Design
Artistic Influences:
Alvar Aalto's passion for painting led to the development of his unique architectural
style. Cubism and collage , explored by the painters Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, became
important elements in Alvar Aalto's work. Alvar Aalto used color, texture, and light to create collage-
like architectural landscapes.
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Related People:
Walter Gropius
Pablo Picasso
Georges Braque
Important Styles:
International Style
Nordic Classicism
Cubism
More About Alvar Aalto:
Early works by Alvar Aalto combined neoclassical ideas with the International Style. Later, Aalto's
buildings were characterized by asymmetry, curved walls, and complex textures.
Alvar Aalto received international acclaim with the completion of the Paimio Tuberculosis
Sanatorium. The Sanatorium building established Aalto's dominance of the International style and,
more importantly, emphasized Aalto's attention to the human side of design. The patients' rooms,
with their specially designed heating, lighting and furniture, are models of integrated environmental
design. Alvar Aalto's Paimio chair (1932) assisted patient breathing.
The term Nordic Classicism has been used to describe some of Alvar Aalto's work. Many of his
buildings combined sleek lines with richly textured natural materials such as stone, teak, and rough-
hewn logs.
Alvar Aalto was also known for furniture and industrial design. In 1932, he developed a revolutionary
type of furniture made of laminated bent plywood.
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Michael Arad, Reflecting Absence
Professional Experience:
1999 - 2002, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF)
2002 - 2004, New York City Housing Athority
2004 - Handel Architects LLP, Partner
Principal Works:
2004, winning design for a memorial at the World Trade Center site, New York City, selected from
more than 5,000 entrants from 63 nations.
2004, Espirito Santo Plaza, Miami, Florida (KPF)
2010, International Commerce Centre, Union Station Tower, Hong Kong (KPF)
2011, Reflecting Absence, World Trade Center Site Memorial, with the office of Peter Walker and
Partners, PWP Landscape Architecture
2012, Fifth Street Farm Green Roof, New York City Earth School
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Julian Abele, black in Philadelphia
The story of Julian Francis Abele is not "rags-to-
riches" but a tale of hard work and dedication. In
college Abele called himself "Willing and Able." A
brilliant and accomplished student, Abele became the
first African-American graduate of the University of
Pennsylvania's School of Architecture. Although not
America's first architect of color, Julian Abele was
one of the first prominent Black architects in
America, finding success with the Philadelphia
architecture firm led by Horace Trumbauer. The Duke University Chapel may be Abele's most famous
building.
Born: April 29, 1881 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, according to the University of Pennsylvania
University Archives and Records Center. Some biographies list his birth as April 30.
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Personal Life:
1925: Married to Marguerite Bulle, a French musician; three children, Julian, Jr., Marguerite Marie
(died in childhood), and Nadia Boulanger. The marriage dissolved by 1936 when the younger
Marguerite became involved with another musician. They never divorced.
Julian, Jr. and Abele's sister's child, Julian Abele Cook (1904 - 1986), both became architects
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J. Max Bond, Jr., New York Visionary
Born: 1935
Education:
Harvard University: bachelor’s degree in 1955 and a master’s
degree in 1958
Major Projects:
Schomburg Centre for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, NY
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in Alabama
Martin Luther King Jr. crypt and memorial in Atlanta, Georgia
A controversial modernist expansion of the Harvard Club in midtown Manhattan
The Bolgatanga Regional Library in Ghana, which provided a unique roof design that provided
natural ventilation
With his firm, Davis Brody Bond Aedas, helped flesh out plans for theSeptember 11 Memorial
Museum
Teaching:
Columbia University
Served as dean for the school of architecture at the City University of New York
Associations:
Worked with André Wogenscky in France
Worked at Gruzen & Partners and Pedersen & Tilney in New York
Established the Architect's Renewal Committee of Harlem
Co-founded the firm of Ryder Bond and Associates. In 1990, this firm merged with Davis Brody &
Associates
Years later, in an interview for theWashington Post, Bond recalled his professor saying, "There have
never been any famous, prominent black architects... You'd be wise to choose another profession."
Fortunately, Bond had spent a summer working for African-American architectPaul Williams and he
knew that he could overcome racial stereotypes.
After graduating from Harvard, Bond designed many office buildings, libraries, and university
research facilities in the United States. He worked on buildings designed by the Swiss-born
architect Le Corbusier, and also designed some buildings in Ghana and Zimbabwe. He became a fellow
in the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and an inspiration to young minorities in his architecture
classes at Columbia and City University.
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Denise Scott Brown, Venturi, Scott Brown & Associates
Born:
October 3, 1931 to Jewish parents in Nkana, Zambia. Raised in
a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa.
Education:
Attended University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, 1948 to 1952
Architectural Association in London, England, graduated in 1955
University of Pennsylvania, Master of City Planning in 1960, and Master of Architecture in 1965
Partnerships:
Partnered with her husband Robert Venturi in the firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates (VSBA).
For decades Brown has directed the firm's urban planning, urban design, and campus planning work.
Important Works:
1970s: Preservation planning for historic districts in Galveston, Texas and Miami Beach, Florida
1980s: City plan for downtown Memphis, Tennessee
1990s: Helped prepare the master plan and schematic design for the Denver Civic Center Cultural
Complex in Denver, Colorado. Also created campus plans for Dartmouth College and the University
of Pennsylvania.
Advised on urban planning and design for New York's World Trade Center site
Books:
With Robert Venturi and Steven Izenour, wrote Learning from Las Vegas, The Forgotten Symbolism
of Architectural Form. The controversial book presented the idea that architects could learn
important lessons in design from commercial art like billboards and casino ads.
With Robert Venturi, wrote Architecture as Signs and Systems for a Mannerist Time (Harvard
University Press, 2004)
Awards:
1985: AIA Firm Award
1992: National Medal of Arts, U.S. Presidential award
1996: ACSA-AIA Joint Award for Excellence in Architecture Education, Topaz Medallion
2002: Edith Wharton Women of Achievement Award for Urban Planning; and the Vincent J. Scully
Prize, National Building Museum, with Robert Venturi
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2005: Harvard Radcliffe Institute Medal
2007: The Vilcek Prize, awarded to a foreign-born American, for outstanding achievement in the
arts (architecture) and for contribution to society in the U.S., The Vilcek Foundation
2007: Athena Award, awarded to pioneers who have laid the foundation for New Urbanism,
Congress for New Urbanism
2010: International Award, The Society of American Registered Architects (SARA), Philadelphia, PA,
with Robert Venturi
Related People:
Robert Venturi
Dan McCoubrey, AIA, LEED AP BD+C
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Daniel H. Burnham, Chicago Planner
(1846-1912)
Partnerships:
1868: Apprenticed as a draftsman under architect William LeBaron Jenney
1872: Joined the Chicago offices of Carter, Drake, and Wight
Selected Buildings:
1890: With Charles Atwood, the Reliance Building, Chicago, Illinois. Expanded to 14 floors in 1894
1891: With John Root, the Art Institute of Chicago
1902: the Flatiron Building, formerly known as the Fuller building, New York, New York
1903: Pennsylvanian Union Train Station, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1907: Union Station, Washington DC
1912: With John M. Carrere and Arnold R. Brunner, the Cuyahoga County Courthouse, Cleveland,
Ohio
Urban Design:
1893: Served as chief coordinating architect for the 1893 World Columbian Exposition, creating a
vast, orderly Beaux-Arts plan for the city
1904: Plan for Baguio for the U.S. Philippine Commission
Famous Quote:
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"Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be
realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once
recorded will not die, but long after we are gone be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing
insistence. Remember that our sons and our grandsons are going to do things that would stagger us.
Let your watchword be order and your beacon beauty."
From Daniel H. Burnham, Architect, Planner of Cities, by Charles Moore
Related People:
William LeBaron Jenney
William Holabird
William Sullivan
Frederick Law Olmsted
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Santiago Calatrava, Architect and Engineer
b. 1951
Education:
1975: Completed undergraduate studies at the Valencia Arts School and the Valencia Architecture
School
1981: Completed graduate work in civil engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
(ETH) in Zurich, Switzerland. Doctoral thesis: On the Foldability of Space Frames
Important Projects:
1989-1992: Alamillo Bridge, Seville, Spain
1991: Montjuic Communications Tower, at the 1992 Olympic site in Barcelona, Spain
1996: City of Arts and Sciences, Valincia, Spain
1998: Gare do Oriente Station, Lisbon, Portugal
2001: Milwaukee Art Museum, Quadracci Pavilion, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
2003: Ysios Wine Estate Laguardia, Spain
2003: Tenerife Concert Hall in Santa Cruz, Tenerife, Canary Islands
2005: The Turning Torso, Malmö, Sweden
2009: Train Station, Liège, Belgium
Important Awards:
1992: London Institution of Structural Engineers Gold Medal
1993: Toronto Municipality Urban Design Award
1996: Gold Medal for Excellence in the Fine Arts from the Granada Ministry of Culture
1999: Prince of Asturias Award in Arts
2005: AIA Gold Medal
2007: Spanish National Architecture Award
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Le Corbusier, Leader of the International Style
(1887-1965)
International Style.
Born: October 6, 1887 in La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland
Died: August 27, 1965 in Cap Martin, France
Name at Birth:
Born Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris, Le Corbusier adopted his mother's maiden name in 1922 when
he set up a partnership with his cousin, engineer Pierre Jeanneret.
Early Training:
Art education, La Chaux de Fonds
Writings:
1927: Vers une architecture [Towards a new Architecture]
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1947: Quand les cathédrales étaient blanches [When the Cathedrals Were White]
Theories:
In his book Vers une architecture, Le Corbusier described "5 points of architecture" that became the
guiding principles for many of his designs, most especially Villa Savoye.
1. Freestanding support pillars
2. Open floor plan independent from the supports
3. Vertical facade that is free from the supports
4. Long horizontal sliding windows
5. Roof gardens
An innovative urban planner, Corbusier anticipated the role of the automobile and envisioned cities
with big apartment buildings in park-like settings.
Quotes:
"The house is a machine for living in." (Vers une architecture, 1923)
"By law, all buildings should be white."
About Le Corbusier:
During his long life, Le Corbusier designed buildings in Europe, India, and Russia. Le Corbusier also
designed one building in the United States and one in South America.
The earlier buildings by Le Corbusier were smooth, white concrete and glass structures elevated
above the ground. He called these works "pure prisms." In the late 1940s, Le Corbusier turned to a
style known as "New Brutalism," which used rough, heavy forms of stone, concrete, stucco, and glass.
The same modernist ideas found in Le Corbusier's architecture were also expressed in his designs for
simple, streamlined furniture. Immitations of Le Corbusier's chrome-plated tubular steel chairs are
still made today.
Le Corbusier is perhaps best known for his innovations in urban planning and his solutions for low
income housing. Le Corbusier believed that the stark, unornamented buildings he designed would
contribute to clean, bright, healthy cities. Le Corbusier's urban ideals were realized in the Unité
d'Habitation, or the "Radiant City," in Marseilles, France. The Unite incorporated shops, meeting
rooms, and living quarters for 1,600 people in a 17-story structure. Today, visitors can stay at the
Unite in the historic Hotel Le Corbusier.
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DaVinci: Leonardo DaVinci, Artist and Inventor
Leonardo had already thought about a planned city while living in Milan, Italy, a city plagued with the
same public health crisis that had ravaged Europe throughout the Middle Ages. For centuries
outbreaks of the "Black Death" spread from city to city. Disease was not well-understood in the 1480s,
but the cause was thought to be related to poor sanitation. Leonardo da Vinci loved to solve problems,
so his planned city included inventive ways for people to live near water without polluting it.
Plans for Romorantin incorporated many of Leonardo's idealistic ideas. His notebooks show designs
for a Royal Palace built on water; redirected rivers and manipulated water levels; clean air and water
circulated with a series of windmills; animal stables built on canals where waste water could be safely
removed; cobbled streets to facilitate travel and the movement of building supplies; prefabricated
houses for relocating townspeople.
Plans Change:
Romorantin was never built. It appears that construction had begun in da Vinci's lifetime, however.
Streets were created, carts of stones were being moved, and foundations were laid. But as da Vinci's
health failed, the young King's interests turned to the less ambitious but equally opulent French
Renaissance Château de Chambord, begun the year of da Vinci's death. Scholars believe that many of
the designs intended for Romorantin ended up in Chambord, including an intricate, helix-like spiral
stairway.
Da Vinci's last years were consumed with finishing up The Mona Lisa, which he had carried with him
from Italy, sketching more inventions into his notebooks, and designing the King's Royal Palace at
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Romorantin. These were the last three years of Leonardo da Vinci—inventing, designing, and putting
the finishing touches on some masterpieces.
'The Last Supper'
In 1482, Lorenzo de' Medici, a man from a prominent Italian family, commissioned da Vinci to create a
silver lyre and bring it to Ludovico il Moro, the Duke of Milan, as a gesture of peace. Da Vinci did so
and then wrote Ludovico a letter describing how his engineering and artistic talents would be of great
service to Ludovico's court. His letter successfully endeared him to Ludovico, and from 1482 until
1499, Leonardo was commissioned to work on a great many projects. It was during this time that da
Vinci painted "The Last Supper."
'Mona Lisa'
Da Vinci's most well-known painting, and arguably the most famous painting in the world, the "Mona
Lisa," was a privately commissioned work and was completed sometime between 1505 and 1507. Of
the painting's wide appeal, James Beck, an art historian at Columbia University, once explained, "It is
the inherent spirituality of the human creature that Leonardo was able to ingenuine to the picture that
raises the human figure to some kind of majesty."
It's been said that the Mona Lisa had jaundice, that she was a pregnant woman and that she wasn't
actually a woman at all, but a man in drag. Based on accounts from an early biographer, however, the
"Mona Lisa" is a picture of Lisa Gioconda, the real-life wife of a merchant, but that's far from certain.
For da Vinci, the "Mona Lisa" was forever a work in progress, as it was his attempt at perfection. The
painting was never delivered to its commissioner; da Vinci kept it with him until the end of his life.
Today, the "Mona Lisa" hangs in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, secured behind bulletproof
glass, and is regarded as a priceless national treasure.
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Peter Dominick, Denver Architect
Born:
June 9, 1941 in New York City. From age 5, raised in Colorado.
Died:
January 1, 2009 after a cross-country skiing excursion in Aspen,
Colorado. He was 67.
Education:
St. Mark’s School in Framingham, Massachusetts
Yale University. Studied under architecture professor and historian Vincent Scully. Bachelor of
Science in Architectural Studies, 1963
University of Pennsylvania. Studied with architect Louis Kahn. Master of Architecture degree, 1966
Traveled through the South Pacific, Asia, India, the Middle East and Africa, 1966-1968
Important Projects:
Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge at Disney World in Orlando, Florida
Grand California Hotel in Anaheim, California
Revitalization of Vail, Colorado
The Platte River Road Monument in Kearney, Nebraska, a museum that is also a bridge across a
highway
Wilderness Lodge at Walt Disney World
Neighborhood development at Riverfront Park in the Central Platte Valley, Colorado
Outside the Disney Wilderness Lodge, Dominick created a striking landscape with a steep
waterfall cascading into a steaming geyser.
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Charles and Ray Eames: American Designers
Mr. Eames (1907-1978) and Mrs. Eames (1912-1988)
Charles Eames:
Born: June 17, 1907 in Saint Louis, Missouri
Educated: Two years in the architecture program at
Washington University in St. Louis, followed by travels in Europe.
Early Career: In 1929, joined with Charles M. Gray to form the firm of Gray and Eames, which
designed stained glass, textiles, furniture and ceramics.
Advanced Study: Studied at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, where he collaborated
with Eero Saarinen and became head of the industrial design department.
Partnership: In 1941, married Ray Kaiser and formed a design partnership.
Died: August 21, 1978 in Saint Louis, Missouri
Ray Eames:
Born: December 15, 1912 in Sacramento, California
Birth Name: Bernice Alexandra Kaiser
Educated: Studied painting under Hans Hofmann in New York and in Provincetown, MA from 1933-
1939, then studied at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan
Partnership: In 1941, married Charles Eames and formed a design partnership.
Died: August 21, 1988 in Los Angeles, California
Buildings by Charles and Ray Eames:
Charles and Ray Eames helped supply affordable housing for veterans returning to the United States
after World War II. Houses designed by the Eames featured high-quality prefabricated materials that
were mass produced for efficiency and affordability.
The role the Eames duo played in modernizing North America is explored in A Legacy of Invention, an
online exhibit from the Library of Congress.
EAMES: The Architect and the Painter, a well-received 2011 documentary by Jason Cohn and Bill
Jersey, is now available in DVD.
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Peter Eisenman
b. 1932
Teaching:
Peter Eisenman currently teaches at Yale University, offering studio courses and courses in design,
visual analysis, and architecture theory. Eisenman has also taught at Cambridge University, Harvard
University, Princeton University, Ohio State University, and The Cooper Union.
1996: Aronoff Center for Design and Art, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
1999-present: City of Culture of Galicia, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain
2005: Berlin Holocaust Memorial (Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe), Berlin
2006: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Related People:
Peter Eisenman headed an informal group of five New York architects who wanted to establish a
rigorous theory of architecture independent of context. Called the New York Five, they were featured
in a controversial 1967 exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art and in a later book titled Five
Architects (). In addition to Peter Eisenman, the New York Five included:
Charles Gwathmey
Michael Graves
John Hejduk
Richard Meier
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Sverre Fehn, Norwegian Architect
Influences:
Sverre Fehn was powerfully influenced by the primitive architecture he saw during travels in Maroc in
1952 and 1953. Fehn also worked in Paris in the studio of Jean Prouvé. While there, he felt the
influence of Bauhaus architect Le Corbusier.
About Sverre Fehn:
Norwegian Architect Sverre Fehn was a Modernist, yet he was inspired by primitive shapes and
Scandinavian tradition. Fehn's works were widely praised for integrating innovative new designs with
the natural world.
"I always thought I was running away from traditional Norwegian architecture, but I soon realized
that I was operating within its context. How I interpret the site of a project, the light, and the
building materials have a strong relationship to my origins."
"When I build on a site in nature that is totally unspoiled, it is a fight, an attack by our culture on
nature. In this confrontation, I strive to make a building that will make people more aware of the
beauty of the setting, and when looking at the building in the setting, a hope for a new
consciousness to see the beauty there, as well."
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Sir Norman Foster and High-Tech Architecture
Early Life: Born in a working class family, Norman Foster did not
seem likely to become a famous architect. Although he was a good
student in high school and showed an early interest in architecture,
he did not enroll in college until he was 21 years old. Foster won numerous scholarships during his years at
Manchester University, including one to attend Yale University in the United States.
Education:
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Richard Buckminster Fuller (Bucky): Architect,
Philosopher, and Poet
"You must choose between making money and making sense. The two are mutually exclusive."
"We are blessed with technology that would be indescribable to our forefathers. We have the
wherewithal, the know-it-all to feed everybody, clothe everybody, and give every human on Earth a
chance. We know now what we could never have known before--that we now have the option for all
humanity to make it successfully on this planet in this lifetime. Whether it is to be Utopia or
Oblivion will be a touch-and-go relay race right up to the final moment."
When he was 32, Buckminster Fuller's life seemed hopeless. He was bankrupt and without a job. He
was grief stricken over the death of his first child and he had a wife and a newborn to support.
Drinking heavily, Buckminster Fuller contemplated suicide. Instead, he decided that his life was not
his to throw away: it belonged to the universe. Buckminster Fuller embarked on "an experiment to
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discover what the little, penniless, unknown individual might be able to do effectively on behalf of all
humanity."
To this end, Buckminster Fuller spent the next half century searching for "ways of doing more with
less" so that all people could be fed and sheltered. Although Buckminster Fuller never obtained a
degree in architecture, he was an architect and engineer who designed revolutionary structures.
Buckminster Fuller's famous Dymaxion House was a pre-fabricated, pole-supported dwelling. His
Dymaxion car was a streamlined, three-wheeled vehicle with the engine in the rear. His Dymaxion Air-
Ocean Map projected a spherical world as a flat surface with no visible distortion.
But Buckminster Fuller is perhaps most famous for his creation of the geodesic dome - a remarkable,
sphere-like structure based on theories of "energetic-synergetic geometry'' which he developed
during WWII. Efficient and economical, the geodesic dome was widely hailed as a possible solution to
world housing shortages.
During his lifetime, Buckminster Fuller wrote 28 books and was awarded 25 United States patents.
Although his Dymaxion car never caught on and his design for geodesic domes is rarely used for
residential dwellings, Fuller made his mark in areas of architecture, mathematics, philosophy, religion,
urban development, and design.
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Frank Furness: Philadelphia's Gilded Age Master
Born:
November 12, 1839 in Philadelphia, PA
Full Name:
Frank Heyling Furness
Died:
June 27, 1912 at age 72. Buried at Laurel Hill Cemetery in
Philadelphia, PA
Education:
Frank Furness attended private schools in the Philadelphia, but did not attend a university or travel
through Europe.
1867-1871: Joined John Fraser and George W. Hewitt to form Fraser, Furness & Hewitt. Fraser and
Hewitt each left the firm later on.
1873: Louis Sullivan studied with Furness
1881: Partnered with Allen Evans. Other architects later joined.
Built Mansions:
Frank Furness designed grand homes in the Philadelphia area, and also in Chicago, Washington DC,
New York State, Rhode Island, and along the New Jersey seashore. Examples:
Photos of buildings by Frank Furness are housed in the Architectural Archives of the University of
Pennsylvania.
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Charles Garnier, Designer of the Paris Opera
Education:
Early education at the École Gratuite de Dessin
1842: Began studies with Louis-Hippolyte Lebas at the École Royale des Beaux-Arts de Paris
1848: Won the Premier Grand Prix de Rome
1849: Studied at the Academy in Rome
1852: Traveled through Greece and Turkey
Important Styles:
Beaux Arts
Renaissance Revival
Second Empire
After studying architecture at the École Royale des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Charles Garnier spent
five years at the Academy in Rome. He was inspired by Roman pageantry and aspired to design
buildings that had the drama of a pageant.
The highlight Charles Garnier's career was his commission to design the Opéra in Paris. With
its magnificent hall and grand staircase, the Opera House combined classical Renaissance ideas
with lavish ornamentation. Garnier's opulent style reflected the fashion that became popular
during Napoleon III's Second Empire.
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Frank Gehry, Deconstructivist Architect
(1929 - )
Background:
Education:
Los Angeles City College
University of Southern California. Architecture degree completed in 1954
Harvard Graduate School of Design. Studied city planning for one year.
Personal Life: From 1952 to 1966, married to Anita Snyder, with whom he has two daughters. Frank
Goldberg's name change to Frank Gehry is generally attributed to his first wife's encouragement.
Gehry divorced Snyder and married Berta Isabel Aguilera in 1975. They have two sons.
Buildings: Frank Gehry established his Los Angeles practice in 1962. Early in his career, he designed
houses inspired by modern architects such as Richard Neutra and Frank Lloyd Wright. Gehry's
admiration of Louis Kahn's work influenced his 1965 box-like design of the Danziger House, a
studio/residence for designer Lou Danziger. With this work, Gehry began to be noticed as an architect.
As his career expanded, Gehry became known for massive, iconoclastic projects that attracted
attention and controversy. Many of Gehry's buildings have become tourist attractions, drawing
visitors from around the world.
Furniture: Gehry had success in the 1970s with his line of Easy Edges chairs made from bent
laminated cardboard. By 1991, Gehry was using bent laminated maple to produce the Power Play
Armchair. These designs are part of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) collection in NYC.
Memorials: The Eisenhower Memorial Commission chose Frank Gehry's design for the Washington,
D.C. memorial honoring Dwight D. Eisenhower's command of the Allied Forces in Europe in World
War II and as the 34th President of the United States.
Gehry Designs: Because architecture takes so long to become realized, Gehry often turns to the
"quick fix" of designing smaller products, including jewelry, trophies, and even liquor bottles. From
2003 to 2006 Gehry's partnership with Tiffany & Co. released the exclusive jewelry collection that
included the sterling silver Torque Ring. In 2004 the Canada-born Gehry designed a trophy for the
international World Cup of Ice Hockey tournament. Also in 2004, the Polish side of Gehry designed a
twisty vodka bottle for Wyborowa Exquisite, also of Polish descent (see PDF product marketing).
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Famous Gehry Buildings:
1967: Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland (first Gehry structure reviewed by The New
York Times)
1978: Gehry House (Gehry's private home), Santa Monica CA
1993: Weisman Art Museum, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
1997: Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain
1999: Maggies Centre, Dundee, Scotland
2000: The Experience Music Project (EMP), Seattle, Washington
2001: Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
2004: MIT Stata Complex, Cambridge MA
1989-2004: Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles CA
2004: Jay Pritzker Music Pavillion, Chicago, Illinois
2005: 'MARTa' Museum, Herford, Germany
2007: IAC Building, New York City
2008: Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, Kensington Gardens, London, UK
2011: New York By Gehry, New York City
2014: Biomuseo, Museum of Biodiversity, Panama City, Panama
2014 (Expected Completion): Dr. Chau Chak Wing Building, University of Technology, Sydney,
Australia
Awards:
1977: Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize in Architecture, American Academy of Arts and Letters
1989: Pritzker Architecture Prize
1992: Wolf Prize in Art, the Wolf Foundation
1992: Praemium Imperiale Award, Japan Art Association
1994: Dorothy and Lillian Gish Award for lifetime contribution to the arts
1998: National Medal of Arts
1998: Friedrich Kiesler Prize
1999: Lotos Medal of Merit, Lotos Club
1999: Gold Medal, American Institute of Architects
2000: Lifetime Achievement Award, Americans for the Arts
More than 100 awards from the American Institute of Architects
Numerous honorary doctorates and honorary titles
Deconstructivist Architecture:In 1988, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City
used Gehry's Santa Monica house as an example of a new architecture they called deconstructivism.
Deconstruction breaks down the parts of a piece so their organization appears disorganized and
chaotic. Unexpected details and building materials tend to create a visual disorientation and
disharmony.
Source: MoMA Press Release, June 1988, pages 1 and 3. PDF accessed online February 20, 2012In
His Own Words:
"I approach each building as a sculptural object, a spatial container, a space with light and air, a
response to context and appropriateness of feeling and spirit. To this container, this sculpture, the
user brings his baggage, his program, and interacts with it to accommodate his needs. If he can't do
that, I've failed."— from the 1980 edition of "Contemporary Architects"
"Building a building is like berthing the Queen Mary in a small slip at a marina. There are lots of wheels
and turbines and thousands of people involved, and the architect is the guy at the helm who has to
visualize everything going on and organize it all in his head. Architecture is anticipating, working with
and understanding all of the craftsmen, what they can do and what they can't do, and making it all
come together. I think of the final product as a dream image, and it's always elusive. You can have a
sense of what the building should look like and you can try to capture it. But you never quite do."—
Conversations With Frank Gehry by Barbara Isenberg, p. 62
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Cass Gilbert, Architect of Skyscrapers and Capitols
(1859-1934)
Related People:
William LeBaron Jenney
William Sullivan
William Holabird
Why Cass Gilbert is Important:
Although Cass Gilbert's name is rarely mentioned today, he exercised enormous influence on the
development of architecture in the United States. His Gothic Revival Woolworth Building was the
world's tallest building at the time. Combining modern technologies with historic ideas, Gilbert
designed many public buildings, including the state capitols of Minnesota, West Virginia, and
Arkansas. He was a consulting architect for the George Washington Bridge, which crosses the Hudson
River in upper Manhattan, New York City.
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Sciences awarded Cass Gilbert for inaugurating the age of skyscrapers. Cass Gilbert served as
president of the American Institute of Architects in 1908 and 1909, and helped found the
Architectural League of New York, serving as its president for two years.
The most comprehensive records of Cass Gilbert's work are housed at the New-York Historical
Society. Some 63,000 drawings, sketches, blueprints and watercolor renderings plus hundreds of
letters, specifications, ledgers and personal files document the firm's New York practice. In linear
footage, the Society's Gilbert collection is about as high as his celebrated Woolworth Building.
But, even if you cannot travel to New York, you can rediscover the genius of Cass Gilbert in a lavish
book that features highlights from the collection. Published by Columbia University Press, Inventing
the Skyline: The Architecture of Cass Gilbert is a hefty, picture-packed hardback edited by Margaret
Heilbrun, library director for the New-York Historical Society.
Criticism of Cass Gilbert:
"The fairly pedestrian designs created by Gilbert's firm did not prevent it from gaining popularity. The
majority of buildings the firm designed were gothicized skyscrapers, the most famous of which was
the Woolworth Building. Works designed by the firm during the early 1930s were competent Classical
buildings which lack the originality of such contemporary Modernists as Frank Lloyd Wright and
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe."
~ Dennis Sharp. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Architects and Architecture. New York: Quatro Publishing, 1991. ISBN 0-
8230-2539-X. NA40.I45. p65.
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Antoni Gaudí, Spanish Modernist Architect
(1852-1926)
Leading the Spanish Modernist movement, Antoni Gaudí
has been classified with Gothicism (sometimes called
warped Gothicism), Art Nouveau, and Surrealism. He
was also influenced by Oriental styles, nature, sculpture,
and a desire to go beyond anything that had ever been
done before. Defying labels, Antoni Gaudí's work might
be simple called, Gaudí-ism.
Born:
June 25, 1852 somewhere in Catalonia, possibly Baix Camp, Tarragona, Spain
Died:
June 12, 1926
Full Name:
Antoni Plàcid Guillem Gaudí Cornet
Education:
Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura, Barcelona
Important Buildings:
1882-Present: Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain
1883-1885: El Capricho, Comillas, Spain
1883-1888: Casa Vicens, Barcelona
1886-1890: Palau Güell, Barcelona
1888-1890: Colegio Teresiano, Barcelona
1891-1892: Casa Botines, León, Spain
1898-1900: Casa Calvet, Barcelona
1900-1914: Parque Güell, Barcelona
1901-1902: Finca Miralles, Barcelona
1904-1906: Casa Batlló, Barcelona
1906-1910: Casa Milà Barcelona, or La Pedrera
1908-1909: Sagrada Familia School, Barcelona
Awards:
1900: Casa Calvet named Building of the Year by the City of Barcelona
1969: Casa Milà, Casa Vincens, Colegio Teresiano, Parque Güell, and Sagrada Familia, named
Historic-Artistic Monuments of National Interest
1984: Casa Milà, Palau Güell, and Parque Güell granted World Heritage status by UNESCO
Influences:
John Ruskin - "Ornament is the origin of architecture"
William Morris
Religion - the basis of Gaudí's inspiration, particularly in later years
Catalan nationalism
Gothicism
30
Modernism
Surrealism
Oriental structures
Art Nouveau and shapes taken from nature
Organic architecture
Color
Geometry
Eugène Viollet-le-Duc - medieval French architecture
Quotes:
"Originality consists of returning to the origin. Thus, originality means returning, through one's
resources, to the simplicity of the early solutions."
"Everything comes from the great book of nature."
"Artists do not need monuments erected for them because their works are their monuments."
Life of Antoni Gaudí:
Stricken with a rheumatic problem that made walking painful, young Antoni Gaudí often missed
school and had little interaction with other children, but had ample time to study nature. While
seeking his degree in architecture in Barcelona, Gaudí also studied philosophy, history, and
economics. He believed that differences in architecture were caused by society and politics, rather
than aesthetics.
Gaudí was granted the title of Architect and presented his first major project, the Mataró Cooperative
(a housing project for factory workers), at the Paris World Fair in 1878. Far ahead of his time, only a
small portion of the project was actually built, but Gaudí's name became known and he met Eusebi
Güell, who would become a very close friend as well as a patron. This meeting was extremely
fortuitous: Güell trusted his friend's genius completely and never limited or tried to change the
architect's vision during his many projects.
In 1883, Gaudí began work on his greatest project, the Sagrada Familia church, begun in 1882 by
Francisco de Paula del Villar. For nearly 30 years, Gaudí worked on Sagrada Familia and other projects
simultaneously, until 1911, when he decided to devote himself exclusively to the church. During the
last year of his life, Gaudí lived in his studio at Sagrada Familia.
Tragically, in June, 1926, Gaudí was run over by a tram. Because he was poorly dressed, he was not
recognized and taxi drivers refused to take a "vagabond" to the hospital (they were later fined by the
police). Gaudí died five days later, and was buried in the crypt of the building to which he had devoted
44 years of his life, the as-yet unfinished Sagrada Familia.
During Gaudí's lifetime, official organizations rarely recognized his talent. The City of Barcelona often
tried (unsuccessfully) to stop or limit Gaudí's work because it exceeded city regulations, and the only
project the City ever assigned him was that of designing streetlights. He received the Building of the
Year award for his least impressive building, Casa Calvet.
31
Bruce Goff, 20th Century Architect
(1904-1982)
During the early 1950s, Bruce Goff chaired the University of Oklahoma School of Architecture.
Famous Buildings:
Bruce Goff designed about 500 projects in his lifetime; 140 of them were built. Many were private
homes in isolated regions of the mid-western United States.
Expressive and original, Goff's buildings were often constructed with unusual, throw-away materials.
For example, the idiosyncratic Duncan/Etzkorn-Bruce Goff Castle Dwelling that Bruce Goff designed
for sociology professor Hugh Duncan is a disorderly collection of rocks with a cave-like interiors.
Important Ideas:
Organic Architecture
Arts & Crafts
Inspired By:
Frank Lloyd Wright
Louis Sullivan
Antoni Gaudí
Today, Bruce Goff is widely praised for his highly creative, original contributions to 20th century
architecture.
32
Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, Ecclesiastical Architect
(1869 - 1924)
Although Goodhue's early works were noted for their high Gothic style, he later adopted a Romanesque style.
By the end of his career, his work tended toward simple, classical lines. The Los Angeles Central Library,
completed after his death, has elements of Art Deco design. Today Goodhue is considered an American
modernist.
Typeface Designs
33
Bruce Graham, Chicago Skyscraper Architect
(1925-2010)
Education:
University of Dayton, Ohio
Case School of Applied Sciences in Cleveland, Ohio
University of Pennsylvania, architecture degree in 1948
Selected Buildings:
1970: John Hancock Center, Chicago, Illinois
1974: First Wisconsin Plaza, Madison, Wisconsin
1974 to 1976: Willis Tower (Originally the Sears Tower), Chicago, Illinois
About Big John:
SOM claims that "Big John," the John Hancock Center, was the world's first mixed-use skyscraper built. It's 100
stories used no more steel than a conventional 50 story tall building of its day. How was it designed?
" Structurally, the exterior members of the steel frame represent a tube where the necessary stiffness is provided by
diagonal members and by those structural floors that coincide with the intersections of the diagonals and the
corner columns. In keeping with the functional organization, this tubular body has its largest cross-section where
the stresses caused by wind forces are greatest."
Source: John Hancock Center Project Description, SOM website accessed July 19, 2014
Quotes:
"It would be difficult to say with words or music what I feel I can say best with building."
Bruce Graham, quoted by SOM at www.som.com/bruce-j-graham
About Bruce Graham:
Bruce Graham was considered one of America's leading designers of high-rise buildings. Although he never
studied with Mies van der Rohe, he was instrumental in applying "Miesian" ideas to Chicago's skyscrapers. Most
significantly, Graham used the tubular frame principle for several important buildings.
After the 1970s, America began to look less favorably on stark architecture in the Mies van der Rohe style.
Graham's designs became more complex with greater detail.
Like architect David M. Childs, Bruce Graham has served as a general partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
(SOM) for most of his career. In addition to his famous skyscrapers, Bruce Graham helped create the 1973
urban plan for Chicago.
Before joining Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Bruce Graham worked briefly for the firm of Holabird and Roche.
34
Michael Graves, Architect and Product Designer
b. 1934
Harvard University
Fellow at the American Academy in Rome
Important Buildings and Projects:
Michael Graves' home, New Jersey
1982: Portland Building, Portland, Oregon
Borrowing heavily from the past, Graves often combines traditional details with whimsical flourishes.
He was, perhaps, at his most playful when he designed the Dolphin and Swan Hotels for the Walt
Disney World Resort in Florida. The Dolphin Hotel is a turquoise and coral pyramid. A 63-foot-dolphin
sits on top, and water cascades down the side. The Swan Hotel has a gently curved roof-line topped
with 7-foot swans. The two hotels are connected by an awning-sheltered walkway over a lagoon.
35
Eileen Gray, Furniture Designer and Architect
(1878-1976)
Académie Julian
Académie Colarossi
Bibendum chair
Bedroom-Boudoir for the Monte-Carlo
The Nonconformist Chair
Adjustable Table E 1027
1927: Collaborated with Jean Badovici on Maison en bord de mer E-1027, Roquebrune Cap Martin,
on the Mediterranean Sea in southern France
1932: Tempe à Pailla
1954: Lou Pérou, near Saint-Tropez
About E1027:
The alpha-numeric code symbolically wraps Eileen Gray (the "E" and "7"th letter of the
alphabet, G) around "102"—the tenth and second letters of the alphabet, "J" and "B," which
stand for Jean Badovici. As lovers, they shared this summer retreat.
Modernist architect Le Corbusierinfamously painted and drew murals on the interior walls of
E1027, without Gray's permission.
The film The Price of Desire (2014) tells the story of these modernists.
A faithful community, Eileen Gray Villa E1027 - Maison En Bord De Mer, is onFacebook.
About Eileen Gray:
Eileen Gray's contributions were overlooked for many years, but she is now considered one of
the most influential designers of modern times. Working with geometric forms, Eileen Gray
created plush furniture designs in steel and leather. Many Art Deco and Bauhaus architects and
designers found inspiration in Eileen Gray's unique style.
Bloggers have written extensively about Eileen Gray's influence. Canadian designer Lindsay
Brown's blog Eileen Gray’s E-1027 house is an astute review with photographs of
Gray's maison en bord de mer. Brown suggests that "Corbusier had something to do with Gray's
obscurity."
36
Walter Burley Griffin
The Man Who 'Made' Canberra
In the Australian capital, the lake is not named after a noted Australian
but rather after an American from Illinois: the architect and planner
Walter Burley Griffin who died in 1937, 26 years before the lake
named in his honor was formed.
Prize-winning design
Griffin, born in 1876 in Maywood near Chicago, won in 1910 an international competition to design the capital
of Australia, much as another non-Australian, the Danish architect Joern Utzon, won the competition to design
that Sydney icon, the Sydney Opera House.
With a bachelor of science in architecture from the University of Illinois, Griffin worked as a draughtsman with
celebrated US architect Frank Lloyd Wright who was later to belittle him as nothing more than a draughtsman.
After this break with Wright, the two American architects were never to speak with each other again.
Largest challenge
Walter Burley Griffin's educational background evolved through an interest in landscaping. Seeking the advice
of a renowned landscape gardener, O C Simonds, Griffin was surprised to receive the exhortation that he should
study "a more lucrative career."
Walter Burley Griffin enrolled in the Department of Architecture of the University of Illinois. His senior project
was called A Capitol Building, the plan of which was later never to be found.
The largest challenge of Griffin’s life came in 1912 when he received word from Melbourne that his design for
Australia’s national capital had been awarded first prize. It was at this point that he had his falling out with
Wright.
The Illinois architect visited Canberra in 1913 where he was lionised. This was the start of a love affair with
Australia, but as with Utzon and the Opera House, the relationship teetered into heartbreak as he battled to
have he Griffin Plan was finally accepted in 1925 and the Canberra of his dream began to take shape. The design
of Canberra today is very much as Walter Burley Griffin planned, with streets formed in concentric circles, and
a triangle formed by the current Parliament House at its apex, Commonwealth Ave and Kings Ave at its sides
and the lake at its base.While in Australia, Griffin designed Newman College at the University of Melbourne and
the Capitol Theatre, also in Melbourne. In New South Wales, he was responsible for the planning and
development of Leeton and Griffith towns and the Sydney suburbs of Castlecrag and Castle Cove.In 1936 Griffin
migrated to India. He died in 1937.his ideas implemented and bureaucrats resisted his designs.
37
Walter Gropius, Founder of the Bauhaus
(1883 - 1969)
Walter Gropius was a German architect and art educator who
founded the Bauhaus school of design, which became a dominant
force in architecture and the applied arts in the 20th century.
Selected Works:
1910-1911: Fagus Works, Alfred an der Leine, Germany
1925: The Bauhaus Building, Dessau, Germany
1937: Gropius House, Lincoln, MA
1950: Harvard Graduate Center, Cambridge, MA
1963: Pan Am Building, in collaboration with Pietro Belluschi. Now MetLife, the building became
part of New York's Grand Central Terminal City.
Best Known For:
Walter Gropius believed that all design should be functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. His
Bauhaus school pioneered a functional, severely simple architectural style, featuring the elimination
of surface decoration and extensive use of glass.
The Bauhaus school attracted many artists, including painters Paul Klee andWassily Kandinsky,
graphic artist Käthe Kollwitz, and expressionist art groups such as Die Brücke and Der Blaue Reiter.
Related People:
When Gropius resigned from the Bauhaus School in 1928, architectLudwig Mies van der Rohe became
the next director. Other influential Bauhaus architects included:
Marcel Breuer
Richard Neutra
Philip Johnson
More About Walter Gropius:
Although Gropius is best known for the Bauhaus style, his architectural reputation was first
established when, working with Adolph Meyer, he designed the Fagus Works (1910-1911) and the
office building for the Werkbund exhibition in Cologne (1914).
Walter Gropius opposed the Nazi regime and left Germany secretly in 1934. After several years in
England, Gropius began teaching architecture at Harvard University. As a Harvard professor, Gropius
introduced Bauhaus concepts and design principles - teamwork standardization, and prefabrication -
to a generation of American architects.
Between 1938 to 1941, Gropius worked on several houses with Marcel Breuer. They formed the
Architects Collaborative in 1945. Among their commissions were the Harvard Graduate Center
(1946), the U.S. Embassy in Athens and the University of Baghdad. One of Gropius's later designs, in
collaboration with Pietro Belluschi, was the Pam Am Building (now the Metropolitan Life Building) in
New York City.
38
Charles Gwathmey, Modern Architect
(1938 - 2009)
Louis I. Kahn
Robert Venturi
Thomas Vreeland
Paul Rudolph
James Stirling
Selected Buildings:
1965: Gwathmey Residence and Studio, Amagansett, New York (for his parents)
1992: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Renovation & Addition, New York (The New York Times)
2001: International Center of Photography, New York City
2004: Middlebury College Library, Vermont
2006: Glenstone, Potomac, Maryland
2006: Astor Place Tower, New York City
2010: W New York Downtown Hotel, 123 Washington Street, New York
39
Zaha Hadid, First Woman to Win a Pritzker
Born in Baghdad, Iraq in 1950, Zaha Hadid was the first woman to win a
Pritzker Architecture Prize. Her work experiments with new spatial
concepts and encompasses all fields of design, ranging from urban spaces to
products and furniture.
Education:
1977: Diploma Prize, Architectural Association (AA) School of Architecture in London
Studied mathematics at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon prior to moving to London in 1972
Selected Projects:
1993: A fire station for the Vitra Company in 2009: MAXXI: National Museum of 21st Century
Weil am Rhein, Germany Arts, Rome, Italy
2000: Inaugural Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, 2010: Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Abu Dhabi, UAE
London, UK 2010: Guangzhou Opera House, China
2001: Terminus Hoenheim-Nord, a "park and 2011: Riverside Museum of Transport, Glasgow,
ride" and tramway on the outskirts of Scotland
Strasbourg, France 2011: Aquatics Centre, London, United Kingdom
2002: Bergisel Ski Jump, Austria 2011: CMA CGM Corporate Headquarters,
2003: The Richard and Lois Rosenthal Center for Marseille, France
Contemporary Art in Cincinnati, Ohio 2012: Pierres Vives, Montpellier, France
2005: Phæno Science Center in Wolfsburg, 2012: Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at
Germany Michigan State University in East Lansing
2008: Pedestrian Bridge and Exposition
Pavilions, Zaragoza, Spain
Other Works:
Zaha Hadid is also known for her exhibition designs, stage sets, furniture, paintings, and drawings.
Partnerships:
Zaha Hadid worked at the Office for Metropolitan Architecture with her former teachers, Rem Koolhaas and
Elia Zenghelis
In 1979, Zaha Hadid opened her own practice, Zaha Hadid Architects. Patrik Schumacher joined her in 1988.
Major Awards and Honors:
1982: Gold Medal Architectural Design, British 2010, 2011: Stirling Prize, Royal Institute of
Architecture for 59 Eaton Place, London British Architects (RIBA)
2000: Honourable Member of the American 2012: Order of the British Empire, Dames
Academy of Arts and Letters Commander of the Order of the British Empire
(DBE) for services to Architecture
2002: Commander of the British Empire
2004: Pritzker Architecture Prize
About Zaha Hadid:
From parking garages and ski-jumps to vast urban landscapes, Zaha Hadid's works have been called
bold, unconventional, and theatrical. Zaha Hadid studied and worked under Rem Koolhaas, and like
Koolhaas, she often brings a deconstructivist approach to her designs.
Zaha Hadid was the first woman to win a Pritzker Architecture Prize. Learn more: Citation from the
Pritzker Prize Jury.
40
Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, Modern Architects
Selected Projects:
1999-2000: Apartment buildings, Rue des Suisses, Paris, France
1998-2000: Roche Pharma Research Institute Building 92 / Building 41, Hoffmann-La Roche, Basel,
Switzerland
2000: Tate Modern, London Bankside, UK
1998-1999: Central Signal Tower, Basel, Switzerland
1998: Ricola Marketing Building, Laufen, Switzerland
1996-1998: Dominus Winery, Yountville, California
1993: Ricola-Euope SA Production and Storage Building, Mulhouse-Brunstatt, France
1989-1991: Ricola Factory Addition and Glazed Canopy, Laufen, Switzerland
2003: Prada Boutique Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan
2004: IKMZ der BTU Cottbus, Library at Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU), Cottbus,
Germany,
2004: Edifici Fòrum, Barcelona, Spain
2005: Walker Art Center expansion, Minneapolis. MN
2008: Beijing National Stadium, Beijing, China
2012: Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, Kensington Gardens, London, UK
2012: Parrish Art Museum, Long Island, New York
2015: Grand Stade de Bordeaux, France
2016: 56 Leonard Street ("Jenga Tower"), New York City
2017: La tour Triangle, Porte de Versailles, Paris, France
2017: M+ Visual Art Museum in Kowloon, Hong Kong
Related People:
Rem Koolhaas, Pritzker Prize Laureate, 2000
I.M. Pei, 1983 Pritzker Laureate
Robert Venturi, Pritzker Prize Laureate, 1991
41
Thom Mayne, 2005 Pritzker Laureate
Zaha Hadid, Pritzker Prize Laureate, 2004
About Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron:
Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron have designed projects in England, France, Germany, Italy,
Spain, Japan, the United States, and of course, in their native Switzerland. They have built residences,
several apartment buildings, libraries, schools, a sports complex, a photographic studio, museums,
hotels, railway utility buildings, and office and factory buildings.
While these unusual construction solutions are certainly not the only reason for Herzog and de
Meuron being selected as the 2001 Laureates, Pritzker Prize jury chairman, J. Carter Brown,
commented, "One is hard put to think of any architects in history that have addressed the integument
of architecture with greater imagination and virtuosity."
Ada Louise Huxtable, architecture critic and member of the jury, commented further about Herzog
and de Meuron, "They refine the traditions of modernism to elemental simplicity, while transforming
materials and surfaces through the exploration of new treatments and techniques."
Another juror, Carlos Jimenez from Houston who is professor of architecture at Rice University, said,
"One of the most compelling aspects of work by Herzog and de Meuron is their capacity to astonish."
And from juror Jorge Silvetti, who chairs the Department of Architecture, Graduate School of Design at
Harvard University, "...all of their work maintains throughout, the stable qualities that have always
been associated with the best Swiss architecture: conceptual precision, formal clarity, economy of
means and pristine detailing and craftsmanship."
42
William Holabird, Skyscraper Pioneer
Born:
Died:
Education:
Two years at U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y.
43
Raymond Hood, Art Deco Architect
Born:
March 29, 1881 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Died:
August 14, 1934
Education:
Brown University
Art Deco
Streamlined Moderne
International Style
About Raymond Hood:
Raymond Hood became famous in 1922 when he and John Howells won a competition to design the
Chicago Tribune Tower. The design by Raymond Hood and John Howells was selected over some 200
entries, including designs by great names like Walter Gopius, Adolf Loos, and Eliel Saarinen.
Hood's Chicago Tribune Tower may have appealed to judges of the day because although the
skyscraper was modern, its facade was Neo-Gothic. Raymond Hood moved away from the Neo-Gothic
style in later works.
Raymond Hood is perhaps best known for his work on Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan in
New York City. Covering 22 acres, Rockefeller Center encompasses 19 buildings, including the Art
Deco Radio City Music Hall. Critics have described Rockefeller center a symbol of modernist capitalist
architecture.
When Raymond Hood designed New York's McGraw-Hill Building, he was thoroughly grounded in
modernism. Clad with blue-green terra cotta, the McGraw-Hill Building has been called both Art Deco
and Streamline Moderne. But the horizontal bands of windows and lack of ornamentation suggest the
emerging International Style.
44
Richard Morris Hunt: Architect of the Gilded Age
Important Styles:
Beaux Arts
Renaissance Revival
Neoclassical
About Richard Morris Hunt:
Richard Morris Hunt was the first American to attend the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. When he
returned to the United States, he introduced the country to Beaux Arts and Renaissance Revival
architecture.
Hunt became famous for designing elaborate homes for the very wealthy. However, he worked on
many different types of buildings including libraries, civic buildings, apartment buildings, and art
museums.
Hunt also helped establish architecture as a profession in the U.S. He started the first American studio
for architect training and helped found the American Institute of Architects (AIA). In 1855, he served
as president of the AIA. He was a mentor to Philadelphia architect Frank Furness and New York City-
born George B. Post.Hunt's brother, William Morris Hunt, was a well-known painter.
45
Arata Isozaki, Japanese Architect
b. 1931
For example, Isozaki wanted to express a yin-yang theory of positive and negative space when he
designed the Team Disney Building in Orlando, Florida. Also, because the offices were to be used by
time-conscious executives, he wanted the architecture to make a statement about time.
Serving as offices for the Walt Disney Corporation, the Team Disney Building is a startling landmark
on the otherwise barren stretch of Florida's Route I-4. The oddly looped gateway suggests gigantic
Mickey Mouse ears. At the building's core, a 120-foot sphere forms the world's largest sundial. Inside
the sphere is a serene Japanese rock garden.
Isozaki's Team Disney design won a prestigious National Honor Award from the AIA in 1992.
46
Toyo Ito, 2013 Pritzker Laureate
Significant Awards:
2000: Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize, American Academy of Arts and Letters
Ito's public service work with the Home-for-All initiative was cited by the 2013 Pritzker Jury as "a
direct expression of his sense of social responsibility."
48
Thomas Jefferson, Gentleman Architect
(1743 - 1826)
1784-89: Studied French and Roman architecture while serving as Minister to France
Jefferson's apprenticeship was in law and not architecture. Nevertheless, he studied design
through books, travel, and observation. Thomas Jefferson has been called not only Monticello's
"gentleman farmer," but he was also a "gentleman architect," a common practice of the well-to-do
before architecture became alicensed profession.
Jefferson Designs:
1760: Montpelier, Orange County, Virginia (advised James Madison's father)
Born:
September 25, 1832 in Fairhaven, Massachusetts
Died:
June 15, 1907
Education:
Engineering courses at Lawrence Scientific School of Harvard University
Ecole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures in Paris, 1853-1856
Important Buildings:
1868: Col James H. Bowen House, Hyde Park, Illinois
Urban Design:
In addition to his building designs, Jenney made a name for himself as a town planner. With Olmsted
and Vaux, he helped create the plan for Riverside, Illinois. Working in Chicago, Jenney designed West
Parks, where tree-lined boulevards connect an extensive system of connecting parks.
Student draftsmen who learned from Jenney included Daniel H. Burnham, Louis Sullivan, and William
Holabird. For this reason, Jenney is considered the founder of the Chicago School of architecture, and
the father of the American skyscraper.
50
Philip Johnson, Glass House Architect
(1906 - 2005)
Born:
July 8, 1906 in Cleveland, OH
Died:
January 25, 2005
Full Name:
Philip Cortelyou Johnson
Education:
1930: Architectural History, Harvard University
Selected Projects:
1949: Glass House, New Canaan, CT
1958: Seagram Building (with Mies van der Rohe), New York
1962: Kline Science Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT
Important Ideas:
International Style
Postmodernism
Neoclassicism
Quotes:
Create beautiful things. That's all.
Architecture is surely not the design of space, certainly not the massing or organizing of volumes.
These are auxiliary to the main point, which is the organization of procession. Architecture exists
only in time.
Architecture is the art of how to waste space.
All architecture is shelter, all great architecture is the design of space that contains, cuddles, exalts,
or stimulates the person in that space.
51
Why reinvent the spoon?
The only test for architecture is to build a building, go inside and let it wrap itself around you.
Related People:
Le Corbusier
Walter Gropius
Richard Neutra
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Johnson returned to Harvard University in 1940 to study architecture under Marcel Breuer. For his
master degree thesis, he designed a residence for himself, the now famous Glass House (1949), which
has been called one of the world's most beautiful and yet least functional homes.
Philip Johnson's buildings were luxurious in scale and materials, featuring expansive interior space
and a classical sense of symmetry and elegance. These same traits epitomized corporate America's
dominant role in world markets in prominent skyscrapers for such leading companies as AT&T
(1984), Pennzoil (1976) and Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company (1984).
In 1979, Philip Johnson was honored with the first Pritzker Architecture Prize in recognition of "50
years of imagination and vitality embodied in a myriad of museums, theaters, libraries, houses,
gardens and corporate structures."
52
Louis I. Kahn, Modernist Architect
(1901-1974)
Born:
February 20, 1901 in Kuressaare, in Estonia, on Saaremmaa
Island
Died:
March 17, 1974 in New York, N.Y.
Name at Birth:
Born Itze-Leib (or, Leiser-Itze) Schmuilowsky (or, Schmalowski). Kahn's Jewish parents immigrated to
the United States in 1906. His name was changed to Louis Isadore Kahn in 1915.
Early Training:
University of Pennsylvania, Bachelor of Architecture, 1924
Worked as a senior draftsman in the office of Philadelphia City Architect John Molitor.
Traveled through Europe visiting castles and medieval strongholds, 1928
Important Buildings:
1953: Yale University Art Gallery and Design Center, New Haven, CT
1955: Trenton Bath House, New Jersey
1961: The Margaret Esherick House, Philadelphia, PA
53
became involved with his professional associates. Kahn established three families that lived only a few
miles apart in the Philadelphia area. Louis I. Kahn's troubled life is explored in My Architect, a 2003
documentary film by his son, Nathaniel Kahn. Louis Kahn was the father of three children with three
different women:
Sue Ann Kahn, daughter with his wife, Esther Israeli Kahn
Alexandra Tyng, daughter with Anne Griswold Tyng, associate architect at Kahn's firm
Nathaniel Kahn, son with Harriet Pattison, landscape architect
The influential architect died of a heart attack in a men's restroom in Pennsylvania Station in New
York City. At the time, he was deep in debt and juggling a complicated personal life. His body was not
identified for three days.
Note: For more information about Kahn's children, see "Journey to Estonia" by Samuel Hughes, The Pennsylvania Gazette, Digital
Edition, Jan / Feb 2007 [accessed January 19, 2012].
"Consider the momentous event in architecture when the wall parted and the column became."
"Design is not making beauty, beauty emerges from selection, affinities, integration, love."
"A great building must begin with the unmeasurable, must go through measurable means when it is
being designed and in the end must be unmeasurable."
Professional Life:
During his training at the Pennsylvania School of Fine Arts, Louis I. Kahn was grounded in the Beaux
Arts approach to architectural design. As a young man, Kahn became fascinated with the heavy,
massive architecture of medieval Europe and Great Britain. But, struggling to build his career during
the Depression, Kahn became known as a champion of Functionalism.
Louis Kahn built on ideas from the Bauhaus Movement and the International Style to design low-
income public housing. Using simple materials like brick and concrete, Kahn arranged building
elements to maximize daylight. His concrete designs from the 1950s were studied at Tokyo
University's Kenzo Tange Laboratory, influencing a generation of Japanese architects and stimulating
themetabolism movement in the 1960s.
The commissions that Kahn received from Yale University gave him the chance to explore ideas he'd
admired in ancient and medieval architecture. He used simple forms to create monumental shapes.
Kahn was in his 50s before he designed the works that made him famous. Many critics praise Kahn for
moving beyond the International Style to express original ideas.
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Anna Keichline (1889 - 1943)
At college we worked, many times, three and four days and nights without stopping; most always in those
stretches I took time to make coffee and sandwiches for the fellows, then they would carry my board to
the dormitory, where I could draw all night.
Earning a degree in architecture – a female student pursuing an education in a male dominated field –
certainly was not easy, but Keichline was convinced that women had a unique talent for architectural
design, specifically kitchens, because it was a domain that a woman knew far more intimately than a
man.
Equipment of houses especially has been developed by people who seldom have experience using or
operating these materials – there should be scientifically built houses, and this can be done better by
women than men. Indeed, it will never be accomplished until women take hold.
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Anna Keichline received her first patent the year after she graduated from Cornell for an improved
combined sink-washtub design. The goal of this design was to more readily accommodate the space
problem in the kitchen and to make the use of it more comfortable for the user. In 1924 she patented a
kitchen design that maximized comfort and convenience, efficiency, and conservation of space.
Interesting features of the design included sloped countertops to facilitate easier cleaning and glass-
doored cabinets to make the contents visible to the user. In 1929 Keichline patented a design for an
apartment bed. The bed folded into the wall to maximize the use of space in a small apartment.
Perhaps one of her most impressive inventions was the “K Brick.” The K Brick, patented by Keichline
in 1927, was a forerunner of the modern concrete block. It was a clay brick for hollow wall
construction that proved to be much more versatile than its predecessors were. Fireproof, cheap and
light, the K Brick could be filled with insulating or sound-deadening material. In her article entitled A
Tile Designed to Effect a Scientifically Built Wall, Keichline pointed out that her K Brick “requires less
clay to make than brick and because of its design takes less time to fire – the tile would reduce the
weight of the wall by one-half.” The American Ceramic Society recognized Keichline for the invention
of the K Brick in 1931.
She had seven patents during her lifetime, all reflecting her central goals of enhancing comfort and
convenience to those who would make use of her inventions.
Aside from her architectural career, Keichline owned, drove, and repaired her own automobile (a
rarity for women during that era), served as a special agent with military intelligence during World
War I, was active with President Hoover’s Better Housing Conference, and marched for a woman’s
right to vote. However, her architectural designs remain the centerpiece of her fascinating
accomplishments. In Bellefonte her designs include the Plaza Theatre, the Cadillac Garage and
Apartments, the Harvey Apartments, and several private homes.
Keichline’s great niece, Nancy Perkins, has followed in her great-aunt’s footsteps by registering
several of her own patents, and receiving a degree in industrial design from the University of Illinois.
She began her own company, Perkins Design Ltd. and is marketing a replica of the 1903 prize-winning
card table, the piece which first earned Anna Wagner Keichline recognition.
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Rem Koolhaas, Modern Dutch Architect
Born:
November 17, 1944 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Education:
Architectural Association, London, 1972
Selected Projects:
1987: Netherlands Dance Theater, The Hague, Netherlands
1989: ProposedSeaterminal, Zeebrugge, Belgium
1991: Nexus Housing, Fukuoka, Japan
1992: Kunsthal, Rotterdam
1994: Lille Grand Palais, Lille, France
1997: Educatorium, Utrech, Netherlands
1998: Maison à Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
2001: Netherlands Embassy, Berlin, Germany
2004: Seattle Public Library, Seattle, Washington
2006: Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, London, UK
2008: CCTV Building, Beijing, China
2009: Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre, Dallas, Texas
2012: 24-Hour Museum, Paris, France
Styles and Ideas:
Deconstructionism
Modernism
Structuralism
Quotes:
"We have, in a certain sense, turned away from the Constructivists because they were being
horribly misused. Dutch architecture seemed in danger of becoming a repetition of three buildings,
which is why we decided to back off."
—Rem Koolhaas, quoted in The Critical Landscape, by Arie Graafland and Jasper de Haan
"As more and more architecture is finally unmasked as the mere organization of flow—shopping
centers, airports—it is evident that circulation is what makes or breaks public architecture...."
—Rem Koolhaas, architect's statement for the MoMA expansion project
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About Rem Koolhaas:
Although he was born in Rotterdam, Rem Koolhaas spent four years of his youth in Indonesia,
where his father served as cultural director. Following in the footsteps of his literary father,
Koolhaas began his career as a writer. He was a journalist for the Haase Postin The Hague, and
later tried his hand at writing movie scripts.
Koolhaas's writings won him fame in the field of architecture before he completed a single building.
After after graduating from the Architecture Association School in London, he accepted a research
fellowship in the United States. During his visit, he wrote Delirious New York, which he described as a
"retroactive manifesto for Manhattan" and which critics hailed as a classic text on modern
architecture and society.
In 1975, Koolhaas founded the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) in London with Madelon
Vriesendorm and Elia and Zoe Zenghelis. Focusing on contemporary design, the company won a
competition for an addition to the Parliament in The Hague and a major commission to develop a
master plan for a housing quarter in Amsterdam.
Delirious New York was reprinted in 1994 under the title Rem Koolhaas and the Place of Modern
Architecture. The same year, Koolhaas published S,M,L,XL in collaboration with the Canadian graphic
designer Bruce Mau. Described as a novel about architecture, the book combines works produced by
Koolhaas's Office for Metropolitan Architecture with photos, plans, fiction, cartoons and random
thoughts.
Rem Koolhaas has been called in turns Modernist and Deconstructivist, yet many critics claim that he
leans toward Humanism. Koolhaas's work searches for a link between technology and humanity.
Koolhaas was awarded the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2000.
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Daniel Libeskind, Master Planner for the New York World Trade Center
Born:
May 12, 1946 in Lodz, Poland
Early Life:
Daniel Libeskind's parents survived the Holocaust and met while in exile. As a
child growing up in Poland, Daniel became a gifted player of the accordion--an
instrument his parents had chosen because it was small enough to fit in their
apartment.
The family moved to Tel Aviv, Israel when Daniel was 11. He began playing
piano and in 1959 won an America-Israel Cultural Foundation scholarship. The
award made it possible for the family to move to the USA.
Living with his family in a small apartment in the Bronx borough of New York City, Daniel continued to study
music. He didn't want to become a performer, however, so he enrolled in Bronx High School of Science. In 1965,
Daniel Libeskind became a naturalize Education:
1970: Architecture degree from the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
1972: Postgraduate degree in History and Theory of Architecture from Essex University
Important Buildings:
1989-1999: Jewish Museum, Berlin, Germany 2008: The Ascent at Roebling's Bridge,
2001: Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, Kensington Covington, Kentucky (near Cincinnati, Ohio)
Gardens, London
2009: The Villa, Libeskind Signature Series,
2002 (selected in February 2003):Ground Zero
prefabricated house available Worldwide
Master Plan
2009: Crystals at CityCenter, Las Vegas , Nevada
2003: Studio Weil, Mallorca, Spain
2010: 18.36.54 House, Connecticut
2005: The Wohl Centre, Ramat-Gan, Israel
2010: The Run Run Shaw Creative Media Centre,
1998-2008: Contemporary Jewish Museum, San
Hong Kong, China
Francisco, CA
2010: Bord Gáis Energy Theatre and Grand Canal
2000-2006: Frederic C. Hamilton Building at the
Commercial Development, Dublin, Ireland
Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO
2011: Reflections at Keppel Bay, Keppel Bay,
2007: The Michael Lee-Chin Crystal at the Royal
Singapore
Ontario Museum (ROM), Toronto, Canada
2011: CABINN Metro Hotel, Copenhagen,
2008: Westside Shopping and Leisure Centre,
Denmark
Bern, Switzerland
2013: Haeundae Udong Hyundai I'Park, Busan,
South Korea
NY World Trade Center:
After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, many architects submitted plans for reconstruction on
Ground Zero in New York City. After heated discussion, judges selected the proposal submitted by Daniel
Libeskind's firm, Studio Libeskind.
d citizen of the USA and decided to study architecture in college.
Libeskind's original plan called for a 1,776-foot (541m) spindle-shaped "Freedom Tower" with 7.5 million
square feet of office space and room for indoor gardens above the 70th floor. At the center of the World Trade
Center complex, a 70-foot pit would expose the concrete foundation walls of the former Twin Tower buildings.
During the years that followed, Daniel Libeskind's plan underwent many changes. Another architect, David
Childs, became the lead designer for Freedom Tower, which was later renamed 1 World Trade Center. Daniel
Libeskind became the master planner for the entire World Trade Center complex, coordinating the overall
design and reconstruction. See pictures:
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Original WTC Proposal
Revised Plans for Freedom Tower
In 2012 the American Institute of Architects (AIA) honored Libeskind with a Gold Medallion for his
contributions as an Architect of Healing.
In the Words of Daniel Libeskind:
In his proposal for reconstruction on Ground Zero, Daniel Libeskind wrote:
"I arrived by ship to New York as a teenager, an immigrant, and like millions of others before me, my first sight
was the Statue of Liberty and the amazing skyline of Manhattan. I have never forgotten that sight or what it
stands for. This is what this project is all about.
"When I first began this project, New Yorkers were divided as to whether to keep the site of the World Trade
Center empty or to fill the site completely and build upon it. I meditated many days on this seemingly
impossible dichotomy. To acknowledge the terrible deaths which occurred on this site, while looking to the
future with hope, seemed like two moments which could not be joined. I sought to find a solution which would
bring these seemingly contradictory viewpoints into an unexpected unity. So, I went to look at the site, to stand
within it, to see people walking around it, to feel its power and to listen to its voices. And this is what I heard,
felt and saw.
"The great slurry walls are the most dramatic elements which survived the attack, an engineering wonder
constructed on bedrock foundations and designed to hold back the Hudson River. The foundations withstood
the unimaginable trauma of the destruction and stand as eloquent as the Constitution itself asserting the
durability of Democracy and the value of individual life.
"We have to be able to enter this hallowed, sacred ground while creating a quiet, meditative and spiritual space.
We need to journey down, some 70 feet into Ground Zero, onto the bedrock foundation, a procession with
deliberation into the deep indelible footprints of Tower One and Tower Two.
"The foundation, however, is not only the story of tragedy but also reveals the dimensions of life. The PATH
trains continue to traverse this ground now, as before, linking the past to the future. Of course, we need a
Museum at the epicenter of Ground Zero, a museum of the event, of memory and hope. The Museum becomes
the entrance into Ground Zero, always accessible, leading us down into a space of reflection, of meditation, a
space for the Memorial itself. This Memorial will be the result of an international competition.
"Those who were lost have become heroes. To commemorate those lost lives, I created two large public places,
the Park of Heroes and the Wedge of Light. Each year on September 11th between the hours of 8:46 a.m., when
the first airplane hit and 10:28 a.m., when the second tower collapsed, the sun will shine without shadow, in
perpetual tribute to altruism and courage.
"We all came to see the site, more than 4 million of us, walking around it, peering through the construction wall,
trying to understand that tragic vastness. So I designed an elevated walkway, a space for a Memorial
promenade encircling the memorial site. Now everyone can see not only Ground Zero but the resurgence of life.
"The exciting architecture of the new Lower Manhattan rail station with a concourse linking the PATH trains,
the subways connected, hotels, a performing arts center, office towers, underground malls, street level shops,
restaurants, cafes; create a dense and exhilarating affirmation of New York.
"The sky will be home again to a towering spire of 1776 feet high, the "Gardens of the World". Why gardens?
Because gardens are a constant affirmation of life. A skyscraper rises above its predecessors, reasserting the
pre-eminence of freedom and beauty, restoring the spiritual peak to the city, creating an icon that speaks of our
vitality in the face of danger and our optimism in the aftermath of tragedy.
"Life victorious."
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Maya Lin, Architect and Sculptor
b. 1959, Designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Education:
Graduated from Yale University, School of Architecture: B.A. in 1981, M.A. in 1986
Selected Projects:
1982: Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
1989: Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama
1993: The Women's Table, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
1995: Wave Field, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
1999: Langston Hughes Library on the Alex Haley Farm, Clinton, Tennessee
2004: Input, an earth installation at Bicentennial Park, Ohio University
2009: Wavefield, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville, New York
2013: A Fold in the Field, Gibbs Farm, New Zealand
Ongoing: The Confluence Project, Columbia River, American Northwest
Awards:
Architecture prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters
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Theodore C. Link, Missouri Architect
(1850-1923)
Died:
November 12, 1923 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana while working on the Louisiana State University
Education:
Engineering at the University of Heidelberg
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Adolf Loos: Pioneered Modernist Architecture in Euorpe
Adolf Loos was an architect who became more famous for his ideas than for
his buildings. He believed that reason should determine the way we build,
and he opposed the decorative Art Nouveau movement.
Stylistic Features:
Straight lines
Clear planar walls and windows
Clean curves
Raumplan ("plan of volumes") system of contiguous, merging spaces
Each room on a different level, with floors and ceilings set at different heights
Teaching:
Adolf Loos started his own school of architecture. His students included Richard Neutra and R. M. Schindler,
who later became famous in the United States.
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Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Glasgow Modernist
(1868-1928)
Born:
June 7, 1868 in the Townhead area of Glasgow, Scotland
Died:
December 10, 1928 in London, England
Education:
Glasgow School of Art
"The Four" exhibited posters, graphic designs, and furniture in Great Britain and Europe. Along with
other artists and designers, they developed the Glasgow Style, known for strong lines and graceful,
symbolic shapes.
Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret MacDonald married, forming a creative partnership that
lasted their lifetimes.
Selected Buildings:
1897-1909: Mackintosh Building at the Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, Scotland
1902-1903: Hill House, Helensburgh, Scotland
1902-1904: The Willow Tea Rooms, Glasgow, Scotland
House for an Art Lover, Glasgow, Scotland (designed in 1901, built in 1994)
Other Works:
Charles Rennie Mackintosh is famous for unique furniture designs, such as the The Hill House Chair, as
well as designs for stained glass, textiles, clocks, and metalwork. Later in his career, Mackintosh
painted water colors.
Important Styles:
Art Nouveau
Arts & Crafts
The National Trust for Scotland calls Mackintosh's finest residential building, Hill House, "a visually
arresting mix of Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau, Scottish Baronial and Japonisme architecture and
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design."
Source: NTS website, accessed June 4, 2014
About Mackintosh:
Charles Rennie Mackintosh was one of eleven children, and he suffered from a limp and other health
problems. Encouraged to spend time in the country, he developed a love of nature that later found
expression in his Art Nouveau designs.
With his wife, Margaret MacDonald, Mackintosh pioneered modern design in Scotland, and their Art
Nouveau works helped transform the Arts & Crafts movement in Britain. Frustrated by a lack of local
recognition, the couple left Scotland for London at the start of World War I. By 1923 they had moved
on to southern France, where their days were taken up more with the art of painting than
architecture. Today his watercolors of flowers are often the subject of wall calendars and art prints.
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Bernard Maybeck: Eclectic California Architect
Born:
February 7, 1862 in New York City
Died:
October 3, 1957 in Berkeley, California
Full Name:
Bernard Ralph Maybeck
Career Highlights:
1913: Citation from the American Institute of Architecture
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Thom Mayne, 2005 Pritzker Laureate
b. 1944, Connecticut, USA
Born:
January 19, 1944, Waterbury, Connecticut
"But basically, what we do is, we try to give coherence to the world. We make physical things, buildings
that become a part in an accretional process; they make cities. And those things are the reflection of the
processes, and the time that they are made. And what I'm doing is attempting to synthesize the way one
sees the world and the territories which are useful as generative material."—2005, TED
"...the idea that architecture is defined as single buildings—of whatever size—that can be plugged into a
comprehensible, planned urban matrix is no longer adequate to address the needs of people adapting to
a highly mobile and ever-changing urban society."—2011, Combinatory Urbanism, p. 9
"I have no interest at all in conceiving something in my brain and saying, 'This is what it looks
like'....Architecture is the beginning of something, because it's—if you're not involved in first principles,
if you're not involved in the absolute, the beginning of that generative process, it's cake decoration....it's
not what I'm interested in doing. And so, in the formation of things, in giving it form, in concretizing
these things, it starts with some notion of how one organizes."—2005, TED
"The practice of architecture, which has traditionally been aligned with permanence and stability, must
change to accommodate and take advantage of the rapid changes and increased complexities of
contemporary reality....combinatory urbanism engages the premise of continuous process over static
form...."—2011, Combinatory Urbanism, p. 29
"No matter what I've done, what I've tried to do, everybody says it can't be done. And it's continuous
across the complete spectrum of the various kind of realities that you confront with your ideas. And to
be an architect, somehow you have to negotiate between left and right, and you have to negotiate
between this very private place where ideas take place and the outside world, and then make it
understood."—2005, TED
"Mayne's approach toward architecture and his philosophy is not derived from European modernism,
Asian influences, or even from American precedents of the last century. He has sought throughout his
career to create an original architecture, one that is truly representative of the unique, somewhat
rootless, culture of Southern California, especially the architecturally rich city of Los Angeles. Like the
Eameses, Neutra, Schindler, and Gehry before him, Thom Mayne is an authentic addition to the tradition
of innovative, exciting architectural talent that flourishes on the West Coast."—Pritzker Architecture
Prize Jury Citation
"Mayne's architecture does not rebel against conventions so much as it absorbs and transforms them
and moves on in a direction that demonstrates how buildings and the spaces they provide, both within
and without, can engage the unpredictable yet highly tangible dynamics of the present. He accepts the
conventional typologies—bank, high school, courthouse, office building—of the programs his clients
hand to him, with a generosity that speaks of his respect for the needs of others, even those with whom
he shares little in the way of outlook and sensibility."—Lebbeus Woods
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Charles Follen McKim, 19th Century American Architect
Died:
September 14, 1909 at his summer home in St. James, Long Island,
New York
Education:
One year at the Lawrence Scientific School at Harvard University
69
Richard Meier, Architect of the Getty Center
b. 1934
1989: Royal Gold Medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects
1997: American Institute of Architects Gold Medal
Numerous national AIA Honor Awards and New York AIA Design Awards
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Paulo Mendes da Rocha - Pritzker Prize Laureate
Born:
October 25, 1928 in Vitoria, Brazil
Childhood:
Paulo Mendes da Rocha spent his childhood in Vitoria, the harbor capital of the state of Espírito Santo
in Brazil and on the Island Paquetá, in the middle of Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro. His mother was
the daughter of Italian immigrants. His father was a engineer who became Chair of the Naval and
Harbor Resources of the Polytechnic School of São Paulo University.
Education:
Mackenzie Architecture School, 1954
Important Works:
1957: Paulistano Office Chair
1958: The Paulistano Athletic Club, São Paulo
1960: Paulo Mendes da Rocha Residence, São Paulo
1964: Guaimbê Residential Building, São Paulo
1987: The Forma Store, São Paulo
1987: Chapel of Saint Peter, Campos de Jordão
1988: Brazilian Museum of Sculpture, São Paulo
1992: Patriarch Plaza and Viaduct do Cha, São Paulo
1993: State Museum of São Paulo
1995: Residence for Mario Masetti, Cava Estate, Cabreuva
2000: Studies for the 2008 Olympic Games in Paris, France
2004: Master plan for the Technological City, University of Vigo, Spain
Related People:
Oscar Niemeyer
Le Corbusier
Walter Gropius
Quote:
In his statement to the Pritzker Prize Committee, Paulo Mendes da Rocha says that architecture is
“…the transformation of nature, a total fusion of science, art and technology in a sublime statement of
human dignity and intelligence through the settlements we build for ourselves…”
Family Life:
Mendes da Rocha married his first wife in 1954. They have two daughters, Renata and Joana, and
three sons, Paulo, Guilherme, and Pedro. Guilherme and Pedro are both architects; son Paulo is a
photographer.
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From his second marriage Mendes da Rocha has another daughter, Nadezhda, who is a designer.
Besides his architectural projects, Mendes da Rocha has designed furniture. He is best known for
the Paulistano chair and chaise lounge which used industrial materials to create comfortable,
functional seating.
In 2000 the Mies van der Rohe Prize for Latin American Architecture brought Paulo Mendes da Rocha
international recognition. He won the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2006.
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The Radical Michelangelo
The public first saw Michelangelo's frescoes on the vaulted ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome on
November 1, 1512—but some of those vaults you see are not real. The Renaissance artist spent four
years painting the detailed Biblical scenes remembered by most people. Few realize, however, that the
ceiling fresco also includes tricks of the eye, also known as trompe l'oeil. The realistic depiction of the
"beams" that frame the figures is architectural detail that is painted on.
The 16th century Vatican parishioners looked up to the chapel ceiling, and they were tricked. The
genius of Michelangelo was that he created the appearance of multi-dimensional sculptures with
paint. Powerfully strong images mixed with an elegance and softness of form, reminiscent of what
Michelangelo had accomplished with his most famous marble sculptures, David (1504) and the Pietà
(1499). The artist had moved sculpture into the painting world.
Born on March 6, 1475, Michelangelo Buonarroti is well-known for these elaborate paintings and
sculptures commissioned throughout Italy, but it's his design for the Laurentian Library in Florence
that intrigues Dr. Cammy Brothers. A Renaissance scholar at the University of Virginia, Brothers
suggests that Michelangelo's "irreverent attitude" toward the prevailing architecture of his day is
what moves aspiring architects to study his work even today.
Writing in The Wall Street Journal, Dr. Brothers argues that Michelangelo's buildings, such as
the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, trick our expectations just as the Sistine Chapel ceiling did. In the
library's vestibule, are those indentations between the columns windows or decorative niches? They
could be either, but, because you cannot see through them they can't be windows, and because they
display no decorations, they can't be architectural "tabernacles." Michelangelo's design questions "the
founding assumptions of classical architecture," and he brings us along, too, catechizing all the way.
The staircase, too, is not what it appears. It seems like a grand entrance to the Reading Room until you
see two other stairways, one on either side. The vestibule is filled with architectural elements that are
both traditional and out of place at the same time—brackets that don't function as brackets and
columns that seem to only decorate the wall, but do they? Michelangelo "emphasizes the arbitrary
nature of forms, and their lack of structural logic," says Brothers.
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To Brothers, this approach was radical for the times:
" By challenging our expectations and defying the accepted sense of what architecture can do,
Michelangelo started a debate about architecture's proper role that is still going on today. For example,
should a museum's architecture be in the foreground, like Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, or
in the background, like the many designs of Renzo Piano? Should it frame the art or be the art? In his
Laurentian Library, Michelangelo demonstrated that he could be both Gehry and Piano, attention-
grabbing in the vestibule and self-effacing in the reading room."
The Laurentian Library was built between 1524 and 1559 on top of an existing convent, a design that
both connected with the past and moved architecture toward the future. We may think architects only
design new buildings, like your new home. But the puzzle of designing a space within an existing
space—remodeling or putting on an addition—is part of the architect's job, too. Sometimes the design
works, like Odile Decq's L'Opéra Restaurant built within the historical and structural constraints of
the existing Paris Opera House. The jury is still out on other additions, like the 2006 Hearst
Tower built atop the 1928 Hearst Building in New York City.
Can or should an architect respect the past while at the same time reject the prevailing designs of the
day? Architecture is built on the shoulders of ideas, and it's been the radical architect who carries the
weight. Innovation by definition breaks old rules and is often the brainchild of the Rebel Architect. It's
the architect's challenge to be both reverent and irreverent at the same time.
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Mies van der Rohe, Modern Architect
(1886-1969)
Believing that less is more, Mies van der Rohe designed rational,
minimalist skyscrapers that set the standard for modernist
design.
Born:
March 27, 1886 in Aachen, Germany
Died:
August 17, 1969
Full Name:
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Adopted his mother's maiden name, van der Rohe, when he opened his
practice in 1912.
Education:
Worked in the office of Bruno Paul in Berlin
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The United States has a love-hate relationship with Mies van der Rohe. Some say that he stripped
architecture of all humanity, creating cold, sterile and unlivable environments. Others praise his work,
saying he created architecture in its most pure form.
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe began his career in his family stone-carving business in Germany. He never
received any formal architectural training, but when he was a teenager he worked as a draftsman for
several architects. Moving to Berlin, he found work in the offices of architect and furniture designer
Bruno Paul and industrial architect Peter Behrens.
Early in his life, Mies van der Rohe began experimenting with steel frames and glass walls. He was
director of the Bauhaus School of Design from 1930 until it disbanded in 1933. He moved to the
United States in 1937 and for twenty years (1938-1958) he was Director of Architecture at the Illinois
Institute of Technology.
Mies van der Rohe taught his taught students at IIT to build first with wood, then stone, and then brick
before progressing to concrete and steel. He believed that architects must completely understand
their materials before they can design.
Mies van der Rohe was not the first architect to practice simplicity in design, but he carried the ideals
of rationalism and minimalism to new levels. His glass-walled Farnsworth House near Chicago stirred
controversy and legal battles. His bronze and glass Seagram Building in New York City (designed in
collaboration with Philip Johnson) is considered America's first glass skyscraper. And, his philosophy
that "less is more" became a guiding principle for architects in the mid-twentieth century.
Skyscrapers around the world are modeled after designs by Mies van der Rohe.
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Addison Mizner, Resort Architect
Born:
1872 in Benicia, California
Died:
1933
Education:
No formal training in architecture
Important Buildings:
1922: William Gray Warden Residence, 112 Seminole Ave., Palm
Beach, Florida
1923: Via Mizner, 337-339 Worth Ave., Palm Beach, Florida
1925: Administration Buildings, 2 Camino Real, Boca Raton.
1925: Boynton Woman's Club, 1010 S. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach
1926: Fred C. Aiken House, 801 Hibiscus St., Boca Raton
About Addison Mizner:
Addison Mizner did not have formal training. He could not draw blueprints. Yet his fanciful
Mediterranean style architecture launched a "Florida Renaissance" and inspired architects
throughout North America.
As a child, Mizner traveled around the world with his father, who was the U.S. minister to
Guatemala. Mizner began his architectural career in San Francisco, and later worked in New
York. When he was 46, Mizner moved to Palm Beach for his health, and his Spanish Revival
architecture won the attention of wealthy clients.
Addison Mizner wanted to capture the diversity of Spanish architecture. Criticizing modern
architects for "producing a characterless copybook effect," Mizner said that his ambition was to
"make a building look traditional and as though it had fought its way from a small unimportant
structure to a great rambling house."
When Mizner moved to Florida, Boca Raton was a tiny, unincorporated town. Mizner aspired to
transform it into a luxurious restort community. In 1925, he started Mizner Development
Corporation and purchased more than 1,500 acres, including two miles of beach. He mailed out
out promotional material that boasted a 1,000-room hotel, golf courses, parks and a street
wide enough to fit 20 lanes of traffic. Stockholders included such high-rollers as Paris Singer,
Irving Berlin, Elizabeth Arden, W.K. Vanderbilt II and T. Coleman du Pont. Film star Marie
Dressler sold real estate for Mizner.
Other developers followed Mizner's example, and eventually Boca Raton became all that he
envisioned. However, within two years, he was bankrupt. In 1933, he died at 61 of a heart
attack.
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Julia Morgan, Designer of Hearst Castle
(1872-1957)
Best known for the lavish Hearst Castle, Julia Morgan also
designed public venues for the YWCA as well as hundreds of
homes in California. Morgan helped rebuild San Francisco after
the earthquake and fires of 1906—although the bell tower that
she had designed for Mills College survived the damage.
Born:
January 20, 1872 in San Francisco, California
Died:
February 2, 1957, at age 85. Buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California
Education:
Graduated from Oakland High School in California, 1890
Earned a degree in civil engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, 1894
While at Berkeley, mentored by architect Bernard Maybeck
Twice rejected by the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris
Entered and won several important architecture competitions in Europe
Accepted by the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris and became the first woman to graduate from that
school with a degree in architecture
Career Highlights and Challenges:
1902-1903: Worked for John Galen Howard, University Architect in Berkeley
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1922: The Hacienda, William Randolph Hearst's home at Valley of the Oaks, CA
1922-1939: San Simeon (Hearst Castle), San Simeon, CA
1924-1943: Wyntoon, Mount Shasta, CA
1927: Laniakea YWCA, Honolulu, HI
1929: The Berkeley City Club, Berkeley, CA
About Julia Morgan:
Julia Morgan was one of America's most important and prolific architects. Morgan was the first
woman to study architecture at the prestigious Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris and the first woman to
work as a professional architect in California. During her 45-year career, she designed more than 700
homes, churches, office buildings, hospitals, stores, and educational buildings.
Like her mentor, Bernard Maybeck, Julia Morgan was an eclectic architect who worked in a variety of
styles. She was known for her painstaking craftsmanship and for designing interiors that incorporated
the owners' collections of art and antiques. Many of Julia Morgan's buildings featured Arts and
Crafts elements such as:
exposed support beams
Of the hundreds of homes that Julia Morgan designed, she is perhaps most famous for Hearst Castle in
San Simeon, California. For nearly 28 years, craftsmen labored to create William Randolph Hearst's
magnificent estate. The estate has 165 rooms, 127 acres of gardens, beautiful terraces, indoor and
outdoor pools, and an exclusive private zoo. Hearst Castle is one of the largest and most elaborate
homes in the United States.
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William Morris, Pioneer of the Arts & Crafts Movement
Born:
March 24, 1834 in Walthamstow, England
Died:
October 3, 1896 in Hammersmith, England
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Important Styles:
Gothic Revival
Arts & Crafts
Writings by William Morris:
William Morris was also a poet. To learn more about his creative writing, seeWilliam Morris, an essay
in the 1918 text, A History of English Literature by Robert Huntington Fletcher.
Famous Quotes:
If I were asked to say what is at once the most important production of Art and the thing most to be
longed for, I should answer, A beautiful House; and if I were further asked to name the production
next in importance and the thing next to be longed for, I should answer, a beautiful Book.
From Some Thoughts on the Ornamented Mss. of the Middle Ages
Have nothing in your houses which you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.
From Hopes and Fears for Art
Remember that a pattern is either right or wrong. It cannot be forgiven for blundering, as a picture
may be which has otherwise great qualities in it. It is with a pattern as with a fortress, it is no
stronger than its weakest point. A failure for ever recurring torments the eye too much to allow the
mind to take any pleasure in suggestion and intention.
From Hopes and Fears for Art
No pattern should be without some sort of meaning.
From "Making the Best of It," Hopes and Fears for Art (available online from Project Gutenberg)
Later in his life, William Morris poured his energies into political writing. Initially, Morris was against
the aggressive foreign policy of Conservative Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli and he supported
Liberal Party leader William Gladstone. However, Morris became disillusioned after the 1880 election.
He began writing for the Socialist Party and participated in socialist demonstrations.
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Glenn Murcutt, Architect and Environmentalist
b. 1936
Australian architect Glenn Murcutt is said to work alone,
yet he opens his farm to professionals and students of
architecture every year, giving master classes and
promoting his vision: Architects thinking locally acting
globally.
Born: July 25, 1936 in London, England
Primary Residence: Sydney, Australia
Murcutt is also fond of quoting the Aboriginal proverb: “Touch the earth lightly.”
Upon learning of his Pritzker award, Murcutt told reporters, "Life is not about maximising everything,
it's about giving something back - like light, space, form, serenity, joy. You have to give something
back."
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"In an age obsessed with celebrity, the glitz of our starchitects, backed by large staffs and copious
public relations support, dominate the headlines. As a total contrast, [Murcutt] works in a one-person
office on the other side of the world ... yet has a waiting list of clients, so intent is he to give each
project his personal best. He is an innovative architectural technician who is capable of turning his
sensitivity to the environment and to locality into forthright, totally honest, non-showy works of art."
More Modernist Architects:
Mies van der Rohe
Alvar Aalto
Richard Neutra
About Glenn Murcutt:
The Pritzker Prize-winning architect Glenn Murcutt is not a builder of skyscrapers. He doesn't design
grand, showy structures or use flashy, luxurious materials. Instead, Australian architect Glenn Murcutt
pours his creativity into smaller projects that let him work alone and design economical buildings that
will conserve energy and blend with the environment. All of his buildings (mostly rural houses) are in
Australia.
Glenn Murcutt was inspired by the Californian architecture of Richard Neutraand Craig Ellwood, and
the crisp, uncomplicated work of Scandinavian architectAlvar Aalto. However, Murcutt's designs
quickly took on a distinctively Australian flavor.
Murcutt chooses materials that can be produced easily and economically: Glass, stone, brick, concrete,
and corrugated metal. He pays close attention to the movement of the sun, moon, and seasons, and
designs his buildings to harmonize with the movement of light and wind.
Many of Murcutt's buildings are not air conditioned. Resembling open verandas, Murchutt's houses
suggest the simplicity of Farnsworth House of Mies van der Rohe, yet have the pragmatism of a
sheepherder's hut.
Oz.e.tecture, Offical Website of Architecture Foundation Australia and the Glenn Murcutt Master
Class
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Richard Neutra, Pioneer of the International Style
(1892 - 1970)
University of Zürich
Selected Works:
1927-1929: Lovell House, Los Angeles, CA
1934: Anna Stern House, CA
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Oscar Niemeyer - Brazilian Modernist
(1907 - 2012)
Full Name:
Oscar Niemeyer Ribeiro de Almeida Soares
1945: With Le Corbusier and others, the Ministry of Education and Health, Rio de Janeiro
1941: National Stadium, Rio de Janeiro
1943: Church of St Francis, Pampulha
1947-1953: With Le Corbusier and others, the United Nations Headquarters, New York City
1953: Manoel da Nóbrega Pavilion, São Paulo
Later Works:
1957-1964: Brazilian National Congress
1960–1970: Cathedral of Brasília, Brasília
1967-1972: Communist Party Headquarters, Paris, France
1936: Collaborated with Le Corbusier, Lucio Costa, Jorge Machado Moreira, and Afonso Eduardo
Reidy to design the Ministry of Education and Health (now the Palace of Culture) in Rio de Janeiro
1945: Joined the Brazilian Communist Party
1956: Began implementing Lucio Costa's plans for Brazil's new capital city
1957-1964: Served as chief architect for the new capital
1966: Moved to France after a military coup in Brazil
1984: Returned to Brazil, practiced architecture, and taught at the University of Rio de Janeiro
1992-1996: President of the Brazilian Communist Party
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Related People:
Le Corbusier
Mies van der Rohe
Paulo Mendes da Rocha
Quotes:
"I have always accepted and respected all other schools of architecture, from the chill and elemental
structures of Mies van der Rohe to the imagination and delirium of Gaudi. I must design what pleases
me in a way that is naturally linked to my roots and the country of my origin."
—Pritzker Prize biography
"My work is not about form follows function, but form follows beauty or, even better, form follows
feminine."
—Architectural Record, December 1997, p. 35
"Let me tell you frankly: I believe that life is more important than architecture. What really counts is to
build a better world. I think that architecture is only a profession."
—2009 United Nations interview
"It is not the right angle that attracts me,
Nor the hard, inflexible straight line, man-made.
What attracts me are free and sensual curves.
The curves in my country's mountains,
In the sinuous flow of its rivers,
In the beloved woman's body.
~Quoted by Angel Gurria-Quintana in Architect of Optimism, the Financial Times
More About Oscar Niemeyer:
From his early work with Le Corbusier to his beautifully sculptural buildings for Brazil's new capital
city, Oscar Niemeyer shaped the Brazil we see today. He became a leader in the Brazilian communist
party and spoke out in defense of liberal governments. Although Niemeyer often said that architecture
cannot change the world, many critics say that his idealism and socialist ideology defined his
buildings.
Oscar Niemeyer was awarded the AIA Gold Medal in 1970. In 1988, when Niemeyer was 80 years old,
he won the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prizealong with American architect Gordon Bunshaft.
Niemeyer's first wife, Annita Baldo, died in 2004. In 2006, when Oscar Niemeyer was 98 years old, he
married his long-time aid, Vera Lúcia Cabreira. Niemeyer continued his architectural practice well into
his hundreds.
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Ryue Nishizawa, SANAA
b. 1966
88
Jean Nouvel, Architect of Light and Shadow
b. 1945
Selected Buildings:
1987: Arab World Institute, Paris, France
1994: Renovation of the Nouvel Opéra, Lyon, France
1994: Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art, Paris,
France
2005: Agbar Tower, Barcelona, Spain
2006: Musée du quai Branly, Paris, France
2006: Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, Minnesota
2007: 40 Mercer Street Residences, SoHo, New York City
2010: 100-11th Residences, 100 Eleventh Avenue, Chelsea, NYC
2010: Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, Kensington Gardens, London, UK
In Progress: Tour de Verre, New York City
Selected Awards:
1993: Honorary fellow of the American Institute of Architects
Quotes:
"I am a hedonist, and I want to give pleasure to other people."
New York Times, April 6, 2008
Is Jean Nouvel a modernist? A postmodernist? For most critics, the inventive architect defies
classification.
Nouvel is the president and CEO of Ateliers Jean Nouvel (AJN) since December 2012.
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Frederick Law Olmsted, Father of American Landscape Design
(1822 - 1903)
After Olmsted's death, his stepson, John Charles Olmsted (1852-1920), his son, Frederick Law
Olmsted Jr. (1870-1957), and their successors continued the landscape architecture firm Olmsted
founded. Records show that the firm participated in 5,500 projects between 1857 and 1950.
See Olmsted Escapes for a gallery of projects.
Other Professions of Frederick Law Olmsted:
Although Olmsted is famous today for his landscape architecture, he did not discover this career until
he was 35. During his youth, Frederick Law Olmsted pursued several professions. Olmsted became a
respected journalist and social commentator. Traveling through the southern United States, Olmsted
wrote treatises against slavery. Olmsted's book A Journey in the Seaboard States was not a great
commercial success, but was highly regarded by readers in the Northern United States and England.
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Andrea Palladio (Andrea di Pietro della Gondola)
Renaissance Architect (1508 - 1580)
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Juhani Pallasmaa, Finnish Architect
Born:
September 14, 1936 in Hämeenlinna, Finland
Education:
1966: Helsinki University of Technology, Diploma in
Architecture
Important Projects:
2003-2006: Kamppi Centre, Helsinki.
1999: Jean Tschumi Prize for Architectural Criticism, International Union of Architects
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1991-1997: Professor of Architecture at the Helsinki University of Technology, served as Dean
1993-1996
Ruth & Norman Moore Visiting Professor at Washington University, St. Louis, USA
In Finland, Juhani Pallasmaa is known as a Constructivist. His work has been inspired by the
simplicity of Japanese architecture and the abstraction of modern Deconstructivism.
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Ieoh Ming Pei, Pritzker Prize Laureate
b. 1917
Born:
April 26, 1917 in Canton, China
Education:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
B. Arch. 1940
Harvard Graduate School of Design
M. Arch. 1946
Professional Experience:
National Defense Research Committee, 1943–1945
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Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Cleveland, Ohio (1995)
Musée d'Art Moderne, Kirchberg, Luxembourg (2006)
Suzhou Museum (2006)
Related People :
Arata Isozaki
Walter Gropius
Rem Koolhaas
Quote:
"I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of
necessity." — I.M. Pei, from his acceptance speech for the 1983 Pritzker Architecture Award.
Pei grew up in Shanghai, but in 1935 he moved to the United States to study architecture and
engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and later at Harvard University. Pei is a
naturalized citizen of the United States.
Pritzker Architecture Prize (1983). With the Pritzker prize money, Pei established a scholarship
for Chinese students to study architecture in the United States providing they return to China to
practice architecture.
Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA)
Corporate Member of the Royal Institute of British Architects
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
National Academy of Design
American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters
95
Cesar Pelli, Creator of the Petronas Towers
Born:
October 12, 1926 in Tucuman, Argentina. Cesar Pelli
immigrated to the United States in 1952 and later became a
U.S. citizen.
Education:
Diploma in Architecture, University of Tucuman, Argentina
Master in Architecture, University of Illinois, USA
Cesar Pelli taught for many years and served as Dean of the Yale University School of Architecture
from 1977 to 1984.
1981-1987: World Financial Center (renamed Brookfield Place), New York City
1986: Canary Wharf Tower, London, England
1990: NTT Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan
1998: Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2003: Two International Finance Centre (IFC), Hong Kong (design architect)
2004: Bloomberg Tower, New York City
2011: Iberdrola's Tower (Torre Iberdrola ), Bilbao, Spain
Museums and Theaters:
1984: Mattatuck Museum, at Waterbury, Connecticut
1995: AIA (American Institute of Architects) Gold Medal, which recognizes a lifetime of
distinguished achievement and outstanding contributions.
2004: The Aga Khan Award for the design of the Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Writings:
Observations for Young Architects, Monacelli Press
Quotation:
"... a building must be both background and foreground. As foreground, it must have some exceptional
qualities. But it must also try very hard to knit into the fabric..."
Web Site:
Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects (requires Flash)
About Cesar Pelli:
Cesar Pelli has become known as a master designer of public spaces such as the Commons of
Columbus (1970-1973) in Columbus, Indiana, the Winter Garden at the World Financial Center (1980-
1989) in New York, and Founders Hall (1987-1992) in Charlotte, North Carolina. Some critics say that
Pelli's public rooms contribute to modern-day life in the same way the Italian piazza shaped life in the
16th century.
After completing his Master's degree in architecture, Pelli spent ten years working in the offices of
Eero Saarinen. He served as Project Designer for the TWA Terminal Building at JFK Airport in New
York and Morse and Stiles Colleges at Yale University. He later became Director of Design at Daniel,
Mann, Johnson & Mendenhall in Los Angeles, and from 1968 to 1976 he was Partner for Design at
Gruen Associates in Los Angeles. While at Gruen, Pelli is known to have collaborated with Norma
Merrick Sklarek on a number of works, including the US Embassy in Tokyo. Cesar Pelli & Associates
was founded in 1977.
In 1997, Pelli's design for the Petronas Towers was erected in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Petronas
Towers are among the tallest buildings in the world.
97
Renzo Piano, Pritzker Prize-Winning Architect
b. 1937
Architectural Style:
Renzo Piano's work has been called high-tech and bold postmodernism. His 2006 renovation and
expansion of theMorgan Library and Museum shows that he is much more than one style. The interior
is open, light, modern, natural, old and new at the same time. "Unlike most other architectural stars,"
writes architecture critic Paul Goldberger, "Piano has no signature style. Instead, his work is
characterized by a genius for balance and context...."
Famous Buildings by Renzo Piano:
1977: Centre Pompidou, Paris, France (with Richard Rogers)
1990: San Nicola Stadium, Bari, Italy
1990: IRCAM Extension, Institute for Acoustic Research, Paris, France
1991: Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Genoa, Italy
1992: Columbus International Exposition, Genoa, Italy
1994: Lingotto Factory Conversion, Turin, Italy
1994: Kansai Airport Terminal, Osaka, Japan
1995: Menil Collection Museum, Houston, Texas
1996: Congress Center and Offices, Lyon, France
1997: Reconstruction of the Atelier Brancusi, Paris
1998: Tjibaou Cultural Centre, Nouméa, New Caledonia
2002: Parco della Musica Auditorium, Rome, Italy
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2005: Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern, Switzerland
2007: New York Times Building, New York City
2008: California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California
2010: Central St. Giles Court, London, United Kingdom
2012: The Shard (London Bridge Tower), London, UK
Selected Awards:
Renzo Piano is often called a "High-Tech" architect because his designs showcase technological shapes
and materials. However, human needs and comfort are at the center of Piano's designs.
Critics note that Piano's work is rooted in the classical traditions of his Italian homeland. Judges for
the Pritzker Architecture Prize credited Piano with redefining modern and postmodern architecture.
Piano is also celebrated for his landmark examples of energy-efficient green design. With a living roof
and a four-story rainforest, the California Academy of Sciences claims to be the "world's greenest
museum," thanks to the design of Renzo Piano.
Piano Quotations:
" There is one theme that is very important for me: lightness....In my architecture, I try to use immaterial
elements like transparency, lightness, the vibration of the light. I believe that they are as much a part of
the composition as the shapes and volumes."—Piano, 1998
" To be truly creative, the architect has to accept all the contradictions of his profession: discipline and
freedom, memory and invention, nature and technology. There is no escape. If life is complicated, then art
is even more so. Architecture is all of this: society, science and art."—Piano, 1998
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Henry Hobson Richardson, First American Architect
Died:
1886
Education:
Public and private schools in New Orleans
Harvard College
Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris
Famous Buildings:
1883-1888: Allegheny County Courthouse, Pittsburgh, PA
1872-1877: Trinity Church, Boston, MA
1885-1887: Glessner House, Chicago, IL
Related People:
Frank Furness
Stanford White
Charles Follen McKim
John Ruskin
Frederick Law Olmsted
The architects Charles F. McKim and Stanford White worked under Richardson for awhile, and their
free-form Shingle Style grew out of Richardson's use of rugged natural materials and grand interior
spaces.
Other important architects influenced by Henry Hobson Richardson includeLouis Sullivan, John
Wellborn Root, and Frank Lloyd Wright.
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Richard Rogers, Modern Architect
b. 1933
As war broke out in Europe, the Rogers family moved back to England where Richard Rogers attended
public schools. He was dyslexic and did not do well. Rogers had a run-in with the law, entered the
National Service, became inspired by the work of his relative, Ernesto Rogers, and ultimately decided
to enter London's Architectural Association school.
Returned to England and formed Team 4 architectural practice with Norman Foster, Wendy
Cheeseman, and Rogers' wife Su Brumwell.
Partnership with Renzo Piano, established 1971, dissolved in 1978
Richard Rogers Partnership, established 1978
United Kingdom practice renamed Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners in 2007
Awards and Honers:
Richard Rogers has won numerous awards and honors, including
101
Quote from Richard Rogers:
"Other societies have faced extinction — some, like the Easter Islanders of the Pacific, the Harappa
civilization of the Indus Valley, the Teotihuacan in pre-Columbian America, due to ecological disasters
of their own making. Historically, societies unable to solve their environmental crises have either
migrated or become extinct. The vital difference today is that the scale of our crisis is no longer
regional but global: it involves all of humanity and the entire planet."
- From Cities for a Small Planet, BBC Reith Lectures
Family Life:
First wife: Susan (Su) Brumwell, daughter of Marcus Brumwell who headed the Design Research
Unit (DRU), which was a moving force in the Festival of Britain.
Second wife: the former Ruth Elias of Woodstock, New York and Providence, Rhode Island.
Children: Three sons, Ben, Zad, and Ab, from his first marriage. Two sons, Roo and Bo, from his
marriage to Ruth.
Related People :
Sir Norman Foster
Mies van der Rohe
Frank Lloyd Wright
More About Richard Rogers:
"Rogers combines his love of architecture with a profound knowledge of building materials and
techniques. His fascination with technology is not merely for artistic effect, but more importantly, it is
a clear echo of a building's program and a means to make architecture more productive for those it
serves. His championing of energy efficiency and sustainability has had a lasting effect on the
profession."
- Citation from the Pritzker Jury
"Born in Florence, Italy, and trained as an architect in London, at the Architectural Association, and
later, in the United States at Yale University, Rogers has an outlook as urbane and expansive as his
upbringing. In his writings, through his role as advisor to policy making groups, as well as his large-
scale planning work, Rogers is a champion of urban life and believes in the potential of the city to be a
catalyst for social change."
- Thomas J. Pritzker, president of The Hyatt Foundation
"Throughout his distinguished career of more than forty years, Richard Rogers has consistently
pursued the highest goals for architecture. Key Rogers projects already represent defining moments
in the history of contemporary architecture.
"The Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris (1971-1977), designed in partnership with Renzo Piano,
revolutionized museums, transforming what had once been elite monuments into popular places of
social and cultural exchange, woven into the heart of the city.
"Lloyd's of London in the City of London (1978-1986), another landmark of late 20th century design,
established Richard Rogers' reputation as a master not only of the large urban building, but also of his
own brand of architectural expressionism.
As these buildings and other subsequent projects, such as the recently completed and
acclaimed Terminal 4, Barajas Airport in Madrid (1997- 2005) demonstrate, a unique interpretation
of the Modern Movement's fascination with the building as machine, an interest in architectural
clarity and transparency, the integration of public and private spaces, and a commitment to flexible
floor plans that respond to the ever-changing demands of users, are recurring themes in his work."
- Lord Palumbo, chair of the Pritzker Prize jury
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John Ruskin: Writer, Critic, Artist & Philosopher
(1819-1900)
Important Writings:
John Ruskin traveled to France and Italy, where he sketched the romantic beauty of medieval
architecture and sculpture. Through his essays, including The Poetry of Architecture (free from
Gutenberg) and his 1849 book The Seven Lamps of Architecture (), Ruskin awakened interest in
medieval Gothic architecture.
In 1849, Ruskin traveled to Venice, Italy and observed Venetian Gothic architecture influenced
by Byzantine influences as Christianity spread throughout Europe. The rise and fall of spiritual forces
reflected through Venice's changing architectural styles impressed the enthusiastic and passionate
writer. In 1851 Ruskin's observations were published in the three-volume series, The Stones of
Venice ().
The 19th century Gothic Revival period of architectural design in England, better known as Victorian
Gothic, was in large part due to the writings of John Ruskin.
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John Ruskin rebelled against formal, classical art and architecture. Ruskin championed the
asymmetrical, rough architecture of medieval Europe. His passionate writings heralded the Gothic
Revival movement in Britain and paved the way for the Arts & Crafts movement in Britain and the
United States. LikeWilliam Morris and other Arts & Crafts philosophers, John Ruskin opposed
industrialization and rejected the use of machine-made materials.
Important Building:
One of Ruskin's chief interests was the construction of the Oxford Museum of Natural History. Ruskin
worked with the support of his old friend, Sir Henry Acland, then Regius Professor of Medicine, to
bring his vision of Gothic beauty to this building. The Oxford Museum of Natural History remains one
of the finest example of Victorian Gothic Revival (or Neo-Gothic) style in Britain.
Important Styles:
Gothic Revival
Arts and Crafts
In the Words of John Ruskin:
We have thus, altogether, three great branches of architectural virtue, and we require of any building,—
1. That it act well, and do the things it was intended to do in the best way.
2. That it speak well, and say the things it was intended to say in the best words.
3. That it look well, and please us by its presence, whatever it has to do or say.
—"The Virtues of Architecture," Stones of Venice, Volume I
Architecture is to be regarded by us with the most serious thought. We may live without her, and worship
without her, but we cannot remember without her.—"The Lamp of Memory," The Seven Lamps of
Architecture
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Eero Saarinen, Finnish-American Architect
(1910-1961)
Nationality Austrian
American
Although he worked and trained with some of its foremost practitioners, he often is associated with
the fringes of the modern movement in architecture. His inventive use of complex three-dimensional
forms, warm materials, and striking colors, as well as his ability to work successfully within tight
budgets, however, have placed him as one of the true mavericks of early twentieth
centuryarchitecture.
Recognition
Schindler's early work, such as the Kings Road House and Lovell Beach House, largely went unnoticed
in the wider architectural world. As early and radical as they were for modernism, they may have
been too different for recognition and Los Angeles was not a significant location on the architectural
map. Schindler was not included in the highly influential International Style exhibit of 1932, while
Richard Neutra was and, to add insult to injury, Neutra, incorrectly, was credited as the Austrian who
worked on the Imperial Hotel with Wright.
His first major exposure came in Esther McCoy's 'Five California Architects' of 1960. His work is un-
dergoing somewhat of a contemporary revaluation for its inventiveness, character, and formal quali-
ties, which are making his designs familiar to a new generation of architects.
The Mackey Apartments and the Schindler Residence are maintained by the Friends of the Schindler
House and the MAK Center (Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art, Vienna).[1] The
MAK Center offers a variety of exhibitions and events and is open to the public Wednesday through
Sunday. The center also sponsors six-month residencies for emerging architects and artists who are
housed in the Mackey Apartments. Penthouse apartments can be rented there for overnight accom-
modations or events.
Selected projects (existing)
1922 – Schindler House, 835 North Kings Road, West Hollywood, California[2]
1922-1926 – Lovell Beach House, Newport Beach, Balboa Island, California[3][4]
1923 – El Pueblo Ribera Court, La Jolla, California[5]
1925 – How House for James Eads How, Silverlake, Los Angeles, California
1926 – Manola Court apartment building for Herman Sachs, Edgecliff Drive, Los Angeles, California
1928 – Wolfe House, Avalon, Catalina Island, California (demolished in 2002)
1928-1952 – Samuel Freeman House (two guest apartments and furniture), Hollywood Heights,
Los Angeles, California
1930 – R. E. Elliot House, Newdale Drive, Los Angeles
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1933 – W. E. Oliver House, Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, California
1933 – The Rainbow Ballroom, Denver (see also Verne Byers)
1934 – J. J. Buck House, Genesee Street, Los Angeles, California
1934 – Bennati A-Frame house, Lake Arrowhead, California
1935 – DeKeyser Duplex, Hollywood Heights, Los Angeles, California[6]
1937 – H. Rodakiewicz House, Los Angeles, California
1938 – Bubeshko Apartments, Los Angeles, California
1938 – Wilson House, Los Angeles, California
1939 – Mackey Apartments, South Cochran Avenue, Los Angeles, California
1940 – Ellis Avenue, Inglewood, California[7][8]
1940 – S. Goodwin House, Studio City, California
1944 – Bethlehem Baptist Church, 4900 S. Compton Ave., Los Angeles
1948 – Laurelwood Apartments, Studio City, California[9]
1952 – Schlesinger House, Los Angeles
Quotes
»Can't you give me two lines, just two lines of recommendations without any hints at 'what a great
man the boss is' and what poor fishes they are in comparison« – Schindler to Wright, while attempting
to apply for his license to practice architecture
»My dear Rodolph Schindler: … I am in receipt of a letter from the Board asking if you had made de-
signs for me. The answer to that is, – No you didn’t. Nobody makes designs for me. Sometimes if they
are in luck, or rather if I am in luck, they make them with me. … Nevertheless, I believe that you now
are competent to design exceedingly good buildings. I believe that anything you would design would
take rank in the new work being done in the country as worthy of respect.« – Wright to Schindler, July
1929
»You further called it an exhibition of ‘California Architects’. Now it has become one of ‘Neutra and
others’. I am quite willing to give Neutra the crown for his ability as a publicity man, but I am not will-
ing to sail under his flag as an architect.« – Schindler to Mrs. Frantl at MOMA in response to an upcom-
ing exhibition, September 1935
»I consider myself the first and still one of the few architects who consciously abandoned stylistic
sculptural architecture in order to develop space as a medium of art. … I believe that outside of Frank
Lloyd Wright I am the only architect in U.S. who has attained a distinct local and personal form lan-
guage.« – Schindler to Elisabeth Mock at MOMA, August 1943
»He has built quite a number of buildings in and around Los Angeles that seem to be admirable from
the standpoint of design, and I have not heard of any of them falling down«. – Wright
»He has a good mind, is affectionate in disposition, and is fairly honorable I believe. Personally, though
strongly individual, he is not unduly eccentric and I, in common with many others, like him very
much« – Wright
»Personally, I appreciate Rudolph. He is an incorrigible Bohemian and refuses to allow the Los Ange-
les barber to apply the razor to the scruff of his neck. He also has peculiarly simple and effective ideas
regarding his own personal conduct. I believe, however, that he is capable as an artist. I have found
him a too complacent and therefore a rotten superintendent. The buildings that he has recently built
in Los Angeles are well designed, but badly executed. I suspect him of trying to give his clients too
much for their money. I should say that was his extreme fault in these circumstances of endeavoring
to build buildings« – Wright
»Rudolph was a patient assistant who seemed well aware of the significance of what I was then doing.
His sympathetic appreciation never failed. His talents were adequate to any demands made upon
them by me« – Wright at Schindler's Memorial Exhibition of 1954
107
Kazuyo Sejima, SANAA
b. 1956
Japanese architect Kazuyo Sejima is best known for her
collaborative projects with architect Ryue Nishizawa.
Their firm, Sejima + Nishizawa and Associates (SANAA), is
praised for designing powerful, minimalist buildings using
common, everyday materials. Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue
Nishizawa share the 2010 Pritzker Architecture Prize.
Sejima and Nishizawa also maintain separate practices,
which usually focus on smaller commissions
Born: 1956 in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan
Education: 1981: Master's in Architecture, Japan Women's University
Selected Works:
Projects by Sejima + Nishizawa and Associates (SANAA) include:
1995: Kazuyo Sejima and her employee, Ryue Nishizawa, formed Sejima + Nishizawa and Associates
(SANAA)
2010: Sejima directed the Architecture Sector for the Venice Biennale
Teaching:
Tama Art University
108
Robert Siegel, Modern Architect
b. 1939
" In order to innovate we must study the past through scholarly and cross-disciplinary research into
materials, climate, culture, and use. My research and design process is specific and highly iterative. I
work to satisfy both explicit and implicit requirements of each project by synthesizing constant research
with the creation of building form, structure, space, movement and sustainable technology."—
Philosophy, Robert Siegel Architects website, accessed April 30, 2014
109
Norma Merrick Sklarek, Breaking Barriers for Black American
Women
Born in 1926, Norma Merrick Sklarek was the first Black woman to
register as an architect in New York and California, and also the first
Black woman to be elected to the prestigious Fellow of the American
Institute of Architects (FAIA). In addition to many important works, she
became a role model for younger African-American woman.
Born:
April 15, 1926 in Harlem, New York
Name at Birth:
Norma Merrick
Other Names:
Also known as Norma Merrick Fairweather. "Sklarek" was the name of Norma Merrick's second
husband, Rolf Sklarek, who died in 1984. Married Dr. Cornelius Welch in 1985.
Died:
February 6, 2012 in Pacific Palisades, California
Education:
Hunter High School, an all-girls magnate school
Barnard College
Columbia University School of Architecture, B.Arch. 1950
Work History:
1950-1954: After receiving her degree, was unable to find work at an architecture firm. Took a job
at the New York Department of Public Works while working toward becoming a licensed architect
in 1954.
1955-1960: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (New York)
1960-1980: Gruen and Associates (Los Angeles, California). Became the firm's first female director
in 1966
1980-1985: Vice President at Welton Becket Associates (Santa Monica, CA)
1985: Joined with Margot Siegel and Katherine Diamond to establish Siegel, Sklarek, Diamond
(Venice, CA)
1989-1992: Principal at the Jerde Partnership (Venice, CA)
Major Project Collaborations:
Sklarek's race and gender often were marketing detriments at the time of her employment with major
architectural firms. When a director at Gruen Associates, Sklarek collaborated with César Pelli on a
number of projects. Only the U.S. Embassy in Japan has acknowledged Sklarek's contributions ("The
building was designed by César Pelli and Norma Merrick Sklarek of Gruen Associates of Los Angeles
and constructed by Obayashi Corporation.").
City Hall in San Bernardino, California
110
Terminal One at the Los Angeles International Airport, CA
Commons - Courthouse Center in Columbus, Indiana (1973)
Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles, CA (1975)
US Embassy in Tokyo, Japan (1976)
Leo Baeck Temple in Los Angeles, CA
Mall of America in Minneapolis
More About Norma Merrick Sklarek:
Norma Merrick Sklarek was born to West Indian parents who had moved to Harlem, New York.
Sklarek's father, a doctor, encouraged her to excel in school and to seek a career in a field not normally
open to females or to African Americans.
First African-American woman to be licensed as an architect in New York (1954) and in California
(1962)
In 1959, the first African-American woman to become a member of the American Institute of
Architects (AIA)
In 1980, the first woman to be elected a Fellow of the AIA
In 1985, helped establish and managed the California firm Siegel, Sklarek, Diamond
Mentor:
Because of the disparities she faced in her life and career, Norma Merrick Sklarek could be
sympathetic to the struggles of others. She led with her charm, grace, wisdom, and hard work. She
never excused racism and sexism but gave others the strength to deal with adversities. Read "In
Memoriam" by Roberta Washington for an account of the personal impact Sklarek has had on the lives
of many.
Quote:
"In architecture, I had absolutely no role model. I'm happy today to be a role model for others that
follow."
111
Snøhetta, Norwegian Partners
Exploring Differing Perspectives
What is "Snøhetta"?:
Snøhetta is an international group of architects, landscape architects, and interior designers with
offices in Oslo, Norway and New york City. The firm was founded in 1989 by architects from Norway
and Los Angeles. They named the firm Snøhetta after a large mountain in Norway. Since its
beginnings,Snøhetta Arkitektur-Landskap has envisioned building and design as an interconnected,
holistic venture. The firm is best-known in the U.S. for the only above-ground structure at Ground
Zero in NYC.
Principals:
Craig Dykers
Kjetil T. Thorsen
In 2012, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) honored Dykers, Thorsen, and Liz Burow
as Architects of Healing.
Partners:
Ole Gustavsen, architect and managing director
2014: Pavilion / Atrium for the National 9/11 Memorial Museum, New York City
2015 (expected): Times Square Reconstruction, New York City
Ongoing: Lascaux IV Caves Museum, Montignac, France
Snøhetta Philosophy and Process:
As much as Snøhetta wants their clients to think like architects, the partnership also is
committed to thinking like their clients. Sustainability is both social and environmental.
"Trends are routinely ignored and essence is actively pursued," they say on their website. The
Snøhetta approach of transpositioning is a way of doing things that crosses disciplines, "from
architects to visual artists, philosophers to sociologists," encourages interconnections, and
dismisses narrow thinking.
Snøhetta has won many high-profile competitions (e.g., the 9/11 Memorial Museum Atrium
Pavilion), which exemplify their philosophy and approach to design and building. Integrating
architecture and landscape is also seen in smaller projects, like the 2012 hunting lodge
at Åkrafjorden built for Osvald M. Bjelland in Norway.
112
Robert A.M. Stern, Postmodern Architect
b. 1939
113
New York architect Robert A. M. Stern takes history to heart. A postmodernist, he creates
buildings that express affection for the past. Stern served on The Walt Disney Company Board
of Directors from 1992 to 2003 and has designed many buildings for The Walt Disney
Company.
Robert A.M. Stern's Boardwalk at Disney World suggests an American seaside village from the
early 20th century. The buildings illustrate the evolution of architectural styles from the
Victorian to the Vienna Secessionist movement. The mini-village is not intended to be
historically exact -- rather, it presents a dream-like walk past artifacts from several eras. There
is an ice cream parlor, a piano bar, a 1930s dance hall, a vintage roller-coaster, and an
authentic 1920s carousel.
Across Crescent Lake from Boardwalk, the Yacht and Beach Club hotels were also designed by
Robert A.M. Stern. The Yacht Club is modeled after Victorian Shingle architecture, a rustic yet
elegant fashion on America's Atlantic coast at the turn of the century. The Beach Club is an
informal, sprawling wood structure which also reflects 19th century American resort
architecture.
When Stern envisioned the Casting Center, an employee training area on Route I-4 near
Orlando, Florida, he wanted to express the spirit of Disney, and also to reflect the Florida locale.
The result is a building that resembles a Venetian Palazzo, yet contains whimsical Disneyesque
details. Hence, classical columns are topped with gold leaf Disney characters.
114
Louis Sullivan, America's First Modern Architect
(1856-1924)
Sullivan's designs often used masonry walls with terra cotta designs. Intertwining vines and leaves
combined with crisp geometric shapes. This Sullivanesque style was imitated by other architects, and
his later work formed the foundation for the ideas of his student, Frank Lloyd Wright.
Louis Sullivan believed that the exterior of an office building should reflect its interior structure and
its interior functions. Ornament, where it was used, must be derived from Nature, instead of from
classical architecture of the past. The work of Louis Sullivan is often associated with the Art
Nouveau movement in architecture.
115
Susana Torre, Feminist Architect and Planner
Born:
November 2, 1944 in Puan, Argentina. Has lived in the United
States since 1968.
Education:
1967: Architectural diploma from the University of Buenos
Aires
Post graduate studies at the University of Buenos Aires and at
Columbia University in New York
Important Projects:
Susana Torre is best known for her urban design and her many renovations and remodelings. Susana Torre's
works include:
1979: The Editor's and Graphic Designer's lounges in the Old Pension Building in Washington, DC
1980: The interior of the Consulate for the Ivory Coast in New York City
1981: A master plan for the restoration of Ellis Island in New York Harbor
1982: A turn-of-the-century carriage house in Southampton, New York (This received an Award of
Excellence of Design from Architectural Record)
1985: Schermerhorn Hall at Columbia University
1987: Firehouse #5 in Columbus, Indiana
Partnerships & Firms:
1978-1984: Principal at The Architectural Studio of New York
1984-1989: Partner at Wank Adams Slavin Associates and then Torre Beeler Associates
1989-1994: Principal of Susana Torre and Associates of New York
Teaching:
Director of the Barnard College Architecture Program
Associate professor of architecture at Columbia University
Director of the graduate art program at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan in 1994-
1995
Headed the architecture and environmental design department at the Parsons School of Design in New York
Important Publications:
Editor and author of several chapters: Women in American Architecture: A Historic and Contemporary
Perspective
Special issue: Making Room: Women in Architecture, Heresies journal of art and politics
About Susana Torre:
Susana Torre describes herself as a feminist. Through her teaching, writing, and architectural practice, she
works to improve the status of women in architecture. Her feminist ideals also influence her building designs.
For example, Firehouse #5 in Columbus, Indiana is configured to provide for both men and women. The fire
station has separate sleeping quarters and places and emphasis on the kitchen rather than the locker room.
Susana Torre's architectural practice focuses on ethical civic design, with aPostmodernist approach to building
design. She has been deeply involved with historic restorations, seeking to balance the form of older buildings
with modern needs.
Susana Torre was a founding member of the International Archive of Women in Architecture at Virginia Tech
and served on its board from 1985–1995.
116
Jørn Utzon
Life and Works of the Pritzker Prize-Winning Architect of the Sydney
Opera House
Born:
Until about the age of 18, Jørn Utzon considered a career as a naval officer. It was about this time, while still in
secondary school, that he began helping his father at the shipyard, studying new designs, drawing up plans and
making models. This activity opened another possibility — that of training to be a naval architect like his father.
However, during summer holidays with his grandparents Jørn Utzon met two artists, Paul Schrøder and
Carl Kyberg, who introduced him to art. One of his father’s cousins, Einar Utzon-Frank, who happened
to be a sculptor and was a professor at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, provided additional inspiration.
Jørn Utzon took an interest in sculpting. At one point, he indicated he might want to be an artist, but was
ultimately convinced that architectural school would be the best career path.
Even though his final marks in secondary school, particularly mathematics, were poor, his excellent freehand
drawing talents were strong enough to win his admission to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. He
was soon recognized as having extraordinary architectural gifts.When Jørn Utzon graduated from the Academy
of Fine Arts in 1942, War War II had started. Utzon, like many architects of that time, fled to neutral Sweden. He
worked in the Stockholm office of Hakon Ahlberg for the duration of World War II. Following that he went to
Finland to work with Alvar Aalto . Jørn Utzon had begun to admire the ideas of Gunnar Asplund, as well asFrank
Lloyd Wright while still in school. Jørn Utzon acknowledged that Aalto, Asplund, and Wright were all major
influences. Over the next decade, JørnUtzon traveled extensively, visiting Morocco, Mexico, the United States,
China, Japan, India, and Australia, the latter destined to become a major factor in his life.
All of the trips had significance, and Utzon himself described ideas he learned from Mexico:
"As an architectonic element, the platform is fascinating. I lost my heart to it on a trip to Mexico in 1949,
where I found a rich variety of both size and idea, and where many platforms stand alone, surrounded by
nothing but untouched nature.
"All the platforms in Mexico are placed very sensitively in the landscape, always the creations of a brilliant
idea. They radiate a huge force. You feel the firm ground beneath you, as when standing on a great cliff. Let
me give you an example of the power in this idea. Yucatan is a flat lowland area covered by an impenetrable
jungle which everywhere attains a certain height.
"The Maya people used to live in this jungle in villages surrounded by small cultivated clearings. On all sides,
and also above, there was the hot, humid, green jungle. No great views, no vertical movements. But by
building up the platform on a level with the roof of the jungle, these people had suddenly conquered a new
dimension that was a worthy place for the worship of their gods. They built their temples on these high
platforms, which can be as much as a hundred metres long. From here, they had the sky, the clouds and the
breeze, and suddenly the roof of the jungle was transformed into a great, open plain.
"By means of this architectonic device they had completely transformed the landscape and presented their
eyes with a grandeur that corresponded to the grandeur of their gods. The wonderful experience of going
from the denseness of the jungle to the vast openness above the platform is still there today.
"It is like the liberation you feel up here in the Nordic lands when, after weeks of rain, cloud and darkness,
you suddenly emerge into the sunlight again."
117
Robert Venturi, Postmodern Architect
b. 1925
Husband and wife team Robert Venturi andDenise Scott Brown are
known for architecture steeped in popular symbolism. Kitsch becomes
art in designs which exaggerate or stylize cultural icons.
Born:
June 25, 1925 in Philadelphia, PA
Education:
Princeton University, M.F.A., 1950
American Academy in Rome, Rome Prize Fellow, 1954-1956
Partnerships:
Early in his career, worked for Eero Saarinen, and then in the
Philadelphia offices of Louis I. Kahn and Oscar Stonorov.
Partnered with John Rauch 1964-1989
Since 1960 has collaborated with his wife, the architect, planner, author, and educator Denise Scott Brown.
Their firm is Venturi, Scott Brown & Associates (VSBA).
Important Buildings:
1962: The Vanna Venturi House, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
—Named one of the Ten Buildings That Changed America
1972: Trubek House, Nantucket Island, Massachusetts
1973: Brant House, Greenwich, Connecticut
1973 to 1976: Allen Art Museum Addition, Oberlin, Ohio
1975: House in Tuckers Town, Bermuda
1975: Tucker House, Mount Kisco, New York
1983: Gordon Wu Hall, Princeton, New Jersey
1994: Bank building in Celebration, Florida
Awards:
1985: AIA Firm Award
1990: AIA Medal of Distinction, The Pennsylvania Society of Architects
1991: Pritzker Architecture Prize
1992: National Medal of Arts, U.S. Presidential award
Famous Venturi Quote:
Rejecting the simplicity of modernism and responding to the Mies van der Rohe dictum, "Less is more," Robert
Venturi quipped: "Less is a bore."
Important Ideas:
Postmodernism
Related People:
Denise Scott Brown
Michael Graves
Philip Johnson
About Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates:
Robert Venturi is known for incorporating stylized cultural icons into his buildings. For example, there's a
playful retro look to the Celebration, Florida bank building designed by Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates.
Molded to fit the shape of the street corner it occupies, the bank resembles a 1950s-era gas station or
hamburger restaurant.
118
Giacomo da Vignola, Renaissance Architect
(1507-1573)
119
Philip Webb: Arts & Crafts Architect and Designer
Philip Webb is often called the father of the Arts & Crafts
movement. Famous for his comfortable, unpretentious country
homes, Philip Webb also designed furniture, wallpaper, tapestries,
and stained glass.
Born:
January 12, 1831 in Oxford, England
Died:
April 17, 1915 in Worth, Sussex, England
Full Name:
Philip Speakman Webb
Education:
Studied at Aynho in Northamptonshire
Philip Webb was a close friend of Pre-Raphaelite designer William Morris. They were among the
founders of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Company in 1851, which specialized in stained glass, carving,
furniture, wallpaper, carpets, and tapestries. Webb and Morris also founded the Society for the
Protection of Ancient Buildings in 1877. Webb's first commission was the Red House(1859), William
Morris's eclectic country house that became a gathering place for the Pre-Raphaelites.
For the company, Webb designed household furnishings and decorative accessories in metal, glass,
wood and embroidery. He is particularly famous for his table glassware, stained glass, jewelry and his
rustic adaptations of Stuart period furniture.
Webb was the only Pre-Raphaelite to design a church, St. Martin's Church in Brampton (1878). The
church includes a set of stained glass windows designed by Edward Burne-Jones and executed in the
company's studios.
121
Donald Wexler, Palm Springs Modernist
Born:
January 23, 1926 in South Dakota. Childhood spent in Minnesota.
Education:
University of Minnesota, 1950
Selected Projects:
1955: Wexler House, Palm Springs, California
1958: Spa Hotel Bath House, Palm Springs, California
1960s: Royal Hawaiian Estates, Palm Springs, California
1961: Alexander Steel Houses, Palm Springs, California
1962: Union 76 Gas Station, Palm Springs, California
1963: Palm Springs Medical Clinic, Palm Springs, California
1964: Dinah Shore Residence, Palm Springs, California
1965: Palm Springs International Airport
1971: Merrill Lynch Building, Palm Canyon, California
1985: Hope Square Professional Centre, Palm Springs, California
Related People:
Donald Wexler worked for Richard Neutra in Los Angeles and for William Cody in Palm Springs. Between 1952
and 1961, Donald Wexler partnered with architect Richard Harrison. Donald A. Wexler Associates was
launched in 1963.
Other prominent architects of the period included:
Albert Frey
John Lautner
E. Stewart Williams
Styles and Ideas:
Desert Modernism
Tiki
International Style
Alexander Houses
More About Donald Wexler:
Donald Wexler arrived in California when mid-century modernism was flourishing. Wexler helped transform
Palm Springs with a wide range of modernist designs, but he became best known for his steel houses.
Working with Richard Harrison, Donald Wexler had designed many school buildings using new approaches to
steel construction. Wexler believed that the same methods could be used to build stylish and affordable homes.
The Alexander Construction company contracted Wexler to design prefab steel houses for a tract neighborhood
in Palm Springs, California. After seven houses were built, rising prices made the project impractical. However,
Wexler's steel houses set a new tone for prefabricated home construction and inspired similar projects across
the country.
122
Stanford White: Gilded Age Architect
Born:
November 9, 1853 in New York City. Stanford White's father
was the noted Shakespearean scholar and essayist, Richard
Grant White.
Died:
June 25, 1906, shot and killed at the supper club theater on the
roof of Madison Square Garden, which he had designed. The
killer, Harry Kendall Thaw, was the millionaire husband of
Evelyn Nesbit, a popular actress who had fallen prey to Stanford White's charms.
Career Highlights:
1870: Joined the office of Henry Hobson Richardson
1879: Became a partner with Charles Follen McKim and William Rutherford Mead in New York City,
forming the architectural design firm of McKim, Mead & White
Important Projects:
The architectural firm McKim, Mead, & White designed both relaxed summer homes and grand public
buildings. Landmark examples include:
Stanford White's scandalous life and shocking murder captured news headlines and often eclipsed the
brilliance of his work. Nevertheless, he left America some of its most remarkable buildings, including
lavish summer homes for the Astors and the Vanderbilts and grand structures like the Washington
Square Arch.
123
Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, Designer of Portmeirion
Born:
May 28, 1883 in Gayton, Northamptonshire, England
Died:
April 9, 1978
Full Name:
Bertram Clough Williams-Ellis
Childhood:
Moved to Wales with his family when he was four.
Training:
Studied mathematics at Trinity College, Cambridge. Never graduated.
Trained for several months at the Architectural Association in London, 1902 and 1903.
Career Highlights:
Designed numerous buildings at cottages in England and Northern Ireland
Biographers report that American architect Frank Lloyd Wright thought highly of Sir Clough's
work in Portmeirion. Wright, who also boasted a Welsh heritage and a concern for
conservation, visited the village in 1956 and praised the innovative combinations of
architectural styles.
The name Portmeirion also describes a line of pottery that Clough's eldest daughter, Susan
Williams-Ellis, created with her husband.
124
Paul Revere Williams, Hollywood Architect
(1894 - 1980)
Distinctive Style:
While there is no one distinctive "look" to his buildings, Paul Williams became known for designs that
were stylized and elegant. The architect borrowed ideas from the past without using excessive
ornamentation. According to one critic, Paul Williams was "the last word in elegant traditionalism."
Career Challenge:
As an African-American, Paul Williams faced many social and economic barriers. Williams' clients
were mostly white. "In the moment that they met me and discovered they were dealing with a Negro, I
could see many of them freeze," he wrote in American Magazine. "My success during those first few
years was founded largely upon my willingness — anxiety would be a better word — to accept
commissions which were rejected as too small by other, more favored, architects."
Career Highlights:
Being Black forced Paul Williams to develop salesmanship and become politically active. He joined the
Los Angeles Planning Commission and he became the first African-American member of the American
Institute of Architects (AIA). In 1957, he was the first Black elected to the prestigious AIA College of
Fellows (FAIA).
The Small Home of Tomorrow by Paul R. Williams, 2006 reissue of a 1940s book
and
New Homes for Today by Paul R. Williams, 2006 reissue of a 1940s book
Quote:
"If I allow the fact that I am a Negro to checkmate my will to do, now, I will inevitably form the habit of
being defeated."
125
Sir Christopher Wren: The Architect Who Rebuilt London
After the Great Fire of London, Sir Christopher Wren designed new
churches and supervised the reconstruction of some of London's most
important buildings.
Born:
October 20, 1632 at East Knoyle in Wiltshire, England
Died:
February 25, 1723 in London, at age 91.
Tombstone Epitaph (translated from Latin):
"Underneath lies buried Christopher Wren, the builder of this church and
city; who lived beyond the age of ninety years, not for himself, but for the
public good. If you seek his memorial, look about you."
Westminster School: Wren may have done some studies here between 1641 and 1646
Oxford: Began astronomy studies in 1649. Received B.A. in 1651, M.A. in 1653
After graduation, Christopher Wren worked on astronomy research and became a Professor of Astronomy at
Gresham College in London and later at Oxford.
As an astronomer, Christopher Wren developed exceptional skills working with models and diagrams,
experimenting with creative ideas, and engaging in scientific reasoning.
In 1669, King Charles II hired Christopher Wren to oversee reconstruction of all the royal works (government
buildings).
127
Frank Lloyd Wright, America's Most Famous Architect
(1867-1959)
Born:
June 8, 1867 in Richland Center, Wisconsin
Died:
April 9, 1959 in Arizona, at age 91
Education:
When he was 15, Frank Lloyd Wright entered the University of Wisconsin as a special student. The
school had no course in architecture; Wright studied engineering.
Apprenticeship:
Leaving school after a few semesters, Frank Lloyd Wright apprenticed with J.L. Silsbee and eventually
with Louis Sullivan.
After working with Adler and Sullivan for several years, Sullivan discovered that Wright was
designing houses outside the office's work. Frank Lloyd Wright split from Sullivan and opened his own
practice in 1893.
Designed by Wright:
See our Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings Index for a more complete list of Wright designs, including
hundreds of private homes throughout the United States. Here are some of his most famous buildings
that are still standing:
Pre-1900 Queen Anne Style Houses
Pre-1900 Prairie Style Houses
Robie House, Chicago, Illinois
Unity Temple, Oak Park, Illinois
Taliesin, Wisconsin
Taliesin West, Arizona
Florida Southern College
Fallingwater, Pennsylvania
Guggenheim Museum, New York City
Beth Sholom Synagogue, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania
Interior Decor
Important Ideas of the Architect:
Usonian
Prairie Style
Organic Architecture
128
Hemicycle Designs
Corner windows of mitered glass
Frank Lloyd Wright's Plan for a Fireproof House
Quotes by Frank Lloyd Wright:
"The physician can bury his mistakes, but the architect can only advise his clients to plant vines."
New York Times Magazine (4 Oct. 1953)
"The land is the simplest form of architecture."
"Some Aspects of the Past and Present in Architecture," ©1937, The Future of Architecture, 1953
"Form and function are one."
"Some Aspects of the Future of Architecture," ©1937, The Future of Architecture, 1953
"So I began to study the nature of materials, learning to see them. I now learned to see brick as brick,
to see wood as wood, and to see concrete or glass or metal. See each for itself and all as themselves.
Strange to say, this required greater concentration of imagination. Each material demanded different
handling and had possibilities of use peculiar to its own nature. Appropriate designs for one material
would not be appropriate at all for another material."
More About FLW:
Frank Lloyd Wright never attended architecture school, but working with blocks while in the Froebel
Kindergarten must have whetted his appetite for building. Now called Anchor Blocks, these
German Toys for the Budding Builder are still available.
As a child, Wright worked on his uncle's farm in Wisconsin, and he later described himself as an
American primitive - an innocent but clever country boy whose education on the farm made him more
perceptive and more down-to-earth.
Frank Lloyd Wright pioneered a long, low style known as the Prairie house. He experimented with
obtuse angles and circles, creating unusually shaped structures such as the spiral Guggenheim
Museum (1943-49). He developed a series of low-cost homes that he called Usonian. And most
importantly, Frank Lloyd Wright changed the way we think of interior space. See Frank Lloyd Wright
Interiors — The Architecture of Space for examples.
Frank Lloyd Wright was married three times and had seven children. His work was controversial and
his private life was often the subject of gossip. Although his work was praised in Europe as early as
1910, it was not until 1949 that he received an award from American Institute of Architects.
129
Peter Zumthor, Swiss Architect
Born:April 26, 1943 in Basel, Switzerland
Education:
1958-1962: Trained as a cabinet maker
1963-1967: Kunstgewerbeschule in Basel, Switzerland and the Pratt
Institute in New York City, USA.
Selected Buildings:
1986: Protective Housing for Roman Archeological Excavations, Chur,
Switzerland
1988: Saint Benedict Chapel, Graubünden, Switzerland
1990: Art Museum, Chur, Switzerland
1993: Homes for Senior Citizens, Chur, Switzerland
1996: Thermal Baths Vals, Vals, Switzerland
1997: Kunsthaus (Art Museum), Bregenz, Austria
2000: Swiss Pavilion, Expo 2000, Hannover, Germany
2001-2004: Harjunkulma Apartment Building, Jyväskylä, Finland
2002: Luzi House, Jenaz, Graubünden Switzerland
2007:Saint Bruder Klaus Field Chapel, Mechernich, Germany
2007: Art Museum Kolumba, Cologne, Germany
2011: Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, Kensington Gardens, London, UK
2011: Steilneset Memorial, Memorial Site to the Burning of Witches, Finnmark, Vardø, Norway
Selected Awards:
1995: International Prize for Stone Architecture, Fiera di Verona, Italy
1995: Internationaler Architekturpreis für Neues Bauen in den Alpen, Graubünden, Switzerland
1996: Erich-Schelling-Preis für Architektur, Erich-Schelling-Stiftung, Germany
1999: Mies van der Rohe Award for European Architecture, for the Kunsthaus Bregenz in Barcelona, Spain
2006: Spirit of Nature Wood Architecture Award
2008: Praemium Imperiale, Japan Arts Association
2009: Pritzker Architecture Prize
2013: Royal Gold Medal, Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
Quotes:
"I believe that the language of architecture is not a question of a specific style. Every building is built for a
specific use in a specific place and for a specific society."
Thinking Architecture by Peter Zumthor
"If architecture education does not focus on constructing, it becomes irrelevant for the building industry.....Select
your school carefully. Select your professors carefully. Try and go to a place where architecture is taught as a
whole thing – not only as a theory, but also as a way of living."
Interview with Royal Gold Medallist Peter Zumthor by James Pallister,Architects Journal, EMAP Publishing
Limited, February 5, 2013 [accessed March 30, 2014]
"There is something bigger in the world than you are."
Merin, Gili. "Peter Zumthor: Seven Personal Observations on Presence In Architecture" 03 Dec
2013. ArchDaily. Accessed 30 Mar 2014.
About Peter Zumthor:
The son of a cabinet maker, Peter Zumthor is often praised for the detailed craftsmanship of his designs.
Peter Zumthor works with a range of materials, from cedar shingles to sandblasted glass, to create
inviting textures. "I work a little bit like a sculptor,” Zumthor told the New York Times. "When I start, my
first idea for a building is with the material. I believe architecture is about that. It's not about paper, it's
not about forms. It's about space and material." (Full story)
Peter Zumthor lives quietly in the remote village of Haldenstein in the Swiss mountains. His buildings
are found mainly in Europe.
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