And the challenge of monumentality

INTRODUCTION
 Louis Isadore Kahn was born on
febraury 20, 1901 on the the Baltic
Island of Osel, Estonia.
 At the age of 4, Kahn moved with his
family to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
 The family couldn’t even afford pencils
but made their own charcoal sticks
from burnt twigs so that Louis could
earn some money from his drawings
and later by playing Piano to
accompany silent movies.
 Kahn attended pulic schools and
supplemented his education with art
school, where he focused on drawing
and he continoued until his high
school.
 Kahn earned his bachelor’s degree from Peensylvania
University in 1924. he closely studied under Paul Phillipe
Cret, an architect trained under Ecole des Beaux Arts.
 There is posibilities that educational model of Ecole des
Beaux Arts that Thomas Eakins- and later Paul Cret at the
University of Pennsylvania- had an impact on both as a
professor and as an architect.
 After graduating from Penn in he sprin 1924, Kahn went on
to work for Philadelphia City Architect, John Molitor on a
number of civic designs.
 In 1928, Kahn made a European tour and took a particular
interest in the medieval walled city of Carcassonne, France
and the castle of Scotland rather than any of strongholds of
classicism or modernism.
 After workin in various
capacities for several firms in
Philadelphia, he founded his
own atelier in 1935. While
continuing his private
practice, he served as a
design critic and professor of
architecture at Yale School of
architecture from 1947 to
1957.
 From 1957 until his death,
he was a professor of
architecture at the School of
Design at the University of
Pennsylvania.
WORK PHILOSPHY
 Influenced by ancient ruins, Kahn’s
style tends to monolitic and
monumental; his hesvy buildings do
not hide their weight , their
materials, or the way they are
assembled.
 Based on social vision. For he
believed there to be archetypal
patterns of social relationship that it
was the business of architecture to
uncover and celebrate.
 He believed that any architectural
problem had an ESSENTIAL meaning
which far transcended a mere
functional diagram.
DESIGN PRINCIPLES
 COLOR
 SHAPE
 LINE
 VOLUME
 GEOMETRY
GEOMETRY IN HIS WORK
 Kahn used many different shapes and lines to create his
masterpieces. However , among his most famous creations, he
seems to favour both parallel and perpendicular lines.
Through his bold technique, he created streamline, radical
and futuristic looking buildings. His stile is his own, and his
creations are legendary, through the use of geometry, he has
created both beautiful works of art and useful establishments
for the whole world to enjoy.
MAJOR WORKS
 YALE UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY, NEW HAVEN,
CONNECTICUT, 1969-1974
 *Said to be kahn’n first
 significiant
commision commission.
 *used many bold lines
 both parrallel and
 perpendicular.
* In this amazing he uses tetrahedral concrete ceiling
and floor slab system, which accomodate the
mechanical and electrical systems.
 TRENTON BATH HOUSE IN TRENTON, NEW JERSY,
1954-1965
 * Bath house actually
 appear as simple
 cruciform-four square
 block rooms or areas,
 surrounding atrium.

 * Each room is topped by

 wooden rectangular
 pyramid.
* It was in this building that Kahn first articulated his
notion of spaces serving and spaces served.
 NATIONAL ASSEMBLY BUILDING, BANGLADESH,
1962- 1983
*Its an extra ordinary example
of modern architecture.
*The building in sense that
It is modernist for govt. of
Bangladesh.
*Geometric shapes added
Dramatic effect of facade.
 THE END
TO:
SIMRANJIT SINGH

BY:
KIRANJEET KAUR
RUKSARDEEP KAUR