Bass Residence, (Fort Worth, Texas), 1976, Modern
Bass Residence
The Bass Residence was located in Fort Worth Texas, and commissioned to be designed by Paul Rudolph in 1970. Construction was completed in 1976, and this structure was said to be one of Rudolph’s most ambitious residential projects based on size and scope. The Bass Residence is an example of his experimental ideas, attempting to bridge the styles of new and old architectural styles “whose richness came not from applied ornament but from spatial complexities developed from structure and the three dimensional elaboration of the program”. This is similar to the manifesto of Adolf Loos, “Ornament and Crime”, although this particular project was said to be heavily influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Waters, as well as Mies van Der Rohe’s Farnsworth House. The spatial diversity and complexity of the Bass Residence surpasses that of the aforementioned projects, however.
The layout of the Bass Residence was that of a pinwheel orientation, comprised of horizontal planes and volumes that overlapped and cantilevered over the sloped site, with a three-sided courtyard at the center axis point. Rudolph used a grid system to determine vertical and horizontal dimensions. The building was designed to hold a complex arrangement of living spaces, as well as a contemporary art gallery containing and extensive art collection. The structure is four storeys tall, partially embedded in the hillside, and contains 12 different levels of heights within the program. The entry to the home is located under a striking forty foot long cantilevered volume that is set two storeys above ground level, and is heavily contrasted by an entry that is unusually low at 7’4”, followed by an equally low-height ceiling in the foyer.
The main living area is laid out with a series of cascading terraces that run the entire width of the house, ending in a suspended seating pit. The gentle descent of the terraces correspond with the slope of the site, creating wide, panoramic views of the manicured landscape. There is a floating canopy that extends between the two upper wings of the house that frames the courtyard. Running along the same path as the canopy, there is a terrace that leads downhill to a cantilever leading to the swimming pool. The level above that contains a glazed bridge that runs over the dining room, that connects the smaller bedrooms to the master suite. At the top of the house there was a penthouse studio specifically for Mrs. Bass. The lowest level contains changing rooms and a double height recreational room, as well as guest chambers.
The façade of the home is comprised of glass and steel. The frame is primarily wide flange steel. The steel is covered in white porcelain enamel, and the the frame is strategically exposed at points within the interior and one the exterior. There is an abundance of floor-to-ceiling glazing and windows, with the same white porcelain enamel on aluminum infill panels. The properties general landscape was initially designed by Robert Zion, who did the overall master plan. Russel Page later worked with Mrs. Bass to design the gardens in the immediate vicinity of the home.
The Bass Residence was one of Paul Rudolphs greatest residential works. Although it came under scrutiny (like some of his other works), he continued to push the boundaries of known-architecture with a level of complexity and attention to detail unmatched by his predecessors. His concepts in origin were not entirely original, but what sets his work apart is not the ideas as much as the execution of those concepts.
Bibliography:
Alba, Roberto De. Paul Rudolph: the Late Work. Princeton Architectural Press, 2003.
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