JAV131 Outline for Introduction to Architecture Lecture #1 1850-1900
Introduction
The course is restricted to manmade buildings with architects and cultural intentions
Work becomes architecture when it acquires existence beyond itself i.e. in words and images
Drawing and detailing as a method of conveying information Different levels of abstraction to signify difference in emphasis
Geographical importance of architecture especially Canada and Europe In hindsight: something becomes a prelude as soon as it is clear what came after that.
The historical significance is determined by what happened afterwards. The meaning of the present will only be discovered in the future.
Historical events have to be packaged in a story to be able to function as facts.
A prelude becomes important only in retrospect
Architecture history is Eurocentric particularly due to the technological advancements that originated in the West
Industrial Revolution credited as the starting point for modernism – slow process but led to increase in wealth and was boosted by colonialism Agricultural Revolution in the 17th century is also considered as a starting
point as it allowed more food to be produced by less people; earlier eight people would work to produce food sufficient for ten people only
Scientific Revolution and French/American Revolution led to the
transformation towards bourgeois society and the establishment of a civil society
Earlier, houses were rounded by agricultural plots
Linear and square plans prevalent – William Penn masterplan for Philadelphia – 1682 –
Designed by people without experience in architecture – simplistic and straightforward but also functioning plan – without cultural intentions
Pierre Charles L’Enfant, Plan of the City of Washington, 1791 – elaborate and aesthetic plan
New York, Commissioners’ Plan 1807, adopted 1811 Georges-Eugène Haussmann (1809-1891)
Cavalier perspective was possible only when people individually measured the front and back façade of the homes in Paris to create a bird eye view Cohesion and order imposed in Paris
Replacing smaller buildings with public buildings and governmental orders Continuous state to construction in the city for decades
Photographs often empty – long exposure photography was the only option so the streets had to be emptied to prevent ghost like blurring movement being captured
Underground sewer systems introduced with running water being
transported in smaller pipelines – innovative idea previously unthought-of After Haussmann, the Paris metro started
Revolutionary underground metro system - followed in London Urban planning started with Haussmann followed by Ildefons Cerdà Ildefons Cerdà has been credited with the invention of the word urbanization and was an influential figure in Barcelona
Cerda stressed on the difference between urbanization and city building with the former being infinitely possible but the latter being restricted due to geographical constraints
Cerda’s maxim ‘urbanize the rural, ruralize the urban’
Vienna – Ringstrasse 1858 - new buildings constructed and urban transformation of the city
Classical Greek style Parliament building with symbolic reference to Greek democracy
New York: Building a new city
Paris: Transforming the existing city through demolition Vienna: Mending the city
Barcelona: Urbanizing the rural land around the city
New York and Barcelona- neutral, generic and homogenous planning! The building form was less important than the street/avenue plan.
Two-dimensional thinking
Vienna and Paris – Three-dimensional thinking model with monumental
buildings! Plan is more important than the designers but often attributed to a single designer like Cerda’s Barcelona
The idea that the painter or artist is the one with the sole ability and attribute central to the work has been wrongly applied to architecture. Architecture is an inclusive non-solo activity
Aftermath of the Chicago fire – The fire allowed for the rebuilding of the city once again
Emergence of the skyscraper with the availability of the steel frame and the elevator crucial to its emergence
William Le Baron Jenney – one of the first to integrate the steel frame
Once again, the significance of the past is determined by the consequences in the future
Demolition is a part of the city’s growth as old buildings make way for new ones
Steel frames had a load bearing effect with the forces factored in that allowed the walls to be non-load bearing
Skyscrapers helped to make buildings become transparent with the use of the steel frame and the glass exterior – especially helpful to the doctors and patients of the day
Monadnock Building – otherwise loading bearing walls had to be wider at the bottom to bear the buildings weight
Le Corbusier ‘the house should be a machine to live in’
Functionalism as an idea grew with the influence of Louis Sullivan’s maxim ‘form follows function’
Joseph Paxton - Crystal Palace, London 1851 – seen as a crucial starting point of modern architecture
First exposition and resembles a greenhouse – new materials used with the building using pre-fabricated components – this meant that the building was easy to mount and demount – modular construction and the absence of style visible – functional building that is seen to have influenced the later
construction of the Fagus shoe factory
After the exposition, the building was recycled and the design was changed The architect Paxton however, wasn’t a revolutionary and reverted back to another ornamentational building Château de Ferrières based on the client’s demands
New construction materials enable new forms, but also new types Steel and glass combination was used in new designs
Elevators began to be used such as in Gustave Eiffel’s Le Bon Marché Department Store with electricity playing a vital role as a catalyst
Firth of Forth Bridge – John Fowler – bridges that are now typical of the 19th
century were seen as truly record breaking as the bridges of such great size and length were inconceivable before as it required massive labour
Eiffel Tower, when constructed was twice taller than the tallest building then The buildings were beyond conventional thinking and imagination
Nantes Bridge also significant Summary
Steel change the 19th century and the application of reinforced concrete in
mass production coupled with the use of steel changed architecture forever Much of the architectural history uses a retrospective style of thinking and all the events are made to make sense looking backwards with certain events being attributed as starting points or beginnings
Architecture is confined to a fraction of the built environment Summary 1850-1900
Modern societies/Modern cities led to new needs: urban housing, public institutions comprehensive plans for complete cities
New typologies like the skyscraper New materials: Steel and concrete
Architecture: in words and images, beyond its existence as a useful object in common culture
JAV131 Outline for Introduction to Architecture Lecture #2 1895-1914 New Forms
The 19th century
Also the 19th century led to –
New materials: Steel and reinforced concrete
New methods of production: industrial, mass production, standardization New needs of changing societies: urban middle class
New buildings types: market halls, department stores, urban housing
Although steel and concrete allowed for the new building types demanded by the growing urban middle class, the causality is never unidirectional with the new building types also resulting in an increase of the former
Eiffel Tower was constructed on an unheard scale, manner and height – the people were impressed by the capabilities of modern technology but were disturbed by its effect on the skyline – this led to the limiting of high rise buildings within the Paris ring road
Until events play a significant role or have a contribution to the present, they don’t become historical events. The later developments play a crucial role in this.
Development of reinforced concrete is given importance as it led to newer building forms
This leads to a chain of historical facts that connects early experiments to later achievements
The 19th century developments played a key role in influencing the newer
forms especially in the 1920s
The rebuilding plans that took place in New York, Barcelona, Paris and Vienna also affected the approach
Art Nouveau
“National Styles” “Jugenstil” meaning ‘youth of culture’ in German Considered as the intermediate period between the Arts and Crafts movements and the rise of the International Style
The Arts and Crafts movement was focused on maintaining the value of art in a industrial world by promoting craftsmanship and the like
The end of the 19th century was met with optimism and many believed that a
new century deserved a new way of architecture
“The contradictory nature of Art Nouveau and its interpretation has led to misapplication of the term. Supposed synonyms most frequently refer to stylistic branches within the wider movement, e.g. the Secession Style, Modern Style, New Style, National Romanticism, Jugendstil, Free Style, Arts and Crafts. They overlap.
(…)
In fact, Art Nouveau’s strength and vitality derived from its diversity, complexity, ambiguity and pan-European manifestation. The struggle of forms it represented was a struggle of worldviews. It is chauvinism mixing
with universalism, science co-mingling with art, the pagan with Christian. It can be both decadent and progressive, national and liberal, eastern and western, vernacular and international, urban and rural, imperial and social, natural and artificial, material and spiritual.’ Jeremy Howard, Art Nouveau, p 2
Art Nouveau meant a confusion of styles, often contradictory but is primarily divide into two distinct groups –
Urban cosmopolitan, and Peripheral national
(Urban) Cosmopolitan Art Nouveau
Glasgow, Brussels, Paris, Vienna, Barcelona: urban setting for a new style with a large number of inhabitants
Charles Rennie Mackintosh - not exactly a part of the Art Nouveau
movement with no historical references explicitly but abstract recreations of medieval Scottish castles
Free form architecture with innovative windows and also designed furniture The Willow Tearoom and the Glasgow School of Art
Inventiveness and originality in style – fairly isolated style but similar to Mackay High Ballie Scott’s works
Had problems in continuing career later on – short-lived career which is a recurring trait in Art Nouveau
Most architects started brilliantly and faded later onwards
This can be understood in terms of the fact that the young architects tried to make different architecture initially to establish themselves and get noticed. Later on, the work tends to become conventional and becomes less unusual and noticeable.
The exceptional becomes normal and the established architects are replaced by the next generation as their existing style becomes less fashionable. Also, the early works are often famous and over-emphasized.
Victor Horta – Tassel House – first important work - intermediated mezzanine floor
Horta House – his wife was the daughter of an industrialist which brought him in contact with other wealthy clients – few architects are able to design their own homes so early in their career
Horta House – Horta designed everything including the wallpapers to integrate the concept
It is typical of Art Nouveau as the architects believed that they could design everything.
Architecture, as a profession, back then was fairly new – the impetus was provided by the urban middle class – the architects went from designing some things to designing everything
Solvay House – Brussels 1900 – less of the usual floral and curved style but still remarkable
Like Horta, van der Velde was interested in designing everything from
dresses to furniture – moved on to Germany later to build Museum Folkwang Essen – went on to become the director for the Grand-Ducal Saxon School of Applied Arts and also was one of the founding fathers for the Bauhaus
school.
Hector Guimard – less flamboyant in style in comparison to Horta –
designed metro entrances and Castel Beranger (1898) is an important work – relied on standardized materials but built in a unique style
Steel, glass especially used– fled during the World War II as his wife was a Jew - ended his career with nothing but was later rediscovered in the 1960s Henri Sauvage – extensive use of floral and natural motifs, chimneys and self-standing fireplaces
Giovanni Michelazzi – Italian version of the Art Nouveau National Art Nouveau
Ålesund, Norway 1895-1907 – Architects were looking for a new national identity to build after the fire – abstract style with curved elements that make it similar to the prevalent Art Nouveau
Stanislaw Witkiewicz – tried to invent a new Polish style – famous work is his Villa Koliba – interior style similar to the curved style furniture but not exactly vernacular
A critic suggested that true inspiration can only be found in the countryside – elements of the countryside prevalent in his work
Ödön Lechner – Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest, 1896 – similarity in especially roofs and chimneys to Antoni Gaudi – related to Art Nouveau but not entirely Art Nouveau
Antoni Gaudí – Sagrada Família 1883 -2010 – took 100 years to complete Casa Milà (La Pedrera), Barcelona 1906-12 – very important but not as famous – no reference to historical style and totally inventive – “whipped cream-like” ceiling
Casa Batló (conversion) 1904 – Unlike Casa Mila, had to work within an existing plan and framework as it was a rebuilding process
Mikhail Eisenstein – structure integrated into the building
Lars Sonck – Helsinki – more national in Nordic, Scandinavian style but also abstract – moving away from conventional application and interpretation though usual motifs were used
American parallels to Art Nouveau
Charles and Henry Greene - Gamble House, Pasadena, 1908 – a bit more conventional but similar to Art Nouveau
Louis Sullivan - Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Building, Chicago 1899 – decorative style – not like Art Nouveau but similar sensitivity is visible
Frank Lloyd Wright - Home and Studio, Chicago 1889, 1898 – early work of Wright – also designed the furniture which has similarities to Mackintosh’s chair
Also built Unity Church, Chicago 1906-07 – Wright doesn’t seem comfortable in an urban setting – light comes in but the visibility of the surrounding
environment outside is excluded with elongated windows
Robie House, Chicago, 1908-11 – introverted form of architecture – entrance is more like a rite of passage - changing directions and environments as the person enters the building – almost like entering a new world
Wright was influential in Europe – the emergence of Wright’s ideas along with the rise of the skyscrapers reversed the American dependence on European architecture and established itself as the central stage of modern
architecture
H.P. Berlage Stock Exchange, Amsterdam 1896-1903 – believed that style was expressive of the society – as the society was in a flux and in transition state, Berlage opted to wait for a new style and thus designed abstract works – his works are buildings without style but not buildings without
ornamentation.
Auguste Perret - Apartment building in Rue Franklin, Paris1904 – one of the inventors of the reinforced concrete but was unsure of its strength so added ceramic tiles on top of the concrete to protect the concrete from humidity thus was less radical in a retrospective sense
Peter Behrens - AEG Turbine Factory, Berlin 1909 – more visible style of construction without ornament. Also designed AEG electric kettles, hair blower and graphic design in the tradition of designing everything
Berlage was a proto-functionalist along with Perret and Behrens– he had reservations towards modern architecture and was reluctant to wholly accept its principles – proto-functionalism resulted in modern architecture with Walter Gropius, Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe taking the central stage for the promotion of unadorned structures
Few architects stood out in the 19th century. It was not because of
exceptional quality on their part but because in retrospect, they can be seen as the precursors to modern architecture
Otto Wagner - Postal Office Savings Bank, Vienna, 1894-1902 – used floral decoration – similar to Art Nouveau
Max Fabiani and Joseph Maria Olbrich - Olbrich’s works look similar to Wright but were built earlier and he had a passion for floral motifs
Wiener Werkstätte 1903 – industrial production
Josef Hoffmann – struggled later but made innovative cutlery and the famous Cube Chair In 1910
Hoffmann designed Palais Stoclet at the end of Art Nouveau. Palais Stoclet was seen as decadent architecture through later Marxist interpretation
A gap existed between the underlying architecture and the added sculptural or floral ornamentation which was not necessarily integrated
Adolf Loos - Kärtner American Bar, Vienna, 1908 – used mirrors to create the illusion of enlarged sense of space
Loos’ writings such as the essays were influential on the consensus about style
Michaelerplatz – seen as shockingly abstract with the use of columns without decoration
In his work, Ornament and Crime, Loos says ‘the evolution of culture is synonymous with the removal of ornamentation from objects of everyday use.”
It’s not clear whether Loos had any direct influence on modern architecture but looking back, the chain of historical thought suggests something that might not have necessarily happened. Therefore, in terms of causality, Loos’ direct involvement is questionable but he did promote the idea of
non-ornamentation.
Summary 1895-1914
New century ushered in a new form of architecture
Art Nouveau with its National and Cosmopolitan flavours
New ornaments like floral motifs then later no ornaments style promoted by Loos
Crafts and industry – prefabricated materials and industrialization redefined the role of the craftsman as manual labour became expensive
JAV131 Outline for Introduction to Architecture Lecture #3 1910-1925 Dynamic Expressions
Background
Art Nouveau characterized the process of breaking away from the past A Decorative vs Non-Decorative divide came about typified by the contrast between Hoffmann’s Palais Stoclet and Adolf Loos’ Michaelerplatz
There appeared to be a link in functionalist sensitivity between Peter
Behrens’ AEG Turbine Factory and Frank Llyod Wright’s Robie’s House but a connection might not have necessarily existed
Isolated events might become historical events because they fit a certain ‘historical trend’ that is easy to remember and explain
Basically, the following ideas gained momentum – Abstract, geometrical forms
Reduction/absence of ornament Emphasis on structure
Break with the past
The different meanings of modern
Modern - Now/pertaining to the modern period, or style Modernity - Period/attitude
Modernization - Process/development Modernism- Style/period
Avant-garde - originally a French term, meaning in English vanguard or advance guard
(The part of an army that goes forward and ahead of the rest of the army) – To expand the socio-cultural terrain - Avant-gardes began to flourish across the globe such as :
Futurism – Italy Cubism - France
Expressionism - Germany Neoplasticism - Netherlands Suprematism – Soviet Union Constructivism – Soviet Union
Purism – France (almost singlehandedly Le Corbusier) Futurism
Filippo Tommaso Marinetti - Futurist Manifesto 1909– the love of danger, the habit of energy and fearlessness - courage, audacity, and revolt as the essential elements of their poetry – dynamic expression of speed – the important works were the following -
Luigi Luigi Russolo, Intonarumoris, 1913
Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Zang Tumb Tumb, 1912-1914 Umberto Boccioni, Unique Forms of Continuity in Space, 1913 Giacomo Balla,Dynamism of a dog on a leash, 1912
Futurist Architecture Manifesto, 1914 – which said ”rebuild the Futurist city like an immense and tumultuous shipyard, agile, mobile and dynamic in every detail; and the
Futurist house must be like a gigantic machine.” Antonio Sant’Elia - The New City, 1914
Le Corbusier - Contemporary City for Three Million Inhabitants 1922 Mario Chiattone - Housing, 1915
Giuseppe Terragni - Monument for the Fallen, Como 1931
Giacomo Mattè-Trucco - Fiat Lingotto Factory, Turin, 1916-23 –first to
integrate technology and architecture – innovative roof racetrack – formal introduction of the car to the building
Cubism - Czech Cubism
Few integrated cubism in architecture
Influences ranged from Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon and Portrait of Ambroise Vollard
Josef Chochol - Apartment Building, Prague in 1912-13 – conventional and efficient floorplan – superficial, diamond façade, and cubist garden – totally different look - cubist chairs too
Josef Gočár - Bauer Villa, Libodřice 1912 - House of the Black Madonna, Prague, 1911 - Legions Bank, Prague 1922
Michel De Klerk - furniture for ’t Woonhuys, 1918
Graphic design and furniture design – Like Art Nouveau, there was an ambition to create total design – ‘do it all’ architecture style
Primarily brick and concrete use
J.M. Van der Mey – Scheepvaarthuis in Amsterdam 1912-1916 – integrated design for interiors – designed with Michel de Klerk and Piet Kramer - almost total opposition to prevalent modern architecture of non-ornamental style The Amsterdam School is often considered as a footnote and diversion in the history of 20th century architecture
Piet Kramer and Michel de Klerk, De Dageraad Housing – references to the sea, waves – dynamic form of architecture
De Klerk was the leader of the Amsterdam school – the use of conventional materials like bricks in a totally non-conventional manner
The Amsterdam school was famous for mass housing – a continuous and unified style or architecture that makes it difficult to see where the buildings end
Amsterdam South – splitting axis – based on the German theory that the city should be filled with housing and not monuments, etc.
HP Berlage – first project for the Amsterdam South – informal park-like setting – too expensive to build such a plan which included very low number of houses and expansive gardens – possible influence from the works of Hampstead Garden, the Garden City movement and the Ebenezer Howard philosophy of garden cities
William Rattcliff - Hampstead Garden – Garden City movement that sought to create urban environments with non-urban settings or a garden look
Ebenezer Howard - The Garden Cities of To-morrow, 1902 – reminds of Cerda’s maxim ‘ruralize the urban, urbanize the rural’ – but Howard has the concept of a finite city with restrictions.
Barry Parker and Raymond Unwin - Letchworth, 1903 – another example of a similar philosophy with the garden being an important component
Michel de Klerk - Spaarndammerplantsoen Housing, Amsterdam, 1919-1923 – subsidized social housing – transformed the school into a work of art – once again, an unconventional way of using traditional materials – the
windows of the Post Office were different – this extensive and crafty use of materials was possible as the country was in recession which mean that the cost of craftsmanship was drastically reduced.
There was a social ambition to improve the families’ lives but it was implemented in a forced way. There was a feeling of reluctance from the community to wholly accept de Klerk’s philosophy. For example, the kitchen was an integral part of the social life but de Klerk’s designs included small kitchens which forced the women to leave the kitchen and move into the living room (which was comparatively bigger).
An imposing attitude of architecture – once again, de Klerk intentionally made the windows small in order to discourage people to hang out on the windows and look outside often
Erich Mendelsohn - Einstein Tower, Potsdam, 1919-21 – concrete building to ensure experimental efficiently and safety
Hans Poelzig, Grosses Schauspielhaus, Berlin 1919 – movie theatre – it was built as a market hall initially, transformed into a circus and then into a
theatre until it was demolished in 1988
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Friedrichstrasse, Berlin,1921 – Study for a glass tower – expressionist and not very successful – stressing transparency and anticipating later developments – technology at that time couldn’t build such a building
Fritz Höger, Chile House, Hamburg, 1924 – sharp angles and intricate detailed brickwork
Peter Behrens, Hoechst/IG Farben Offices, Frankfurt, 1920-24 – usually omitted as it doesn’t fit into the unidirectional modern architecture storyline Erich Mendelsohn, Steinberg hat factory, Luckenwalde , 1921-23
Hugo Häring, Gut Garkau, 1923-26 – relatively obscure architect – connection with later Scharoun’s works
Max Berg, Centennial Hall, Wroclaw (Breslau), 1911-13 – a commentary on Napoleon’s victory – high dome was unique in its appearance
Bruno Taut, Glass Pavilion - Werkbund Exhibition, Cologne, 1914 – moved from Expressionism to other styles – created original opposition to Art and Crafts movement and promoted modern form of production and industrial design – crystalline, transparent architecture –
Taut also created The City Crown, 1910s – a poetic and idealistic work. Henry Van de Velde, Werkbund Theater, Cologne, 1914
Walter Gropius and Adolf Meyer, Model Factory, Werkbund Exhibition, Cologne, 1914 – the concept of transparent staircase was new and
revolutionary – also it was a building without corners which was radical at the time and promoted the essence of unlimited space
Walter Gropius and Adolf Meyer, Fagus shoe factory, Alfeld on the Leine, 1911-13 – famous open corners – the work can be framed in a bigger picture of the discontent between the structure and cladding with its
connection to the earliest skyscrapers – the wall had to no longer be load-bearing – a new form of transparency was sought through this building Richard Steiff, Steiff Factory, Giengen, 1903 – this was constructed ten years before the Werkbund exhibition – the transparent staircase stands out Neoplasticism or De Stijl
Considered important in architectural history – concentration around the magazine which back then, had hardly any readership.
Theo van Doesburg, and Gerrit Rietveld, Color Composition Test, 1919 – reduction to a rectangular system of elementary colours – inspired by
Futurism and Marinetti
Gerrit Rietveld Red and blue chair, 1917 – led to can Doesburg collaboration
Rob van’t Hoff, Villa Henny, Huis ter Heide, 1915-19 – Frank Llyod Wright’s influence is visible – was a difficult man to work with and had a fight with Piet Mondrian
Irving Gill, Dodge House, Los Angeles, 1916
Gerrit Rietveld, Schröder House, Utrecht, 1924 – relatively small house with a Mondrian colour scheme – linear composition and a dynamic floorplan that could be changed in the day and in the night – transparency and open corners emphasized – obsession with control and instructions was translated into the work with unnecessary instructions being posted on the walls.
Rietveld was deterministic and believed that everything has its fixed function Sophie Taeuber-Arp – worked with Theo van Doesburg – made the
restaurant in primary colours and very rectangular i.e. Maison Particulière. J.J.P. Oud, Café De Unie reconstruction, Rotterdam, 1986
El Lissitzky, De Stijl 1922 - first Wendingen issue on F.L. Wright – truly international style with application across Russia and America – shows the influence frank Lloyd Wright had on European architecture
Constructivism
El Lissitzky Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge, 1920
Russian Revolution + revolutionary art and architecture intertwined – but art might have previously existed independently
El Lissitzky, Lenin Tribune, 1920 – truly unconventional
El Lissitzky, Wolkenbügel, 1922 – radical and deceptive image of a H-shaped tower unless viewed from multiple angles
Vladimir Tatlin, Tower for the Third International, 1919-1920 – planned to surpass the Eiffel Tower and rise upto 500m
Kazimir Malevich, Architecton, 1923 – abstract art
Konstantin Melnikov, Soviet Pavilion, Exposition des Arts Decoratifs, Paris, 1925
It seemed as though the Russian government would encourage art but it changed when Stalin came to power and replaced constructivism with Soviet Realism
Le Corbusier, Esprit Nouveau Pavilion, Paris, 1925 – considered model art - promotion of his own ideas about city living
Purism
Purist still life – trying to reduce everything to its pure form
Maison Dom-Ino, 1914-15 – the prototype for housing – you could create total freedom – if mass produced, the standardization of pure forms could be executed on a large scale
Le Corbusier, Esprit Nouveau Pavilion, Paris, 1925 – considered model art - promotion of his own ideas about city living
Le Corbusier, Immeuble-Villa, 1925 – attempt to reconcile the apartment with the garden – Every garden is separate from the neighbour’s signifying Le Corbusier’s belief that privacy was extremely important
Le Corbusier, Ville Contemporaine, 1922 – urban planning for 3 million people – more conventional approach than Antoni Gaudi with centered rather than endless urbanization – Plain Voisin – 1925 - resembling an aero polis with a runway between the buildings – possible that it was intended to appeal to Gabriel Voisin – provocative and not necessarily serious
Le Corbusier, Towards an Architecture, 1923 – a manifesto of his beliefs – stressing the new forms of architecture – similar to Futurists?
Le Corbusier as a proto-functionalist The different meanings of modern
Modern - Now/pertaining to the modern period, or style Modernity - Period/attitude
Modernization - Process/development Modernism- Style/period
Key figures
Italy: Antonio Sant’Elia
Germany: Erich Mendelsohn Hans Poelzig
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Walter Gropius
Netherlands: Michel De Klerk Gerrit Rietveld J.J.P. Oud Russia: El Lissitzky Vladimir Tatlin Konstantin Melnikov France: Le Corbusier Summary 1910-1925
Avant-gardes/Modernism – the society was looking for a new architecture Recurrent theme: Search for expressions of a new time (style, form, material, space)
Relation with other art forms Internationalism
Not just looking for artistic development but also new ways to look and see Paper architecture – detailed drawings of buildings and cities not necessarily constructed
JAV131 Outline for Introduction to Architecture Lecture #4 1917-1933 Modernisms and Avant-gardes
Background
Urban planning of New York, Paris, Barcelona, Vienna 1850 New architecture of the skyscraper
Art Nouveau and the search for a new style 1900 Isms: the movements of the 1910s and 1920
Alison and Peter Smithson, The Heroic Period of Modern Architecture, 1981 – based on Banham’s book on the First Machine Age from 1965
The lecture content focuses on the relative crystallization of architecture form 1917 to 1933 with the years correspond to the start of the Russian revolution and the rise of Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany. The time period was the ground for radical developments and key events even in such a short amount of time which can be broadly reduced to the following three – 1926 Bauhaus, Dessau
1927 Weissenhofsiedlung, Stuttgart
1928 CIAM, La Sarraz International Congress of Modern Architecture Walter Gropius, Bauhaus, Dessau, 1926
Underlining the transparency with tubular pipes – similarity to the de Stijl colour combination is seen especially in the interiors – the school that housed multi-art productions ranging from theatre to furniture design Weissenhof Estate, Stuttgart, 1927, director Mies van der Rohe Participating architects included a cross of modernists
There was a widespread fascination with car and mobility which goes back to the days of Futurism.
The combination of the car and building is a recurring theme with the car symbolizing the connection of technology to the drive of modern
architecture.
J.J.P. Oud, Weissenhofsiedlung, Stuttgart, 1927 – almost empty kitchen with an intentional emphasis on cleanliness and hygiene
Le Corbusier, Five Points, 1920s • The elevated building or the pilotis
• Removal of the pitch roof and the installation of the roof garden • A free plan without load bearing walls or columns
• Free elevation
• Horizontal strip windows
A frequent characteristic of the majority of Le Corbusier’s works.
Peter Behrens, apartment building, Weissenhofsiedlung, Stuttgart, 1927 – small windows
Behrens was almost an outsider at the Weisenhof estate– Mies van der Rohe previously worked under Behrens with the collaboration going back to the AEG Turbine Factory
Hans Scharoun, Weissenhofsiedlung, Stuttgart, 1927
Walter Gropius, Weissenhofsiedlung, Stuttgart, 1927 – House 17 – wish to make something on an industrial scale
Mart Stam
Typical of him to be looming behind in most places and events International style of work
Designed dwelling Weissenhofsiedlung, Stuttgart 1927
A great degree of similarity can be seen between Stam’s Wolkenbügel 1924-25 and El Lissitzky’s Wolkenbügel, 1924.
A greater degree of controversy persists about the identity of the inventor of the famous Breur chair with Stam’s S33 chair having come out in 1925-26 in comparison to Breuer’s B33 chair in 1927-28.
Collaborated with Ernst May for the project Hellerhof, Frankfurt, 1929-32 – creating space between houses to allow air and sunshine to enter the house which is key to clean, hygienic architecture
Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, Frankfurt kitchen 1926-28 – first woman to credited with a role in modern architecture
Tubular furniture was rare and simple wooden chairs have been used with a spark in design. The kitchen was constructed according to the way it was used rather than optimising comfort or aesthetics.
Ernst Neufert, Bauentwurfslehre. Handbuch für den Baufachmann, Bauherren,
Lehrenden und Lernenden, 1936 – handbook displaying the dimensions needed for efficient and functional use of space – go-to guide for designing most furniture
Bruno Taut, Martin Wagner, Horse Shoe Estate, Berlin, 1925-30 – not a harcore modernist with a range of styles including the famous Glass Pavilion of 1914
J.J.P. Oud, De Kiefhoek, Rotterdam, 1925-30 – streamlined and smooth corners
Arne Jacobsen, Bellavista Estate, Gentofte, 1934 – famous mainly in the 1950s for furniture design – once again, an expansive style that allowes the sunlight to come in.
Gas station, Copenhagen, 1936 – in this design, the car was a key component of the whole architecture
Erich Mendelsohn, Red Banner Textile Factory, St Petersburg, 1925-37 Among the first to build modernist work in Russia
Moisei Ginzburg and Ignatii Milinis, Narkomfin Building, Moscow, 1929 The lower volume of the design consisted of a central shared kitchen and communal facilities.
Reduction in the volume and number of corridors to allow for the
construction of marginally bigger rooms – innovative idea that used the concept of restricted accessibility to the corridors and emphasis on extended rooms. This impressed Le Corbusier and had an influence in his later works.
Russian architecture was primarily restricted to paper architecture which made way for real modernist architecture until Stalin came to power and put a stop to modern architecture in the Soviet Union.
The international exchange of architects and artists was crucial to the rise of Russian architecture.
Ilya Golosov, Zuev Workers’ Club, Moscow, 1925-28
Konstantin Melnikov, Rusakov Workers’ Club, Moscow, 1927-29
Protruding blocks from the building which were extensions of the theatre space and was often used for spreading propaganda.
Le Corbusier, Nikolai Kolli, Centrosoyuz Building, Moscow 1928-33 Not as free flowing as Le Corbusier’s later works but a number of the five defining points of Corbusier are visible.
Boris Iofan, Palace of the Soviets, Moscow, 1931-33 – highly ornamental work that was selected by Stalin - Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret had also submitted a competition entry for the Palace of the Soviets but their work was rejected.
CIAM, La Sarraz 1928 (Congrès internationaux d'architecture
modern)
Founded in 1928, dissolved in 1959
There was a widespread consensus amongst modern architects that their works were not being fully acknowledged or appreciated. This led to a sentiment of backlash.
The group talked about the world but they were harldy able to make a definite impact on the events leading to questions as to whether CIAM was overrated.
However, the involvement of key architects of that time or those who went on to have a considerable influence later on meant that CIAM was considered important in the architectural community.
Pierre Chareau with Bernard Bijvoet, Glass House, Paris, 1931 Not necessarily a modernist work given the use of Art Deco furniture and there was a feeling that the building could have been more modern
Gabriel Guevrekian - Villa Noailles Cubist garden, Hyères, 1925-1928 Max Cetto - Important figure in Mexican modern architecture
Alberto Sartoris – panoramic synthesis of modern architecture The Functional City
Reduction of the complexity of the city to four functions. THE FOUR
FUNCTIONS OF THE CITY being Dwelling Work
Recreation Transportation
Cornelis Van Eesteren, General extension plan of Amsterdam, 1934 Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, German Pavilion, Barcelona, 1929
Simple floorplan with an infinite floating space evoking Spartan austerity Classical art and sculpture has been integrated into the interior along with the famous Barcelona chair
Presence of the characteristic van der Rohe columns that are free loadbearing
Tugendhat House, Brno, 1928-30 – once again, the free load columns are used
Interiors designed with Lilly Reich
Luxurious environment with the use of expansive materials that are custom made along with distinctive furniture for individual projects such as the Tugendhat chair, Barcelona chair and couch.
Le Corbusier, Maison La Roche, Paris, 1923-25
Trademark ramp used instead of the staircase allowing for the uninterrupted flow of space
No sense of Spartan austerity but symbolic of a comfortable style for the client
Most critics saw these works are a reflection of the decadent style and a compromise on the part of the modernist principles but the architects were simply responding to the demands of the wealthy client. La Roche was a keen admirer of Le Corbusier’s works including paintings and commissioned him to build his house.
Le Corbusier, Villa Stein-de Monzie, Garches, 1926-28
Once again, the car is used to denote modernist architecture using a careful composition of the building and the car (in the second picture)
Le Corbusier, Villa Savoye, Poissy, 1928-1929
All of Le Corbusier’s five points are integrated in this famous work along with the ramp
The bathroom is central in the architectural ideal of cleanliness.
Modern Architecture Exhibition, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1932 Exhibition held to spread the idea of modern and European architecture oddly enough in a departmental store i.e. Bullocks-Wilshire Department Store Rudolph Schindler, Lovell Beach House, Newport Beach CA, 1922-1926 Transparency and openness is accentuated in his works – Frank Lloyd Wright’s influence is visible
Richard Buckminster Fuller, Dymaxion House 1929
His work is unlike the bourgeois architecture of Mies van der Rohe or Le Corbusier.
Fuller was a true modernist with the all-embracing use of pre-fabricated and industrial material to create a mass-scale modern architecture
Juan O’Gorman
O’Gorman Studio, Mexico City, 1929 Radicalism in his work is often overlooked
Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Studios, Mexico City, 1930-32
Another work with a functionalist approach to electricity observable in interior switches
Intersecting use of floating staircase and the project was made for an artist couple who lived in separate compartments
O’Gorman later moved on to decorative style like House, Mexico City, 1956 Finnish modern architecture – often overlooked but Aalto was a central figure
Alvar Aalto
An outsider to the history of modern architecture
More humanist form of architecture i.e. a softer version of modernism His importance is highlighted in retrospect.
Library, Viipuri (Vyborg), 1927-1935
Simple exteriors but there is a generous use of space and sky lighting Sanatorium, Paimio, 1929-32
Hospital design central to the idea of a healthy, clean space.
Tuberculosis was a rampant disease at that time and its treatment called for the availability of clean air and sunlight for the patients
Small garden on the balcony too
Such a societal demand was a perfect situation for modern architecture
Jan Duiker, Bernard Bijvoet, Zonnestraal Sanatorium, Hilversum, 1925-31
Similar work to Aalto’s Sanatorium
Similar forms and focus on transparency and cleanliness Jan Duiker, Open Air School, Amsterdam, 1930
Once again, importance given to the establishment of a healthy environment Windows were often left open to ensure accessibility to clean air in the
classrooms which resulted in the occasional need for sweaters for the children
Jan Duiker, Cineac, Amsterdam, 1934 – use of neon lights
Brinkman and Van der Vlugt, Van Nelle Tea, Coffee and Tobacco Factory, Rotterdam,
1925-31
Ludvík Kysela , Bata Building, Prague, 1927 Building a flagship store
Highlighting transparent and large windows which went on to become a defining trait of Bata stores
Welles Coates, Isokon Flats, Hampstead, 1933
Communal kitchens until it personal kitchens became the norm which led to the communal space being transformed into a bar
Similar concept to the Narkomfin housing plan – furniture was designed too Le Corbusier, De Beistegui Rooftop Apartment, Paris 1929-31
Surrealist environment with the high barrier walls blocking the view of the view to the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe
There was a contradiction due to the juxtaposition of modern architecture and ancient classical furniture
Summary 1917-1933
‘Heroic’ period of modern architecture Functionalism
Internationalism
Three key events in the 1920s: 1926 Bauhaus
1927 Weissenhofsiedlung 1928 CIAM
Four functions of the Functional City: Dwelling, Recreation, Work, and Transportation
Five points of Le Corbusier:
JAV131 Outline for Introduction to Architecture Lecture #5 1925-1939 Art Deco, Moderne and Monumental
Modern architecture
Functionalism is often seen as an opposing ideology to other forms of art like Expressionism, Traditionalism, Classicism, etc
Functionalism was simply one of the extreme forms of modernism and doesn’t necessarily have to be the center of modernism
Continuity from one form to another
Wide variety of formal appearances that existed simultaneously Timelessness was suggested
Abstract concepts against each other
Parallel movements went on from 1900 to 1960
Often an overlap exists and there is an interconnection
Expressionism waned towards the end of 1920s but revived again later Traditionalism was modern but not in the same way that we might be inclined to think about it
Cross section: many forms of modern architecture Architecture and politics – often authoritarian
Style and politics
Nation building and building – idea that it’s possible to build a society using culture as way to forge a national identity
Authoritarian era: Dictatorships in Soviet Union, Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, colonies in Asia and Africa
Thus architecture was both a tool and an outcome
Paris 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes
Very important to the rise of Art Deco
Art Deco as a label was itself invented later in the 1960s and not a term used by the artists involved
New Spirit, Streamline, Moderne, Modern were the terms used in the 1930s Majority of the works looked like Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann
Extremely important furniture maker Streamlined furniture style
The legs of the table bear a resemblance to classical columns Pierre Patout
Streamlined but boxy forms Dynamic like a ship
Villa Cavrois, Croix, 1929-1932 – modern in a different way to Le Corbusier Elegant, bourgeois, less radical
Use of tubular steel and a feeling of generous comfort Interiors Art Deco
The exterior has a classical touch in terms of style and setting Emphasis on symmetry
Compare to austere modernism
Art Deco – unlike previous movements, this is not limited to small number of people or countries but was everywhere
Bucharest, 1930s had many Art Deco buildings Streamlined, symmetry, and a central axis
Luis Martinez Feduchi and Vicente Eced, Capitol Building, Madrid, 1926-33
Homogenous approach to make the building more streamlined
Gregorio Sánchez, Ernesto Lagos and Luis María de la Torre, Kavanagh Building, Buenos Aires, 1934-36
More boxy than normal Art Deco architecture László Hudec, Park Hotel, Shanghai, 1936 Symmetry
William Van Alen, Chrysler Building, New York , 1928-30 Similar work - Jazzy style
Grand Concourse, Bronx, 1930s
Almost classical in symmetry but a modern work especially with the corners Howe & Lescaze, PSFS Building, Philadelphia, 1929-32
Moma Exhibition
Slickness and streamlined corners
Just following the fashionable style and not calling it Art Deco Hood, Godley & Fouilhoux Reinhard & Hofmeister
Corbett, Harrison & MacMurray Rockefeller Center, New York 1931-1935 Complex of skyscrapers that were interconnected
It was built in a model that hoped to revive the economy after the Great Depression
Edward Durrell Stone, Donald Deskey, Radio City Hall, New York, 1933 Part of an important Art Deco masterpiece
Unlike Futurism, etc, there was no spokesperson or groups in Art Deco Instead there were designs with similar style, ways and flavours
Frank Lloyd Wright, Kauffman House (Fallingwater), Bear Run, 1935-38
Search for the integration into the environment Periods of public perception
Continuation of Robie’s house philosophy
Expressively integrated i the dramatic waterfall
Excluding the city from the view as seen previously in the church project but here it’s not as explicit but perhaps a result of the environment itself
Natural setting has been allowed to integrate into the architecture
Organic Architecture employed by using the stones from the vicinity for construction and merging of the building into the landscape
Frank Lloyd Wright, Johnson Wax, Racine, Wisconsin, 1936-39 Closer to streamlined style with the curved appearance
Later extended with the addition of a tower Industrial setting and interiors
Focused on the sky ceiling and lighting
Art Deco had the same range as Art Nouveau Exquisite products and mass produced
1930s – the idea of a mass society was growing There was a demand for cheaper goods
Quite often, the streamlined appearance was used for the products Napier
Rebuilt in a short time after the earthquake Most of it was built in Art Deco style
Run of the mill architecture
Relatively straightforward and typical lettering Stained glass windows used
Miami Beach
Omnipresence of the Art Deco Slightly more modern in contrast
Asymmetrical solution used that was otherwise uncommon Corbusier’s horizontal style was more common
Kaplan and Sprachman, Allenby Cinema, Toronto 1935 More modest and everyday version of Art Deco
David Jerome Spence, Hogan Bath, Montreal 1932 More classical and also streamlined version
Ernest Cormier, Cormier House, Montreal, 1930-31 In a style connected to Art Deco
Integrated sculpture – typical to use decoration Warm golden glow that was also typical of Art Deco
Ernest Cormier, main building Université de Montréal, Montreal, 1930-43 Emphasis on symmetry – yellow brick which became popular
Willem Dudok, Town Hall, Hilversum, 1928-31 Less radical and he is considered an outsider
Much closer to Art Deco or Frank Lloyd Wright
Every work is not connected to any sort of movements
There is no singular or unidirectional way of interpreting the events Multiplicity of interpretation
It is up to us to interpret the connections
Order within the deluge of examples of the streamlined, exceptional, ordinary and the classical
Art Deco label came afterwards Also Traditionalism
A label invented later although “traditionalism” was used as a reference Heinrich Tessenow, Housing Hellerau, 1912
Total reduction and clear form – abstraction Considered himself a modernist
More Spartan and austere in comparison to Art Deco and Expressionism Super abstract facade
Empty spaces which make it modern Reinvention of the traditional
The reaction to the classical tradition and neo Gothic included
Total abstraction or taking clues from earlier works which wasn’t liked by the modernists
Going back to pure, unspoiled form
Paul Bonatz, Main Train Station, Stuttgart, 1911-27 Very heavy stone building
Ragnar Östberg, City Hall, Stockholm, 1911-23 More than a decade was taken for the construction
Abstract quality with a non ornamented tower that was highly radical its time References to Swedish 19th century architecture visible
Covered public square due to the weather
Ernest Cormier, Supreme Court, Ottawa, 1939-40 Could fit into the traditional
More classical overtones Classicism/Monumentalism
Revival or the re-continuation of classical or the monumental form of architecture
Appealing to both types of governments i.e. dictatorial as well as democratic Ivan Leonidov, Commisariat for the Heavy Industry, Moscow, 1934
Last before Stalin’s policies against abstract works came into place Boris Iofan, Palace of the Soviets, Moscow, 1931-33
Swimming pool was later made in the area of the foundation of the Palace of the Soviets
Paul Troost, Haus der Kunst, Munich 1933-37 Missed the opening of the building due to his death Showpieces of Hitler’s Germany
Constructed before Hitler started the war but still houses air raid shelters that is emblematic of the events that were to unfold
Degenerate Art exhibition, Munich, 1937 – ridiculing and denunciating modern art
Gerdy Troost,Temple of Honors, Munich, 1935 Wife of Paul Troost
Symbol of the Nazi marshalls
Albert Speer, Zeppelin Field, Neurenberg, 1934-37 Huge complex for the mass rallies of Nazi Germany Albert Speer, Berlin 1937
Transformation plan for Berlin never materialised Street monumental axis
Ephemeral and did not match with Hitler’s idea of permanent architecture Clemenz Klotz, Kraft Durch Freude Bad, Prora 1936-39
Already extreme version of mass tourism Building that was 4 kms long
Autobahn, Germany 1930s Motorways
Key element of Hitler’s model for transforming the infrastructure of Germany Paul Bonatz,Rockenau Dam in the Neckar, 1933
Nazi Germany
Diversification of architecture
Abstract visuals were used for the public projects while the monumental ones were preferred for the State projects
State projects meant monumentalism
Marcello Piacentini, Palace of Justice, Milan, 1936 Austere and reduced classicism
Marcello Piacentini, Masterplan La Sapienza University, Rome, 1932-1935 Invited other architects
Continuation from pre-Fascist to Fascist architecture Classical form already existed
Marcello Piacentini, Victory Square, Brescia, 1932 Giovanni Muzio, Ca’ Brutta, Milan, 1919-22 Decade after Futurism
Seen as an ugly building because of not meeting the classical standards that were expected
Courtyard space
Limited to the vicinity of Milan
Emilia Lancia, Gio Ponti, Casa Rasini, Milan, 1933-34 Mario Sironi, Periphery, 1922
Parallel work
Italian architectural heritage Conceptually close
Architects were urged to continue with a version that matched the past i.e a Mediterranean and Latin style
Vittoriale degli Italiani, Lake Garda, 1922-1938
Believed that Italian territorial demands were justified and fought with his small army against present day Slovenia to expand the Italian territory Failed in his attempt
Merging his own history with Italian history
Interior resemble the 19th century bourgeois culture
Tried to conquer other territories
Monument with the ship on the mountain Presented by Mussolini with this property
Predappio, hometown of Benito Mussolini, 1930s
Trying to manipulate the history as it was the birth town of Benito Mussolini Unassuming village that was transformed into an urban environment
Remade to look important
Marcello Piacentini, Piazza della Vittoria, Brescia, 1927-30 Enrico Del Debbio, Swimming Pool, Rome 1928-38 Decoration with references to Roman past
Part of the Olympic complex
Enrico Del Debbio, Foro Italico and Pool, Rome 1928-38 Roman mosaics
“Leader Leader Leader” Littoria, 1930s
Wish to start anew vs
Italy’s desire to recontinue the glorious past Angiolo Mazzoni, Post Office,Littoria, 1932
Closer to Art Deco than monumental classicism
Mario Messina, Impero Cinema, Asmara 1937 – colonies Giuseppe Pettazzi, service station, Asmara, 1938
Modern – much more literature for modern architecture in Italy
Adalberto Libera/Curzio Malaparte, Villa Malaparte, Capri, 1937 Influence of modernist architecture in Italy
Building like a stair protective
Rooftop project which is similar to Corbusier
Highly personal form of architecture based on the client Biographical representation
View – beautifully framed – stressing the environment Giuseppe Terragni, Novocomum 1927-29
Most important modern work
Similarity with Golosov – the parallel is clear
(see Ilya Golosov, Zuev Workers’ Club, Moscow, 1925-28) Giuseppe Terragni, Casa del fascio, Como,1932-36 Headquarters of the Fascist party
Controversy as to whether this abstract building could be endorsed by the Fascists?
His brother a key player so he got the project Mussolini quote
“Fascism should be like a glass house”
Abstract quality and trying to express and support Fascism Strong suggestion
Originally intended to display Mussolini poster on the blank wall
Gherardo Bosio, Casa del Fascio, Tirana, 1930s Albania
Fascist Italy was expanded
Simplified version of Italian architecture Transforming Albania
Vittorio Ballio Morpurgo,National Bank, Tirana, 1930-41
Led to invitation of Italian architects but the influence of Italy was forced upon after the Fascist invasion
Hsinking, Manchukuo 1932 Capital architecture
Art Deco expression
Even in different culture, context, phenomena, there was a global unity or architectural expression
Nation building – new towns, post offices and railroads Public buildings in the USA, 1937
Tirana similarity
Democratic version of nation building
Theodore Roosevelt post the 1929 Depression, led the transformation of the country
Architectural novelty was a by-product of the economic recovery New neighbourhoods
Similar to socialist works of architecture even though there was a difference in political ideology
New Deal movement was crucial
You can’t necessarily say that a certain form of architecture has an absolute meaning or implication
The context means that messages are symbolically represented and the intentions of making visually similar works might differ
Moscow Canal, 1930s
Connecting Moscow with the seas
Forced labour with people being forced to contribute
However in contrast, USA used similar construction to employ the unemployed
Outcomes can be similar
Many democracies were fond of monumental form of architecture Jože Plečnik, transformations of the Castle, Prague, 1920-1934 Modest transformation
Central Square – re-pavement using stones which appear to be of different colours
This was because stones were taken from different local regions to symbolically represent the unified country
Roof is like a tent – hanging loosely Decorative columns
Abstract classical interventions
Close to dictatorships but intentions, once again are completely different Gunnar Asplund,Public Library, Stockholm, 1920-28
Fairly small and streamlined flat sculpted wall Simplicity and order
Moved to another vocabulary More modernist work
Ivar Tengbom, Koncerthuset, Stockholm, 1926 Democratic versions
Edwin Lutyens, Pall Mall Building, London 1928
Preculiar style of architecture and un-modernist almost
George Grey Wornum, Royal Institute of British Architects, London 1934 On the border of Art Deco and Classicism
Albert Laprade, Léon Jaussely and Léon Bazin, Palais de la Porte Dorée, 1931
Monumental verison
Auguste Perret, Palais d’Iéna, Paris 1937 More mature work
Reinforced concrete used
This work is often discarded by the critics as it doesn’t fit into the storyline Perret is useful in early history of modern architecture but later works often ignored
Paris Expo 1937
Crucial for monumental architecture
Albert Speer, German pavilion Boris Iofan with Vera Mukhina, Soviet pavilion
German and Russian pavilions placed right in front of each other Albert Speer, German pavilion, Paris, 1937
Distorted and elongated form of classical architecture Doesn’t resemble the past
Modern interpretation of classical architecture
Emblematic summing the political situation of that time
Josep Lluís Sert, Spanish Pavilion, Paris,1937, and reconstruction in Barcelona
Dictatorship
Jaromir Krejcar,
Czechoslovakian Pavilion, Paris 1937
In comparison to heavy monumentalism of Russia, it is of a completely different world
World’s Fair, New York, 1939
Germany was no longer welcome and not present due to political animosity Other countries – advanced forms of architecture
Dictator – obviously monumental
Albert Kahn, Ford Pavilion, World’s Fair, New York, 1939 Vision of the city of the future
Alvar Aalto, Finnish pavilion, New York, 1939 Undulating wall
“I have seen the future”
Awkward and optimistic perspective expressed
US was escaping Depression and the sentiment is understandable Later rediscovery imparts a new meaning
Summary
Soviet Union: Boris Iofan Germany: Albert Speer
Italy: Marcello, Piacentini - Giuseppe Terragni Canada: Ernest Cormier
Slovenia: Jože Plečnik Sweden: Gunnar Asplund
USA: Frank Lloyd Wright, Wallace K. Harrison
Every period has its own share of style and intentions behind choosing certain forms of architecture. It might seem similar, but it necessarily isn’t.
JAV131 Outline for Introduction to Architecture Lecture #6 1939–1954 Reconstructing Worlds
Introduction and context Second World War
Modernism in the USA South and Central America
Postwar reconstruction in Europe
Reconstruction of the Old Town, Warsaw, 1950s
Reconstruction offered an opportunity to rebuild the city from scratch 85% of the city was destroyed in the war
Seen as one of the most faithful reproductions of the reconstructions Urban planning but not exactly so
Changed in the 1950s
The city surely changed but the facade remained the same Behind the facades, the modern city was build
Rational and simplified style
Large scale monumental architecture
Haussmann destroyed the city when he was building Paris
Paradox that building Warsaw also included demolishing existing buildings even when the war had already destroyed most buildings
Lev Rudnev, Palace of Culture, Warsaw, 1955 Soviet influence on the socialist countries
Stalin forced Warsaw to build the Palace of Culture Seen as a symbol of international culture
Socialist Realism - Stalinist architecture
Soviet Union, but also in Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria
Stalinist socialist realism was exported forcefully which is mostly present in Bulgaria
Stanisław Jankowski, Jan Knothe, Józef Sigalin, Zygmunt Stępiński, Marszałkowska Dzielnica Mieszkaniowa, Warsaw, 1954
MDM
Typical Soviet realism
Neo-classical forms and large scale architecture
Hermann Henselmann, Stalin-Allee (Karl-Marx-Allee), Berlin 1949-6 Name later changed from Stalin-Allee
Symbol of socialist progress East Berlin
Monumental axial project which showcases socialism but need to be a party member to have a house there
All-Union Agricultural Exhibition, Moscow, started 1935 Permanent version of the World Expo
Variety of forms of neo-classicism but nevertheless Soviet realism
Pushing the local architects to come up with a local variant of Soviet realism and express variety
Lev Rudnev, Moscow State University, Moscow, 1948-53 Like Iorfan before him, many important works favoured by Stalin Palace of Culture in Warsaw
Lev Rudnev, Academy of Sciences, Riga, 1954 Riga was forced to get a Rudnev building
Neo-classical axis going through the monumental work Auguste Perret, Reconstruction of Le Havre, 1945-60 More abstract than Berlin
Behind the façade, urban planning and modern architecture is present Free standing building of free space
Monumental axis, more classical than most Socialists Rigid formula of neo-classicism in concrete
1904 can be seen as the starting point of modern architecture due to Perret’s radical use of reinforced concrete but this is less interesting for historians Classical to a point but abstract luxury was characteristic of late Perret work Museum showing how people lived back in the day is not exactly accurate as it doesn’t really depict how people actually lived
People didn’t really have all the furniture or elements of the same era at the same time
Van Traa Reconstruction Plan, Rotterdam 1946 Debris removal photo in 1940
Emptiness of the city
Church – tight knit fabric of the buildings and space Transforming the city
Like Warsaw, it included erasing the previous works to start urban reconstruction
Wider streets, spacious version Closer to Stalin-Allee
The beginning of post war reconstruction
Van den Broek and Bakema, Lijnbaan Shopping Center, Rotterdam, 1952-56
First pedestrian shopping street Mix of offices and other buildings Open planning with open courtyards
Sequences of spaces – spacious open spaces More relevant in post war architecture
Low rise buildings must function as an intermediate between high rise buildings
Artist sketch gave an analogy comparing the low rise buildings to children who would communicate between the parents on either side who represented high rise buildings
Emphasis on transparency
Reflection and infinite space concepts
Van den Broek and Bakema, Huf, Rotterdam, 1953-1954
Night shots prominent highlighting transparency of the buildings and offering a new perspective
It also emphasized the disappearing side walls
Coventry Reconstruction, circa 1950
Rotterdam model was largely followed for other cities Labyrinth of little streets and larger elements
Growing importance of the car leading to bigger streets to accommodate them
Traffic congestion
Pedestrian shopping like Ljinbahn Second level circulation
Victor Gruen, Southdale Shopping Mall, Edina, MI, 1956
Similar to Gruen’s shopping mall and beloved that the shopping malls were social centres of the suburbia and that the malls should contain city squares or urban squares
Openness
Similarity to Corbusier’s Voisin plan
Free standing ideas become reality in small scale works Basil Spence, Coventry Cathedral, Coventry, 1956-62 Rebuilt and appreciation for the work is growing
Four approaches to postwar reconstruction
Historical New
precise (Warsaw Old Town) modern (Rotterdam, Coventry) free (Middelburg, Münster) classic (Le Havre, Stalin Alee, MDM) Vague memory – Middelburg
Festival of Britain, London, 1951
Trying to create a cheerful attitude after the war One way of doing that was through festivals 100 years after the Crystal Palace exhibition Space in the middle of the city
Lightness introduced – criticized as superficial by the Smithsons Brutalism
Alison and Peter Smithson, Secondary School, Hunstanton, 1949-54 Miesian inspiration
Minimal steel frame
Interior is bare and Spartan
Architecture was seen as important
They tried to show things as they were and did not prefer to hide things More important for their writings and ideas rather than for their architecture Imitators of Brutalism
Peter Smithson, Eduardo Paolozzi, Alison Smithson and Nigel Henderson Juxtaposition of the stool from the 1920s and the modern one alongside Before writing the work “Heroic Period of Modern Architecture”
Involved in several projects
Interested in the past and the modern Richard Hamilton, This is Tomorrow, 1956 English version of pop art
Scandinavia: humane modernism
Different speed and much of Europe was in a standstill Differs from the 1930s architecture
War ruptured most things but not necessarily architecture Change from flat, white Corbusier style to something different Arne Jacobsen and Erik Møller, City Hall, Aarhus, 1941 Beautiful interiors
Blended roof and decorative style
Elegant in comparison to the Spartan modernism style Alvar Aalto, Town Hall, Säynätsalo, 1951
Traditional materials and large unadorned shapes More embedded in the environment
Elevated courtyard Shift to something else
Informal architecture for something like the Town Hall
Alvar Aalto, Baker House, Cambridge, MA, 1948-52 Undulated shape
Trademark negative stairs with the u nderbelly visible
Once again the skylight ceiling with the rounded lights Viljo Revell, Palace Hotel, Helsinki, 1952
Olympic Games project
Viljo Revell, City Hall, Toronto, 1958-1965 Overwhelming interiors
Similar to reconstruction works in the sense of creating large open spaces to improve and benefit the society
Sven Markelius (urban planning), Vällingby, Stockholm 1950s Model for the creation of suburbs
Building in green spaces but a friendlier version European architects in the USA
Walter Gropius, Gropius House, Lincoln (MA), 1937 Founder Bauhaus and director of Harvard Design School Marcel Breuer, Breuer House, Lincoln (MA), 1939
Friendly twist with Marcel Breuer, his previous collaborator, employee and Harvard colleage living next door
Modern architecture in its unadorned and transparent quality Stone foundation and wood from the East Coast itself
Use of the local traditions
Not an example of industrial concrete architecture
TAC, Harvard Graduate Center, Cambridge MA, 1949 (The Architects’ Collaborative - Walter Gropius) Master planner
Mies van der Rohe, IIT Campus Chicago, 1940-1941 More rigorous than Barcelona Pavilion or Tugendhat More orderly plan
Mies van der Rohe, S.R. Crown Hall, IIT, Chicago, 1954-56 There were few women designers
Night shot was used often to create an ephemeral character Abstract architecture of Mies van der Rohe
Revolution in New York with the skyscrapers
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, Lever House, New York 1950 Podium and the curtain wall
Not filling the whole available plot or block of land New typology of the skyscraper
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Farnsworth House, Plano (IL), 1951 Same league as Fallingwater and Villa Savoye
Classical and rigid structure with symmetry but also a sense of openness Living space opened up
Revolutionary rural environment and total openness Philip Johnson, Glass House, New Canaan(CT), 1949 Similar house but Johnson was building a house for himself Misses the subtle quality of Farnsworth House