20th century architecture exam 2
ART DECO, LE CORBUSIER, AND THE 1925 WORLD'S FAIR
Benton and Benton, "The Style and the Age" Benton, "Art Deco Architecture"Benton, "The International Exhibition
Wright, Johnson Wax Administration Center Racine, Wisc. (1936-39)
Mushroom-shaped columns, pyrex skylights and earthy coloured furnishings feature in Frank Lloyd Wright's Johnson Wax Headquarters, which is next in our series of the architect's most important projects, celebrating the 150th anniversary of his birth last week. The Johnson Wax Headquarters - also known as the Johnson Wax Administration Building - was completed between 1936 and 1939 in Racine, Wisconsin. It provided the main office for SC Johnson & Son, an American manufacturer of household cleaning supplies. Despite its location on an industrial park, Wright designed the building in his organic architecture style with references to natural forms. This is exemplified in the main open-plan office space, which is often described as forest-like. - Giant Saguaro Cactus: Equivalent structure to concrete column with steel rods - Staghorn Cholla Cactus:Equivalent structure to column reinforced with cylindrical basket of steel mesh
NY vs. Chicago zoning law
Chrysler building: New York 1916 zoning law No bldg. height shall be twice the street width; for every 1' that bldg. steps back, 4' may be added to height. For stratus building: Chicago 1923 zoning law 260' height limit; no set back for street front towers, provided they took up less than 50% of lot's linear footage; towers may rise to 400
Wright, Millard House, Pasadena, CA. (1923)
- 1 of 4 "textile houses" - each had different pattern in mortar units - wove this house together - structural elements becomes decoration elements - By this time, Wright felt typecast as the Prairie house architect and sought to broaden his architectural vision.[2] Wright turned to the concrete block as his new building material. Wright wrote in his autobiography that he chose to build with concrete blocks as they were "the cheapest (and ugliest) thing in the building world," and he wanted to see "what could be done with that gutter-rat."[3] The textile-block houses were named for their richly textured brocade-like concrete walls.[4] The style was an experiment by Wright in modular housing;[5] he sought to develop an inexpensive and simple method of construction that would enable ordinary people to build their own homes with stacked blocks.[5] By adding ornamental designs to mass-produced blocks, Wright hoped the blocks could become a "masonry fabric capable of great variety in architectural beauty."[2] Writer Hugh Hart described Wright's concept this way: "By unifying decoration and function, exterior and interior, earth and sky — perforated blocks served as skylights — Wright saw his Textile Block Method approach as an utterly modern, and democratic, expression of his organic architecture ideal."[5]
Le Corbusier, Villa Savoye, Poissy, France, 1930 International Style
- 5 points of architecture: pilotis; roof garden; free plan free façade; ribbon windows - surrounded by vegetation, sits on a hill, Nazi's took it over - a summer vacation home - sits up on pilotis, which is a type of column - the columns work as a grid, again based on Greek architecture - was perfectly set to have a turning radius of a car (again with modernity) Interior: - random sink in the middle of the room for cleanliness and perfection, based off of spring by the parathanon for something sacred and clean - stairs only used for descending, you use the ramp for ascending for a smooth easy transition - constantly seeing pilotis (columns) through the house to show construction that is full disclosure - constantly looking at glass walls to other glass walls making it look very spacious and open - spiral staircase and ramp continous through the house - the bathrooms look like abstract purist painting - considered the nature of modern life and architecture's role in the new machine age. His famous dictum, that "The house should be a machine for living in," is perfectly realized within the forms, layout, materials, and siting of the Villa Savoye. - Le Corbusier lavished praise on the totems of modernity—race cars, airplanes, and factories—marveling at the beauty of their efficiency. However, he also argued that beauty lay not only in the newest technology but in ancient works such as the Parthenon, whose refined forms represented, in his view, the perfection of earlier Archaic systems. Le Corbusier sought to isolate what he called type forms, which were universal elements of design that can work together in a system.
Depero , Monza Biennale (1927)
- Futurism - For the 1927 Biennale Internazionale delle Arti Decorative in Monza, Italy, Italian futuristpainter, writer, sculptor and graphic designer, and industrial designer Fortunato Depero designed a Book Pavilion for publishers Bestetti Treves Tumminelli, built entirely out of giant block letters. This was considered a significant architectural achievement. He also produced a lavish printed catalogue of his own graphic work from 1913 to 1927 entitled Depero futurista, reproduced both by letter press and photography. The book was bound in futurist style using two industrial bolts.
Glass Skyscraper Project Mies van der Rohe
- In 1921 this design for a fully glass-sheathed skyscraper was unprecedented. It was based on the untried idea that a supporting steel skeleton could free the structure's exterior walls from their load-bearing function, allowing a building to have a surface more translucent than solid. Mies van der Rohe referred to this concept as an architecture of "skin and bones." Inspired by the exposed structures of the American towers then being built, he argued that "only skyscrapers under construction reveal the bold constructive thoughts, and then the impression of the high-reaching steel skeletons is overpowering." - the daring use of glass, and an expressive silhouette that seemed to owe nothing to history. Conceived only a few years after the end of World War I, this seminal project presented a bold vision of the skyscraper as a new architectural typology for the modern metropolis, anticipating the proliferation of the tall steel-and-glass buildings that have since become ubiquitous in cities worldwide. - people were fascinated with glass at this time as well as hygiene because tuberculosis was common - it was a new/utopian material
Mies van der rohe, Tugendhat House, Brno (1930)
- In the mansion just could glimpse something that would contribute to solving social problems. The dimensions of the building materials and, above all, the amount of economic categorically documented not only his status as a work of art, but also private mansion. Apparently, the building cost ten times more than the Villa Savoye of Le Corbusier and built in those years, however, face. Only the price of onyx wall was, apparently, with the value of a house. The avant-garde Czech Karel Teige defined, so the building as an example of a wrong direction in modern architecture as "the height of snobbery". - As in Barcelona, Mies used here the same principle of "open plan" and "fluid space" along the cross media and chrome used again displays precious stones such as onyx block up to the ceiling, which is extending parallel along the house and separated the working area of the lounge, and a semicircular wall coated in Makassar ebony wood preserving the dining space remaining.Other elements, such as silk curtains and soft-toned furniture, designed in full by Mies in collaboration with Lilly Reich, also help to distribute the main stay versatile. - The idea of a visual connection between the interior and exterior Mies continued to pursue this project. The area of the main stay of the multi mansion opens to the part of the slope through a huge panoramic glass roof at the height of the terrace giving, as if hanging from the branches of a giant weeping willow that grew just in front of the dining area. This impression will be reinforced by two windows, using an electrical device, completely sink into the ground. This would confuse the internal space and landscape, an impression that an accompanying continuously in this space, despite its size and intimate nature. Through a door of a wing, located behind the dining area at the close of the mansion, one arrives at a large outdoor terrace where through a staircase leads to the garden. With regard to the transition between inside and outside, Mies achieved in the year ahead even further with the construction of the house Henke in Essen. The facade oriented garden consisted of a single glass of nine meters long and could sink altogether.
le Corbusiers invention: promenade architecture
- Promenade architecturale is a concept developed by Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier that refers to the implied "itinerary" of a built environment. Le Corbusier coined the term in reference to his houses: Villas La Roche and Savoye. - inspired by Greek facades that created "windows", again seen in the parthenon - The "promenade architecturale" - the observer's pathway through the built space - is a central element of Le Corbusier's architectural and city planning designs. It is the sequence of images that unfolds before the eyes of the observer as he or she gradually advances through the structure.
Perret Apartments at 25bis rue Franklin, Paris (1902)
- Reinforced concrete and the abstraction of architectural traditions - use of elevators helped elevate forms/build buildings higher - 25 bis rue franklin apartment building, paris 1903-1904 architect: auguste perret, 1874-1954 perret's early essay in reinforced concrete was the inevitable place to go after visiting de baudot's innovative church in montmartre. it was built according to françois hennebique's recent system of beton armé which came to dominate construction in the 20th century. hennebique came to concrete construction from a background in restoring cathedrals. de baudot had done the same. this must lead to...
Mies van der Rohe, Brick Country house
- wright and mies had a lot of respect for eachother at first - "god is in the details" - both were meticulous - concern of freeing up space and expanding space within architecture - reminiscent of de stijl paintings - It's the drawing of the floor plan that has most captured attention. It reflects aesthetic interests of the time, Cubist ideas about space, and is a work of art in its own right, reminiscent of De Stijl paintings. - In the ground plan of this house, I have abandoned the usual concept of enclosed rooms and striven for a series of spatial effects rather than a row of individual rooms. The wall loses its enclosing character and serves only to articulate the house organism.** Organism is a term as ambiguous as it is resonant. The rooms flow into each other without clear definition of their boundaries or their separation from the exterior, as they do in his Barcelona Pavilion built a few years later. The influence of Frank Lloyd Wright is obvious and was acknowledged.
Wright (w/Schindler, Lloyd Wright) Barnsdall ("Hollyhock") House, L. A., CA. (1916-20)
- Schindler and Frank Lloyd Wrights son supervised and worked on this while he was in Japan - based on Uxmal (700-1100) - overlooked w giant waters - hollyhock was owners favorite flower and was very much incorporated in the design -xThe building bridges the Prairie style of the preceding decades and his textile block structures of the 1920s. Wright's client, Aline Barnsdall, was the heir of one of the largest independent oil producers in the United States. A fiercely independent feminist who was immersed in the world of experimental theater, Aline flouted convention, first approaching Wright at the height of his personal scandals. Though Barnsdall initially envisioned an elaborate complex of residences, theaters, and shops to serve an avant-garde theater community, financial and artistic differences meant that the Hollyhock House and two secondary residences were the only buildings constructed. Barnsdall's request for a residence that was half house and half garden inspired the numerous terraces, colonnades and pergolas that join the Hollyhock House's interior and exterior spaces. A series of rooftop terraces takes advantage of the temperate climate, providing magnificent views of the Los Angeles basin and the Hollywood Hills. Stylized hollyhocks, Barnsdall's favorite flower, appear on roof finials, furniture, art glass windows, and the ornamental bands of cast-concrete on the structure's exterior. With seventeen rooms and seven bathrooms, the massive residence was ultimately not what Barnsdall wanted. Indeed, her dislike of the Hollyhock House was such that she decided not to complete the artists' colony. In 1923, she offered the Hollyhock House and 11 acres of her property to Los Angeles to serve as a public library and park. The city initially rejected her offer, but in 1927 changed its mind and accepted the land and its buildings for an art park dedicated to the memory of Aline's father, Theodore Barnsdall.
Neutra Lovell House, L. A. (1927-29)
- The Lovell House or Lovell Health House is an International style modernist residence designed and built by Richard Neutra between 1927 and 1929. The home, located at 4616 Dundee Drive in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, was built for the physician and naturopath Philip Lovell. It is considered a major monument in architectural history, and was a turning point in Neutra's career.[2] It is often described as the first steel frame house in the United States, and also an early example of the use of gunite(sprayed-on concrete). Neutra was familiar with steel construction due to his earlier work with the Chicago firm Holabird & Roche. Neutra served as the contractor for the project in order to manage the cost and quality. - The interior reflects Neutra's interest in Cubism, transparency, and hygiene. The "minimal" detailing shows the influence of Irving Gill. In another nod to industrial production, Neutra installed two Ford Model-A headlights in the main stairwell. (The headlights were provided by Neutra apprentice Gregory Ain.)[10] The Historic American Buildings Survey described the Lovell House as "a prime example of residential architecture where technology creates the environment.
Mies van der rohe
- The Search for Transcendent Form(a synthesis of modern and classical values -In the 1930s, Mies was the last director of the Bauhaus, a ground-breaking school of modern art, design and architecture.[2] After Nazism's rise to power, with its strong opposition to modernism (leading to the closing of the Bauhaus itself), Mies emigrated to the United States. - Mies sought to establish his own particular architectural style that could represent modern times just as Classical and Gothic did for their own eras. The style he created made a statement with its extreme clarity and simplicity. His mature buildings made use of modern materials such as industrial steel and plate glass to define interior spaces, as also conducted by other modernist architects in the 1920s and 1930s such as Richard Neutra. Mies strove toward an architecture with a minimal framework of structural order balanced against the implied freedom of unobstructed free-flowing open space. He called his buildings "skin and bones" architecture. He sought an objective approach that would guide the creative process of architectural design, but was always concerned with expressing the spirit of the modern era. He is often associated with his fondness for the aphorisms, "less is more" and "God is in the details".
Vers Une Architecture (1923): LE CORBUSIERS VIEW ON RATIONALITY OF MODERNISM
- Types evolving towards perfection - the book vers une architecture talks about "types" evolving to perfection - how architecture is like fashion and you want something to be timeless - Le Corbusier sees "types" of evolving toward perfection, believes that the Parthenon was the epitome of greek architecture - believes that architecture goes from prototype to streamlined perfection just like cars - thinks that a cruise ship is the most streamlined version of architecture because it is a model of efficiency
Wright Fallingwater (Kaufmann House) Bear Run Penn. (1934-37)
- Wright designed the home above the waterfall: Kaufmann had expected it to be below the falls to afford a view of the cascades.[15][16] It has been said that he was initially very upset with this change - Fallingwater stands as one of Wright's greatest masterpieces both for its dynamism and for its integration with its striking natural surroundings. Fallingwater has been described as an architectural tour de force of Wright's organic architecture.[29] Wright's passion for Japanese architecture was strongly reflected in the design of Fallingwater, particularly in the importance of interpenetrating exterior and interior spaces and the strong emphasis placed on harmony between man and nature. Contemporary Japanese architect Tadao Ando has said of the house: - ntegration with the setting extends even to small details. For example, where glass meets stone walls no metal frame is used; rather, the glass and its horizontal dividers were run into a caulked recess in the stonework so that the stone walls appear uninterrupted by glazing. From the cantilevered living room, a stairway leads directly down to the stream below, and in a connecting space which connects the main house with the guest and servant level, a natural spring drips water inside, which is then channeled back out. Bedrooms are small, some with low ceilings to encourage people outward toward the open social areas, decks, and outdoors. - corners have casement windows "breaking the box"
Schindler Schindler-Chace House L.A. (1921-22)
- builds complex, the restoration was funded by Australian museum of applied arts - very rustic, feels like you're camping indoors - inspired by platform areas and living outdoors - Tuberculosis was common at the time, the best thing you could do was be outside - The Schindler House was such a departure from existing residential architecture because of what it did not have; there is no conventional living room, dining room or bedrooms in the house. The residence was meant to be a cooperative live/work space for two young families. The concrete walls and sliding glass panels made novel use of industrial materials, while the open floor plan integrated the external environment into the residence, setting a precedent for California architecture in particular. - also use of concrete slabs
Rationalism/Gruppo 7
- centered in Milan - radical and dynamic style -inspired by Bauhaus and Corbusier -rational= structure and purpose - Gruppo 7 declared that intent was to strike a middle ground between the classicism and the industrially-inspired architecture - By the early 20th century, architects such as Hendrik Petrus Berlage were exploring the idea that structure itself could create space without the need for decoration. This gave rise to modernism, which further explored this concept. More specifically, the Soviet Modernist group ASNOVA were known as 'the Rationalists'. Rational Architecture (Italian: Architettura razionale) thrived in Italy from the 1920s to the 1940s, under the support and patronage of Mussolini's Fascist regime. In 1926, a group of young architects - Sebastiano Larco, Guido Frette, Carlo Enrico Rava, Adalberto Libera, Luigi Figini, Gino Pollini, and Giuseppe Terragni (1904-43) founded the so-called Gruppo 7, publishing their manifesto in the magazine Rassegna Italiana. Their declared intent was to strike a middle ground between the classicism of the Novecento Italiano movement and the industrially inspired architecture of Futurism.[9]: 203 Their "note" declared: The hallmark of the earlier avant garde was a contrived impetus and a vain, destructive fury, mingling good and bad elements: the hallmark of today's youth is a desire for lucidity and wisdom...This must be clear...we do not intend to break with tradition...The new architecture, the true architecture, should be the result of a close association between logic and rationality.[9]: 203 -
Le Raincy Paris (1922-24)
- concrete ornament becomes structure and decoration - decoration, structured and lets light in through the use of the concrete - it's a cheap material, not necessarily a beautiful material - first time concrete was used for a church of this scale - At the beginning of the 20th century, Le Raincy was a small parish church for suburbs whose population was rapidly growing. In 1918, the parish priest of Le Raincy, Felix Nègre, proposed to build a church to commemorate the French victory in the Battle of the Marne in 1914. Through connections among parishioners, Nègre came into contact with the Perrets. The design used concrete for economy. Rather than attempting to simulate masonry, the new material was used on its own terms, with standardized elements, slender supports, and thin membranes pierced by windows. The completed church received widespread favorable attention, influencing architectural thought at a time of rebuilding and economic recovery.
Sant'Elia, La Cittá Nuova (1912-14)
- futurism - no decorations, no painting, no sculpture - rejection of traditional art/beauty and acceptable of the machine - that was conceived as a symbol of a new age - His extremely influential designs featured vast monolithic skyscraper buildings with terraces, bridges and aerial walkways that embodied the sheer excitement of modern architecture and technology. Even in this excitement for technology and modernity, in Sant'Elia's monumentalism, however, can be found elements of Art Nouveau architect Giuseppe Sommaruga.
Portaluppi, Corso Venezia Building, Milan (1926-30)
- futurism - reinterpretation of traditions -reinterpreting imperial forms -
Novecento, Muzio Ca'Brutta, Milan (1919-22)
- group centered in Milan - uses modern elements as well as classical elements - After service in World War I Muzio began his practice in 1920 and is responsible for the best-known work of the Novecento movement, the 1922 residential block called the Ca' Brutta ("Ugly House") on the Via Moscova in Milan. The style is a stripped-down neo-classicism, five stories on a rounded corner patterned with real and blind arches, and bands of color for each story.
Memorial to Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg, Berlin: Mies van der Rohe
- history of stone work, very much inspired by materiality - The Monument to the Revolution was built in 1926 on the Central Cemetery Friedrichsfelde in Berlin in memory of the murdered Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxembourg, victims of the Reichstag riots of 1920. The building was demolished in 1935 by the Nazis and not restored after the end of the Second World War. - Mies van der Rohe commissioned the patron of the arts and the German Communist party Eduard Fuchs to design revolutionary monument with the essential element of a brick wall. The sculptor Herbert Garbe was involved in the design and later the construction.
Lovell Beachhouse, Newport, CA. (1922-26)
- indebted to European modernism - The Lovell Beach House is generally considered one of the greatest works of pioneering modern architect, R. M. Schindler. It demonstrates an early use of concrete which predates and predicts the post-war Brutalist style, in which concrete is left unsurfaced, and structure is distinct from enclosure. ... The house is lifted above its beach site and cradled in five concrete frames in the shape of figure 8's. These were poured in place. The enclosed areas were shop-fabricated and hoisted into position. The play of forms in the advancing and receding planes are related to the De Stijl movement begun in the Netherlands in 1917
Le Corbusier L'Esprit Nouveau (1920-25)
- le corbusiers own magazine -emphasis on platonic forms - complex compositions - logic, control, rationality, precision - wanted a rational world of logic - believed architecture was mathematical order, architecture was not just throwing something and seeing if it sticks - loved greek architecture, it is rational and mathematical especially with columns
Jeanneret(Le Corbusier) Domino House (1914-15)
- one of his earlier projects, reinforced concrete looks like one continuous slab - frees up interior structure and exterior to view them at the same time - doesn't need walls to support the ceiling - This would result in a completely new method of construction: the windows would be attached to the structural frame, the doors would be fixed with their frames and lined up with wall panels to form partitions. Then the construction of the exterior walls could begin. - was intrigued by modernization at the time such as cars and wanted to create something that reflected modernity
Figini and Pollini, Casa Elettrica Building, Monza Biennale (1930)
- rationalism - The building is an example of a modern villa. It was also an example of space solutions and furnishment. Designed by young architects Luigi Figini and Gino Pollini with the collaboration of colleagues Buttons, Frette and Free at the Fourth International Exhibition of Decorative Arts and Modern industrial Monza 1930. Unbelieveable modern as its time, the house was designed to be energy managed through the use of electricity alone. Lighting, appliances, ventilation, kitchen, hot water, etc. were all powered by electricity. The segmentation of the building is very simple. The rectangular complex (16 to 8 meters) connects the first floor with stairs to the upper floor, which is entirely occupied by a roof terrace. At the front of the building is a covered atrium which entrance is next to the L-shaped walls of the glasshouse. The back provides entrances to one of the two bedrooms, the dining room and kitchen, the latter also with service exit. The electric house wanted to be an example, but go far beyond the practical possibilities of the mass consumer. In addition to the greenhouse other internal components were based on the application of relatively valuable finishes. The building had linoleum floors, walls covered with rubberized material, the banister of the staircase and the loggia were chromed metal. Furniture was finished with celluloid which gave the home an exclusive and wide spread of modern materials.
Terragni, Casa del Fascio, Como (1932-36)
- rationalism - also known as house of Fascism - walls of blocked glass (very innovative to use glass as walls at the time) - separated by structured columns, inspired by le Corbusier (shows interior) - very metaphorical, fascism is a glass house in which all can look, there is no hiding - During totalitarianism monumental architectures were often used as a propaganda of the Government ideologies: what their language has in common was the desire to privilege functional aspects of architecture, removing decoration and making sure that the form was subordinated to the function.[28] Hence, the rigour and the functionalism promoted by the Fascist regime are translated into the constructive shapes of Casa del Fascio
Mies van der rohe, German pavilion
- reminiscent of van DoesburgRhythms of a Russian Dance (1918) - free space for horizontals - classical vocabulary - organizing grid of columns that allow horizontal "sheets" to float in space - abstracted classical grid relating to classical temple columns - contains walls made from precious materials - Unlike other pavilions at the exposition, Mies understood his pavilion simply as a building and nothing else, would house art or sculpture, however the pavilion would be a place of tranquility in which to take refuge from the bustle of the exhibition, which has itself flag in a living sculpture.It is an important step in the history of modern architecture building, since all ideas nascent modernism with more freedom than in other works, its only function was to disseminate these new ideas, and the use of new materials is reflected in it and construction techniques.
Gill La Jolla Women's Club (1913)
- used tilt slab construction - La Jolla Woman's Club embodies the progressive values of early-twentieth-century America, where architectural design and technological innovation were put to the service of a community of women who sought to reform American society. At the time of the building's construction, American women neither had the right to vote nor legal custody of their own children. In response to this, women across the country organized local clubs, where members could further their own education and, through public lectures, that of the broader community. - The Woman's Club is sited at a prominent intersection in La Jolla. The one-story structure, which is virtually square in plan, is lifted slightly from its site on a concrete podium. The side yards of the club are defined by vine-covered pergolas that are supported by pairs of columns; the resulting outdoor rooms are examples of what Gill referred to as "green rooms," effectively extending the club's recreational space outdoors. The core of the building is a double-height, wood-frame structure that accommodates the central assembly room equipped with a stage at one end. Pairs of accordion doors flanking the central space permit the area to be subdivided into separate lunch and clubrooms.
1925 International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts
- was a World's fair held in Paris, France, from April to October 1925. It was designed by the French government to highlight the new style moderne of architecture, interior decoration, furniture, glass, jewelry and other decorative arts in Europe and throughout the world. Many ideas of the international avant-garde in the fields of architecture and applied arts were presented for the first time at the Exposition. The event took place between the esplanade of Les Invalides and the entrances of the Grand Palais and Petit Palais, and on both banks of the Seine. There were 15,000 exhibitors from twenty different countries, and it was visited by sixteen million people during its seven-month run.[1] The Style Moderne presented at the Exposition later became known as "Art Deco", after the name of the Exposition - Bon Marché/Pomone (traditional) inspired Studium Louvre (modernist) - Primavera based off of Galeries Lafayette/La Maîtrise
Chareau's Maison de Verre in Paris
- watch video - (collaborated w/ Bernard Bijvoet ironwork by Louis Dalbet - Built for Dr. and Ms. Dalsace; current owner Robert Rubin (very sanitary) - The Maison de Verre's glass façade is made up of glass blocks supported by a steel frame structure. In the interior, spaces are separated by movable, sliding, folding or rotating screens in glass, sheet or perforated metal. Other mechanical components include an overhead trolley from the kitchen to dining room, a retracting stair from the private sitting room to Mme Dalsace's bedroom and complex bathroom cupboards and fittings. The whole steel structure with bare beams, the canalisation and conduits remain visible from the outside and contribute to the architecture thus transforming utilities into decorative elements. The glass block wall itself, is able to stand alone without the heavy frame. Ventilation through the glass block wall is provided by a series of movable traps. A weight and pulley system opens the window panels, allowing for natural ventilation. This unique system causes a minimum of visual impact on the glass facade of the structure. - The house which was used as a residency also comprised Dr. Dalsace's gynecological practice which was located on the ground floor. A rotating screen hid the stairs leading to the private apartment in the upper floors from patients during the day, but framed the stairs at night. Pierre Chareau who was a distinguished furniture designer in Paris at the time gave enormous attention to detail, so much that the house itself was sometimes half-mockingly described as an elaborate piece of furniture.
Marinetti
-futurism - a lot of disappointment that Italy didn't turn to modernity fast enough - had fairly radical ideas - he is pictured with a car that is a metaphor for change, abandonment, and zealousness
French Embassy Society of Artists-Decorators (SAD)
After this show a group of artists established an informal collective known as La Société des artistes décorateurs to promote French crafts. Among them were Hector Guimard, Eugène Grasset, Raoul Lachenal, Paul Bellot, Maurice Dufrêne and Émile Decoeur. These artists are said to have influenced the principles of Art Deco. - The Société des artistes décorateurs (SAD) was founded in 1901 in response to increasing interest in France in fine and applied arts. It was aimed to satisfy the demand of the prosperous urban elite for high-quality French craftsmanship and cabinetmaking - By the 1950s the society's salons were one of the main places for young designers to exhibit their new work. In the period after World War II (1939-45) there was increased interest in using new methods and materials for mass production of furniture. Manufacturers of materials such as formica, plywood, aluminum, and steel sponsored the salons. Designers who exhibited their experimental work in this period included Pierre Guariche, Joseph André Motte, René Jean Caillette, Jean Prouvé, Charlotte Perriand, Antoine Philippon and Jacqueline Lecoq. The salons also showed decorate textile and ceramic art.[3]
futurism
An early-20th-century Italian art movement that championed war as a cleansing agent and that celebrated the speed and dynamism of modern technology. - most of the groups centered in Milan - Northern part of Italy much wealthier than the south - advant guarde took place in northern areas - led by Marinetti
Viollet-le-Duc Discourses on Architecture (1872)
Curtis (p.75):Abstraction of historical and natural prototypes to supplement function and structure in generating adequate architectural forms. question: But WHICH qualities should be abstracted from tradition? - advocate turning their backs on certain parts of history - ** uses Hennebique system(This system was designed to withstand the tensile forces against which ordinary concrete is weak): reinforced concrete, can take structures and make a web to create roofs, tilt slab construction which frees up space - prefabricating large concrete panels, which are then lifted into place and fastened to a slab. ... Once each panel has been erected and fastened together, the building will be stable and ready for completion **Reinforced concrete did not itself generate specific forms.
UNITED STATES: BETWEEN THE WARS
Curtis, chap. 13 Curtis, chap. 18, pp. 310-19 Doordan, "Exhibiting Progress"
ITALY FUTURISM TO RATIONALISM:
Doordan, "Futurism,The Novocento Movement, Rationalism" Doordan: "major themes on the futurist movement: 1. the utter rejection of traditional definition of art and beauty, 2.the enthusiastic acceptance of the machine as the expressive icon of the machine age, 3. the conviction that change and impermanence were critical for the machine age 4. the belief that densely populated urban centers constituted the appropriate stage for development of modern life" (pg.1) Doordan: rationalists went against futurism the rationalists wanted conception of a truly modern progressive approach to architectural design "they identified the logical solution of programmatic requirements as an indispensable element of the new architecture" (pg.19) Curtis, chap. 20, pp. 360-66
READINGS: GERMANY: MIES VAN DER ROHE TO 1930S
Frampton, "Mies van der Rohe and the significance of fact" quote: Curtis, chap. 15, pp. 270-73 quote: Prudon, "Barcelona Pavilion" Curtis, chap. 18, pp. 305-11 quote:
Reinhard and Hofmeister, Hood and Associates Rockefeller Center, NYC (1931-40)
Raymond Hood's RCA building (since renamed the GE building and popularly known as 30 Rock) dominates Rockefeller Center. This skyscraper exudes a cool, unfussy elegance. Its limestone façade rises above its neighbors in a series of stepped verticals. Aluminum spandrels create a vertical pattern of lines that emphasize the building's height. Hood had used a similar approach in his Daily News building, but the striped effect was more subtle here, and the overall proportions more delicate. The building's profile shifts according to the viewer's perspective—its north and south façades stretch wide, while its east and west ends present slender fronts to the street. The main approach lies on the east via the long and narrow Channel Gardens (a walk that separates buildings dedicated to France and Britain) that slope gently downward, allowing an unobstructed view as the tower soars upward like the prow of a huge ship. - The building was as efficient as it was elegant, with floor plans designed to maximize rental values. Proximity to windows was important—tenants demanded daylight and ventilation in their office spaces. Careful planning minimized the distance between windows and hallways. Elevators were brought to the center of the building in order to conserve valuable floor space along the perimeter. New high-speed elevators meant fewer banks and thus more rentable floor space. Roof gardens occupied the setbacks below the sixteenth floor—an inexpensive way to add a touch of luxury to the offices, and collect higher rent from those spaces. The streamlined moderne* lines of the RCA building typified the style that dominated Rockefeller Center. The towers of the complex cannot be described as avant garde, but they are modern in their simplicity. Their minimalism was due more to cost cutting than architectural experimentation, but nevertheless resulted in a restrained and cohesive complex that primarily relies on massing and proportion for effect.
Libera, de Renzi, Valente (w/Capraro), Italian Pavilion, Century of Progress, Chicago (1933)
Symbolically prophetic of the flight of 24 Italian planes, under command of General Balbo, leaving Rome in June for Chicago, Italy's building stands at the extreme southern end of the Avenue of Flags in the shape of a giant airplane. With her 450 exhibits, she will tell a dramatic story of her remarkable achievements in engineering, physics, medicine, geography, astronomy, agriculture, shipping and aviation from the times of the Caesars to the present day. The great engineering feat of draining the Ostian marshes and the reclamation of valuable land for agriculture and port development will be a part in these displays. - One description of the fair noted that the world, "then still mired in the malaise of the Great Depression, could glimpse a happier not-too-distant future, all driven by innovation in science and technology." Fair visitors saw the latest wonders in rail travel, automobiles, architecture and cigarette-smoking robots.[2] The exposition "emphasized technology and progress, a utopia, or perfect world, founded on democracy and manufacturing."[3]
Le Corbusier L'Esprit Nouveau Pavilion (1925)
The Pavillion de L'Esprit Nouveau was a temporary building created in 1925 within the framework of the International Exposition of Decorative Arts in Paris. Le Corbusier took the chance to provocatively display his ideas about architecture and urbanism, which he had started to develop along Pierre Jeanneret since 1922. Such ideas were rare at a time where the Art Nouveau was considered primarily a decorative art; the response against this project was frankly hostile. The exposition organisers' attitude stems from the participant's reject of decorative art. A four-meter high fence was built around the pavilion to hide it from the public eye, later removed thanks to the intervention of the Minister of Beaux-Arts during the exposition's inauguration. - The pavilion's new conception of "habitable space" discards all decorative notions. Le Corbusier attempts to demonstrate that architecture is overall present, be it in the most humble domestic equipment or in a manor, a district, a city, etc. It is a question of proving that reinforced concrete and steel (at a time in which these materials were regarded as undignified by architectonical masters) offer many architectonical possibilities, particularly for series housing, and demonstrating that industrialisation through standardised materials and art are not mutually exclusive. Next to the pavilion, a roundabout, reachable to the public, was established for the presentation of great urban projects. Two dioramas exhibited, in approximately 100 square meters, the Contemporary Villa with 3 million inhabitants (1922) and the Plan Voissin (which owes its name to the sponsoring industrial), which suggested the building of a business city in the urban centre of Paris. These scenes were accompanied by revolutionary urban and architectonical plans: a real vision of tomorrow's world. The Pavilion of L'Esprit Nouveau was, in fact, a natural scale model from one of the aforementioned cells. The Villa's prototype constituted one of the Modern Movement's models due to the emblematic, radical synthesis of its proposal. The familiar unit was hosted in purist quarters, with refined designs and resolutely constructed, which continued on to private gardens allocated across space. On a side note, in the Pavilion's chosen location grew a tree which could not be brought down. Le Corbusier's solution was to adapt his architecture around the territory's requirements. The Pavilion de L'Esprit Nouveau marks a milestone in architectonical evolution. The concept of furnishing is replaced by that of equipment, which affects the distribution of different essential elements for the habitat's daily functioning as a consequence of its utility. Standardised, industrial furniture replace the inner walls and distribute the different functions. Each responds to and is defined by its purpose: library, clothes, dishes, etc. The designer Charlotte Perriand collaborated at the stage of equipment design.
Van Alen, Chrysler Building, NYC (1928-30)
The era was characterized by profound social and technological changes. Consumer goods such as radio, cinema, and the automobile became widespread.[23] In 1927, Walter Chrysler's automotive company, the Chrysler Corporation, became the third-largest car manufacturer in the United States, behind Ford and General Motors.[24][25] The following year, Chrysler was named Time magazine's "Person of the Year".[26][27] The economic boom of the 1920s and speculation in the real estate market fostered a wave of new skyscraper projects in New York City.[27] The Chrysler Building was built as part of an ongoing building boom that resulted in the city having the world's tallest building from 1908 to 1974.[28] Following the end of World War I, European and American architects came to see simplified design as the epitome of the modern era and Art Deco skyscrapers as symbolizing progress, innovation, and modernity. The 1916 Zoning Resolution restricted the height that street-side exterior walls of New York City buildings could rise before needing to be setback from the street.[a][31] This led to the construction of Art Deco structures in New York City with significant setbacks, large volumes, and striking silhouettes that were often elaborately decorated.[32][33] Art Deco buildings were constructed for only a short period of time; but because that period was during the city's late-1920s real estate boom, the numerous skyscrapers built in the Art Deco style predominated in the city skyline, giving it the romantic quality seen in films and plays.[34] The Chrysler Building project was shaped by these circumstances
FRANCE: PERRET AND LE CORBUSIER TO 1930
readings: Curtis, chap. 4, pp. 73-80 - quote: Curtis, chap. 10, pp. 163-74 - quote: Curtis, chap. 16 - quote:
