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Fallingwater and icon of American Modern and Organic Architecture. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1936-38. The Koffman family were looking to build a summer retreat home. Fallingwater was commissioned by the Koffman family thanks to their son Edgar Koffman who was an apprentice studying under Wright. Frank Lloyd Wright was known for his Modern architecture and his love for nature. His organic architectural style had a big influence on how the house would be built. Wright was very fortunate to have these clients who were big into arts and always expanding their horizons to new things. This was possible because of their business that they had. As the Koffman family worked in the city it was a great joy for them to return on weekends to a respite away from the bustling city. Immediately after meeting with the Koffman family he acknowledged that the site was very important to them and figured out a way for it to be part of their stay at the waterfall. The building was constr

The Seagram Building was constructed in 1956-58 by Ludwig Mies Van De Rohe. The Seagram Company was a liquor company which was based in Canada. During the 1950’s they decided that they want to build a headquarters in New York. When they visited New York City they loved the Lever House that was built and wanted something of that nature. As they searched for architects the ended up with commissioning Mies Van De Rohe. He was known for his modernist buildings such as the Barcelona Pavilion and his service as a director in the Bauhaus. This was his first project at this scale as well as an unlimited budget for construction. The Seagram Tower was the first to have a public space in front of the building for the community to hang-out and mingle. This was due to the building being pushed back on the lot in order to give tribute to the racquet and tennis club building. As it featured Romanesque architectural style. As Rohe was a big fan of classical architecture he wanted to preserve and m

The Barcelona Pavilion became a staple of Modernism and the modern movement. Designed by Ludwig Mies Van De Rohe a German architect. The pavilioned was commissioned by Germany for the Barcelona International Exposition. Spain challenged Germany to build a small pavilion representative of their country. This exposition was to show the world that after the loss of World War I that it was becoming a power house for the coming century. The Barcelona pavilion was made using glass, steel, and various marbles. The pavilion was to accommodate the reception of King Alfonso XIII of Spain. The Barcelona Pavilion was very well received as it used modern design of a flat roof and a harmonious grid system. The marble that was used was Roman travertine, Green Alpine, Ancient Greek from Greece, and Golden Onyx from Atlas Mountains. Rohe choose marble not for their novelty but their purpose for the modern geometric styles of each marble type. One of many innovations that came from the Barcelona Pav

Aerial site view of Queen's Hamlet Hameau de la Reine, or the Queen's Hamlet was a statement of power. At a time where the royal family was truly the epitome of strength, the move to create a parody of the vernacular was truly detrimental to the relationship between the royal family and the people. Located within the Palace of Versailles, it was a village constructed to depict the lives of the lesser fortunate. It took 5 years to be constructed. It was an attempt to familiarize the people for the Queen but was actually an exacerbation of the poor. The attention to detail was emphasized so that royalty could easily distinguish their fortunes. Size and scale of the Hamlet nodded to striking differences when compared to Versailles. The roofs and windows of the buildings were deliberately made so they would decay over time. The winding, organic nature of the roads contrasted the strict, ordered armature of the palace. The Hamlet was often used as the site for formal events and

Charles de Wailly Charles de Wailly was a french architect and urbanist. Born in November 1730, he was one of the key players in Neoclassical revival. He proposed "Gout grec" which was the earliest version of neoclassicism. A "..very noble style, far removed from the frippery manner which has reigned so long in our furnishings." was his explanation. He was accepted as first member of the Royal Academy of Architecture in 1771 and continued his focus on his engravings. His work then spread interest throughout Russia but he kept his loyalty to France. In 1772, he was the architect on site for the Chateau de Fontainebleau and worked on the Chateau de Menars. His works continued to be characterized by his growing passion for gout grec and later became the fabric that was Neoclassicism. The Chateau de Montsumard was a fusion of Greek and French style. It was a divided estate located in Dijon, Cote-d'Or. On a plot size of 3 hectares, it was a privately owned es

CROWN HALL (1956) " Less is more " S.R. Crown Hall Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe was born in Aachen, Germany in 1886. Growing up, he was brought into his father's stone carving business and eventually started to work at local design firms. Exploring other firms and practices, he eventually crossed paths with greats like Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius. After World War I, he fled to the United States and began practicing his architecture in a different tone. Mies originally was interested in Traditionalism and ornament. His early projects conveyed historical styles and classic facades, but his shift in interest then steered him towards a more modernist approach. Eventually, Mies started to get recognition for his work and was involved in projects like the Barcelona Pavilion which was a part of the Weissenhofsiedlung, Bauhaus, IIT Masterplan and more. The project that really started to showcase Mies' understanding of structure and grid was S.R. Crown Hall, a facil

The E-1027 villa is architectural icon in the modernist style which is attributed to Eileen Grey. The house is commonly listed as Jean Badovici and Eileen Grey as the architects. The house was built in 1926-29 in the south of France in Roquebrune - Cap Martin. It was to be a summer retreat for Eileen Grey and her lover Jean Badovici. Eileen Grey envisioned it to be very in tune with nature and the outside element. Before the construction she carful chose this spot for its views and it would be built into the terrain. She did extensive studies and research on the area’s wind and sun angles at various times and days. The house is attributed to Eileen as she was the one that had the greater influence of the design and oversaw the construction process. As Jean Badovici only assisted her for any of the technical aid she needed. The house was designed with the type of furnishing and materials it used as every piece of the house was tailored specifically built for the E-1027. This is also

Sulaiman Bin Ahmed  Extra Credit Falling Water Falling water house was designed in 1935 by a renowned American architect named Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959). Falling water is located in the mountains of south western Pennsylvania, also known as the Laurel Highlands, in Mill Run, Pennsylvania. in Fayette County, and a distance of about 70 miles east of Pittsburgh. In this location i.e. In Mill Run, Pennsylvania in the Bear Run Nature Reserve, the stream flows at 1298 feet above sea level and suddenly breaks to fall at 30 feet. The building is one of Wright’s most widely acclaimed works which best exemplifies his philosophy of organic architecture: the harmonious union of art and nature. Falling water house was designed for the family of Pittsburgh department store owner, Edgar J. Kaufmann, Sr. as a private residence and weekend home. The Kaufmann family, Edgar J. Kaufmann, Sr. (1885-1955), Liliane S. Kaufmann (1889-1952), and their son, Edgar Kaufmann jr. (1910-1989), owned, li

Sulaiman Bin Ahmed Extra Credit  Seagram Building Seagram Building is designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and ex-MoMA staffer and architect Philip Johnson. The landmark skyscraper is located on Park Avenue between 52nd and 53rd streets in mid-town Manhattan (375 Park Avenue New York, New York 10022) and it is often loftily hailed as a precedent-setting structure for modern corporate architecture in New York City. The building's particular conception and construction were largely driven by the idealistic, principled visions of Phyllis Lambert, daughter of Seagram's founder Samuel Bronfman. The skyscraper was originally designed as the headquarters for Joseph E. Seagram’s & Sons, and was Mies’ first tall office building project. The building is Characterised by sleek glass and metal, rather than the ornamental heavy stone and brick facades of previous decades, the Seagram Building signalled a new era of functional skyscraper, adopting a minimalist corporate aestheti

House E-1027 is a villa that was designed by architect Eileen Gray. This house was considered one of Gray’s most significant works because the design of the house was able to show the difference between decoration and architecture. The name E-1027 was actually a code for Eileen Gray and her lover, Jean Badovici. The E stood for Eileen, 10 stood for Jean, 2 stood for Badovici, and 7 stood for Gray. The numbers stood for the numeric placement of the letters in the alphabet (i.e. J is the 10th letter in the alphabet). The construction of the house completed in 1929, which means Gray was 51 years old at the time. Gray wanted this house to be a sort of place for romantic getaway, but Gray and Badovici were never able to agree on what to do. The space was designed in a way that would resemble how people living inside would move in the space. Inside the house, Gray put built-in cabinets, drawers, guest rooms, and other spaces that allowed privacy. In addition, there were little windows th

Stuart Jacome Arch 211- M11 Prof. Khorsandi Blog Post Villa Muller The Villa Muller was designed by famous architect Adolf Loos. The architect was commissioned to do this project by civil engineer and building contractor, Frantisek Muller.  The Villa was built in Prague, in Czech Republic 1928-30. This house is a prime example of early modern architecture and the use of raumplan. Raumplan is a planning method which is based on isolated rooms that are dynamic in section. The method emphasizes the scale each room and often times they are at different levels, therefore steps are required to access them.  The concept of the villa was to express Loos’ ideas of economy and functionality. Raumplan is spatial and clearly shown in Villa Muller through multi-level parts of each room; which hit at their importance, functionality, and symbolism. In contrast to Wright, Loos wanted to keep the public outside and private inside completely separate. Loos believed that the building sho

Stuart Jacome Arch 211- M11 Prof. Khorsandi Blog Post Vienna Opera House The opera house was the first major building on the Vienna Ringstrasse commissioned by the Viennese "city expansion fund".  Built in an impressive Neo-Renaissance style to demonstrate the emergence of its art, construction was started in 1861 and was completed in 1869 the plans for this structure were created by architects August Sicard von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Nüll . T he public was far from satisfied with the design of this focal point of the new Vienna; they believed it to be too grand, even if this is difficult to envision for any modern guest of the opera house. This hostile opinion was at partially due to the fact that the level of the Ringstraße was raised by one meter, giving the building a feel as if it was sinking. Throughout World War One the building remained unharmed, but unfortunately in the second World War due to bombing and fire the auditorium and stage wer

Stuart Jacome Arch 221- M11 Prof. Khorsandi Blog Post TWA Flight Center The TWA Flight Center is located in Jamaica, Queens, USA; Part of John F. Kennedy international airport. Designed by Eero Saarinen and completed in 1962; this building has a futurist, modern style. Originally commissioned in 1956, this structure is meant to “capture the spirit of flight”. To capture this concept, Saarinen uses curves along the edges of the building which connect in the middle. From a bird's eye view the terminal appears to have two massive wings; imitating wings of a jet plane or a bird in flight. The exterior facade of the building has continuous curvature elements which move inward. So that the ceiling turns into a wall and the wall becomes the ground. There are four volumes which extrude outward from the center creating the wings. The spaces inside the terminal are open; all of the walls and elements are organic with different shapes and curves so that individuals could experienc

Stuart Jacome Arch. 211 M-11 Prof. Khorsandi Blog Post St. Peter’s Basilica St. Peter's Basilica is an Italian renaissance church in Vatican City was built according to tradition is above the burial site of St. Peter. The church is one of four major basilicas of rome but St.Peters has the largest dome in the world and is regarded as the greatest building in its age. The basilica was designed as a replacement for the old constantinian church and was commissioned by Pope Julius ll; the construction of the Basilica began on April 18 th 1506 and was completed on November 18 th 1626.Designed principally by Donato Bramante and later Continued by Michelangelo but finished by Giacomo Della Porta.  Saint Peter’s Basilica is built out of travertine stone and is 452 feet high, 730 feet in length, and 500 feet in width and large enough for 60,000 people. This plan was to have the basilica have a long axis that moves attention towards the altar giving it a sense of practicality