ARCH162

The Villa Muller, located in Prague, Czech Republic, was designed by architect Adolf Loos. The clients for the house were Frantisek Muller and his wife, Milada Mullerova. This building clearly illustrates the beginning of early modernism. It is also known as a landmark for early modernist architecture. Loos’ ideas of economy and functionality are clearly depicted in this building. The spatial design of this building is expressed in multi-level parts of individual rooms. The placing of the rooms show their function and importance. This is known as the Raumplan. In Loos’ essay “Ornament and Crime,” he criticized decorated surfaces. For the exterior surfaces of the Villa Muller, he designed a white cubic facade. In the design of this building, Loos wanted to differentiate the views from the exterior and public eye from the interior private spaces of the inhabitants.   Adolf Loos once stated, “My architecture is not conceived in plans, but in spaces(cubes). I do not design floor...

The Barcelona Pavilion, located in Barcelona, Spain, was designed by architect Mies van der Rohe. This building is a strong representation of how modernism is moving in the world. This building was originally named the German Pavilion, and after World War II it was the face of Germany. The modern culture was accelerating steadily yet still incorporated classical history. The sleek design alongside with natural materials were presented as a bridge to his future career and modernism. Mies van der Rohe was commissioned to design the pavilion for the International Exposition in Barcelona, Spain. It was intended to represent the face of the German section that would host officials at the exposition. To Mies, the intent of the building was just simply a building. It would not hold art or sculptures, but it would rather be a tranquil area acting as an escape from the exposition. The location of the pavilion reflects its purpose as well. It is located on a narrow site, in a corner that ...

The Ingalls Hockey Rink, located at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut was designed by architect Eero Saarinen. This project was completed in 1958 and is characterized by the sweeped dome roof. Eero Saarinen was a Yale graduate and the rink is actually known as the “yale whale.” Saarinen used curved walls and roofs, and uses biomorphic architecture in the David S Ingalls Hockey Rink. This project was worked on with Kevin Roche, who worked with Saarinen and took part in the rink’s original design. The rink is two hundred feet long and eighty-five feet wide with organic shapes and forms. The rink has a tensile structure, consisting of a two hundred ninety foot long central arch of reinforced concrete. The main support of the wooden roof is hung from a cable structure giving the building a double curve. The lateral loads that may affect the building (wind), are being stabilized by cables from the center arch to the outer edges of the building. This building shows its simplici...

The TWA Terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport was designed by architect Eero Saarinen. Saarinen was born on August 20, 1910 and passed away on September 1, 1961. He was born on the same day as his father, architect Eliel Saarinen. He also continued his father’s interest in neofuturist internationalism, using curves and glass. Saarinen had an early death, therefore a short career. However, he did have a very successful career and won numerous awards for his projects. One of his projects that clearly depicted his designs with futurism is the TWA Terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Airports are typically busy spaces and Saarinen believed that the space deserved more than being just a passing space. In 1956, the client wanted to capture “the spirit of flight.” He wanted to design the space so when flyers or visitors enter the space they are forced to move around the space that has curves to reflect the idea of the “jet age.” His idea for the concept of flight...

The Villa Savoye, designed by Le Corbusier, stands as on of his most famous works to this day. Located in Poissy, France, the Villa Savoye is a paramount building of the early 20th century which highlights one of the developments of Modernism. This house was designed as a private residence in collaboration with Le Corbusier’s cousin, Pierre Jeanneret, who worked with him in the series of “white villas”. This was a series of private homes following a similar look. The location of this project was originally surrounded by woodland and the client’s visions for the house allowed Le Corbusier to incorporate his Five Points into the project to clearly illustrate the modernism movement. Le Corbusier’s Five Points of Architecture are ones he used frequently to articulate his programs and organize spaces. His five points are: the use of pilotis, a flat roof terrace, an open plan concept, horizontal windows and a free facade. His famous quote for this project was, “The house is a machine ...

Located in Paris, France, the Arc du Carrousel is often confused with the Arc de Triomhpe, however the two are not to be confused with one another. The Arc de Carrousel was design and built in order to salute and celebrate Napoleon's victories during the time period. It was built in 1806 to 1808 and specifically located between the Louvre and Palais de Tuileries. It was designed by Charles Percier and Pierre François Léonard Fontaine, yet inspired by other Roman architects as well. The design was derived from the Arch of Constantine in Rome. It consists of three archways, with the largest reaching 21 feet high. The center arch is neighbored by two smaller arches on each side. The Arc du Carrousel decorated with eight Corinthian style marble columns. At the top of the arch there is a quadriga. This is a statue that consists of the Horses of St. Mark but later replaced by another quadriga that was made by the sculptor Baron Francois Joseph Bosio. There are also eight statues of ...

The Whitman College at Princeton University was designed by architect Demetri Porphyrios and he describes the building in terms of music. This building is also known as a design that is a revival of a traditional architecture. This residential college is shows a Collegiate Gothic Style. This was a Gothic and traditional that was completed in 2007. Whitman College consists of blocks of bluestone with a limestone trim, and it’s arranged in the shape of an “E”. This 250,000 square foot building ranges from 20 to 100 feet high, depending on the slope of the site, and consists of residential, social and academic buildings. Mark Burnstein, the executive vice president of the university says, “Whitman College is at the center of a pivotal point of the campus. It anchors our new southern edge and strengthens the connection between the historic campus and the property to the west- a gateway to future development.” Whitman College was broken down into separate buildings, with each building...

As part of the School of Drama at Yale University, the Yale Repertory Theatre was created in 1966 under the leadership of Dean Robert Brustein. This theater created a connection between a conservatory and professional setting. It was also a way for Brustein to show that there was a group of artists around. His dream of this thus led to an emerging field of nonprofit theaters. Brustein chose to create the space in order to emphasize the production of new plays and classics in theater. This still remains as the focal point of the theater to this day. The Yale Repertory Theatre resides on the site of the former Calvary Baptist Church. This church was created in 1846 and then later on became the repertory theater for Yale University. Later the administrators declared that the exterior of the theater did not match the interior and thus it was decided that it was in need of a renovation. Architects and engineers from WJE associates worked together with masons from Universal Preservation...

The Kew Gardens were originally known as the Royal Botanical Gardens located in Kew, London. Since as early as the 16th century, the Kew Gardens were maintained and tended privately. In 1731, the Kew Gardens were acquired by the prince and princess of Wales. Kew Gardens gained its recognition when it was under the management of Sir Joseph Banks (1772-1819) and eventually the gardens contained all different types of plant species from various places of the world. In 1865, when Sir William Jackson Hooker took management of the gardens, it became a center for scientific research. One of the main purposes of English greenhouses was to display the range of exotic plants that flourished in the British Empire. Kew Gardens encompasses 121 hectares of gardens and botanical glasshouses from Kew to Richmond in London. The Kew site includes four Grade 1 listed buildings and 36 Grade 2 listed buildings on a dynamic landscape. In England, Grade 1 listed buildings are buildings of exceptional i...

Director's House at the Saltworks of Arc-et-Senas The Director’s House at the Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans was designed by architect Claud Nicolas Ledoux near the Besancon in France. The building is from the NeoClassical period, and it’s production began in 1775 and was completed in 1779. The Saltworks was the first civic campus set to standardize the production of salt. The entire compound also provided housing for the workers, contained a tax collecting facility, as well as a place of worship. Ledoux had this Ideal City of Chaux. The semicircular saltworks was one of the first industrial architectures that also combined production with worker’ housing. He also extended the idea of an architectural “physiognomy” to symbolize the social intention. The high roofed evaporation sheds were built like agricultural buildings and finished with ashlar. The Director’s House in the center of the Saltworks was a low roofed and pedimented, and exhibited Classical porticos throughout. A ...