ARCH162

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...

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 ...

The commissioner’s plan of 1811 was an attempt to plan ahead and organize the existing Manhattan map grid. The original Manhattan reached from the lower tip of the island to what is now 23 street. From time to time the city sold portions of the land in order to raise fund for the city to pay for municipal buildings and services. This also allowed the city to keep the taxes low. In 1789 nine buyers bought almost 200 acres of land in Manhattan, this was the prime time to buy land in the city. Although these land owners were signed in to 21-year leases. Once the land was purchased it was up to the land owner to establish the layout of the streets and blocks up until 1807. In 1807 the city had legislators from Albany pass a bill for the city to be able to propose the layout of the city grid for the streets and the blocks. The reasoning to have the city decide where and how to have the grid for the city is so the island of Manhattan would have some sort of order and to help the health of ...

The Guild Houser by Robert Venturi, built in 1960-64; is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Robert Venturi was a Post-Modernist. This apartment complex was built for housing seniors with low income. The complex was comprised of 91 units of various types and recreation rooms. The exterior was clad in ordinary brick to further drive home the point of the bland materials. The building use what’s known as a pop art technique. The arch opening on top of the building was slightly stretched off the edges and was recessed so the building could receive natural light on top of the building. The façade is separated horizontally by a white brick stripe, this broke the harmonies flow of the continuous red brick. The stepped back sides allowed greater sun exposure to the inside of the buildings. The building is considered a cliché as Venturi manipulates what a normal element is to make a non-normal meaning. One of best examples is the large column in front of the entrance and blocks a direct e...

Arch 162-M12 Spring 2018 “The Opera House”              The Opera House located Dresden, Germany. Designed by Gottfried Semper in 1841. Later the son Manfred Semper reconstructed the opera house in 1869 after the fire. A decade later it was destroyed by a bombing in 1945.   After the reconstruction, the theater had the painting restored by local craftsman and the rest of the auditorium was replaced with state of the art stage equipment. The façade mostly decorated with Doric and Ionic columns. The Doric columns have a masculine look to them. The Ionic columns have a feminine crenulation. Both of these combined have an interesting aesthetic look which give a unique look to the Dresden Opera House. Which has a strong resemblance in the Greek Revival and Baroque styles. It also includes statues to great artist as Shakespeare and Moliere. It is regarded as one of the best acoustically sound opera houses in the world. The rea...