality of grounding and flotation, and it is the most fundamental example of mimesis found in all of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work. These dual properties also carried a moral rhetoric. The trunk (hearth) embraces the values of hard work, tradition and discipline, while the branches and leaves (floating roof) speak of freedom, democracy, and progress. </span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </i></span><p></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1bTyg1HYq_xJII5-V48QiIhIbljLMRxhurjmwkH7fV7YZLXqyXVFG1-lBk77nSMLB8OWd-ds29ufQm3IPviGKvHO_n3d9wOw8ysPXBPWEhZbtSO3zOsfjCDjqq8lLU9aWA0Fu7TxG0M/s1600-h/wright_falling_water.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 285px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1bTyg1HYq_xJII5-V48QiIhIbljLMRxhurjmwkH7fV7YZLXqyXVFG1-lBk77nSMLB8OWd-ds29ufQm3IPviGKvHO_n3d9wOw8ysPXBPWEhZbtSO3zOsfjCDjqq8lLU9aWA0Fu7TxG0M/s320/wright_falling_water.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422918762700350066" /></a><!--StartFragment--><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Fallingwater by FLLW. 1935.</span></i><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Another potent, and further distilled, example of this flotation/grounding tension can be found at Fallingwater. Here, Frank Lloyd Wright uses dramatic cantilevers that sprout from the center of the building and soar defiantly in the air above a small waterfall. The length of these cantilevers is where the drama really comes from. Almost the entire living room projects out unsupported over the creek. The floating elements of the building have a materiality of reinforced concrete clad in soft colored stucco with thin rounded corners. This gives them a dreamlike and abstract quality. The windows have leading lines in red, very streamlined, and from what I’ve heard, are Wrights response to the International Style. The opposing forces to the floating elements at Fallingwater are the grounding elements that firmly anchor the building to the earth. The grounding elements are exclusively made of roughly stacked Pottsville sandstone. The texture and color of the grounding elements are in direct opposition to the smooth floating elements. The rough-hewn sandstone appears as an ambiguous outcropping of the boulders it is built on. This ambiguity between what is architecture and what is nature is reinforced in the living room, where pieces of the boulder that the structure is built on pops up out the floor! The central core of the grounding element in the house is the hearth, which is the vertical stake that keeps the building in place. An interesting element of the hearth is the cauldron that is used for cooking. This cauldron has a swiveled hinge and rests in a niche carved right into the fireplace stone. This furthers the rhetoric that the grounding elements seem to be carved from surrounding nature as opposed to transcending them. </span><!--EndFragment--> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgul2oo6KXxvhrY0DNM-MQ1AEU9FPhWr5LrgleKV9ReKikJrtC4DIRsIkEEcLa4X-sNwJZzFZBkYYw56cpEvj6vepcnazhghUlI-L17TwipgyR4H_8FQf6-nkTLymrKWkOFKEcJj0N6Cls/s1600-h/Fireplace-and-kettle-with-f.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 253px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgul2oo6KXxvhrY0DNM-MQ1AEU9FPhWr5LrgleKV9ReKikJrtC4DIRsIkEEcLa4X-sNwJZzFZBkYYw56cpEvj6vepcnazhghUlI-L17TwipgyR4H_8FQf6-nkTLymrKWkOFKEcJj0N6Cls/s320/Fireplace-and-kettle-with-f.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422918595126459218" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: small; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; font-style: italic; "><br /></span></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgul2oo6KXxvhrY0DNM-MQ1AEU9FPhWr5LrgleKV9ReKikJrtC4DIRsIkEEcLa4X-sNwJZzFZBkYYw56cpEvj6vepcnazhghUlI-L17TwipgyR4H_8FQf6-nkTLymrKWkOFKEcJj0N6Cls/s1600-h/Fireplace-and-kettle-with-f.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: small; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; font-style: italic; ">Fallingwater fireplace. Note the cauldron niche and the bouldered floor.</span></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The effectiveness of the floating/grounding duality at Fallingwater is due to the extreme distillation of these two elements. To recap, the flotation elements are almost uniformly; horizontal, tan colored, smooth textured, and cantilevered. The grounding elements are almost uniformly: vertical, similarly colored to the surrounding rocks, rough textured, and densely supportive. The mimetic impetus for Fallingwater came from the local rhododendron plant which has leaves that project out horizontally, in direct contrast to its vertical stalk. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> It was unrealistic of me to think that I could cover two major dualities found in Wright’s architecture in one single post, so I have decided to analyze Wright’s concepts of mimetic abstraction in the next essay. As for this essay, the grounding/flotation criteria can be applied when analyzing almost every single Frank Lloyd Wright building. This tension is what makes his buildings such an effective experience when one sees them in person. Photographs cannot pretend to do justice to an FLLW building in person. They have their own magnetic force. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It seems unfashionable this day and age to study Wright as seriously as the other major master architects, but he IS the most important architect in recent history, finding an incredible synthesis between the myriad dualities found in architecture. He is the harbinger of the aesthetic vocabulary of the modern age, and one must remember he was 15 to 20 years ahead of his time. Unfortunately, although he was influential, his aesthetic vocabulary was insular, and unique to just himself. Any other architect using his vocabulary would subsequently be accused of unoriginality (Bruce Goff), something that strangely does not happen as generally with other major modern figures such as Le Corbusier, Kahn, Gropius, and Mies Van Der Rohe. His buildings seem to suggest an alternate universe of architectural possibility. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div>ARGitecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14239555699064269677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198207189108332316.post-22000085340940941102009-12-18T18:12:00.000-08:002009-12-18T18:35:56.107-08:00Growing Wings<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK3mp5k7A-o5N1WBCcaaEK4mIxdwqMXaw3P2ObQu9IYsGYz9YD6Lm4W0Y2geLw89Bu5MJGjYWkrDEr-FgGwfrcHDqjYELvqb6qOR5BaDT-fWavsbZraixdrQPJwH6VZKh-7RjLws1KUS0/s1600-h/174654.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8NjvTrp0LI6KoQr5UU9244ZnOqjbM-F6hvTIydY-bUAt3WbtlCJa3l1W8ie3KmimFVkXEodlc7U3VSNjuZrEJFl18GMpu2xxTLiUWGVEHLC535GvYX-CapjfO6jqATctcQNrNijKht8/s1600-h/Sainte_Chapelle_-_Upper_level_1.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="text-decoration: underline;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 162px; height: 320px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8NjvTrp0LI6KoQr5UU9244ZnOqjbM-F6hvTIydY-bUAt3WbtlCJa3l1W8ie3KmimFVkXEodlc7U3VSNjuZrEJFl18GMpu2xxTLiUWGVEHLC535GvYX-CapjfO6jqATctcQNrNijKht8/s320/Sainte_Chapelle_-_Upper_level_1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416765555350758530" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: italic; font-size:small;"><br /></span></a><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8NjvTrp0LI6KoQr5UU9244ZnOqjbM-F6hvTIydY-bUAt3WbtlCJa3l1W8ie3KmimFVkXEodlc7U3VSNjuZrEJFl18GMpu2xxTLiUWGVEHLC535GvYX-CapjfO6jqATctcQNrNijKht8/s1600-h/Sainte_Chapelle_-_Upper_level_1.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: italic; font-size:small;">Ste Chapelle: My personal favorite Gothic space floats gracefully.</span></a><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Architects have one major foe they tend to fight, even if at the same time they embrace because of the level of comfort it brings them: this foe is gravity, and since the beginning architects have done everything in their power to pull out every magic trick available to suppress its oppressive pervasiveness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is the paradox of the architect:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>to design within gravity to create a building that reassures its inhabitants that it will not topple and crush them, and yet to design against gravity so the inhabitants do not feel stifled by the constant force that keeps them grounded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Gravity is rational, and aesthetic anti-gravity is purely spiritual (or is it?).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The rationalist deals with the physical well being of a buildings inhabitants, while the spiritualist deals with their mental well being, insuring their sanity and sense of freedom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;text-indent: 0px; ">One can almost feel Pre-Roman architects frustration with the painfully small distances they were able to span.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Before the discovery of the arch in the Roman era, architects had almost no tricks up their sleeves to suppress the true weight of gravity. The arch allowed spaces to free up considerably and soar to the sky, making one almost forget for a second that they were enveloped in a closed space with the weight of gravity bearing down on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Still, columns and supports for these remained frequent and thick allowing most of the freedom to happen only in the ceiling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">It was with Gothic Architecture that architects started seriously doing aesthetic tricks to suppress the oppressive nature of gravity in order that ones spirit could commune with heaven unencumbered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The introduction of the ribbed vault certainly helped, allowing bays to be of shapes other than square.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The introduction of the flying buttress freed up wall space considerably allowing a marked increase of glass surfaces on exterior walls.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>These devices allowed the buildings to positively soar, defying gravity with every fiber, but the most important development in helping gravity dissolve was the way that the architectural elements were articulated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Columns still had to be relatively thick to hold up the long spanning arches. This was suppressed considerably by breaking up the large columns into smaller bundles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These bundles appeared light and airy and diffused the mass of the large columns. This detail was carried over in the window mullions and the ribbing of the vaults to create the illusion of a lighter building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These details made one think the building was not indebted to gravity as much as it really was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is a lie, but is it a lie that tells the truth?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>No: it is a lie to express a spiritual desire for freedom and connection to the above.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK3mp5k7A-o5N1WBCcaaEK4mIxdwqMXaw3P2ObQu9IYsGYz9YD6Lm4W0Y2geLw89Bu5MJGjYWkrDEr-FgGwfrcHDqjYELvqb6qOR5BaDT-fWavsbZraixdrQPJwH6VZKh-7RjLws1KUS0/s320/174654.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416765954031131426" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 250px; " /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;text-indent: 0.5in; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"> <!--StartFragment--> </span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;text-indent: 0.5in; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Bibliotheque Ste Genevieve by Henri Labrouste</span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;text-indent: 0.5in; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">The Renaissance temporarily put an end to this flouting of gravity. The focus shifted away from the organic progress of architecture and more towards a fixation with reigniting the decorum and tradition of the Roman Empire; an architecture whose rhetoric is decidedly more grounded. The emergence in the 19</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">th</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"> Century of the Industrial Revolution and its new materials and methods, allowed for architects who were sick of neo-classical obsessions to once again play games with gravity. Examples are many and include the Bibliotheque Ste. Genevieve by Labrouste wherein the columns that hold up the double barrel vaulted interior space look less load bearing and more like stalactites that have reached the ground. Also the explorations of Viollet Le Duc as well as the bold form of the Eiffel Tower show architecture soaring again in the face of gravity. Gaudi may have not used modern industrial technology to give the illusion that his Sagrada Familia Cathedral is floating, he merely reintroduced and refined many of the aesthetic tricks used in Gothic Architecture to create a building that looks as if it is being pulled upward rather than the opposite. The cathedral looks like an upside down melted wax candle. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;text-indent: 0.5in; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;text-indent: 0.5in; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2TXS6N0ME4d5gCk9CyXLJGPDk99TPNLgh7DE0-WBqu_kv5M1xg9v5uZE-XBbvi2O252AqNAZ1anPOvI8NfUTaPLOGGopzp2Gx6tPdKvqmq5YP_TbdyPUetY6_Nn5NfgA1mY5f6qvQES4/s1600-h/4794_118063500378_56200560378_3266601_5413643_n.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2TXS6N0ME4d5gCk9CyXLJGPDk99TPNLgh7DE0-WBqu_kv5M1xg9v5uZE-XBbvi2O252AqNAZ1anPOvI8NfUTaPLOGGopzp2Gx6tPdKvqmq5YP_TbdyPUetY6_Nn5NfgA1mY5f6qvQES4/s320/4794_118063500378_56200560378_3266601_5413643_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416766347098155442" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 256px; " /></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;text-indent: 0.5in; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"> <!--StartFragment--> </span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">50X50 House by Mies Van Der Rohe</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Modern Architecture saw important advances in the game of aesthetic anti-gravity. Louis Sullivan used the gothic device of bundled columns to visually attenuate the large columns needed to hold up early skyscraper design.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Frank Lloyd Wright created a whole vocabulary on the defiance of gravity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>His perfection of the cantilever literally allowed for certain parts of his structures to float. Also the way he articulated corners etc. were all put into place in order to keep his buildings soaring. (Interestingly though Frank Lloyd Wright dealt with the paradox between grounding and flotation, but I will explore this in another post.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Over in Europe, Le Corbusier innovated the Domino system of building.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>With this system columns separated from facades allowing anti-gravity tricks such as ribbon windows to create the illusion of floating architecture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Erich Mendelsohn used this trick to good effect on his Schocken storefronts. So did Walter Gropius in the Bauhaus building. Mies Van Der Rohe explored the idea of floating architecture mostly beginning with the Barcelona Pavilion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Of his unbuilt work, the 50 X 50 house boldly utilized only four slender columns at the midpoints of the perimeter to hold the roof up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These complex cantilevers gave the impression of flotation.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>His floating aesthetic culminated with the Berlin National Gallery where 8 columns are separated from the edges and brought in to about the 1/3 points on any given facade plane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The columns are tapered and end with a shrunken capital, almost the inverse of traditional Greek column anatomy. The effect is stunning, creating the illusion that the roof is hovering and the columns are merely pinning it down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is amazing how just a few aesthetic devices can break the psychic bonds of gravity. A current and successful building that utilizes many of these same tricks can be seen in the New Modern Art Wing in Chicago by Renzo Piano. The louvered and articulated roof hovers over the main building and is held down by dramatically slim columns that taper at both the capital and the base.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>With their proportions, it is difficult to believe they are doing any work at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The effective use of cantilevers, proportioning, structural disconnection from the facade and many other tricks, all contributed in the architect’s quest to break the oppressive pull of gravity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">An architects first and foremost obligation is to create a building that does not fall down on its users.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Yet we remain obsessed with liberating ourselves from the constant constraint of gravity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It brings us down. It is depressing. It is a nag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Buildings by nature are fixed beings, and it is precisely the nature of a building that makes us want to rebel against it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But does the aesthetics of anti-gravity serve any rational purpose? I believe it does in that a building that uses the aesthetics of anti-gravity will, for the most part, use only the essential amount of materials and methods required for it’s construction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Making a structure that needs no embellishment to help it withstand gravity will by its very nature be lighter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It will fulfill the ultimate rationalist benchmark (the elimination of the inessential) as well as the ultimate spiritual benchmark (freedom and all that word implies)!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The closer one comes to floating, the closer one comes to perfection!<o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;text-indent: 0.5in; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;text-indent: 0.5in; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-D9aPLOpF7-VKeAbKZ_-jVCJmvCFp3nRAnr0cjhCxECjiO6u7zRstXUwbCCkytyHcO0RNNtpgWcIo9360q_D9iSVCndj2jKHQUQdV29IMkScWy0N_1wJGPG5-qF_5-098UvIB01U3m8g/s1600-h/DSCN4136.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-D9aPLOpF7-VKeAbKZ_-jVCJmvCFp3nRAnr0cjhCxECjiO6u7zRstXUwbCCkytyHcO0RNNtpgWcIo9360q_D9iSVCndj2jKHQUQdV29IMkScWy0N_1wJGPG5-qF_5-098UvIB01U3m8g/s320/DSCN4136.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416766652556892546" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;text-indent: 0.5in; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Modern Wing Chicago: Renzo Piano (photo by Argitect)</span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;text-indent: 0.5in; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"> <!--StartFragment--> </span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><p class="MsoNormal">End Note: Now in all reality a building that floats is not rational for all programs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A hospital or a prison most definitely would not want to adopt the aesthetics of anti-gravity for practical and rhetorical reasons. There is a time and place for the expression of flotation in architecture.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div><br /></div></div>ARGitecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14239555699064269677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198207189108332316.post-10222092824326181242009-12-04T12:54:00.000-08:002009-12-04T13:12:09.849-08:00The Reverse Aquarium<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkDHadZoSmt8rjoozn5p7B7K1iQwovS95PrGcbsAnjWb-EBD41sOQ8RofvM40Ili_lK7ARpPQOosThsapw6Blk8wqjGIi5cbTsQcy1d_1XedVEbAmCTc_XGwbrY_V-ACGGMIVAvFv8r8/s1600-h/DSCN3743.JPG"></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_T3dKpgvtROB7dnza1PnKtN0bC8CwW-__i4Ryv1MssLzhLxXryr9JWSQERad_cYF0mOhv9dbGI4rI78gwUsi_iAFe95dN4WxDJ21wFrtC1PNcHZa4rwCLH-y0yXod6gwhPYgMvRL-lW4/s1600-h/collageliving+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 306px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_T3dKpgvtROB7dnza1PnKtN0bC8CwW-__i4Ryv1MssLzhLxXryr9JWSQERad_cYF0mOhv9dbGI4rI78gwUsi_iAFe95dN4WxDJ21wFrtC1PNcHZa4rwCLH-y0yXod6gwhPYgMvRL-lW4/s320/collageliving+copy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411488108126361106" /></a><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8LjOn5SrOGePlEnj8_k7dxjhQ8SwET30jYwLwyMOHckxHeXK1-PxnvhSRxBtOQEmMLQy8KqgPNw6qCPIu9SqgKgCPuM49__KfNjG9BLgPtag9RZBWiBggwJZnQ1XHtpClPbI0JplFwls/s320/collageporch.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411488700291627330" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 243px; height: 320px; " /><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Farnsworth House Collages by Argitect (2001)</span></span></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">In an urban environment such as the Chicago Federal Center by Mies Van Der Rohe, we see the architecture primarily frames the sculpture in the plaza. The sculpture is a contrasting vitality. This is not necessary in a rural environment; the vital element to the architecture is nature itself. Nature is the contrasting element, nature is the dynamic force from which the neutralized architecture enhances by aggrandized contrast. Sculpture is the substitute for nature where it is lacking in the big city. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> Nowhere can this be seen more clearly than at the Farnsworth House by Mies Van Der Rohe designed from 1945-1951. Nature is clearly the starring character of the house. The nature of the house is to frame its surroundings. There is no other possibility; one is simply consumed by nature when inside the house. The reflections of trees in the glass mixed with the complex tree filtered shadows create a richly decorative experience. The nature seems to encroach on the border like seeing an effective 3D movie at the theater. Reflection and shadow blur the line between inside and out. The only real cue that one is not in an open pavilion is the muffling of sounds. The tree will whip violently in the wind but one won’t hear the wind inside the house. It’s like a reverse aquarium where the surroundings are on display. The floating plane of roof has an even-handed diffusion that seems to glow with indirect reflectivity.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> The Farnsworth House is also very much like tofu: it takes on the characteristics of its environment. As the seasons change so does the house. The dominant mood of the environment is reflected in the overwhelming sensations of transforming nature. The color of the house changes with the seasons as well, reflecting what is happening beyond the house. In fall, the house takes on a warm hue, a hue of deep colors and gathering fortitude for winter. I have not seen it in winter, but I imagine the house to be perfectly camouflaged and even more “not there” when surrounded by blinding white. Icicles have the potential to form on its eaves, the house becomes an ice fortress, although a freezing cold one with single pane glass! </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> Although I have not seen it at night, I believe the success of the Farnsworth House primarily happens in the daytime. The overwhelming inhabitation of the black night, I imagine, could be oppressive and ominous when inside the house. The reverse aquarium reverses, and one would feel as if they are on display to nature, or whatever else may lurk in the void of black night.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> The architecture is nature’s frame. It is not overtly decorative in order that it does not compete with nature. Just as at a museum, if a painting is framed in an overtly ornate gilded frame the power of the painting is attenuated. A conspicuous frame will make one forget the frame and focus on what is important; the painting!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> It is a hard task to ask the creative minds of architecture to design a building that is not meant to stand out, but instead enhance its surroundings by disappearing as much as possible. The ego wants to be noticed, it wants to be seen and admired. Mies teaches that a building that is meant to disappear, if executed with distilled perfection, can be successful both as architecture as well as an unintrusive framing device for nature (urban or rural) or it’s substitute (sculpture, painting etc.). </span></span></p></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkDHadZoSmt8rjoozn5p7B7K1iQwovS95PrGcbsAnjWb-EBD41sOQ8RofvM40Ili_lK7ARpPQOosThsapw6Blk8wqjGIi5cbTsQcy1d_1XedVEbAmCTc_XGwbrY_V-ACGGMIVAvFv8r8/s1600-h/DSCN3743.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkDHadZoSmt8rjoozn5p7B7K1iQwovS95PrGcbsAnjWb-EBD41sOQ8RofvM40Ili_lK7ARpPQOosThsapw6Blk8wqjGIi5cbTsQcy1d_1XedVEbAmCTc_XGwbrY_V-ACGGMIVAvFv8r8/s320/DSCN3743.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411489300287895778" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-style: italic; font-size:small;">Photo by Argitect</span></span></i></div>ARGitecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14239555699064269677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198207189108332316.post-26657488483808244412009-11-15T20:12:00.001-08:002009-11-15T20:19:27.321-08:00Everything In Its Right Place<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZy9YfnrJfSoyVDWcODChlDBYELquLcGYiBlm1LzQZ2eAL9g65twFduUU3531P7DBif81iYHn6dBvTVkCmVP6R3vQecoVglyVA4mWnhibvn1VHseb01m79wMckS4X6raGoC10TNqqqz1w/s1600/calder.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZy9YfnrJfSoyVDWcODChlDBYELquLcGYiBlm1LzQZ2eAL9g65twFduUU3531P7DBif81iYHn6dBvTVkCmVP6R3vQecoVglyVA4mWnhibvn1VHseb01m79wMckS4X6raGoC10TNqqqz1w/s320/calder.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404549729051356802" /></a><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>Flamingo Legs by Alexander Calder in the Federal Center Plaza by Mies Van Der Rohe (Photo: Argitect)</i></span><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"></span> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><i>“Art is a lie that makes us realize truth” Pablo Picasso</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><i> “Art is the elimination of the unnecessary.” Pablo Picasso</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"> Sculpture for Mies is an important theoretical contrast placed in the context of his work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Solutions for architecture were meant to be architectural solutions (<i>Bankunst</i>), not sculptures with program shoved into them and structure built around them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>To make architecture Mies sought to clarify structure and program in a solution that organically grew out of the needs of structure and program (this is a simplification that I will elaborate on in a future blog). This resulted in a vocabulary of strict logic.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">To compliment the logical vocabulary of his buildings he incorporated sculpture into some of his major projects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In every case this strengthened considerably the theoretical notions of the building by pointing out roles of decorum in the different arts.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They also exaggerated each other’s inherent ideas, strengthening both the idea of architecture and the idea of sculpture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">The most famous example of sculpture utilized in Mies’ work can be found at the Barcelona Pavilion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The George Kolbe sculpture titled “Dawn” stands floating over the shallow pool on the far end of the pavilion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The image of the Barcelona Pavilion that is most widely circulated includes this sculpture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is integral to the building and feels like it was designed for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The sculpture reflects in the water and on the nearby glass heightening the feeling of virtual space within the pavilion.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The organic flowing curves of the sculpture contrast greatly with the planar arrangement of the space enveloping it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This sculpture is a solid form <i>in</i><span style="font-style:normal"> a space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The form of the sculpture and the spatiality of the pavilion are reinforced, exaggerated, and heightened by the presence of each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The sculpture clarifies the spatiality of the pavilion, and in reciprocation the pavilion clarifies the solidity of form in the sculpture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They also elucidate the clarity of purpose for each other: the sculpture is purely art, whereas the Pavilion is purely architecture.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The “pure” architecture of the pavilion is shown in the distillation of the column, roof and wall.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>These clearly articulated elements express the rationality of the architecture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The metaphor of differences between the two arts is somewhat tenuous in this example considering that the Barcelona Pavilion doesn’t actually have a clear program. It is not traditional architecture in the sense that the task it performs is abstracted from pragmatism. This yin/yang between sculpture and architecture can be seen more clearly in the Federal Center in Chicago; a building with a clearer program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">The Flamingo sculpture by Alexander Calder in the Plaza at the Federal Center in Chicago, which was installed after Mies’ death, is, in my opinion, the best example of the contrast between sculpture and architecture in the work of Mies Van Der Rohe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Calder’s Flamingo is literally the heart of the entire Federal Center.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is the dancing soul of the plaza and uses the pristine backdrop to float freely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The two major ways it contrasts the buildings that surround it are its color and its form.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The color is bold red, a significant and heightened color in a backdrop of black mullions and glass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Its form is made up of free flowing arcs that swoop up like a sun flare or a gaggle of St. Louis arches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is with this sculpture that the separate function between art and architecture is wildly contrasted. The sculpture has no obligation to program; its program is merely to create an aesthetic experience. It succeeds in its aesthetic necessity. The building fits courthouses offices and a post office into a structure that must hold these functions up and protect them from the elements. It succeeds in its pragmatic necessities. The aesthetics of the building are a consequential ordering device based on pragmatic concerns including the relationship to its site.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">The success of this contrast between sculpture and architecture in Mies’ work is evident when comparing other famous building/sculpture relationships.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The Daley Plaza sports the famous Picasso, which is the centerpiece of the plaza as well as a great thing for young children to play on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The dynamic relationship between building and sculpture is lost somewhat in that the sculpture is the same color and material as the building (cor-ten steel). It also has a form that, although sinuous in certain parts, has a rigidity about it that seems to reflect the building. So the sculpture and the building seem to have more in common than contrast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I feel this weakens the force of each part when in relation to the other one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Thompson Center Plaza by Helmut Jahn has a sculpture by Jean Dubuffet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The wildly eclectic form of the building competes with the sinuous forms of the sculpture weakening its potency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In even further extremity, any of these sculptures above would look just about impotent when competing with a museum by Frank Gehry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Only the work of minimalist sculptors such as Richard Serra or Sol LeWitt could create an interesting contrast between building and structure. However, this would be an ironic contrast; a contrast that comments on the roles of architecture and sculpture by resisting the nature of their logic. This is a tedious fight: the building fights the Rational, as the sculpture fights the Spiritual.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A couple of Mies’ buildings resisted the introduction of a sculpture most notably in the Seagram Building.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Mies himself spent a considerable amount of time dedicated to designing a free-flowing sculpture for placement in the spacious plaza, however nothing seemed to work. Jacques Lipchitz and Henry Moore were requested to make sculptures for the space but both declined.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Here was a plaza that a sculpture just didn’t seem to fit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>However, after subsequent years, in an even more dynamic and contrasting manner, there have been sculpture exhibitions that periodically changed.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This contrasted the building even further, demonstrating constant change and fluid motion in the face of the indomitable glass and bronze facade of the Seagram Building. I wonder why the Seagram Plaza resisted sculpture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>My initial impression is that the Seagram Plaza, in contrast to the Barcelona Pavilion and the Illinois Federal Center, is symmetrical whereas the other buildings are arranged in asymmetrical, De Stijl, type shifting planes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>(This asymmetry happens in the building itself of the Barcelona Pavilion, and happens in the arrangement of symmetrical buildings at the Illinois Federal Center.)<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Perhaps the symmetry of the Seagram Plaza, in its rigidity, resisted the introduction of a dynamic element such as a sculpture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Extreme contrast between sculpture and architecture can help to heighten the sensations of the other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The decorum of sculpture and architecture is clearly distilled when given a properly opposing context.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"> <o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--> <div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"></span><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWkJX22MyYsxBxE0WSnjVH_1TvORLopUwy3j4USIU55rixYQrS2sYCuJu-ZDaI7XgIU2uGiAj63ypq4HiWo0yGTLepmlVKPC2drCKdEZLxebYX1ANl8MLriqElHzE56rZBYStkenj5Lo/s320/sculptgehry.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404550198472287810" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>The ambiguity and competition of sculpture at the Bilbao Guggenheim by Frank Gehry.</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div></div></div>ARGitecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14239555699064269677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198207189108332316.post-49442481057655560362009-10-31T16:50:00.000-07:002009-10-31T17:03:47.187-07:00The More Part.....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7leac_iDVyuMnnP4Yw_xbIhD5EY5CJvkRyH7FJ6gfv-9r2NePATkl7IgVtxKvEbn9RdyJu9ssGOeqzL_h2wQw6tiYrqRFJH6fKrLW8V9FapxbQM5YSSL2GADEw29ShNwBjBVvZ8iWj5s/s1600-h/DSCN4372.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7leac_iDVyuMnnP4Yw_xbIhD5EY5CJvkRyH7FJ6gfv-9r2NePATkl7IgVtxKvEbn9RdyJu9ssGOeqzL_h2wQw6tiYrqRFJH6fKrLW8V9FapxbQM5YSSL2GADEw29ShNwBjBVvZ8iWj5s/s320/DSCN4372.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398916238947094306" /></a><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7leac_iDVyuMnnP4Yw_xbIhD5EY5CJvkRyH7FJ6gfv-9r2NePATkl7IgVtxKvEbn9RdyJu9ssGOeqzL_h2wQw6tiYrqRFJH6fKrLW8V9FapxbQM5YSSL2GADEw29ShNwBjBVvZ8iWj5s/s1600-h/DSCN4372.JPG"></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Chicago Federal Center: MVDR. Calder Sculpture in Foreground (photo by Argitect)</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div><i>"Less is More"- Mies Van Der Rohe</i></div><div><br /></div><div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">We know that Mies was aware of the ambiguous nature of glass based on his interest in its reflective possibilities for the Glass Skyscraper Project of 1922.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Further evidence of the elusive qualities of glass can be seen in the Barcelona Pavilion where he uses shallow water pools to magnify the mystifying qualities about each material.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Mies would have you believe that his liberal use of glass in his projects in America achieved a clarity and honesty about program and structure. Indeed, for the most part, this is true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It appears his American projects sought to downgrade the mystical qualities that he was exploiting in his Avant-Garde period, but this is specious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>What Mies did was assimilate the residual effects of minimalist architecture into a more subtle and sublime whole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The effects and illusions of materiality were framed within order for maximum viewing of their mystical qualities. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">A building that is fraught with angles and strange juxtapositions competes with the natural mysteries of the materials it’s clad in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A building specifically made to highlight a material may go overboard in its architecturality and lessen the very qualities it was trying to enshrine. An example that comes to mind is the metal cladding found on many Frank Gehry Projects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The shiny qualities and games that are played with the reflectivity of the metal are both heightened and hindered by the form of the building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In other words, the form of the building competes with the inherent qualities of the materials.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Materials framed in less intrusive forms have their qualities heightened because they are not competing with the architecture itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7leac_iDVyuMnnP4Yw_xbIhD5EY5CJvkRyH7FJ6gfv-9r2NePATkl7IgVtxKvEbn9RdyJu9ssGOeqzL_h2wQw6tiYrqRFJH6fKrLW8V9FapxbQM5YSSL2GADEw29ShNwBjBVvZ8iWj5s/s1600-h/DSCN4372.JPG"></a><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 182px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhMZWZcBlcFjld03wIILPOdt0KDtiiEgqqDLm9nspbAPq-njF0Nv-1GXjDqXlYupAvJdAQ0P87xqF5Hcp80iWJE169IL95HBO5DQ5-zTSZv7E8n9-f8nU04s2dvzLvFVSKYcR8OTwUm0Q/s320/Iowa+Advanced+Tech+Lab.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398916410417366306" /></div><div><br /></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Advanced Tech Lab at University of Iowa by Frank Gehry.</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Firstly, in the Barcelona Pavilion we find a much more conventionally ordinary plan compared to the Glass Skyscraper Project of 1922, however the games played with the reflectivity of glass are stunning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Planes of glass float past one another, and in the interstitial space between the overlaps we get mirroring effects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The glass envelope, which is ambiguously shaped in a De Stilj type diagram, gives the illusion of virtual space.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Materials beside glass also obsess over reflectivity: columns are sheathed in chrome, the marble walls are glossy, and the travertine floor on a rainy day becomes a mirror reflecting the entire building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A rainy day would be ideal to see the Barcelona Pavilion, the maximum in spiritual space; it’s material qualities as elusive as it’s program! These residual effects of minimalism unimpeded by obstreperous architectural form are the “more” part in the idiom Less is More.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The rippling water, reflectivity and matchbook marble almost give the building a quality of Baroque-ness, which is certainly unexpected when describing a Mies building. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">In the Chicago Federal Center in Downtown we have an interesting example of the games that glass plays within Mies’ less Avant- Garde and more classically inspired buildings he did in America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>What is interesting and inescapable when looking up at these skyscrapers are the mosaics of the surrounding buildings reflected in the black sounding board of the glass and I-beam grid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The reflections seem part of the buildings, as if they were applied decoration! What’s interesting and jarring at the same time is seeing the adjacent Mies tower reflected in the other one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Unlike the decorated and more solid surrounding buildings that survive the reflectivity relatively unharmed, a Mies reflection of a Mies is engulfing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The building is swallowed up like a black hole; light is absent from the void reflection, like an ominous doppelganger from the other side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> The large sculpture, Flamingo, by Alexander Calder is an integral part of the building, and is perfectly framed by the austerity of Mies’ facades.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But, the buildings do play games with the sculpture. The Post Office reflects the sculpture, and upon approach from the southwest, it is unclear whether the half we see on the post office is a mirrored reflection or if we are just seeing completely through the building to the rest of the sculpture. Upon closer inspection, it is indeed a reflection. The Post Office has distorted the reality of the sculpture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Reflectivity in glass is mostly an outdoor game with facades, except at night where this is reversed and the inside becomes reflective. I imagine this can be unsettling to a person, not being able to see outside, but knowing that anyone could be watching them. I would guess a night in the Farnsworth house after a horror movie with the lights on, obscuring the outdoors would be an unsettling experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Glass is a material that on the surface appears to clarify the nature of a building. The more glass used, the more we understand about its program and structural diagram.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>However, an overabundance of glass can undermine this purpose and create major ambiguities with reflectivity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A master architect will understand this and embrace the contradiction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I know Mies did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>His Less was always More.</p></div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2eGEQV1LKLcFSWynsoqWRaWT3cZoaK9jUk9P93NN6JfeWlKFmNZjrxqhRVE8_6QwxIp6nKUonHP32V6QWvEFpsBq8oEtTvH-egAqN16q3JEX0XDfi0ZoKgDkdmzeMM6_IO94v5sgi3s/s320/DSCN4381_2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398916712481503122" /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Glass tricks with Calder (photo by Argtiect)</span></i></div></div>ARGitecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14239555699064269677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198207189108332316.post-75775025058251904982009-10-24T09:18:00.000-07:002009-10-24T09:26:01.453-07:00Material Spirituality<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJHHzXBjok9LEUMK6P-Sl4yTonShcHvh8sMIwpfJWUzb6MnAdg_uUVMipgUszIfHxEmsUFNBBojzl57fbq3jygjxh-8y0qL4U0SKHYBnOK7Kc-7zUBdhkkXvpACFm1QJSCuAngwQAsDY/s1600-h/barcelona05dailyicon.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJHHzXBjok9LEUMK6P-Sl4yTonShcHvh8sMIwpfJWUzb6MnAdg_uUVMipgUszIfHxEmsUFNBBojzl57fbq3jygjxh-8y0qL4U0SKHYBnOK7Kc-7zUBdhkkXvpACFm1QJSCuAngwQAsDY/s320/barcelona05dailyicon.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396202159103936082" /></a><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIykDM3kHvCOFRkT1i_icMa6Lm0OFD34IQaZ99KN2q0dG9AiT48zFOYnT1TnIhDbPlF5eF690ER6dwLlSRS1aI0zSDpH_STJP4SM9ORqUEcNajKwhAeN6QVw6BHvz8G6iE3cTeX9np7gY/s320/2412_68337225378_56200560378_2585961_6594_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396202297199608930" /><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Top: Luxury at the Barcelona Pavilion Bottom: Velvet and Silk Cafe, 1927. Enveloping Luxury.</span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">“Architecture is the will of an epoch translated into space; living, changing, new.” Mies Van Der Rohe</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>In the previous post comparing Mies’ architecture to the Trump Tower you may be asking me; “But Andrew, where was the paradox in this essay?” The paradox lies in the fact that although Mies achieved a rational, epoch defining space, he did it originally for clients with the same aims as a developer like Donald Trump: to evoke a rhetoric of strength and luxury. IBM is a brand name; the rhetoric of the building shows strength and luxury. Strength is found in it’s bold, no nonsense volume, and it’s pristine detailing. This gives the impression of an indomitable spirit. Luxury is found in its sumptuous materiality. Travertine, dark tinted glass, and gold painted Barcelona Chairs are among the opulent materials. Similarly, the Seagram building in New York by Mies uses even more luxuriant materials. The building is clad in bronze. So, no matter how the IBM Building and the Trump Tower fare for posterity, they were still built for the same aims.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> The paradox of Mies lies in the idea of using finely wrought materials to create a space of almost nothing. What Mies had to do in architecture was to create spiritual space out of the corporeal. One would think that if an architect was interested in making architecture that had an ethereal nature that materials wouldn’t matter much. One would think that the thinnest and least obtrusive materials would be all that is necessary. Of course the prominent material in all of Mies’ work is glass, which is the definition of a material with almost no materiality, but this is contrasted with finely wrought stone of the most expensive kind filled with pattern and texture. These are the opposite of ethereal materials. They do something in regards to grounding the spiritual flight of his column free glass volumes. Mies used his perfectly chosen stonework on the floors and cores of his buildings. These were opaque out of utility, and contrasted in total completion to the surrounding free open spaces. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> How interesting that an architect who grew up the son of a stonemason, indebted to stonework his whole life, would come to conclusions about architecture in his maturity regarding the negation of solidity: The negation of the grounded building! Indeed in the Farnsworth house we find the building floating on columns, removed off the ground by about 4 feet. This has a rational and spiritual motive. Rationally Mies justified this by acknowledging that the house lie in a flood plain, although frequent flooding inside the house over the years has shown he did not raise it high enough. Spiritually it’s an expression of flotation, a removal of the building from the solid earth. The Farnsworth House is spiritually disconnected from reality. It is a ghost! Materiality is suppressed more so in this building than any other of his buildings, and this is done literally by using muted colors and large expanses of glass. Glass is the dominant material, and the panes are so large that when inside they do not seem to exist at all. The only evidence the building is not enclosed is in the sound barrier that the glass provides from the outside. Steel is painted white and thus disappears. The bathroom/utility core is clad in light wood. The only stonework is the travertine floor, texturally rich, but pale in color. Nevertheless, Mies was adamant about getting the stone perfectly placed. He oversaw the laying of the stonework and handpicked individual pieces. Mies expended great effort in making sure the material manifestations of his spiritual spaces were executed perfectly. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> Whether Mies was making a dwelling or a corporate office space, he chose to define the physical manifestations of his work with expensive and beautiful materials. This is not a rationalist approach, and indeed he got flack from his peers when he used such luxuriant materials for the Barcelona Pavilion. Is this a contradiction on his part that his buildings that expressed the idea of essentiality were clad in such worldly riches? Or are we missing something in this interpretation? Mies was a Rationalist in the sense that he used rationality to express spiritual ideas. Rationality for him was an idea of rationality, and not true rationality. I call this Expressive Rationality. True rationality is left in the hands of the engineer. Expressive rationality as a phrase seems to be an oxymoron, a contradiction of two wildly opposite spectrums of thought. But this is what Mies was about. Mies was looking for the spirit of his epoch, but the spirit has to be expressed in reality. This brings me to the question that plagues all artists, sculptors and architects in search for ideas of truth: How does one express an idea of the spiritual with physical means? </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--> </i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><i><br /></i></span><div><br /></div></div>ARGitecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14239555699064269677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198207189108332316.post-47332554086989945162009-10-17T19:49:00.000-07:002009-10-17T19:58:11.707-07:00Trumped!<img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg3zZrgPxN1Oh8FF3jjUTwhO_HzJgagh4_B5o3_Pg_wPOosgUWFZsifoG7FdsUvAA0-9gnHXzXjlc-vBhXAraR-MMANsLAtAMks8y91LNFbqq4SAIF_PbaPczUDrHugtQ7wYAkk4Svi1k/s320/DSCN4401_2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393767103528622258" /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>Left: IBM by MVDR Right: Trump by SOM</i></span></div><div><br /></div><div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>“The essential is what architecture is about, and we should not be afraid if that gets a little boring.” MIes Van Der Rohe.</i></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div><div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">A skyscraper is built by the powerful to show off their power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They are literal realizations of giant egos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Donald Trump has built a giant in the heart of Chicago set out to trump all the surrounding buildings for stature and glory (pun intended).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Its location is a beacon of showmanship: “Look at me! I am better than all of you.” is what it says. This placement used to be dominated by the IBM Building by Mies Van Der Rohe, which before the Trump Tower was foregrounded by the low and unassuming Chicago Sun Times building. This used to be my favorite view of the city. The Trump tower nudged into the Chicago Sun Times spot and is now king of the mountain. In almost every article I’ve read about the building not once have I heard any actual examinations of the architecture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Articles about the Trump Tower are amenities driven, because that’s what it’s all about. The building is for the rich, to live downtown under the luxurious umbrella of Donald Trump. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So what about the architecture of this powerful new kid on the block?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> Trump Tower’s basic form evokes its nearby surroundings, most noticeably the Wrigley Building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The multiple levels tie it in to the various heights of the adjacent buildings making it less jarring as it surpasses them. Obviously the building is dealing with the issues of being right next to the IBM building by Mies Van Der Rohe. This is most clearly evidenced in the treatment of the all glass facade. The most obvious homage to Mies are the vertical mullions that separate the windows. These are spaced in similar proportion to that of the IBM building. The vertical mullions, however, are not I-beams (that would express the structural steel encased in cylindrical concrete columns), but extruded chrome shapes very similar to a clothes iron.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>These shapes go further to point out the main motives behind this facade, which is reflectivity. This shape clad in mirror-finish chrome is clearly that way to capture light and give the facade a shimmering quality. The blue tinted glass windows also reflect to a high degree. When the sun is out an arc of light blinds its way across the building. A band of chrome louvers at intermittent levels signify mechanical floors, similar to the band at the lower one-third portion of the IBM building.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> Having these two building side by side can really teach us about the precious qualities of the IBM Building. No matter how hard the Trump Tower tries to evoke the graceful proportions and grid of the IBM building, something elusive prevents it from looking as elegant. I don’t know what this could be, but this deficiency is in the Trump Tower as well as 95% of all the Mies imitations that are out there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The brightness of Trump gives it a mass and a presence, whereas the blackness of IBM seems to suggest a void in space. It keeps Mies’ skyscraper architecture in the spiritual world, where reality doesn’t quite touch it. The Trump Tower is of the world and part of it, there is no detachment. It also is clearly less a progression of the Miesian spirit and more an homage to his style. This is a key difference, and goes far towards making the Trump Tower nearly irrelevant for its time. It looks badly dated, as if it was built in 1990, one of hundreds of towering glass skyscrapers that sought to use Miesian vocabulary but didn’t have the deft touch to pull it off. In contrast, the Ohio Fairbanks Condos by Helmut Jahn goes further towards crystallizing the ideas of essential epochal architecture in our time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Instead of copying Mies, the building seeks to take his concepts of the essential and apply them to the technological constraints of our time. Similarly, the Aqua Tower, even if the conceptual framework is muddled, is further in the Miesian spirit than the Trump Tower.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Like I mentioned earlier, I believe the driving force behind the materiality of the trump tower was reflectivity, which is a concept for energy efficiency, and also one of many of the residual themes that recurred in Mies’ work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I call it residual, because outside of the Glass Skyscraper project of 1922 reflectivity is an effect of the theories he chose to work with, they were not the driving force.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Just like Jeanne Gangs’ Aqua Tower was mastered by the scrim, Trump is mastered by reflectivity. Both of these were residual effects in Mies’ work.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>An interesting, and I believe coincidental, component of the reflectivity theme (as well as the theme of Miesian homage), can be found in the serpentine glass mullioned facade of the lobby that weaves its way freely in undulating curves. On first impression I felt strongly that this was a wink in the direction of Mies’ Glass Skyscraper project of 1922. Walking along the perimeter of this glass lobby I noticed the fascinating and fragmented reflections it gave off: coincidence or willful effect? If this is indeed the reason behind the lobby facade then I am impressed, but I’m leaning towards coincidence. Either way, it is the best part about the building.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKDxk-6ROZCf1K4Q-vbhzH5TKhJ5YmCc7EATpWd7rC39avGEOZHRzzWmIHuTrLqTeW1Qo9wkxzGk2bGgkrwoEKlT5Im7ESWkq0ReDccCR2BuRtEOUCT1nBC49e7AnNMdAw1tQ_kJBmiNY/s320/DSCN4413_2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393767724703232130" /> <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Lobby Facade of Trump Tower</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal">One last note: walking around the Trump Tower I was depressed to find so many tourists pointing at it, and taking pictures of it, unconscious of the truly great buildings right around including, IBM, Marina Towers and the Wrigley Building. I’ve been compelled several times to go right up to the tourists and tell them they are taking pictures of the wrong buildings. For now, I will let the bully be king of the mountain. I’m confident the novelty will wear off soon. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div>ARGitecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14239555699064269677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198207189108332316.post-45721310056012029692009-10-13T21:48:00.000-07:002009-10-13T21:58:50.784-07:00"Contributions to the Epoch"<img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 130px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ18ThMFwMM66iqWnFt6gGjFmG-7vOOEVgITEL_SuKL6eWuZFJ2kB-vkz94l35d6sxqcS4nncPmrWKBe1i1AtAtsdKNACW8v_4CydahwWZ6n22J35Cd_Q8zzqPkJoX15221VeS_gWCpSk/s320/1918_1_Aqua1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392313392717347666" /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx9ekygovMuaTBmLC5QPqLWWVquwXQUtXp8gYIjtZgyfMhMc0X4ztylMrBS_tRp5ta3LLBmNP_vXwTQJGSFWqp8_M3oVii2ASGH6S9N3E-rtxRWt4FC-5kIUwYXLIU4nugsHHCu5M4vAY/s1600-h/2+Mies+van+der+Rohe+-+Maquette+Glazen+Wolkenkrabber+1922.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 178px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx9ekygovMuaTBmLC5QPqLWWVquwXQUtXp8gYIjtZgyfMhMc0X4ztylMrBS_tRp5ta3LLBmNP_vXwTQJGSFWqp8_M3oVii2ASGH6S9N3E-rtxRWt4FC-5kIUwYXLIU4nugsHHCu5M4vAY/s320/2+Mies+van+der+Rohe+-+Maquette+Glazen+Wolkenkrabber+1922.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392313287304329218" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Left:Glass Skyscraper Project Mies Van Der Rohe 1922. Right: Jeanne Gang Aqua Tower 2008.</span></i></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-style: italic; ">“Some people think that you should always be doing something new, they ask for more and more novelty – not the essential things.” Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> "Things you couldn’t do before maybe because you were forced into repetition from construction, that’s where we’ve really been liberated. I love Marina towers, but they are the way they are because they needed to be repetitious. We can break away from that.” Jeanne Gang</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> The glass skyscraper project by Mies Van Der Rohe is striking in the context of all his other works.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This seems to be a building of free flowing form, truly and literally thinking outside the box.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>His motives behind the shape were the combination of a strange site and games played with the reflectivity of glass.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He stated that an all glass skyscraper was less about light and transparency and more about reflectivity.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>One can imagine Mies systematically and scientifically going through hundreds of permutations to arrive at a volume with maximum reflective potential. It’s strange to hear the motives for a Mies building seemingly having only one dimension: the reflectivity of glass. This seems to be a case where a small idea dictates to an exaggerated amount the built form. His subsequent works would subsume this into an increasingly holistic and spiritual approach to architecture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This building was outright revolutionary for its time. Beyond the strange shapes, Mies begins to show a building that is interested in being honest about how it’s constructed. One can clearly see the structural concept after a cursory glance of the model photograph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Floors are held up by interior columns and the floor plates branch off of these.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The facade is applied and non-structural, it is clipped on, and we can literally see the clips holding the glass up at the top. It’s not far removed from the free plan associated with Le Corbusier, however this is more like a free facade. The model photograph further shows the revolutionary nature of this project by contextualizing it with a bunch of opaque low-rise cottage looking forms right out of Caligari’s Cabinet.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> I can’t help walking around Chicago today, and going past the Aqua Tower by Jeanne Gang and seeing at least a superficial resemblance to the Glass Skyscraper project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They both have sinuous facades, although the Aqua Tower keeps the glass plane vertical and uses the floor plates to create the curves. The motives behind the building also seem to have a similarity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Whereas Mies’ curving forms were about reflectivity, Gangs’ are about maximizing views.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There is an interesting diagram that shows points of views emanating from the tower block and pushing and pulling it in certain directions.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It seems like a similar method that Mies might have used to find his perfect reflectivity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>However, it seems this “maximum view” motive is a little dubious. I get the impression from both of these projects that the initial decisions were purely aesthetic and that a justified motive was attributed after the fact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The idea of views is arbitrary: the flowing forms are what the architect was looking for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And they have a beautiful effect when standing right up to them, but the rationalist inside of me does not see the justification or the posterity for such exaggerations of form.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Jeanne Gang passes herself off as an architectural scientist, using research and modern technology to inform and dictate her architecture. I wish that this could be more boldly asserted in a high profile project such as this, because the rationalist/spiritualist duality seems to be tipped too far in one direction even if at the same time the mouth is speaking of rational motives for the given results.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> The most striking element of the Aqua Tower is the scrim effect it gives looking vertically at close proximity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>When further away this dissipates and the building seems to just be a regular skyscraper block with slightly tweaked fringe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Again it reminds me of Mies Van Der Rohe and the scrim effect that can be found on his skyscrapers with the protruding I-beams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Of course Mies’ scrim is looked at horizontally and not vertically like at Aqua.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s a lovely trick that enhances the ambiguity of a buildings solidity and transparency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I believe the subtle way that Mies did it seems to have much more weighted substance. In other words, it allows you to discover it on your own: the building isn’t mastered by the scrim; it is just one element of many. (When at the IBM building, be sure to check out the adjacent parking garage and revel in the cleverness of it’s cladding. It reflects the scrim effect!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’m also disappointed in the cumbersome and sometimes careless detailing of the Aqua Tower.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The mullions are graceless, and the balcony railing is a jolting afterthought. In defense of the tower though, it has beautiful proportions, very tall and slender, and most importantly, at least it is something new and refreshing to the city that opens up room for discussion.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> Both of these buildings seem to suffer from being mastered too highly by one conceptual triviality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Mies would later use the ambiguity of reflectivity to much more refined effect beginning most strikingly with the Barcelona Pavilion. Hopefully, Jeanne Gang will be able to subsume some of her scientific concepts into more solidly rationalized buildings.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The newly constructed Trump Tower is problematic in a whole different realm, but that “contribution to our epoch” can be a topic for next time.....</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div>ARGitecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14239555699064269677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198207189108332316.post-7077821190274180132009-10-06T08:07:00.000-07:002009-10-06T08:14:45.423-07:00Less is More : More is Good?<img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzoMJFxnqC36t0eeyB75yezh4Ia1BlZD87sc0vowt0aFA4-b3s3DBnZC6pzQfnPxqCpFqBmCfPUJ8m9KhcklAk3aFDbNiTiNbUJVMGjlXnqsujwqNMbaIkdUQeAS8DJqLM4ztMO7X2hN4/s320/DSCN2980.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389504135806443922" /><div><br /></div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYoaTvDC_RKCBxiF296k6a0r3sbJbPZDSJASlBxMi8cEUziqgpZ_XVnKZuUqNE83yGsaPfEisjBFDaJVoYbo3pjYvY8K8UWbApmLaeeOJi3X-j2MEviMktlm-FhZPKUc0U7THcZgCl8Jo/s320/DSCN2972.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389504232469314274" /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-style: italic; ">Above: Crown Hall and Me. Below: Campus Building IIT </span></div><div><br /></div><div><i>"Less is More" - Mies Van Der Rohe</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>"I don't want to be interesting. I want to be good." Mies Van Der Rohe</i></div><div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">In my opinion it seems Mies Van Der Rohe followed Durand’s concepts most fully in the campus buildings that he made at IIT in Chicago (aside from Crown Hall).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These were his first built works in America, and utilized a system of bays and units in plan and bays and units in elevation to create a framework for all the buildings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This was very similar to Durands’ ideas of systematized building units.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Mies also cut away all flak, using in his stripped down buildings a factory aesthetic that arose from the outgrowth of his design process. He eliminated any hint of ceremonial space in these buildings. They were truly utilitarian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That’s why they don’t carry the grace as most of his other built works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Aside from the beautiful corner steel details and the interesting coloring of the glass and brick, these buildings really seem to lack in charm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But that is one reason I find them fascinating.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I mean how did a German coming to a very conservative country like America convince a college campus to create utilitarian box classrooms that looked like factories?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Indeed, the first building he built on the campus was a factory!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s fascinating and it’s boldness and daring bring it up a few points in my book. Mies could have easily theorized that he had created a unitized building system, just like Durand did, and declared he would use it for all other buildings for the rest of his life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Indeed he refined a different type of building with his skyscrapers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>An undiscerning eye could probably not make out the subtle refinements between Lake Shore Apartments, The Seagram Building and The IBM Building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These skyscrapers were very much in Durand’s spirit as well.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>But what compelled him to break away from type in Crown Hall?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It does not share the same units as the other buildings, instead it freely floats on the inside supported by giant exterior beams that do all the work out of sight.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The ceiling is high and grand, the staircases are detailed to float, and it is symmetrical.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These do not seem like Rationalist choices of the like he did with the other university low-rises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It seems Mies was doing something else, and was willfully creating a spiritual space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A space dictated by aesthetic, not pragmatics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>What was the lesson he was teaching his students?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In comparison to the other buildings they would see on campus, I imagine they felt a little confused, or maybe even deified.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>THE ARCHITECTURE BUILDING was a grand space and everything else was lesser. Even the Chapel was a humble building that had more in common with the other buildings than Crown Hall! Perhaps he was commenting on his esteem for architects.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Despite it’s lofty aims, Crown Hall is still created of units and is rigorously disciplined. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It is a logical building to itself.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>All pesky functional rooms are relegated to the basement out of sight and out of mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The main floor is for studio, the sacred act of creating architecture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Mies was an interesting contradiction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>His most famous line was Less is More. If we look at the phrase for a second it is confusing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If less is more, then is more good?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Was he actually advocating more?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It does not appear that way in his buildings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But it is more a spiritual phrase than a rationalist phrase.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The less a building does in the real world, the more spiritually fulfilling it is?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But Mies had do to so much to create Less.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He had to hide utilities, he had to arrange program to fit in cores, he had to develop better facade technology, and he used industrialized ornamentation to articulate the parts of a building. Honesty was not his goal, but a concept of honesty. Which is interesting when looking at Mies the man. He was fat, indulged in expensive suits, and constantly smoked cigars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Outwardly it appears he lived an indulgent lifestyle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I marvel at the demons he tackled in his life.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> Taken with all his other built works in America, in Crown Hall we see the creation of the third building type Mies created:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Open Pavillion. This along with the utilitarian low-rise and the skyscraper were all refinements of basically the same vocabulary over decades. So the question remains, was he a rationalist or a spiritualist?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> Another interesting question lies in his transformation of approach between his European work and his American work. What about America caused him to curb his overtly avant-garde tendencies? ......</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYoaTvDC_RKCBxiF296k6a0r3sbJbPZDSJASlBxMi8cEUziqgpZ_XVnKZuUqNE83yGsaPfEisjBFDaJVoYbo3pjYvY8K8UWbApmLaeeOJi3X-j2MEviMktlm-FhZPKUc0U7THcZgCl8Jo/s1600-h/DSCN2972.JPG"></a><br /><br /></div>ARGitecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14239555699064269677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198207189108332316.post-12686791530384259872009-09-28T13:11:00.000-07:002009-09-28T13:22:48.303-07:00LIght Machines: Le Corbusier<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp7zPCH9otEqvHRdyzxSnVDx7dOcx1OmQomuhzHZd5n6TBLyk-9PFLHLY5OM5aOUHRdo_4Tm7HO16WDSyTf5uxAaUB70VucGvJVLdSeimYZAVtcGUkgGKN_FccuRoJrk1ZNU5RUaA_gy0/s1600-h/pp4.gif"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 307px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp7zPCH9otEqvHRdyzxSnVDx7dOcx1OmQomuhzHZd5n6TBLyk-9PFLHLY5OM5aOUHRdo_4Tm7HO16WDSyTf5uxAaUB70VucGvJVLdSeimYZAVtcGUkgGKN_FccuRoJrk1ZNU5RUaA_gy0/s320/pp4.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386615074721490498" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0WnmpNI7iW_shk0WdPmxx4HU43bJ2MJo6kkV1Whluz0lxfpvrmqFf622L0pKOpoffoweKHEinNw-lL_Q1myVMQ1h0XoSUejzuql9NIP-P9gu3_WN1yLvKXeaJZYPn4XJpRwzESumzWmo/s1600-h/fb35179f2930c79742805088499fd0825bf7f9df.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0WnmpNI7iW_shk0WdPmxx4HU43bJ2MJo6kkV1Whluz0lxfpvrmqFf622L0pKOpoffoweKHEinNw-lL_Q1myVMQ1h0XoSUejzuql9NIP-P9gu3_WN1yLvKXeaJZYPn4XJpRwzESumzWmo/s320/fb35179f2930c79742805088499fd0825bf7f9df.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386614939201486194" /></a><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0WnmpNI7iW_shk0WdPmxx4HU43bJ2MJo6kkV1Whluz0lxfpvrmqFf622L0pKOpoffoweKHEinNw-lL_Q1myVMQ1h0XoSUejzuql9NIP-P9gu3_WN1yLvKXeaJZYPn4XJpRwzESumzWmo/s1600-h/fb35179f2930c79742805088499fd0825bf7f9df.jpg"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>Top: Brussells Pavilion by Le Corbusier and Iannis Xenakis ( A fascinating electronic musician)</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>Bottom: Villa Savoye by Le Corbusier.</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">“Architecture is the masterly, correct and magnificent play of masses brought together in light.” Le Corbusier</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">“The house is a machine for living in.” Le Corbusier</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; font-style: normal; ">Le Corbusier’s famous definition of Architecture being the masterly and correct and magnificent play of masses brought together in light seems to be more aligned with Boullee and the Vitruvian idea of Delight. Le Corbusier, in the end was a form-maker or more aptly a volume-enveloper. He framed views, made abstract sculptural forms removed from the practical and wholly indebted to the purely aesthetic. Like Boullee, Le Corbusier believed in the perfection of pure geometries in creating the most aesthetically perfect manifestation of form. Unlike Boullee, his buildings actually got built! </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">The irony of Le Corbusier lies in the fact that he derived his new conception of modern architecture simultaneously from ancient aesthetics of pure geometric form as well as through the example of the rationalist engineer whose grain silos and factories were emerging with the industrial technology of the time, and were unfettered by the decorum and traditions of architectural expectations. The modern machines of automobile and airplane also inspired his notions of standardized architectural perfection. The modern and the ancient collided in Corbusier’s conception of a new Modern Architecture. However, as can be seen in his works, the Vitruvian doctrine of Delight always takes precedence. He made a point to differentiate the architect from the engineer, something Durand would potentially deem unnecessary. Le Corbusier expounds on how the engineered forms of bridges and automobile and ships allude to new ways of building, but in his Modernist period he uses these lessons solely as aesthetic devices. It is well known that the Villa Savoye was a ridiculously heavy construction made by old methods and fronted to look like a brand new way of building: it was certainly a machine only in spirit. He praised the Engineer in his ability to be honest about the problems of construction in his time, but he did not fully take those lessons to his constructions. His buildings lied to tell the truth: they were an expression of the new honest way to build, but were in and of themselves not honestly constructed. His desire for the correct and magnificent play of light on forms negated the buildings from being strictly about honesty of construction. His expressions were conflicted, and this conflict could be interpreted as an interesting tension or a convolution of ideals. I vote for the former. Le Corbusier was an architect with enough genius to embrace the paradox of his profession. Timeless/Progressive, Industrial/Sensual, Functional/Spiritual, Rational/Arbitrary. He was not without fault, however. Hindsight teaches his ideas of urban planning, and even earlier, of mass production houses, were ultimately not unifying towards society as intended, but alienating. They had negative and long lasting repercussions.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> Le Corbusier was most like Boullee, but practical enough to get his buildings actually built, and in a moment in time where his theories were accepted by the clients of the time. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Mies Van Der Rohe placed his ideologies squarely in the shadow of Durand, using rationality as a religion for the derivation of his buildings. But were his buildings devoid of Delight? Find out in the next post....</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </i></span><br /></div>ARGitecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14239555699064269677noreply@blogger.com2