Life

Antonio Sant'Elia was born in Como, Lombardy. A builder by training, he

opened a design office in Milan in 1912 and became involved with the Futurist movement.
Between 1912 and 1914, influenced by industrial cities of the United States and the architects
Renzo Picasso, Otto Wagner and Adolf Loos, he began a series of design drawings for a futurist
Citt Nuova ("New City") that was conceived as a symbol of a new age.
Many of these drawings were displayed at the only exhibition of the Nuove Tendenze group (of
which he was a member) exhibition in May/June 1914 at the "Famiglia Artistica" gallery. Today,
some of these drawings are on permanent display at Como's art gallery (Pinacoteca). (They used
to be in the Villa Olmo)
The manifesto Futurist Architecture was published in August 1914, supposedly by Sant'Elia,
though this is subject to debate. In it the author stated that "the decorative value of Futurist
architecture depends solely on the use and original arrangement of raw or bare or violently
colored materials".[1] His vision was for a highly industrialised and mechanized city of the future,
which he saw not as a mass of individual buildings but a vast, multi-level, interconnected and
integrated urban conurbation designed around the "life" of the city. His extremely influential
designs featured vast monolithic skyscraper buildings with terraces, bridges and aerial walkways
that embodied the sheer excitement of modern architecture and technology. Even in this
excitement for technology and modernity, in Sant'Elia's monumentalism, however, can be found
elements of Art Nouveau architect Giuseppe Sommaruga.[2]
A nationalist as well as an irredentist, Sant'Elia joined the Italian army as Italy entered World
War I in 1915. He was killed during the Eighth Battle of the Isonzo, near Gorizia. Most of his
designs were never built, but his futurist vision has influenced many architects, artists and
designers.

La Citta Nuova (The New City)

Antonio Sant'Elia, 1914
The Futurist movement existed as a distinct entity from 1909 - 1944; however the movement
began to loose momentum after the death of Umberto Boccioni in 1916. The Futurists were
interested in anything new and anything having to do with technology. In addition to their
obsession with new things they were equally interested in a complete disposal of the past. This
combination of interests drew the Futurists heavily to the hustle and bustle of city life. As such it
would make sense that some of the Futurists had ideas for improving upon their choice living
area.
Antonio SantElia was the primary driving force behind Futurist architecture. He was born in
1888 in Italy where he trained and qualified as a builder. After his training he moved to Milan
where he worked as a building and continued his education in architecture. Prior to 1912 he was
still not involved with the Futurists and was instead a part of the Italian Secessionist movement.
However by 1914 he was fully under the influence of Futurist ideas. Antonio Sant'Elia wrote the
official Manifesto of Futurist Architecture in 1914. The published manifesto was primarily a
consolidation and editing of ideas previously developed in Messaggio, a document that was also
written by Sant'Elia.
The Manifesto of Futurist Architecture was written in a similar style to other Futurist
manifestoes this one was overall quite inflammatory with an intense desire to depart as
completely from the past as possible. With this decoupling from the past the Futurists fully
embraced any new technologies they could get their hands on. Not only did they want new
materials to be used in their new designs they did not want the new materials to go anywhere
near design themes from the past The manifesto states that usage of new materials in the
construction of buildings with historical designs desecrates the materials.

Villa Elisi, San Maurizio (Como)

Sant'Elia's only surviving buiding
Antonio Sant'Elia, 1912
In order to perpetuate their desire to leave the past behind to future generations the manifesto
went so far as to recommend that architecture be constructed of degradable materials ensuring
that nothing would endure past a single generation. This degrading architecture effectively makes
each generation responsible for the construction of their own towns and cities. To a limited
extent this kind of construction is happening today, with budgetary concerns prompting the
construction of limited use, temporary buildings as well as buildings with expected occupancy
spans of 40 years or less.
However, even with all of this talk of the new and breaking from the past many of the designs
produced where not as radical as they would have liked. Even the designs of Antonio SantElia
have hints of monumental architecture, with many designs featuring monumental facades and
monolithic pillars. Additionally, with all of their desire to create a new city to separate from the
past, no full plans were created. This shows that as much as the Futurists may have wanted to
obliterate the past, such an objective is essentially impossible.

.
The Citt Nuova apartment building with external elevators, galleries, covered walkways, on
three street levels (tramlines, automobile lanes, and pedestrian walkway), lamps and wireless
telegraph
Antonio SantElia (18881916)
Italy
1914
Black ink, blue-black pencil on yellow paper
52.5 x 51.5cm
Musei Civici Como Palazzo Volpi
Click on the image to see an enlarged version

In spring 1914 Antonio SantElia exhibited a series of drawings relating to his utopian
vision of a completely industrialized and technologically advanced Citt Nuova (New
City). These were shown at an exhibition of Lombard architects and, two months later, at
the exhibition Nuove Tendenze: Milano lano due mille (New Tendencies: Milan the Year
Two Thousand). His Messagio, a polemical statement, printed in the catalogue, did not
mention the words Futurist or Futurism, but emphasized the need to respond to the new
industrial age and to celebrate the conditions and focal points of contemporary urban life
grand hotels, railway stations and ports. SantElia stressed that it was necessary to
reinvent the city as a dynamic entity and to construct buildings like gigantic machines.
The drawings can be linked
with the Futurists celebration of speed and the dynamism of modern life. They convey a
total vision of a future metropolis in which streets are no longer confined to ground level
and in which buildings, as tall as American skyscrapers, do not stand alone (as in New
York), but are part of an integrated urban complex. SantElias drawing style owed much
to the conventions of Viennese architecture of about 1900, especially the widely
published designs of Otto Wagner and his students. SantElias precise and elaborately
detailed ink drawings were the result of a process of preparatory sketches and studies
related to their function as exhibition drawings.
The apartment building has external elevator shafts linked to the building by a series of
bridges and covered walkways. This arrangement
accentuates the mechanistic components of the housing block, making them a dominant
aspect of the buildings facade. It is articulated with both flat and stepped-back walls and
is pierced by transportation lines and bridges, which link it directly to other elements in
the city. In this way SantElia abolished the notion of the monolithic, free-standing
building and integrated it fully into the complete urban machine. Similarly, he fused
different modes of transport (rail and air) into a single multi-levelled structure with cable
cars and elevators, again emphasizing the mechanistic purpose of the building and its
dynamic role within the life of the city. With its symmetrical towers and colossal scale,

however, it resembles a cathedral of the future, a monument to the vision of a future way
of life

Michael Graves
(b. Indianapolis, Indiana 1934)
Michael Graves was born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1934. He studied at the University of
Cincinnati, Ohio and at Harvard University. After working as a Fellow at the American Academy
in Rome for two years, he started his own practice in Princeton, New Jersey. He became a
professor at Princeton University in 1972.
A member of the "New York Five", Graves re-interpreted the rational style that had been
introduced by Le Corbusier in the 1920s into a neoclassical style. By the mid-1970s, Graves had
become less concerned with the roots of Modernism and had developed a wide-ranging
eclecticism in which he abstracted historical forms and emphasized the use of color.
Michael Graves generates an ironic, vision of Classicism in which his buildings have become
classical in their mass and order. Although influenced by the fundamentalists in developing an
architectural language, Graves has become an an opponent of modern works who uses humor as
an integral part of his architecture. Indeed, many of his recent designs seem to celebrate
architectural pastiche and kitsch.
Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to appoint five individuals to key
Administration posts, including architectures very own Michael Graves, stating: These fine
public servants both bring a depth of experience and tremendous dedication to their new roles.
Our nation will be well-served by these individuals, and I look forward to working with them in
the months and years to come.
Event: Michael Graves to lecture at Notre Dame

Nov 21 -

Karissa Rosenfield -

Events mini

Image provided by MICHAEL GRAVES & ASSOCIATES

If youre in the South Bend, Indiana, area, mark your calendars! A week from today, the famed
architect and designer Michael Graves will present his lecture A Grand Tour at the University
of Notre Dame. The lecture will recount his journey, once considered obligatory for a young
architect, exploring the great monuments of Europe. As a recipient of the prestigious Prix de
Rome, Graves traveled through Italy, Greece, Turkey, Spain, England, Germany, and France,
studying and recording the masterworks of both ancient and modern architecture.
This year, the University of Notre Dame awarded Graves with the Richard H. Driehaus Prize,
honoring his lifetime contributions to classical and traditional architecture in the modern world.
Read all about his nomination here and watch an exclusive ArchDaily interview with the legend
here.

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Michael Graves: In Defense of Drawing

Sep 3 -

Vanessa Quirk -

Architecture News

 Michael
Graves, Denver Central Library

In his Op-Ed for The New York Times, called Architecture and the Lost Art of Drawing,
American architecture legend Michael Graves laments the loss of drawing in our computerdependent age. While Graves realizes the usefulness of computer technology to present a final
product, he maintains that the act of sketching (particularly those first, fleeting referential
sketches) is vital to the process of design:
Architecture cannot divorce itself from drawing, no matter how impressive the technology gets.
Drawings are not just end products: they are part of the thought process of architectural design.
Drawings express the interaction of our minds, eyes and hands. This last statement is absolutely
crucial to the difference between those who draw to conceptualize architecture and those who
use the computer.
Do you think the art of drawing is actually lost? Is drawing vital to the work you do? Or has
technology become so sophisticated that it has rendered sketching unnecessary?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Story via The New York Times
Today we celebrate the 78th birthday of Michael Graves (born July 9, 1934).
Graves is one of Americas most influential figures in architecture and design. Part of the The
New York Five, he played a key role in the transition between abstract modernism and postmodernism. His designs communicate a clear point of view reflecting a sense of playfulness with
sophistication. The balance of traditional elements (typically through arches, columns, and

pediments) and exploration with color convey the lessons of modern architecture while referring
to historical details.

Michael Graves

He started his own practice in Princeton, NJ in 1964, and has been a teacher at Princeton
University for more than 40 years. Among his recognitions we can find the Felllow of the AIA
(1979), the National Medal of Arts (1999), the AIA Gold Medal (2011), the AIA Topaz Medal
(2010) and Driehaus Prize for Classical Architecture (2012). His works can be found in North
America, Africa, Asia and Europe.

Michael
Graves

Humana Building
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Humana Building

Viewed from 6th and Main

The Humana Building, also known as the Humana Tower,[1] is a skyscraper in downtown
Louisville, Kentucky, located at 500 West Main Street. The 26-story structure is headquarters of
the Humana Corporation and known for its postmodern architecture. It was designed by Michael
Graves. Construction began in October 1982 and was completed in May 1985.

Each side of the building is designed slightly differently, up to a sloping pyramid style for the
upper few floors. This basic design has led to the tower being locally known as "the Milk
Carton". The building is also known for its exterior construction of flat pink granite. The north
facade's loggia is respectful of the older downtown architecture, being perfectly flush with the
original Main Street storefronts. The open-air front portion of the loggia contains a large
fountain.
The large, curved portion towards the top of the building is actually an open-air observation
deck. The outermost point of the circle has space for a few people at a time to be surrounded by
glass, allowing for a spectacular view of the Ohio River and down Main Street.
The observation deck is not available to the public. It was closed after the September 11 terrorist
attacks.
The American Institute of Architects awarded the Humana Building the National Honor Award in
1987.[2] Time Magazine listed it as one of the ten best buildings of the 1980s.[3]

Walt Disney World Dolphin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Walt Disney World Dolphin

Location

Epcot Resort Area

Resort type

Deluxe Resort

Opened

June 1, 1990

Theme

Entertainment Architecture

Areas

Main Building

Rooms

1509

Suites

Standard Suites

Green lodge yes

The Walt Disney World Dolphin is a resort hotel designed by architect Michael Graves located
between Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios in the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena
Vista, Florida, next to Disney's BoardWalk Resort area. It opened on June 1, 1990 and is joined
to its sister hotel, the Walt Disney World Swan (also designed by Graves) by a palm-tree lined
covered walkway crossing a lagoon. The Dolphin Resort is owned Tishman Hotel Corporation
and MetLife but operated by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide under the Sheraton Hotels
brand. The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin are the only Walt Disney World resorts to carry
the Disney name and receive special Disney benefits, while not being fully owned and operated
by the Walt Disney Company.

Dolphin hotel panorama

The Dolphin and Swan share similar elements, but each has a distinctive appearance. The
Dolphin is composed of a 257-foot (78 m) tall triangular tower bisecting a 12-story rectangular
mass with four 9-story wings on the Swan-side of the structure. The roof of each half of the main
mass is adorned with a 56-foot (17 m) tall Dolphin statue. On the main colored facade there is a
turquoise banana-leaf pattern echoed by a similar wave pattern on the Swan.

Dolphin on top of the hotel, February 2009

The statues on top of the Dolphin hotel are not mammalian dolphins, but a stylized version of a
nautical dolphin, a common symbol used on old world nautical maps. The design of the creatures
is based on Triton Fountain in Rome.[1]
In 2008, The Walt Disney Dolphin Resort was awarded a One Palm Designation through the
Florida Green Lodging Program established by the Florida Department of Environmental
Protection[2][3] The Florida Green Lodging Program is a voluntary state initiative that provides the
lodging industry with free technical assistance, encouraging hotels and motels to adopt costsaving green practices that reduce waste, conserve natural resources and improve the bottom
line.

AD Classics: House VI / Peter Eisenman

04 Jun 2010

by Adelyn Perez

AD Architecture Classics Houses Residential Connecticut Glass Peter

Eisenman USA Wood

104

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madrid2008-09.blogspot.com

Unlike the previously featured Vanna Venturi House, Peter Eisenmans House VI includes
disorientation in the work without the concept of relating it to the traditional home. The house is,
in fact, anything but what one would consider a conventional house. Eisenman, one of the New
York Five, designed the house for Mr. and Mrs. Richard Frank between 1972-1975 who found
great admiration for the architects work despite previously being known as a paper architect
and theorist. By giving Eisenman a chance to put his theories to practice, one of the most
famous, and difficult, houses emerged in the United States.
More on House VI after the break.
Situated on a flat site in Cornwall, Connecticut House VI stands its own ground as a sculpture in
its surroundings. The design emerged from a conceptual process that began with a grid.
Eisenman manipulated the grid in a way so that the house was divided into four sections and
when completed the building itself could be a record of the design process. Therefore
structural elements, were revealed so that the construction process was evident, but not always
understood.

 NJIT

Thus, the house became a study between the actual structure and architectural theory. The house
was effeciently constructed using a simple post and beam system. However some columns or
beams play no structural role and are incorporated to enhance the conceptual design. For
example one column in the kitchen hovers over the kitchen table, not even touching the ground!
In other spaces, beams meet but do not intersect, creating a cluster of supports. Robert Gutman
wrote on the house saying, most of these columns have no role in supporting the building
planes, but are there, like the planes and the slits in the walls and ceilings that represent planes,
to mark the geometry and rhythm of Eisenmans notational system.

 NJIT

The structure was incorporated into Eisenmans grid to convey the module that created the
interior spaces with a series of planes that slipped through each other. Purposely ignoring the
idea of form following function, Eisenman created spaces that were quirky and well-lit, but
rather unconventional to live with. He made it difficult for the users so that they would have to
grow accustom to the architecture and constantly be aware of it. For instance, in the bedroom
there is a glass slot in the center of the wall continuing through the floor that divides the room in
half, forcing there to be separate beds on either side of the room so that the couple was forced to
sleep apart from each other.

 NJIT

Another curious aspect is an upside down staircase, the element which portrays the axis of the
house and is painted red to draw attention. There are also many other difficult aspects that disrupt
conventional living, such as the column hanging over the dinner table that separates diners and
the single bathroom that is only accessible through a bedroom.

 NJIT

As annoying as the house was to inhabit, Eisenman was able to constantly remind the users of
the architecture around them and how it affects their lives. He succeeded in building a structure
that functioned both as a house and a work of art, but changing the priority of both so that
function followed the art. He built a home where man was forced to live in a work of art, a
sculpture, and according to the clients who enjoyed inhabiting Eisenmans artwork and poetry,
the house was very successful.