Louis I.

Kahn - Silence and Light : The Lecture at Eth Zurich, February 12, 1969
With designs that combined timeless forms
and modern techniques, Louis Kahn became
known as one of the leading American
architects of the 20th century. He is known as
the poet and philosopher amongst the great
modern architects. On 12 February 1969,
Kahn gave a lecture at the Swiss Federal
Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich),
entitled Silence and Light.
branded sustainability in
architecture today.
Louis Kahn saw architecture as the
meeting of the measurable and the
unmeasurable. He used the word
"Silence" for the unmeasurable, for that
which is not yet; and the word "Light" for
the measurable, for that which is. Kahn

saw architecture as existing at a

threshold between silence and light,
This fundamental text reveals
which he called the Treasury of the
Kahns spiritual understanding Shadow.
of architecture and his creative
thinking. Kahns idea of
architecture goes far beyond For Kahn, the study of architecture was
the mere building. He the study of human beings, their highest
aspirations and most profound truths. He
understands architecture as a
searched for forms and materials to
concept comprising the entire express the subtlety and grandeur of
environment of mankind. With life. In his buildings we see the
this he anticipated more than realization of his vision: luminous
forty years ago what is surfaces that evoke a fundamental awe,
silent courtyards that speak of the
expansiveness and the sanctity of the spirit,
monumental columns and graceful arches that
embody dignity and strength.