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A Place of Infinite Possibilities: Tempe à Pailla (1931-1935) in Castellar by Eileen Gray
Full text linkPetite Maison dans les Environs de Castellar: this is how Eileen Gray (1878-1976), a designer active in early 20th-century France, entitled in her cahiers the architecture she built between 1931 and 1935. The villa, later named Tempe à Pailla, is an opportunity to deepen her research on that intense dialog between interior and exterior, between domestic space and natural environment, already experimented with Jean Badovici (1893-1956) in the villa E1027 (1926-1929) in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.According to Eileen Gray’s definition, a house is not a machine à habiter but ‘the shell of man, his extension, his release, his spiritual emanation.’ The theme of spatial flexibility is approached through the design of mechanical moving components that rotate or slide, unfold, and contract, thanks to the possibilities of new materials, in a mechanical ballet that expands the narrow dimension of a maison minimum into a dwelling with a greater width. These solutions are intended to negate the facade as a frontier line between the architectural space and the close surroundings; any hierarchical relationship between furniture, interiors, architecture, and site is denied. The kinaesthetic aspect in Tempe à Pailla is absolute, since the house lives of the relationship between the movement of architectural components and the experiential dimension of the human body in domestic space, all in relation to the surrounding natural environment. This article aims to demonstrate how Eileen Gray’s innovative theoretical framework, exemplified by villa Tempe à Pailla, offers valuable lessons for addressing contemporary challenges. In this context, it highlights the design solutions adopted by the architect to ensure the well-being of inhabitants, even within minimal spaces, emphasizing the importance of transitional spaces between built and natural environments, thereby expanding the notion of the interior. At the same time, it becomes an opportunity to explore how a renewed relationship with nature can offer meaningful insights for contemporary architectural practices, which now more than ever require particular attention to environmental issues
The Modern Aesthetics of Pavilions: An Investigation of the International Izmir Fair Pavilions
Full text linkThe Great Fire of Izmir in 1922 caused a great loss of life and property, and the historic city center was destroyed in a few days. However, this tragedy led to the realization of one of the most important modernization projects of the Early Republican Period in Turkey. The modern city plan for the burned area was prepared between 1924 and 1925 by Réné and Raymond Dangér under the consultancy of Henri Prost. It was as a typical example of the French urbanism school and, together with the buildings designed in the style of the modern Turkish architecture movement, ensured the production of spaces that would support the new lifestyle of modern society. One of the achievements of this plan was that Izmir Culturepark strengthened the image of the contemporary city with the green areas in the city center. Moreover, the International Izmir Fair, held in Culturepark every year starting in 1936, was also an important event in the socio-cultural and economic life of the city.Some of the most attractive structures of the International Izmir Fair were pavilions built for the new institutions and provinces of the Republic of Turkey, foreign countries, and local and foreign companies. They have become exhibition objects as well as the promotion of commercial products, provinces, or countries. The pavilions carried symbolic significance for various reasons, including the presentation of innovations and advancements in building materials and technologies and the reflection of evolving architectural paradigms over time. They have also contributed to the development of the interior architecture profession as well as collaborations between other art disciplines.This paper focuses on the interior designs of the pavilions designed and built for the International Izmir Fair between 1936 and 1970, despite the constraints faced by both the country and the city of Izmir following the 1922 fire. The scope of the study documents the existing data about the pavilions and evaluates them in terms of modern interior design history in Turkey
Emigration Point in Gdynia: A 1928 Modern Passenger Terminal with Top-Tier Hygiene Standards
No full textTraveling during an epidemic can be challenging both for people and for the design of suitable infrastructures. In the late 19th century, as knowledge about infectious diseases spread, hygienic conditions and inspections became mandatory, especially in places of passenger traffic. This led to the need for specific adaptations in the existing infrastructure of such places. However, the port of Gdynia, which the Republic of Poland decided to build in 1922 on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea shortly after the country regained independence, was an entirely different case. During the 1920s and 1930s, Gdynia served as a significant travel hub for passengers traveling between Central Europe and America. This period also witnessed the rise of modern design methods in the development of the city and its port. The entire port infrastructure was built from the ground up, allowing for the implementation of the latest and most advanced solutions. The article presents research on a building complex in Gdynia called the Emigration Point. The study aims to analyze the design guidelines for the modern interior and the design itself to recreate the path a guest of the Emigration Point would take, from arrival to leaving the complex. The complex was designed to minimize the risk of infection and the development of potential diseases among emigrants. The research involved detailed historical analyses using primary source studies, such as project drawings and original documentation. This method was complemented with digital tools to reconstruct buildings or architectural spaces that have been significantly altered or no longer exist. The study also investigates the impact of the Modern Movement’s assumptions on the project’s conditions, including the complex layout, pavilion designs, functional and spatial principles, materials, the interior, and equipment. Additionally, it raises questions about the validity of the solutions proposed at the time, how they relate to current threats, and what we can learn from them
Digitizing Modernist Heritage: Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Conservation of Miguel Ángel Roca’s Architecture
Full text linkThis study investigates the vulnerability of modernist architectural heritage and the multifaceted challenges it faces in contemporary society. The analysis focuses on the inherent difficulties of conserving these structures, considering their cultural and historical significance alongside the need for adaptation to current social, functional, and regulatory requirements. Through the lens of a key case study, the architectural legacy of the distinguished Argentine architect Miguel Ángel Roca, the research examines how digitization can address these challenges by generating multi-scale and multi-resolution models that support detailed analysis and conservation strategies. The research stems from an interdisciplinary collaboration among the National University of Córdoba in Argentina, the University of Salerno, and Federico II University of Naples in Italy. It showcases the potential of digital tools for modernist heritage conservation, providing innovative solutions for its management, enhancing community engagement, and establishing a comprehensive digital archive. This archive ensures the long-term preservation and dissemination of Roca’s work, contributing to future research and educational initiatives. By integrating digital technologies, the study addresses the technical, social, and economic challenges associated with heritage conservation. The creation of detailed digital archives offers a sustainable framework for managing modernist architecture, ensuring its adaptability to contemporary demands while preserving its historical integrity. Furthermore, this research aligns with the objectives of the journal’s special issue, Imperfect Modernism, by exploring how changing social and political conditions across different countries shape contemporary attitudes toward modern architecture. It explores weaknesses in preservation and protection practices that can affect its legacy, and the challenges and solutions inherent in its conservation, and highlights how the interdisciplinary and digital methodologies introduced set new standards for the sustainable management of architectural heritage, promoting a balance between conservation and the need for modernization in response to evolving societal needs
Adaptive Modernity in Times of Scarcity: Urban Housing in Maoist China
Full text linkUrban housing built between 1949 and the commercialization of the housing market in the 1980s in China has gained increasing attention from architectural historians and conservationists. Once colloquially dismissed as ‘old, dilapidated, and small’ during China’s rapid urban renewal, these housing projects are now being reconsidered for their heritage values amid growing criticism of large-scale demolitions. However, the preservation of these buildings faces significant challenges due to their outdated floor plans, concerns over structural stability, limited research, and the absence of a shared framework for value assessment. This paper traces the historical evolution of urban housing construction in China from the 1950s to the 1980s, drawing on a range of sources, including academic journal articles, as well as official guidelines and reports. It argues that, while early housing planning in the 1950s was heavily influenced by the Soviet system that emphasized standardized design and industrialized construction, Chinese housing practices made ongoing, incremental adaptations to address technological constraints, material shortages, and regional differences. As a result, instead of aiming for a perfect solution to modern living, designers worked with imperfect solutions using available resources during a time of scarcity. Unlike the ideology-driven, standardized mass housing often associated with Soviet-influenced countries, China’s housing projects from the 1950s to the 1980s exhibit a more localized, organic response to both social and material conditions. The paper contends that this adaptive approach to housing design during this period is essential for understanding the challenges in evaluating these housing legacies today
Processes of Ruinisation and Revitalisation: Kharkiv Industrial Architecture in the Modernist Era
Full text linkThe formation of Kharkiv’s image as an industrial city in the late 19th-early 20th centuries was accompanied by ups and downs, which were caused by changes in the political status of the city. The aim of this article is to trace the processes of formation, ruination, and revitalization of Kharkiv’s industrial architecture during the period of Modernism and their reflection in the authentic features of the city; to outline possible ways to rehabilitate the iconic industrial territories and structures. The method of historical and genetic analysis applied in the study showed that during the industrialization period of 1919-1934, there was a sharp change not only in the ideological program and strategy of the state, but also in the stylistics of industrial construction towards Avant-garde Constructivism, and then towards historicism, which were later replaced by the neutral features of Modernism. The analysis revealed several breakdowns in the search for authentic features of the city of Kharkiv, which are now expressed in a combination of artistic features of the Avant-garde and historical styles. With the achievement of Ukrainian independence and the restructuring of the entire industrial complex from state to private ownership in the 1990s, the process of degradation and decline of Kharkiv’s industrial infrastructure began, necessitating a reevaluation of the significance and utilization of valuable historical buildings. In addition, Russia’s military invasion in 2022-2025 makes the risk of losing modernist industrial architecture monuments in Kharkiv very real. The article discusses several strategic directions for revitalizing deteriorating industrial territories and constructions, which represent historical and cultural value and contribute to the authenticity of these districts. It develops the possibility of selecting and combining the proposed directions for revitalizing iconic industrial territories and structures
Oscillating Modernism: Between Openness and Compartmentalization in Post-War São Paulo Apartments
Full text linkIn the second half of the 20th century, significant modern residential buildings were built in several Brazilian cities. However, regarding the middle-class examples, the layout of most of these apartments was very similar to the 19th-century bourgeois houses. Furthermore, despite using a reinforced concrete structure—always hidden—there was no greater spatial or visual integration. This collection of buildings, neglected by the real estate market in the 1980s, was rediscovered in the early 2000s by new buyers. The former owners gave way to people who admired the qualities of modern architecture, even though they knew they would probably face several difficulties arising from significant renovation. The most common adaptations made in the second occupation included modifying layouts and modernizing facilities and finishes. Besides, the internal spaces became more fluid and integrated than the original version, encouraging conviviality. The number of internal partitions decreased, as did the decorative elements and furniture. More recently, it was possible to recognize a third episode in this history. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, when entire families were locked in their homes in a forced and unprecedented coexistence, there was a need for yet another adaptation process. This time, the actions aimed to recover private environments that better support life in confinement, where different non-domestic activities started to happen inside the homes. A process of ‘demodernization’ seems to have taken place, rehearsing a return to pre-modern layouts of compartmentalized spaces. Through the observation and analysis of the changes in three study cases in the city of São Paulo, this work aims to reflect more broadly on the transformations in the way of living in modern apartments. In addition to bibliographical research and analysis of the projects’ graphic material, this research included reports from residents and access to their personal files
In Memory of Bernard Bauchet 1955-2025
Full text linkIn February, Bernard Bauchet, a pioneer restoration architect of French Modern Movement buildings, passed away. In him we lose a knowledgeable and amiable person. He was involved, in one or another way, in all important projects of the rich French Moden Movement legacy.He restored la Maison de Verre by Chareau and Bijvoet, and published the book “la Maison de Verre” (GA publishers). He was responsible for the restoration and renovation of la Maison du Brésil by le Corbusier, Lucio Costa’s work in the Cité Universitaire in Paris, the Unité d’Habitation (first tranche) by le Corbusier in Brieu en Foret, and several other buildings by le Corbusier, Robert Mallet Stevens, Jean Lurçat and Auguste Peret.For the haute couture house of Azzedine Alaïa he did the transformation and renovation of the old warehouses by Victor Baltard in Paris 4th.I had the pleasure to cooperate with Bernard on the restoration of la Maison de Theo van Doesburg in Meudon, and together we participated in the scientific committee of the restoration and renovation of le Collège Néerlandais by Willem Dudok in the Cité Universitaire in Paris.Bernard was a member of other commitees as well, such as the Commission Nationale des Monuments Historiques (collège Mouvement Moderne), the expert committee of the Fondation le Corbusier, the scientific committee of la Maison E1027 by Eileen Gray in Roquebrune, and la Maison du Peuple by Beaudouin-Lods and Jean Prouvé in Clichy.He published various articles and participated in the international Docomomo conferences in New York and Ankara. Bernard’s curiosity and enthusiasm to learn and understand the motivation of the original architect he was dealing with, together with his knowledge of materials and implementation techniques made him extraordinary in the orbit of the Modern Movement.As the representative of la Maison Azzedine Alaïa wrote: “Bernard Bauchet était un architect exceptional, un homme d’un talent et d’une humaité rare.
The HYPA Building in Šabac: Challenges and Strategies for Protecting Modern Heritage in a Changing Socio-Political Landscape
Full text linkThis paper explores the architectural and social significance of the Homes of the Army in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1945–1992), a specific typology of objects, built and managed by the army, yet utilized by citizens across generations as community and cultural centers. The Homes of the Army represented the materialization of the doctrine of the Yugoslav People’s Army in strengthening the unity of the young multi-ethnic nation. In this sense, their design emphasized monumentality, while also promoting openness, following the trends of Western European modernist practice of the time. However, with the change in socio-political circumstances in the early 1990s, the disintegration of Yugoslavia, and the deregulation of public space in a corrupt system, in which political instruments are used to support the economic interests of private investors, the fate of these buildings—which had become focal points in the social and cultural life of cities—was, in many cases, left to the market. Preservation efforts, led by architects and cultural activists from the local communities, are focused on the potential of these buildings as spaces for culture and community interaction. The paper presents a case study of the protection of the Home of the Yugoslav People’s Army in Šabac, one of the seven most endangered heritage sites listed by Europa Nostra for 2024. By analyzing this example, the paper offers insights into current challenges as well as strategies for protecting modernist heritage across former Yugoslavia. Analyzing the pressure of the market on the one hand and the preservation of local identity on the other, this paper provides a critical analysis of the contemporary narrative on the rehabilitation and reuse of modernist structures that no longer align with contemporary economic frameworks. These insights offer lessons that can be applied to similar conservation efforts globally, making the case study relevant to the broader international context of modernist architecture conservation
Learning from the Tuberculosis Crisis in Turkey : Spatiality and Modern Interiors in Yaşamak Yolu Journal (1929-1950)
Full text linkYaşamak Yolu [A Way of Living], the journal of the Istanbul Tuberculosis Association, played a pedagogical and propagandistic role in building a healthy nation after the establishment of the Turkish state. The journal is a valuable archive incorporating the spaces of tuberculosis combat during the 20th century, encompassing social, cultural, and political information. It reveals how tuberculosis was a crisis that influenced Turkey’s Modern Movement in architecture and modern interiors. The discourse on the contagious nature of tuberculosis and the healthy way of living in Yaşamak Yolu impacted ideas about modern interior design in different building typologies. After scanning the 1929-1972 Yaşamak Yolu issues from the Izmir National Library’s archives, this study categorized, analyzed, and evaluated the data at the intersection of tuberculosis and modern interiors, focusing on national and international sanatoria, housing, alternative interiors, and everyday items. Despite the journal’s broad coverage of architectural typologies, this study, among others, focused on the 20th-century Turkish sanatoria as conventional interiors. The notion that the sanatorium movement shaped the Modern Movement in architecture served as the foundation for this study. To reveal the journal’s vast breadth from urban to industrial scale, portable structures, everyday objects, and/or tuberculosis paraphernalia covered in the journal were evaluated as alternate treatment interiors, furniture, and objects. The extensive content and contextual information, along with the publication’s span from 1929 to 1972, made the analysis challenging. Therefore, and to overcome the constraints in selecting specific built environment typologies, this study set the framework to include the timeframe from the journal’s inaugural issue to the point at which the journal’s published doctors/authors recognized the effectiveness of Streptomycin. This marked a turning point in the spatiality of tuberculosis and thus limited the scope of this study to the years 1929-1950. Due to its focus on the interiors of tuberculosis combat facilities, this study revealed that the journal proved to be a significant archive for the field of architectural historiography and design