Louis I. Kahn - Indiana University Bloomingtoniucdp/Zhang.pdfLouis I. Kahn An American Modernist...
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Louis I. Kahn An American Modernist Jialu Zhang Fall 2013 Architecture theories and concepts Project Introduction Architect Impact • Analysis of architect Louis I. Kahn • Introduce Louis Kahn with a brief overview and his design philosophy, language and organizing principles. • Introduce his several works along with his design ideas • Focus on one of his most respected works: Kimbell Art Museum • Born in 1901 in Island of Osel, Estonia and immigrated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1905 • Graduated from University of Pennsylvania in 1924 • Founded the Architectural Research Group with Dominique Berninger in 1932 • Died in 1974 in New York • Well-known for combining Modernism with ancient monuments • Set against the pasche of late modern ism and formalist decadence but applied their underlying principles to meet func- onal requirements in modernism • His buildings’ highly experimental process became a standard procedure for others Philosophy Organizing Principle Design Language Background • Thoughul consideraon of materials such as using posensioned concrete and mathmacal,geometrical forms • Sophiscated technologies and mathma- cal, geometrical forms • Funconality • Bold Circles, Colossal cylinder of brick and concrete was used for either interior or facade • Emphasize on the character of nature light • Divide spaces into “master” and “servant” areas • Mathemacal and geometrical forms for detailing • Full of inversions: masses to weightlessness, light to shadows, solids to voids. • Axial composion • Less simplicity, more sophiscated geometry and materiality • “Light, Silence and Shadow”: Light-- the giver of presence which casts shadow, and Silence--the desire and need, make the inspiraon. • Form and space should arise from “a full consideraon of needs and resources available.” (Leslie, P 3) • “Order” refers to form-making in order and creave force • “The nature of space reflects what it wants to be” Porfolio The Salk Institute La Jolla, California, 1959–1965 Yale University Art Gallery New Haven, Connecticut, 1951–1953 Richards Medical Research Labs Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1957–1965 The Medical Towers was Kahn’s first build- ing of major importance. It is a typical work that reflects his organizing principle that di- vide space to“master” and “servant” areas It is a “culminaon” of modern architec- ture because of its funonalism, “how it responds to needs, honesty in use of mate- rials”(Lobell, P 72). He also used red brick which help him find the material’s nature. The lab spaces in the Salk Instute are large and flexible. This design is Kahn’s “fist complete vision of a new architec- ture, which responds to the whole human being” (Lobell, 76). He wrapped glass in concrete and between thes glass boxes, he built a coutyard, “a place of sllness, of Silence”. At first Yale’s Gallery consisted of a half- built gothic structure. Kahn made a new scheme based on old system’s limitaons. He arranged the bays in rectangular grid, “providing a narrow footprint and a dirc- onal grain that emphasized the circula- on connecng the new and old build- ings”(Leslie, P 55).
Transcript of Louis I. Kahn - Indiana University Bloomingtoniucdp/Zhang.pdfLouis I. Kahn An American Modernist...
Louis I. KahnAn American Modernist
Jialu ZhangFall 2013 Architecture theories and concepts
Project
IntroductionArchitect Impact
• Analysis of architect Louis I. Kahn• Introduce Louis Kahn with a brief overview and his design philosophy, language and organizing principles.• Introduce his several works along with his design ideas• Focus on one of his most respected works: Kimbell Art Museum
• Born in 1901 in Island of Osel, Estonia and immigrated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1905• Graduated from University of Pennsylvania in 1924• Founded the Architectural Research Group with Dominique Berninger in 1932• Died in 1974 in New York
• Well-known for combining Modernism with ancient monuments• Set against the pastiche of late modern ism and formalist decadence but applied their underlying principles to meet func- tional requirements in modernism • His buildings’ highly experimental process became a standard procedure for others
Philosophy Organizing Principle Design Language
Background
• Thoughtful consideration of materials such as using posttensioned concrete and mathmatical,geometrical forms• Sophiscated technologies and mathmati- cal, geometrical forms• Functionality• Bold Circles, Colossal cylinder of brick and concrete was used for either interior or facade• Emphasize on the character of nature light
• Divide spaces into “master” and “servant” areas• Mathematical and geometrical forms for detailing• Full of inversions: masses to weightlessness, light to shadows, solids to voids.• Axial composition• Less simplicity, more sophiscated geometry and materiality
• “Light, Silence and Shadow”: Light-- the giver of presence which casts shadow, and Silence--the desire and need, make the inspiration.• Form and space should arise from “a full consideration of needs and resources available.” (Leslie, P 3)• “Order” refers to form-making in order and creative force• “The nature of space reflects what it wants to be”
PorfolioThe Salk InstituteLa Jolla, California, 1959–1965
Yale University Art GalleryNew Haven, Connecticut, 1951–1953
Richards Medical Research LabsPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, 1957–1965
The Medical Towers was Kahn’s first build-ing of major importance. It is a typical work that reflects his organizing principle that di-vide space to“master” and “servant” areasIt is a “culmination” of modern architec-ture because of its funtionalism, “how it responds to needs, honesty in use of mate-rials”(Lobell, P 72). He also used red brick which help him find the material’s nature.
The lab spaces in the Salk Institute are large and flexible. This design is Kahn’s “fist complete vision of a new architec-ture, which responds to the whole human being” (Lobell, 76). He wrapped glass in concrete and between thes glass boxes, he built a coutyard, “a place of stillness, of Silence”.
At first Yale’s Gallery consisted of a half- built gothic structure. Kahn made a new scheme based on old system’s limitations. He arranged the bays in rectangular grid, “providing a narrow footprint and a dirc-tional grain that emphasized the circula-tion connecting the new and old build-ings”(Leslie, P 55).
Jialu ZhangFall 2013 Architecture theories and concepts
Louis I. KahnA Precedent Analysis
Overview
Concept
Analysis
Kimbell Art MuseumFort Worth, Texas, 1967–1972
The museum is the last building that Kahn de-signed and saw completed. He used natural light instead of artificial light with long sky-lights and screens in the vaulted ceilings which filter light and reflect it off in the concrete building so as to avoid to damage paintings. The building’s facade is simple and austere, and at the same time the space form is rich and noble.
Structure 2D idea Plan to section
Circulation Massing and Hierarchy
The concept of the building is barrel vaults with rectangular grid. “The curvature of the vaults was based upon a cycloid geometry and this added extra tension and vitality to the profiles” and the space is “compartmen-talized”(Curtis, P 524) with a subtraction area. The light-courts of the vaults provides natural light.
Steel frame with concrete grid
KEY:
Steel frame core columnsNatural light course
Primary Shape
KEY:
Secondary ShapeAxis
Primary circulation
KEY:
Vertical circulationHorizontal circulationUse space
Natural light
KEY:
Massing Hierarchy
The building has a rectan-gular linear grid which in-tersections are steel frame core with concrete. Over-all the space is open, and sevral columns support the porch.
The whole building is basical-ly a rectangualr shape with a substraction space, divided into small rectangulars. And it is symmetrical.
There is a main entrance through the park. Several stair-cases connect this upper lev-el with the lower level space. And most of space are used as gallary, bookshop, show rooms, etc, reflecting Kahn’s idea that form space for needs.
The roof is barrel-vault shape and at the each top of vault a light course is placed enables natural light get through. In Kahn’s designs, natural light is an important component of architecture.
As in most of his buildings Kahn devel-oped the features that integrateing to the surrondings and personalizing the design. A good example of this are the roofs, which make a great interaction between the structure and the rural setting of Fort Worth.
