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The young Paulo Mendes da Rocha: Jockey Club of Goiás and a modernity project
Get PDFThe Jockey Club of Goiás, located in the city of Goiânia, in the interior of Brazil, was the first building to adopt the language of exposed concrete in this city, in addition to other attributes of architectural and urban relevance. This discussion aims to analyze the design approach, the tectonics, the urban setting, and its transcendence in the architect’s career. It examines the conception of the project and identifies similarities between this project and his future work
Large-scale housing projects in Lisbon: Olivais and Telheiras
Get PDFThe neighborhoods of Olivais Norte (1960), Olivais Sul (1963) and Telheiras Sul (1974) are paradigmatic examples of the Portuguese State’s response to the housing shortage that was acknowledged in Lisbon, in the period of the post-WWII. Featuring a varied catalogue of architectural trends, this series of projects demonstrated extensive structural, formal, and spatial experimentation that revealed the concerns and quest by their designers to respond to the need for “housing for the greatest number”. What all three projects shared was that they were large scale, publicly financed, started out with similar programs, and that various architectural teams were involved in each of them. The fact that they succeeded one another chronologically enables a critical reading to be made of the evolving interpretation of the Modern Movement in Lisbon, and the pursuit of modernity as an attitude that valued universality, rationality, and a fair response to new social orders
Casa Albero: an architecture experiment
Get PDFDesigned in 1968, the Casa Albero [Tree house], in Fregene near Rome, by Giuseppe Perugini (1914-1995), Uga de Plaisant (1917-2004) and their son Raynaldo Perugini (1950-), constitutes an exceptional case of architectural experimentation. With multiple references to the aesthetic avant-gardes of the 20th century. It is presented as an example of modular, systematic and prefabricated architecture, in which the architects are, simultaneously, authors and part of the experiment themselves. The project functions as an architectural model in 1:1 scale. The concept embodied in this work offers the possibility of studying different ways of interpreting the living space within the same architectural composition
Sanatoriums in Europe: Build Heritage and Transformation Strategies
Get PDFSanatoriums are an emblematic program of the Modern Movement in architecture. Prolifically built in Europe between 1900 and 1950, they constitute today a remarkable architectural heritage whose technical, functional and spatial qualities are well documented. Since the decline of tuberculosis after the WWII, those sanatoriums that were not demolished have been constantly transformed and reused. Although iconic sanatoriums benefited from meticulous restoration, guided by precise historical and technical knowledge, much remains to be done to explore and develop the reuse potential of these buildings
Tropical Building Research: the Angolan Case
Get PDFThis paper investigates how the notion of “tropical architecture” was established in Angola by looking at the local development of scientific knowledge on climate during the 20th century. It focuses on the processes that gave rise to a growing understanding of the geography and climate of the country, namely through the creation of local research institutes. Between the 1950s and the 1970s, increasingly more climatic data was collected in the country. This data was later combined with studies in building physics, giving rise to original research developed by the lea. Local institutions, such as the Public Works Department of Angola (DSOPA), disseminated this knowledge, eventually influencing not only the design methods of local architects but also the development of specific products in the construction sector. The lea became a research and education organization of great relevance in Angola during the 1960s and the 1970s, as well as a symbol of modernity and the quest for scientific knowledge
Housing explorations. Unidad Vecinal Portales in Santiago
Get PDFThis article explores the contribution of Unidad Vecinal Portales – built in Santiago de Chile by the studio Bresciani, Valdés, Castillo y Huidobro – to the debates on social housing in Chile between the 1940s and 1960s. A series of radical decisions, put into action in the complex, demonstrate a deep exploration at the urban, typological, and aesthetic levels. This exploration has given life to an important case study in Chile and Latin- America, where urban and architectural challenges of the second half of the 20th century blend harmoniously
The survival and resurrection of a “Bakema-experiment” in an Amsterdam garden city
Get PDFThere is a hidden gem in the Amsterdam garden cities. Jaap Bakema was the founder of an experiment in the 1950s. A piece of “Rotterdam in Amsterdam.” Based on the philosophy of an open society and the human scale. Forty years after completion, there is a call for renewal. The architect’s heritage ends up on the demolition list. Due to the economic crisis, demolition has been postponed and there was time for reflection. The neighborhood seems to survive the test of time. The careful renewal proves to be a great success. This is a story about the resurrection of a Bakema experiment
Avanchet-Parc in Geneva: an experimental housing scheme, an exemplary complex
Get PDFIn the teeming context of the 1970s, the Cité Avanchet-Parc is an undeniably original achievement, representative of the approach – above all cultural – of a generation of architects who sought to experiment with new urban and architectural forms in response to current practice. The satellite precinct is also a sign of skillful construction, undoubtedly pioneering in the context of the 1970s and which is still today, half a century later, the essence of its relevance to the present. An exemplary experience, the Cité Avanchet-Parc today deserves renewed recognition
Sunny flats will replace…A congested slum block: Sydney’s post war housing improvement schemes
Get PDFThe present text traces the post war slum clearance program in Sydney, Australia, that saw the construction of modern blocks of flats drawn from international examples of rehousing schemes. This State-funded urban renewal program continued from the late 1940s until the 1980s. Many of the blocks of flats are slated for demolition, yet no overall assessment of their design quality or detailed discussion of the range of building forms or apartment layouts has been undertaken. There is a danger that these well-designed blocks will vanish rather than be retrofitted and that this unparalleled demonstration of modern housing progress by the State of New South Wales will be incomplete
Preservation and public housing in the United States
Get PDFPublic housing is an important part of the heritage of the 20th century that deserves preservation, but is in danger of being demolished or unrecognizably altered. The United States, which saw the construction of such government sponsored projects, largely between 1930 and 1975, is no exception. In the last four decades government efforts have continued to shift towards financial incentives for private initiatives for design, construction and property management. This housing legacy, if being preserved, still needs to be improved so it can continue to serve as affordable housing in the 21st century