ARCH162

Neo-Futuristic Airport The Dulles international airport is located in Virginia, United States. The airport was designed and built by world renown neo- futuristic architect Eero Saarinen. At the end of world war two aviation grew which led to the Washington Airport act of 1950. This act basically said that the government would fund a second airport fo the state. Many proposed locations were not passed until the U.S. president at the time Dwight D. Eisenhower chose a location in a small town bordering the city to place the new airport. The airport is twenty six miles from the city and named after the secretary of state at the time. The airport is one of the busiest in the country, serving over twenty three million customers a day and flying to more than a hundred and twenty five locations. Finnish - American architect Eero Saarinen was hired to design the main terminal because of his ability to create a graceful beauty in hi...

The start of New-Brutalism The Smithson high school , previously known as the hunstanton high school was built in 1954 by architects Alison and Peter Smithson. The commission for the high school was the first for the young architects. “Alison met Peter, the team of architects won their first commission when they were still in their twenties. Hunstanton Secondary Modern School(Norfolk, 1949-1954) offered a rare opportunity for them to realise their bold idealised vision”. The building is a two story rectangle with a central void, a flat roof and two indoor courtyards. “The noisy elements such as the workshops, gymnasium and kitchen are without the main block”. The building’s program is divided into noisy vs not noisy. The project is made up of two structures and two courtyards. The noisy program and not noisy program is separated through the courtyards. The couple got inspiration from Mies van der Rohe and wanted to incorporate his ide...

REINFORCED MODERN RUNWAY The London zoo’s penguin pool was redesigned in 1934 by architect Berthold Lubetkin and engineer Ove Arup. This project is iconic as it was one of the first to express the vast structural potential of reinforced concrete. “The Penguin Pool at London Zoo 1934, designed by Berthold Lubetkin & Tecton is one of the iconic landmarks of modern architecture”. It was an icon for British modernist architecture. The project was a success as it was functioned as a shelter for animals, a sculpture and a impressive breakthrough in concrete. “ The Penguin Pool, visited and admired by thousands over the 75 years since its completion, also stands as a poignant emblem of the dreams and disappointments of modern architecture”. The use of concrete was like none other in the world. This project was part of the beginning of the modern movement. This project gave the world a taste of the many great things that are possible. The pool has nesting boxes around the perimeter ,...

End of the line The schroder house located in the Netherlands was built by Gerrit Rietveld in 1925. The building is at the end of a set of row blocks. The house was the last house of the row on the block. This house was the only building designed in complete accordance with the De Stijl style which used primary colors. The house built was very unique and stood out in its surroundings. A widow commissioned Rietveld to build her a new house for her and her three children after her husband died. She wanted a smaller home that was more functionable. “ When her husband died in 1923 after a prolonged illness, she was unable to remain living in such a big house”.  Mrs Schroder knew Rietveld before hiring him to build the now famous house that is the Schroder house in the netherlands. “She had confidence in Rietveld’s ability as he had already created a room for her in the house on Biltstraat so that she had her own space in such a huge pl...

A MODERN CLASSROOM The S. R. crown hall located in chicago was built in 1956 by Mies Van Der Rohe. The building was designed to be a school for architecture. The interior of the building was designated a landmark by 2001. The building accurately shows the style of architecture that Mies Van Der Rohe practiced.  “One of Mies van der Rohe’s last buildings erected on the Illinois institute of technology campus is Crown Hall, a Superb example of his clear span designs”. The building is said to be a masterpiece of modern architecture. It shows the construction and materiality that is modern architecture. The structure transcends itself and becomes art, it is the perfect representation of Mies Van Der Rohe’s ideas. There are no columns on the floor plan which further shows the idea of universal space. “In this manner, with steel and glass, a dramatic, single space measuring 120 by 220 feet and 18 feet high is created”. The architect want...

A CITY ON LEGS . Unite D’ Habitation is a apartment building located in France and built by Le Corbusier in 1952. After world war two europe was still feeling the effects of the war. Many families lost their homes during the war. Corb was commissioned to design a multifamily  apartment building. He was a famous architect, however he had never worked on such a large scale before. Corb would have to design the building to accommodate approximately sixteen hundred people. Most people when given a large space would designed a stretched building, however Corb built a taller more compact building. He had already developed his five points which he used as a outline for all his work. Any observer can notice some of the five points corb uses in all his buildings. The building is lifted onto pilates freeing up the ground floor. There is an open ground floor plan, and a green roof. The building had to have public and private spaces. Th...

EXTENSION OF THE SIDEWALK The Seagrams building is located on lexington avenue and east fifty-second street in Manhattan, NY .  The project was completed in 1958 by the world famous architect Mies Van Der Rohe and architect Phillip Johnson. Mies Van Der Rohe was a famous architect in Europe that practice and taught modernism. He fled because of the Nazies and went to America in the late 1930’s. The building is an icon of the modernist movement and led to a change in the government's view on how buildings interact with the street.  The skyscraper was made out of painted bronze and dark tinted glass. The bronze is oiled and must be re oiled every two years to maintain its black color. The bronze exterior is not structural but rather a decoration to give the idea of exposed material. HE wanted to expose the structure, however the building code did not allow it so he put black I beams vertically along the facade to give the impression of exposed structure. The structure ...

EXTENSION OF THE SIDEWALK The CBS headquarters in New york is located on the corner of 52nd street and 6th avenue. The building was designed by american - Finnish architect Eero Saarinen and was completed in 1964. Eero Saarinen worked under his father which was also an architect until he won a competition in which he designed the Mississippi arch. This competition allowed him to move from under his father and brought him some fame. He was a modernist architect that designed a variety of building. When given the contract to build the headquarters for CBS in New york it was the height of steel cage office buildings, however Saarinen built the city’s first post war concrete building . During this time steel and glass had become popular. Many buildings tried to be transparent and show both the function and structure of the building.He wanted to move away from glass and have a dense, strong feeling rather than a light transparent structure. The skyscraper is 38 stories tall and made...

THE KING’S GIFT TO THE GERMANS The Altes Museum in Berlin was constructed by Karl Friedrich schinkel in 1830, it is an important example of neoclassical architecture. Neoclassical architecture starting in the mid 18th century , it was a return to classical architecture after the excessive styles of Baroque and Rococo.“Schinkel was also a State official, and had been appointed in 1810 to the .Oberbaudeputation (Prussian Board of Works), which reviewed all building projects financed by the State. In this capacity, Schinkel was responsible for architectural aesthetics, and he had the right to change the designs of subordinate architects throughout the State”. Friedrich was a high ranking official and was involved in architecture before making the Altes museum which is a landmark. The building is not a common design for a museum, buildings like this was normally designed for royalty or noble families. In the 19th century the relationship between art and observers evolved so did...

LONDON’S SIX PETAL FLOWER     Millbank got its name from a mill that occupied that area, it was the area between Westminster and Chelsea. The mill was then demolished to build houses which was later demolished to build the Millbank Penitentiary. The Millbank Penitentiary Located in London was built along the Thames river by the architect Jeremy Bentham in 1816. It was the largest penitentiary of its time for men and women in London and cost $500,000 to build. The penitentiary was built due to the high crime rate , it was built along the river to allow easier transportation to the colonies .The penitentiary was praised for its shape, it resembled a six petal flower from above. Each petal or pentagon was a wing of the prison. All prisoners in London passed through this building which held approximately 1,000 inmates at a time. It was built out of concrete with punched windows and walls that made into an octagon with a tower placed i...

Deutsche Oper Berlin  The Deutsche Oper Berlin was first built by The Prussian king Frederick the second , along with his chief architect George Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff shortly after his accession to the throne in 1740. The opera house was one of many buildings King Frederick built during his reign. The opera house was not built as planned due to money problems and  was built at a reduced size. After finishing construction Royal attention shifted to the construction of the palace of Sanssouci in the nearby city of Potsdam.  The opera house was opened on December seventh 1742 after King  Frederick demanded perfection from his architect. The architect designed the monumental portico resembling a temple for civic purposes. The architect took inspiration from eighteenth century english country estates. The opera house allowed King Frederick to look generous towards the arts. The Prussian monarch had intended to transform Berlin ,The Opera house was th...