Alvar Aalto, shown here with his wife AinoAalto considered each project a unique experiment in light.
He also infused his work with a sense of nature through undulating curves and natural materials.
Next, #2:
Louis Kahn
Kahn strove to give weight and monumentality to modern architecture, resulting in works that were timeless-- at once archaic and modern.
Mount Angel Benedictine Library (photo by Author)
He also infused his work with a sense of nature through undulating curves and natural materials.
Next, #2:
Louis KahnKahn strove to give weight and monumentality to modern architecture, resulting in works that were timeless-- at once archaic and modern.
Trenton Bath House (photo by Author)
(this is a very modest work, a poem in mass and shadow)
I think Kahn to be one of the most difficult architects to appreciate. "Organic" architects in particular never talk about Kahn, even though he was tremendously influenced by Wright. I think this is because Kahn didn't "finish" his works with an articulation that is comfortable.
Also, he didn't break a building down into a series of horizontal planes like organic architects. Instead he broke the building down into a series of vertical columns-- something that is difficult to see in the facade. Kahn believed in a tight integration of space, structure, and light. He gave each rooms a unique independence such that they were freestanding structures with their own light and geometric order.
Kahn also thought deeply and philosophically about the themes of his buildings. He always returned to the origin of our institutions in the nature of man, and used metaphors to guide the design. For example, he described a school as a tree under which people gathered to hear someone share knowledge.
Next, #1:
Frank Lloyd Wright
This is probably not surprising to many of you. So let me surprise you with my reasons. First, Wright's spaces exhibit a freedom of movement, an interconnectedness and interpenetration of spaces. Spaces intersect, spaces nest within other spaces. You begin to feel like your surroundings are ambiguously defined. You sit down suddenly to find that you are protected and enclosed-- an entirely new interpretation of the space. It is important to note that this is not the free plan. The free plan feels like one giant room. You need both openness and enclosure to achieve interpenetration.
Wright's buildings also relate to nature in a beautiful way. Not only in cases like Fallingwater where you are thrust into a broad clearing awash with light-- but in cases like the Unity Temple which are enclosed and look inward, yet light pulses through the great sanctuary with the rhythms of the sun and clouds.
All three of these architects-- especially Wright and Kahn, were intensely philosophical about their work. A building was a blueprint for living.
I hope you enjoyed this brief introduction to my favorite architects. For interested people I recommend books on Wright and Kahn by Robert McCarter.
best,
Brett
(this is a very modest work, a poem in mass and shadow)
I think Kahn to be one of the most difficult architects to appreciate. "Organic" architects in particular never talk about Kahn, even though he was tremendously influenced by Wright. I think this is because Kahn didn't "finish" his works with an articulation that is comfortable.
Also, he didn't break a building down into a series of horizontal planes like organic architects. Instead he broke the building down into a series of vertical columns-- something that is difficult to see in the facade. Kahn believed in a tight integration of space, structure, and light. He gave each rooms a unique independence such that they were freestanding structures with their own light and geometric order.
Kahn also thought deeply and philosophically about the themes of his buildings. He always returned to the origin of our institutions in the nature of man, and used metaphors to guide the design. For example, he described a school as a tree under which people gathered to hear someone share knowledge.
Next, #1:
Frank Lloyd WrightThis is probably not surprising to many of you. So let me surprise you with my reasons. First, Wright's spaces exhibit a freedom of movement, an interconnectedness and interpenetration of spaces. Spaces intersect, spaces nest within other spaces. You begin to feel like your surroundings are ambiguously defined. You sit down suddenly to find that you are protected and enclosed-- an entirely new interpretation of the space. It is important to note that this is not the free plan. The free plan feels like one giant room. You need both openness and enclosure to achieve interpenetration.
Wright's buildings also relate to nature in a beautiful way. Not only in cases like Fallingwater where you are thrust into a broad clearing awash with light-- but in cases like the Unity Temple which are enclosed and look inward, yet light pulses through the great sanctuary with the rhythms of the sun and clouds.
Unity Temple (photo by Author)
All three of these architects-- especially Wright and Kahn, were intensely philosophical about their work. A building was a blueprint for living.
I hope you enjoyed this brief introduction to my favorite architects. For interested people I recommend books on Wright and Kahn by Robert McCarter.
best,
Brett
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