Archquisition

[Architectural Inquisition, Knowledge Acquisition] learning about a architectural projects and decoding references through research. Links/References always provided. Formerly HistoryOfArch

[archquisition]

Praça de Lisboa//Passeio dos Clérigos

Porto, Portugal 2013 Architects: Balonas & Menano Architects

The Praça's site was once the location of the Mercado de Anjo (1839-1952). In the 1990s, the area had become an open square with peripheral galleries and commercial spaces known as the Clerigos Shopping. The center did not have much success and it was permanently closed in 2006.    In 2007, the city decided to put forth a very exclusive competition, disconcerting citizens and local architects. The site had long been considered a fundamental transition space for the city. It is situated between Porto's picturesque medieval city and the grand public beaux arts projects of the 18th and 19th century bourgeois city (i.e. Torre dos Clerigos, Cadeia da Relaçao, Reiteria da Universidade do Porto & Marques da Silva's works). 

As a response to the city's 2007 competition and inspired by a graffiti on the demolished Praça-The "No Rules, Great Spot" was an international competition started by  the collective Esta é a minha cidade? [This is my city?] in order to get citizens and local architects more involved in the debate surrounding the space. The competition brief explains that "it pretend[ed] to make the urban rehabilitation project more informed and shared, participative and discussed". The project competition reflects a what I believe to be a"right to the city" approach (coined and described by Lefebvre in 1968). While plans for the space were already in process, the idea of the city forming its own competition despite the ongoing work of the clients can provide an interesting reframing of the citizens influence and what could be a visually presented opinion. Yet not much information could be found of what the competition results were.

The architects of the project, Balonas and Menano, state that the project was meant to a-revitalize the detoriating and problematic square b- take into account the topographical curves from the various inclinations of the site c-extend the urban landscape by using three layers of program. They describe their objective as a square/public space that would "adopt an open shape to the city drawing pedestrians, losing interiority and ensuring an appealing relation to the surrounding". The project features the Jardim das Oliveiras: a rooftop park of  50 locally derived Olive trees. These are meant to recreate the Porta do Olival Gate which was once the entry to the city.  The ground floor is made up of the Passeio dos Clerigos (named after the Clerigos tower) which is a type of commercial passageway: a path cutting through the structure to divide into two commercial masses with room for 10 shops and spaces for performances/activities. The previous parking lot is now submerged improving pedestrian and automobile circulation. The structure is composed of prefabricated concrete components and the façade of white structural members which also provide shading for the commercial space. The commercial enterprise is in charge of paying for the maintenance of the place, cleaning/pruning trees and any other necessary arrangements, while the city pays for public lighting and water costs (irrigation of the park). The project was a 6 million Euro investment measuring 2,000 m². 

The project is very new so time will tell how the space will continue to develop especially taking into account the initial citizen preoccupations with the space. The commercial space itself contains some big international shops and cafes. It perhaps be an even more interesting space if it could incorporate the local businesses of Porto, much like it once did when it stood as a market. The project has already been nominated in the Urban Intervention Awards of Berlin 2013.

To Learn More:

http://architizer.com/projects/praca-de-lisboa/media/429012/ http://www.jn.pt/paginainicial/pais/concelho.aspx?Distrito=Porto&Concelho=Porto&Option=Interior&content_id=2243698&page=-1 http://www.publico.pt/local/noticia/praca-de-lisboa-rasgada-por-rua-entre-clerigos-e-livraria-lello-1529479 http://www.publico.pt/local/noticia/passeio-dos-clerigos-entrega-jardim-das-oliveiras-a-rui-moreira-1612513#/1 http://www.photoattraction.net/praca-de-lisboa/ http://architecturelab.net/2011/04/call-for-submission-no-rules-great-spot/ http://monumentosdesaparecidos.blogspot.com.es/2009/10/o-mercado-do-anjo-cidade-do-porto.html http://doportoenaoso.blogspot.com.es/2010/07/o-porto-ha-cem-anos-6.html http://www.bmconcept.biz/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OwDshcjLJ4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdfDOI0Xz6M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zznnwSKRbAo Photo Credit: Myself (1,4), monumentosdesaparecidos.blogspot.com (2), Pedro Alves (3), Balonas and Melano(5)

[archquisition]

Palacio de Cibeles//Centro Centro//Palacio de Comunicaciones

Madrid, Spain 1919/2007 Architects: Antonio Palacios + Joaquin Otamendi Refurbishment: Arquimatica Style: Beaux Arts

The building is currently Madrid's City Hall, but it also serves as the city's cultural center. Upon entering, the first floor quickly informs the visitor about the history of the building through panels hung along the first floor's walls. The building, once nicknamed the "Cathedral of Communications" (Catedral de las Comunicaciones), was previously in charge of, not only Madrid's, but also the rest of the country's telegrams and mail. It was considered a "symbol of modernization and progress" because it not only embraced the technology of the time, but it also united the traditional notion of monumentality, decoration, and classicism with the rationalism and functionalism the building required.

The architects, Palacios and Otamendi, won the competition put forward by the state in 1904 and construction began in 1907. It took twelve years to complete and was inaugurated March 14, 1919. The buildings main materials at the time consisted of stone, steel and crystal.  Communication technology evolved and the building continued its post office function, but now incorporating a Telegraphic Museum. In 1993, the building was declared a national monument. And in 2004, the state, once again, put forward a competition in order to restore and rehabilitate the building.The winning firm Arquimatica (comprised of architects Francisco Rodríguez Partearroyo, David Márquez Latorre, Ángel Martínez Díaz and Francisco Martínez Díez) won the competition in February of 2005. The project took five years to complete. In 2007, the building became the official City Hall, as well as the space for Centro Centro-the cultural center (also nicknamed the 5 Cs "CentroCentro Cibeles de Cultura y Ciudadania").

Arquimatica's challenge was to rehabilitate a building so closely tied to the city's history and image. Honing the architect's favorite cliché, Arquimatica describes the interventions as having "[introduced veins, nerves, arteries, lungs, giving the building a new youth, but respecting the values of the architects who created it]". They're biggest surprise was figuring out what the original light treatment intents had been compared to what the building had become over time. The new spaces include: El Salon del Pleno, La Caja de Musica Auditorium, and La Galeria de Cristal (yet major attention was put into the central core area and the observation tower).

The project's main intentions consisted of 1. Assessing the damage of the original building and trying to restore as much of it as possible. 2. Restoring some of the original elements and values which had been compromised by newer interventions. Specifically the exterior form, the light quality, space distribution, and original construction and materials. 3. Adapting the building to its new program and to current security and accessibility requirements.

PROGRAM: Below ground the building houses the Government’s Conference room “Salon del Pleno” and the Caja de Musica Auditorium. The conference room used to be the distribution center which has now been restored to its original double height.  The Auditorium now features triangulated wooden panels for sound optimizations, 270 Seat Capacity and it holds open conferences and debates for the Cultural Center. Stock rooms, studios, archives, dressroom areas and the gallery installation room are also below ground level. The ground floor is the Galeria de Cristal Public Access (which serves as a multifunctional space). In the past this served as mail truck parking. The ceiling holds 2000 pieces of crystal, 2966 Steel Rods and 1034 joints all weighing 500 tons. After passing bag security check and a flight of stairs the visitor gets a view of the skylight and what is the main level where the information desk, visitor services, the building history exhibition, and the cafetería are located. Floor 1, 3, and 5 serve as exhibition spaces. Floor 6 is the Restaurant and Terrace bar and finally level 8 is the Outlook Tower which looks onto Madrid’s Gran Via. The building  also has an amazing view of the building from the third floor corridor which runs along the core of the building. The corridor looks down onto the ground floor and captures a better view of the skylight. I am not a huge fan of the way the glass courtyard structure looks nor the new interior decor/fixtures. I think it does a bit of a disservice to the structure and the beautiful lighting elements but I could not deny how comfortable the building ends up feeling. 

To Learn More: https://www.facebook.com/CENTROCENTRO5CS https://twitter.com/CENTROCENTRO5CS http://www.arquimatica.com/xhtml/proyecto.php?id_prj=11&id_news=1 http://www.arquimatica.com/xhtml/prj_tipo.php?id_tipo=1 http://www.centrocentro.org/centro/lasede# http://inhabitat.com/madrids-palacio-de-cibeles-renovated-into-jaw-dropping-centrocentro-cultural-center/arquimatica-centrocentro-refurbished-palacio-de-cibeles-madrid-2/?extend=1 Photos:Myself (1,3,7), Studio Arquimatica (4,5,6), CentroCentro (2)

[archquisition]

Tranquility Park

Houston,Texas 1979 Architects: Charles Tapley Associates Style: Brutalism

[[This post features University of Houston student Sarah Conrad’s writing]] Tranquility Park was created as a memorial for the moon landing of Apollo 11 in 1969. The moon is referenced all throughout the design of the park. The name Tranquility Park comes from the Sea of Tranquility, which is the landing site of Apollo 11. The park contains a casting of Neil Armstrong’s boot print and a silver etched image of an astronaut by Naomi Savage entitled “One Step for Mankin.” The ground was created with several different levels and hills to mimic the feeling of walking on the moon and the tall metal cylinders in the park are supposed to represent the thrusters on the bottom of a rocket. 

 Tranquility Park was designed in the Brutalist style. The park uses concrete to cover most of the ground and to aid in the aforementioned grade changes in the ground. The use of raw concrete, or bèton brut, is one of the major aspects of the Brutalist style. The fountains in the park are made up of different levels of triangular pools that spill over into each other. This follows the Brutalist idea of repetition of geometric forms. The main idea of Brutalism is that the design meets a purpose and is not designed to be pretty, just functional. The tall cylinder stacks spread throughout the park follow this guideline. The stacks allow fresh air into, and exhaust out of, the parking garage located beneath the park. The beauty of the structures comes from their ability to serve their purpose

To Learn More: http://www.universetoday.com/50525/sea-of-tranquility/ http://www.10best.com/destinations/texas/houston/downtown/attractions/tranquility-park/ http://www.visithoustontexas.com/listings/Tranquility-Park/20278/ http://offcite.org/wpcontent/uploads/sites/3/2010/03/DownInTheDirtTapley_Theis_Cite47.pdf http://www.houstontx.gov/parks/artinparks/onestepforMankind.html http://www.homeandabroad.com/browse/details/sites.ha?mainInfoId=82198 http://www.dezeen.com/2014/09/10/dezeen-guide-to-brutalist-architecture-owen-hopkins/ http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Brutalist-architecture.pdf Fox, S.,Moorhead,G.,and Bradley,B.S.2012.Houston architectural guide. Houston,TX:AIA Houston. Photos:Frederick Pollock,Jerald Jackson,Swamplot

[archquisition]

Architect Profile: Michael Graves

In honor of Michael Graves who recently passed away. I am dedicating this architect profile to him.

Biography: Michael Graves was born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1934. He received his Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Cincinnati and his Master's of Architecture from Harvard's Graduate School of Design (1959).Graves traveled to Rome as a recipient of the Rome Prize where he studied for two years. His time in Rome influenced him concerning his relationship to Classical forms as well as the Art Historians' perspective. In 1962, Graves accepted a teaching position at Princeton University. Having studied at the University of Cincinnati, Graves' education was influenced by Mies Van Der Rohe, and by Le Corbusier from Harvard's GSD.

This led to his recognition as one of the New York Five (late 60s/early 70s). A group of architects whose East Coast education led them to create many formally modernist buildings. Their work was concerned with the formal principles such as the white color and abstraction.Graves decided to break from the rigid modernist formalities he had practiced. J.R. Curtis describes this as a preoccupation with "naturalistic metaphors and with quotations from history".

 One of Graves' iconic buildings is the Portland Building which upset many but is indicative of Graves' next stage. By the 1980s, many commercial firms appropriated the style for strip malls. Making the style appear in very superficial terms. Graves collaborated with companies like Disney and Target. Graves' belief that design should be universal and attainable led him to design many products for Target. He also illustrated a book, and decorated the scaffolding for the Washington Monument restoration.

Graves suffered from a spinal infection later in life which caused a paralysis. His condition evoked a new awareness of the importance of designing for people with disabilties. The "Wounded Warrior Home Project"(Disabled Veteran Housing) and the St.Coletta School (special education) are indicative of his great concern for design that could accomodate and be adjusted for people with disabilties.

Quotes: "Architecture cannot divorce itself from drawing, no matter how impressive the technology gets. Drawings are not just end products: they are part of the thought process of architectural design. Drawings express the interaction of our minds, eyes and hands.

"Good Design should be available to everyone”

Awards He is the 2012 Richard H. Driehaus Prize Laureate. Graves received the 1999 National Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton. In 2001, the American Institute of Architects awarded Michael Graves its Gold Medal, the highest award bestowed upon an individual architect. Graves was the recipient of the 2010 AIA/ACSA Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education. He was also the first architect inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame. In addition, Graves received the inaugural Russel Wright Award for product design, the Tau Sigma Delta Gold Medal, in recognition of his distinguished teaching career, and the William Howard Taft lifetime achievement medal from the University of Cincinnati.

To Learn More: NY Times Article About Drawing By Graves Great NY Times Article about his life PBS Special Dwell biography Princeton Bio and Princeton Obituary  http://www.michaelgraves.com/  Curtis, William J.R. Modern Architecture since 1900 third edition

Photographs: Michael Graves & Associates (from PBS WebSite and Graves’ Firm Website)

[archquisition]

Kirche St. Johann Baptist / Church of St. John the Baptist

Neu-Ulm, Germany 1927 Architect:Dominikus Böhm Style:German Expressionist/ Brick Expressionist

In Germany and Austria in the 1920s, several integrations of traditional and modern forms were attempted, aspiring to create an “evocative setting” for places of ritual. These spaces, according to Curtis, drew upon the “Expressionist interest in elongated motifs, and formal accentuations intended to evoke mood”. The church stands on the site of a small neo Romanesque brick church. The eastern part retains parts of the original Romanesque church. In “Sanctioning Modernism: Architecture and the Making of Postwar Identities”, the authors mention how Böhm “consciously adapted Gothic forms” in much of his work by incorporating parabolic and pointed arches and sequencing of said forms to establish a longitudinal direction. At the church of St. John the Baptist, he maintains an exterior monumentality comparable to the German Romanesque (the triple arch entrance), yet  it combines “overtly” Gothic forms, modern construction, and Expressionist use of dramatic, partially concealed lighting (as well as the exterior’s rectangular forms).

The author of newchurcharchitecture.wordpress.com explains that the nave’s zigzag pattern evokes “complex” symbolism; one example being the giant fish in Jonah’s story. The rectangular pillars are angled almost parallel to the slanted concrete walls. The author of the blog explains that while the vaults are highly decorative, this is meant to add to the mysterious atmosphere yet light atmosphere Böhm intended. The vaults are in fact suspended structures created by using the “rabitz technique” (cement mortar cast onto wire forms and bent into shape).

Following Postwar reconstruction, the window slits in the church were widened deterring some of the “mystic” effect Böhm had initially achieved. In 1985, this was further diminished by the addition of suspended lamps.

For this account, I had a lot more trouble finding varied and detailed sources, but the combination of styles and the idea of innovating in religious places for the increasingly modern practitioner is quite compelling. If anyone has more information feel free to send my way.

To Learn More: Curtis, William J.R. Modern Architecture since 1900 third edition p.298. Kuli, Vladimir; Parker, Timothy; Penick, Monica. Sanctioning Modernism: Architecture and the Making of Postwar Identities. p. 170 http://www.tourismus.ulm.de/web/en/ulm-und-neu-ulm/kirchen-kloester/johann-baptist.php https://newchurcharchitecture.wordpress.com/2014/03/09/dominikus-bohm/ http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Dominikus_Bohm.aspx

photo credit: tourismus.ulm.de and newchurcharchitecture.wordpress.com

[archquisition]

National Museum of Roman Art

Merida, Spain (World Heritage Sites) September 1986 Rafael Moneo Vallés

The museum was planned as an effort to grow awareness of the Roman history of the city of Merida. The project also included an excavation of crucial archaeological sites such as the theatre and the Amphitheatre. The excavations caused a difference in level that prompted urgency in building the museum. This would avoid further costs by using the museum as a support for the lateral thrust of the land.

“In it [Moneo] creates an architectural language that reformulates the past in terms of techniques, meanings and contents without forgetting the present. The general outline of the design is made up of two buildings separated by the Roman road and connected by an imposing walkway, which hangs over the archaeological remains. One of the two buildings houses the museum and its warehouses, which Moneo in the preliminary plan calls the museum-archives. The other one holds restoration workshops, the library, an auditorium and administrative offices. The former is made up of a “type” of main nave and a series of parallel bays, which run perpendicular to the main space. The central light filters through the structure of the ceilings and the illumination designed through the vertical ornaments is controlled and blended by the diaphragm walls that form the nave at the south end. The open windows at the north end guarantee direct light.”

The overall scheme is a repetitive system of concrete walls clad in Roman brick, penetrated by different size arches superimposed on latticework. The continuous parallel arches’ geometric values are meant to correspond to Trajan’s Arch in Merida. It is also reminiscent of a Roman Hypostyle Hall as well as of La Mesquita in Sevilla. In between are industrial sized skylights. The same continuous parallel language transforms into buttresses in the southern end of the building meant to invoke the strength and geometry of the aqueduct “Los Milagros”.  A concrete slab floor cuts through about half the main space to create upper levels for smaller scale displays. The building is accessed through an exterior arch topped by a white marble lintel and a niche.  The door features bronze bas-reliefs by Francisco Lopez.  In this way, Curtis tells us that Moneo has “spliced together real ruin with metaphorical ones, working its way back to the structural anatomy of ancient architecture and touching upon certain continuities in Spanish tradition”. In other words, Moneo blends and references the ancient and local realities with the modern, traditional, and national typologies. Curtis more plainly describes it as a “cross between a turn of the century factory and something more ancient”.  The distances in the space are hard to gauge due to the repetitive and elongated space dramatized by the beam of light hitting the end wall from a nonobvious light source.  Curtis elaborates: “ Moneo avoided the obvious references of academic classicism as well as the superficial graphic imagery of postmodernism by establishing a strong formal and tectonic order, and by oscillating back and forth between abstract and figurative readings of tradition. The museum geometry was shifted a few degrees off the excavated Roman street pattern underneath accentuating the the contrast between new and old”.

David Netto in a NYTimes Article describes Moneo’s work: “His buildings are extremely site-specific, usually physically elegant and charged with experiential surprise, often in the plan or through internal manipulations of natural light. Always born of some well-considered relation to context, Moneo’s buildings are not objects meant to promote themselves, nor do they condescend.”

And the museum: “Moneo’s structure is about the material itself. He insisted that the clay for these bricks be sourced locally, applying to architecture something akin to the “terroir” theory of cooking. A museum hovering over an archaeological site, Mérida is a building that teaches us about Roman antiquities, Roman construction methods and also modernism — specifically its potential to be expressive in the hands of a designer who is unafraid to engage the past and be inventive at the same time.”

As of now the museum is planning on expanding to feature some of the Visigoth and early Christian work of Merida. The museum is also planning to restructure some of its existing rooms as suggested by museum visitors. I personally recommend visiting the museum and the city for great archaeological and well preserved monuments and works. 

Learn More: http://museoarteromano.mcu.es/el_edificio_en.html http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/04/14/t-magazine/14well-moneo.html http://www.spainisculture.com/en/museos/badajoz/museo_nacional_de_arte_romano_de_merida.html http://www.archidose.org/Jul99/072699.html   Curtis, William J.R. <i>Modern Architecture since 1900 </i> third edition p.628.

Photographs: All Personal Work but more photographs/video:  http://www.archiref.com/en/work/rafael-moneo.-national-museum-roman-art-24207#.VOkt4VPF-4Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkF3pDkw7A8

[archquisition]

UR: Ziggurat of Urnammu

Muquaiyir, Iraq (Southern Iraq, Once Ancient Sumeria, Biblical City of Ur) ~2125 BCE

The Ziggurat, the religious complex, stands apart from the rest of the city not just physically but also stylistically. 

The homes in the city of Ur, were usually one storey mud brick  rooms wrapped around a central court. There was no connection to the street except for the front door which when opened only revealed a small vestibule and a blank wall. The homes of the wealthier class usually had two storeys: ground storey for the servants/guests and upper storey for the family. The central court had four wooden posts holding up a continuous walkway to access the upper rooms. (Kostof)

The  Ziggurat contrasted the city in it's regularity and openness. It wasn't dense  and irregular(Kostof).Originally the Ziggurat of Ur Nammu was walled around and was reached through a grand courtyard. Ur Nammu (whom it's named after) remodelled it in the 21st Century (BCE). (Glancey)

Kostof explains thats the Ziggurat was "conceived as a substitute mountain". The Sumerians "who galvanized the first towns of Mesopotamia had come down from the mountainous North" and when they moved to the South they felt the need to recreate the natural environment of their homeland. The Ur Nammu one was dedicated to the moon god Nanna. 

Ur Nammu's Ziggurat has three stages. It is built of Mud Bricks banded with Bitumen. The outer layer was baked and featured "weeper hold" which allowed for evaporation of the mud core. They also built in a drainage system to carry the rainwater. Many believe that the top terrace was also filled with trees. 

As of today all that stands is the base. 

Learn More: (+Image Sources)

Kostof, Spiro. A History of Architecture: Settings and Rituals.1995. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/ancient-near-east1/sumerian/a/ziggurat-of-ur http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/zigg/hd_zigg.htm http://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-asia/great-ziggurat-ur-001767 http://www.odysseyadventures.ca/articles/ur%20of%20the%20chaldees/ur_article01zig.html http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/ziggurats/explore/exp_main.html

[archquisition]

Lovell Beach House

Newport Beach, California 1923-6 Architect: Rudolph Schindler  Client: Philip Lovell (Physician/Naturopath) Style: Modernist/California Modernist: De Stijl and Brutalist Associations

"Wishing to exploit the views to the sea, and needing to deal with earthquakes, Schindler conceived the house as a reinforced concrete armature of five perforated lateral piers, from which walls and secondary elements were [..] suspended".  This opens up the sidewalk and lifts the living spaces. Concrete material was used since it was both economical and durable. The upper portion of the house consists of "interlocking trays" which result in a bold horizontal overhang and allow for a double height living space and large window facing the sea side. Sleeping lofts and an upper gallery were placed in the second storey looking down onto the living room.  Originally the lofts were open air since this at the time was seen as an acceptable way to live in California's mild climate but towards building completion, Lovell changed his mind and Schindler enclosed them by moving the bedroom french doors towards the guardrail (houzz).  The "Undercrofts" (open air space) below the upper tray could be used to store beach sports gear/equipment such as surfboards and boats. "The building was a direct expression of the section"(Curtis). 

The home was inspired partially by Wright's tiered early homes, but William J.R. Curtis explains that it is mostly reminiscent of European Progressive work in its spatial qualities and hovering horizontal volumes.  Although, Schindler's idea did align more with Wright's in its organic philosophy than the European mechanistic abstraction ideals. His idea was a combination of simplicity with a "reverence for the order of 'nature'" (Curtis). 

"This is incredibly experimental and forward-looking and quintessentially modern, but also very much connected to Southern California and to an L.A. idea of architecture and living. This predates so many experiments in Europe (Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye was built between 1928 and 1931). This is doing ‘Corb’ before ‘Corb.’” -LA Times Architecture Critic, Christopher Hawthorne 

Learn More: Curtis,William J.R. Modern Architecture: Since 1900. Third Edition. http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/6709772/list/must-know-modern-homes-the-lovell-beach-house http://www.metropolismag.com/Point-of-View/October-2011/A-Day-at-the-Lovell-Beach-House/ http://archinect.com/news/article/23462687/r-m-schindler-s-lovell-beach-house-a-rare-look http://archinect.com/features/article/24232558/journey-to-lovell-beach-house-r-m-schindler-1926 http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/990208?sid=21105825859513&uid=2&uid=3739560&uid=4&uid=3739256 Photos: Library of Congress GreatBuildings.com

[archquisition]

Helsinki Railway Station

Helsinki, Finland 1911-1914 Architect: Eliel Saarinen  Style: Finnish Art Nouveau (?)/ Jugend Architecture/ National Romanticism/Art Deco (it's been described as all these)

flickr/Jorge Láscar

The building is composed of Finnish granite exterior with reinforced concrete interior vaults (victorianweb.org). It's also got a copper clad tower and four statues of men holding globe shaped lamps. Saarinen won the competition for the railway station in 1904. William Curtis tells us that the design that won was originally a "flagrantly romantic scheme that had textured stone façades capped by statues of bears". After being criticized by other Finnish architects for not representing technological advances well through his design, Saarinen stripped many of the romantic elements he had originally planned for. Saarinen disposed of "purified elements over an almost classical plan" and used a "language of abstract striation in the façades which no longer referred to any particular style" (Curtis). 

Wikipedia:Revontuli

Jonathan Glancey says that the result of the new design is "one of the world's most civilized downtown train stations with an interior as calm and beautiful as a Lutheran Cathedral". Emil Wikström's bear statues which flank the entrance are "the only full-blooded form of decoration used [...] on this functional yet romantic building" (Glancey). 

BBC:Glancey

The building is an "expression of an aesthetic of national romanticism that had been growing in Finland as the country became independent from Russia". Brian Solomon describes it as "one of the world's great railway terminal buildings and one of the only few that embody an art nouveau aesthetic". It was "designed using a blend of elements of the Arts and Crafts Movement with themes from traditional Finnish rural architecture to produce decidedly romantic and nationalistic styles" (Solomon/Victorianweb.org). 

Learn More: Curtis, William. Modern Architecture Since 1900. p.136 Glancey, Jonathan. Visual Reference Guides Architecture. p.420 http://www.visitfinland.com/article/the-charm-of-old-helsinki/ http://www.visithelsinki.fi/en/see-and-experience/sights-and-attractions/architecture-in-helsinki http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20131203-all-aboard-stunning-stations http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helsinki_Central_railway_station#mediaviewer/File:Helsinki_Central_railway_station_ticket_hall.jpg http://www.visithelsinki.fi/en/sights-and-attractions/central-railway-station http://artdecobuildings.blogspot.com/2008/03/central-railway-station-heksinki.html http://www.flickr.com/photos/8721758@N06/4548615957

[archquisition]

Baptistery of Neon

(also known as the Orthodox Baptistery- not to be confused with the Arian Baptistery)

Ravenna, Italy 450 AD

Built by Bishop Orso in the early 5th century, it was later decorated by his successor Neone (from which the baptistery takes its name) around 450 AD. 

It is shaped in an Octogonal form which according to Spiro Kostof is associated with the resurrection and rebirth because of the 8 sides. It consists of four apses and two orders of arches rising to the cupola. The UNESCO site describes it as the "finest and most complete surviving example of early Christian Baptistery".  

The mural at the apex of the Dome depicts the Baptism of Christ by John the Baptist. Below the twelve apostles fill the second tier carrying crowns. At the third tier are architectural panels alternately enframing thrones and altars. (Wharton) Centrally, at the ground level, lies the baptism niche where baptisms would be performed. Kostof explains that while there were other regular cult buildings which were very modest, this baptistery is an example of what would be considered an "occasional" building for specialized rites. 

Kostof describes the building as one with a "modest brick shell" concealing a "space made transcendent by a decorative system of mosaic, painted stucco, colored marbles, and inscriptions". The city of Ravenna also has several other great examples of early Christian architecture.

Learn More: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/788 http://www.collegeart.org/pdf/artbulletin/Art%20Bulletin%20Vol%2069%20No%203%20Wharton.pdf http://www.academia.edu/3010487/A_Tale_of_Two_Baptisteries_Royal_and_Ecclesiastical_Patronage_in_Ravenna http://vimeo.com/61740085 Kostof, Spiro. A History of Architecture: Settings and Rituals.1995. ALL IMAGES BY HOLLY HAYES: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/ravenna-battistero-neoniano

[archquisition]

Designer Profile: CHARLES AND RAY EAMES

One of Modernism’s Power Couples or as Tumblrites like to say an OTP. This couple left a huge legacy for design in general. Their way of looking at the design process and seeing design as an opportunity to learn, teach, and create social change/awareness is still innovative and not as common as we'd like to imagine.

Biography: Charles was born in St Louis, Missouri (1907). He studied at Washington University in St.Louis for two years before being expelled for advocating for Frank Lloyd Wright. Prior to this he had worked many odd jobs. After left Washington University, he worked as a draftsman for a few years before he married for the first time and travelled to Europe. This trip allowed him to experience European modernism first hand. The great depression and lack of jobs led him to living in Mexico for a couple of years. Upon his return he worked on St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Arkansas and was later asked by Eliel Saarinen (father of his future partner Eero) to attend Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. He attended first with a fellowship and later acted as the head of the design department. Here he worked with Eero for MoMa’s Organic Furniture Competition.

Ray was born in Sacramento, California (1912). She studied painting under Hans Hofmann (abstract expressionism) in New York, and later attended Cranbrook where she would meet her future husband Charles. She also assisted Eero and Charles in their molded plywood experiments.

They both decided to move to Los Angeles. While work was scarce Ray worked on painting and graphic illustrations as Charles worked with film. During WWII, the US Navy asked the  Eames’ to produce molded plywood stretchers, splints, and experimental glider shells. The Eames’ produced a plethora of design objects and projects including films, architecture, furniture, exhibitions, and children’s toys. They are well known for their molded plywood furniture of 1946 dubbed the “Chair of the Century” by Esther McCoy. It was originally produced by Evans and up until now by Henry Miller in the USA (Vitra International in Europe). Their Case Study House #8 is also very well known for it’s prefab materials. In film their film “Powers of Ten” (1977) also stands out.

Case Study #8

Favorite Quotes:

"Eventually everything connects- people, ideas, objects…the quality of connections is the key to quality per se… I don’t believe in this "gifted concept", just in people doing things they are really interested in doing. They have a way of getting good at whatever it is".

"Ideas are cheap. Always be passionate about ideas and communicating those ideas and discoveries to others in the things you make."

"being committed means becoming involved and to become involved means giving something of oneself. It is only the rare ones today who seem to care that much."

"Great practitioners are conscious to the world – awake to the core of their being. Each day they strive to live consciously,supported by the experiences that develop and inspire their intellectual and emotional persona. They continue to transform and expand their knowledge into a unique capacity to perceive the world and offer lifegiving response. Their ever-increasing consciousness empowers them to adapt, discover new ideas and methods of inquiry, and to direct their future in meaningful ways"

"Unlike Keats, who said that knowing about the rainbow shatters its beauty, I feel that the knowledge about an object can only enrich your feelings for the object itself."

Awards/Recognition: Organic Furniture Competition, Museum of Modern Art, 1940 Emmy Award, (Graphics), “The Fabulous Fifties,” 1960 Kaufmann International Design Award, 1961 25 Year American Institute of Architects Award, 1977 Eliot Norton Chair of Poetry, Harvard, 1971 Queen’s Gold Medal for Architecture, 1979 Named “Most Influential Designer of the 20th Century,” WORLDESIGN ‘85, Industrial Designers Society of America, 1985 The Work of Charles and Ray Eames: A Legacy of Invention, Traveling Exhibition, Library of Congress, 1999

Brief Eames’ Office Lessons: (read Max Underwood’s Lecture for a great elaboration)

1-Do Only Challenging Problems. 2- “What is Interesting?”- Doing work that you value can bring about the natural passion to work and inexhaustible curiosity. 3-Respect Constraints. 4-Make Connections. 5-Seek to be Curious and See Anew. 6-Real Learning Comes Through Primary Experiences. 7-Engage in the Hands-On Process of Envisioning and Modeling and Prototyping. 8-Use Film and Photography as Essays. 9-Do Concurrent Problems coupled with Simultaneous Design Activities. 10-Constant Refinement through Endless Iteration.

Learn More: http://www.eamesoffice.com/eames-office/charles-and-ray/ http://www.hermanmiller.com/designers/eames.html http://www.dwr.com/category/designers/d-g/charles-ray-eames.do http://eamesdesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/INSIDE-THE-OFFICE-OF-CHARLES-AND-RAY-EAMES.pdf http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/eames/bio.html http://www.eamesoffice.com/the-work/powers-of-ten/ http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/06/15/charles-eames-quotes/

[archquisition]

Museum San

San Museum, Gang Won-Do, South Korea 2013 Architect: Tadao Ando

Originally known as the Hansol Museum after the Korean paper and chemical company who funded the building, the name was changed to Museum SAN as in "Space Art and Nature" as well as honoring its location. The word San meaning Mountain in Korean. The building sits in the peaks of Daegwallyeong mountain range. Ando declares of the project: "We carved away the mountain ridge to make the narrow site...I wanted to create a garden museum in the sky". Consistent with this vision is the slogan the museum has opted to take on as featured in its museum pamphlet: "Disconnect to Connect".

The museums consists of a welcome center, the main building (two galleries), and three gardens (flower, water, and stone garden). The main materials are local limestone used in the façade, interior walls, and paths; concrete; and glass. The main building is made up of four wings connected one to the other through a triangular, a circular and a rectangular room to achieve Ando's intent of expressing a "ceaseless flow of time binding the past and the future". It is quite a poetic endeavor continuously trying to blend the landscape to the art. 

Learn More:  http://www.museumsan.org/hansolmuseum_en.pdf http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/25596110-df4b-11e3-86a4-00144feabdc0.html#slide7 http://museemagazine.com/art-2/features/worlds-best-new-galleries-and-museums/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gay9AoFTfus

[archquisition]

Angkor Wat

Siem Reap, Cambodia

"Stretching over some 400 km2, including forested area, Angkor Archaeological Park contains the magnificent remains of the different capitals of the Khmer Empire, from the 9th to the 15th century. They include the famous Temple of Angkor Wat and, at Angkor Thom, the Bayon Temple with its countless sculptural decorations"

"Temples such as Angkor Wat, the Bayon, Preah Khan and Ta Prohm, exemplars of Khmer architecture, are closely linked to their geographical context as well as being imbued with symbolic significance. The architecture and layout of the successive capitals bear witness to a high level of social order and ranking within the Khmer Empire. Angkor is therefore a major site exemplifying cultural, religious and symbolic values, as well as containing high architectural, archaeological and artistic significance." (UNESCO)

Spiro Kostof puts these in perspective when he says that "the most elaborate of these hindu temples correspond to the last generations of Gothic buildings". He says there is a "kinship of sorts between them if you think of the fragmentation of matter, the bewildering riot of turn and counterturn. But they work differently." 

Angkor Wat: "Covered galleries with columns define the boundaries of the first and second levels. The third level supports five towers –four in the corners and one in the middle and these is the most prominent architectural feature of Angkor Wat. This arrangement is sometimes called a quincunx. Graduated tiers, one rising above the other, give the towers a conical shape and, near the top, rows of lotuses taper to a point...The overall profile imitates a lotus bud, Several architectural lines stand out in the profile of the monument. The eye is drawn left and right to the horizontal aspect of the levels and upward to the soaring height of the towers. The ingenious plan of Angkor Wat only allows a view of all five towers from certain angles."

"Angkor Wat is a miniature replica of the universe in stone and represents an earthly model of the cosmic world. The central tower rises from the center of the monument symbolizing the mythical mountain, Meru, situated at the center of the universe. Its five towers correspond to the peaks of Meru. The outer wall corresponds to the mountains at the edge of the world, and the surrounding moat the oceans beyond." (tourismCambodia)

The area of Angkor has been comprised of different alterations and additions over time. 

~800 The first city classic form of Khmer capital with a defensive bank and ditch with a state temple at its centre, built from brick or stone, and a wooden palace. There would also have been many secular buildings, constructed almost entirely of wood, in and around the enceinte.

880 The state temple at Roluos, the Bakong, and the temple built in memory of the royal ancestors, Preah Ko, were erected . The large reservoir was added a decade later with a new third temple in its center.

960 The second capital at Angkor was built by Rajendravarman.  He also constructed a temple, the Eastern Mebon, on an artificial island in the centre of the Eastern Baray. During his reign he built the temple of Banteay Srei.

1000 Rajendravarman's son, Jayavarman V, abandoned the Pre Rup site in favour of a new location with its state temple at Ta Kev. Shortly afterwards he was overthrown by Suryavarman I, who was responsible for erecting the fortifications around his Royal Palace and state temple, the Phimeanakas, and also for the construction of the great Western Baray.

1050 Suryvarman I's successor created the Baphuon temple.

1113 Suryavarman II was responsible for the greatest of all Khmer monuments, Angkor Vat, set within an extensive enclosure and dedicated to Vishnu.

1177 internal strife situation was restored by Jayavarman VII, who celebrated his military success by creating yet another capital at Angkor Thorn and building his state temple, the towering Bayon (dedicated to Buddha).

(UNESCO)

Learn More: Kostof, Spiro. A History of Architecture: Settings and Rituals.1995. p.396 http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/668 http://www.tourismcambodia.com/attractions/angkor/angkor-wat.htm http://sacredsites.com/asia/cambodia/angkor_wat.html http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/ancient-mysteries/angkor-wat-temples

[archquisition]

Larkin Building

Larkin Building, Buffalo, New York 1902-1906 (demolished 1950) Architect: Frank Lloyd Wright Style: Early Modern

Frank Lloyd Wright had gained broad recognition for his residential projects at this point. In 1902, the Larkin mail order company asked Wright to design a building around their requirements. The site was surrounded by railroads, factories in the background, and a gasworks nearby. The building then needed an "inward looking, hermetically sealed solution". Frank used his theme of trays slung from vertical piers arranged around a high, top-lit atrium space similar to his work in the Prairie house. The stairs and ventilating equipment were placed in tall corner towers.(Curtis) "The articulation of the side elevations was a direct expression of the structural framework of the building"(larkindg.com)These gave a massive and monumental character to the brick masonry exterior and provided vertical emphases" in order to unify the smaller parts and make the entire project "coherent". 

Curtis (modern architecture since 1900) explains that the building's strong axial character and its airy, nave-like interior space caused the building to be dubbed "a cathedral of work" as it was also inscribed with moralistic mottoes suggesting the religious value of labor. "Grammatically it was a descendant of Sullivan's Wainwright building", but "turned outside in...the massing suggested an abstracted version of an Egyptian pylon gateway, while the overall lines perhaps revealed the influence of Olbrich's Viennese Secession Building". European critics praised the building while several American critics deemed it "too naked". Russel Sturgis said the following of the building: " Few persons who have seen the great monuments of the past...(and) who have loved them...will fail to pronounce this monument an extremely ugly building. It is, in fact, a monster of awkwardness."

The building was also the first air conditioned building in America and in 1950 was demolished and replaced by a parking lot. 

Learn More: Curtis, William J.R. Modern Architecture Since 1900. Phaidon. p126  http://www.larkindg.com/wrightConnection.html http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Larkin_Building.html http://www.pbs.org/flw/buildings/larkin/larkin.html http://www.terrastories.com/bearings/frank-lloyd-wright-and-his-forgotten-larkin-building http://www.monroefordham.org/Projects/Larkin/history.htm

[archquisition]

Architect Profile: Oscar Niemeyer

For this first Archi Bio, I'm featuring architect Oscar Niemeyer.

Brief Bio: Born on December 15, 1907, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Oscar Niemeyer was best known for his involvement with the design of major buildings in Brasilia. He studied at Barnabitas College and then the Escola Nacional de Belas Artes. He then worked for Lúcio Costa, an architect from the Modernist school. Niemeyer worked with Costa on many major buildings such as Brazil's Ministry of Education and Health building (in collaboration with Bauhaus director Le Corbusier). Costa and Niemeyer also worked together on Brazil's iconic pavilion in the 1939 New York World's Fair. Niemeyer was approached by Brazil's president to become Chief Architect of the completely new capital city: Brasilia. In 1988, Niemeyer won the Pritzker Architecture Prize for his Cathedral of Brasilia. Niemeyer died in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on December 5, 2012. He was 104 years old. His works remain iconic with many relevant lessons to still consider.

On Niemeyer: "Niemeyer belonged to what is sometimes called the "second generation" of modern architects, meaning that he inherited and transformed the discoveries of pioneers such as Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe to deal with the realities of rapid modernisation in his own country, Brazil...In Niemeyer's "utopia", man was supposedly to achieve harmony with nature through the liberation of space and the use of new technology – a position that expressed almost unconsciously Brazilian national myths of progress and identity. A communist who built houses for the rich, as well as a cathedral, social housing and buildings for numerous state bureaucracies, Niemeyer was anything but ideologically consistent. The worlds for which he built have passed away but his buildings remain in all their intriguing richness." -William Jr Curtis

Niemeyer for Thought:

"Here, then, is what I wanted to tell you of my architecture. I created it with courage and idealism, but also with an awareness of the fact that what is important is life, friends and attempting to make this unjust world a better place in which to live."

"The architect's role is to fight for a better world, where he can produce an architecture that serves everyone and not just a group of privileged people."

"It is important that the architect think not only of architecture but of how architecture can solve the problems of the world."

To Learn More: http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/oscar-niemeyer http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/world/americas/oscar-niemeyer-modernist-architect-of-brasilia-dies-at-104.html?pagewanted=all http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/12/oscar-niemeyer-a-vision-in-concrete/265969/ http://www.archdaily.com/303376/quotes-from-oscar-niemeyer-1907-2012/ "Oscar Niemeyer." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 13 Jan. 2015. http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2012/12/remembering-oscar-niemeyer-architect-who-gave-modernism-samba-flair

[archquisition]

MWPA Institute

Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, Utica, New York 1960 Architect: Philip Johnson Style: International/ Modernist

It is the first of the three free standing museums that Philip Johnson would build. "The new museum program included art galleries and spaces for film screenings, musical performances, art classes, and lectures.  Due to the diverse program, Johnson focused his initial design on resolving issues of circulation, lighting, and adaptability.  The preliminary design model was displayed in the US Pavilion at the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair, where it received much praise". (archdaily)

Johnson tried to achieve this through its " windowless perfect-square design with gallery rooms situated around a central enclosed, two-story courtyard".  Johnson wanted this courtyard to serve as the softness with its organic forms in the trees to contrast the hardness of the strict geometry in the building form and plan. The trees are no longer there but as part of the movement and circulation through the museum galleries, Johnson expected the visitor to move in/out of the building and the courtyard to create pauses for the visitor. (doaks.org)

The building is described as "a monolithic cubic mass wrapped in dark grey Canadian granite [which] floats above a continuous curtain wall.  The unique structural concept—two extruded bronze-clad ferroconcrete pillars attached to each façade—is particularly prominent.  The roof is supported by intersecting girders above, which rest on the pillars below." (ArchDaily)

LAYOUT:The museum layout is arranged around a central, double-height sculpture gallery that receives daylight from deep box skylights above.  Surrounding the open gallery are smaller exhibition spaces of varying shapes and sizes that utilize incandescent lighting. Above, the upper floor is suspended from the roof and wraps around the central court.  Mirrored, cantilevered scissor stairs provide access from below. The basement level mimics the overall spatial layout.  Against the curtain wall, offices surround a central 271-seat auditorium.  The rear of this level meets the sloped grade and offers access to the parking lot.  The interior finishes—travertine floors and dark teak walls—show Johnson’s preference for extravagant, rich materials. (archdaily)

 "Final cost was five million dollars, well above the original one million dollar budget.  Despite its overall reference of the International Style, the MWPAI was primarily inspired by the Berlin Altes Museum" (archdaily)

"Although Johnson’s design for the Munson-Williams-Proctor Museum of Art was structurally similar to that of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Crown Hall at the Illinois Institute of Technology (1950–1956), the Museum’s design also signaled Johnson’s first movement away from the influence of Mies and the International Style. The opaque stone-clad walls, the use of the luxuriant materials such as granite and statuary bronze, and the balance and symmetry of the design were all harbingers of Johnson’s growing new interest in neoclassical typologies, or what came to be called New Formalism in modern architecture" (doaks.org)

"The MWPAI Museum of Art was a particularly meaningful project for Johnson, prompting him to produce a 1960 manifesto on museum design.  His manifesto emphasized characteristics that would later become key elements of his architectural style: aesthetic experience and luxurious use of light and space." (archdaily)

Learn More: http://www.mwpai.org/about/history/ http://www.doaks.org/museum/online-pubs/philip-johnson/the-munson-williams-proctor-museum-of-art http://www.mwpai.org/view/exhibitions/past/look-for-beauty-philip-johnson-and-art-museum-design/ Pascucci, Denim. "AD Classics: Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute / Philip Johnson" 01 Apr 2014. ArchDaily. Accessed 13 Jan 2015. <http://www.archdaily.com/?p=492133> Book

[archquisition]

Bibliotheque Sainte Geneviève

Library of Sainte Geneviève, Paris, France 1838-50 Architect: Henri Labrouste Style: Italian Renaissance Revival

"The large (278 by 69 feet) two-storied structure filling a wide, shallow site is deceptively simple in scheme: the lower floor is occupied by stacks to the left, rare-book storage and office space to the right, with a central vestibule and stairway leading to the reading room which fills the entire upper story. The ferrous structure of this reading room—a spine of slender, cast-iron Ionic columns dividing the space into twin aisles and supporting openwork iron arches that carry barrel vaults of plaster reinforced by iron mesh—has always been revered by Modernists for its introduction of high technology into a monumental building."

— Marvin Trachtenberg and Isabelle Hyman. Architecture: from Prehistory to Post-Modernism. p478.

"When Labrouste dared to work with iron and glass in the library of Ste.-Geneviève in Paris, across from Soufflot's great church, he was roundly ridiculed. The main reading room on the second floor is now much admired, precisely because it was so premonitory of things to come. It is divided into two barrel-vaulted naves by a central row of thin columns. The barrels are carried on delicately scrolled arches of open-work iron, while the masonry walls that belong to Renaissance-inspired, but very original, shell have their own ranges of window arches."

–Spiro Kostof. A History of Architecture. p.598

"[...] the juxtaposition and contrast of slender metal members and articulate masonry walls was an essential and complementary aspect of the architectural idea. Labrouste submitted technology and craft to the governing image of a civic institution of learning with sober, arcuated stone exteriors of no particular historical style, and a single airy, well-lit interior space for 'enlightenment." 

–William J.R. Curtis. Modern Architecture Since 1900. p.38

The façade is inscribed with the names of scholars/authors. 

To Learn More: http://www-bsg.univ-paris1.fr/mieux-connaitre-la-bsg/architecture/un-batiment-pour-la-bibliotheque-sainte-genevieve-2 http://www.archdaily.com/317195/henri-labrouste-structure-brought-to-life/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1xn_83Tkn0 Kostof, Spiro. A History of Architecture: Settings and Rituals.1995.