Docomomo Journal
Not a member yet
547 research outputs found
Sort by
Transcendence and permanence
Get PDFLouis I. Kahn fascinate us all with his passion for Mediterranean culture. Precisely at the moment when the center of the dominant culture moved from Europe to North America, he was able to immerse himself in the Roman brick structures of the great classical buildings, interpreting the timeless forms of antiquity. When the glass curtain of the bureaucratic International Style became trivialized, he turned to the archaic sources of architecture to discover light, matter and desire, in the pyramids of Gis. or in the ruins of the Caracalla Baths. Kahn is a unique case in the history of 20th-century architecture: he introduced the question of monumentality, a matter heretical to the Modern Movement, and emphasized the value of permanence, and the tectonic character and materiality of constructive elements. He was able to read History creatively, interpreting the permanent value of the monuments for the community and rescuing their public sense of place. Posing questions such as “what do you want, brick?” or “does the inside of a column contain a promise?”, he produced an impressive body of work and a doctrine with originality, often appearing philosophical, poetic or even mystical. Moving away from dogmas, but never losing the functional and constructive sense of modulation, he broke the systematic use of fluid space and reintroduced a sense of ritual and the value of solemnity, while achieving the most suggestive syntheses between modernity and tradition, as Otávio Paz recognized, between the use of technique and memory
Preservation, Restoration and Upgrade of the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, India
Get PDFIndian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad (IIMA), is under an ongoing conservation project to preserve, restore and upgrade the built fabric of the iconic and modern heritage structures designed by Louis I. Kahn, in India. These include eighteen dormitory buildings and the main complex (the school) housing four faculty blocks, the classroom complex and the Vikram Sarabhai library building. The project entails carrying out a detailed study of the cultural significance of the buildings, conducting surveys for preparation of as-built drawings, building condition mapping and assessment, preparation and execution of a detailed conservation plan and strategies for restoration, retrofitting and upgrading the built fabric along with its spatial expression, with due consideration to both its status as a significant work of 20th century monumental architecture and as a premier management institute of the country
Historiography of post-war modern architecture in Hungary – evaluation – research – preservation
Get PDFReviewing the research on post-war modern Hungarian architecture we find a serious backwardness. This paper presents an overview of the situation and an explanation focusing on three factors. The first is the underestimation of the socialist modern architecture by the lay public, but also by some professionals. The second field of investigation is the research background: institutes, researchers, funds and the accessibility of archival material, and the results achieved despite the difficulties. The paper also surveys the preservation of this heritage, and finally presents a recent rehabilitation project, one of the few positive examples
With the Help of Nature: Kahn, the Wood House and the Culture of Stewardship
No full textLouis I. Kahn's attitude toward materials was expressed in his documented preference to allow exterior wood siding to be left unfinished and weather to a silver grey. Influenced by vernacular architecture of the American rural landscape, this natural treatment has proved a challenge for stewards, as exposure to the elements is gradually destructive. Like many works of the Modern Movement that retain their original siding, Kahn’s wood-clad structures stand at a critical crossroads where the architect’s intent and retention of fabric converge. A selected group of Kahn’s residential works are examined with respect to the architect’s employment of wood, the inherent conditions of each and the conservation efforts that are evolving in response
Louis Kahn in Tel-Aviv
Get PDFThis paper surveys the historical urban infrastructure and architecture of the School of Mechanical Engineering at Tel-Aviv University, designed by one of the greatest architects of the 20th century, Louis I. Kahn. The paper describes the monumental architecture of the building, which hints subtly to the qualities and complexity of the internal spaces. The structure is the only building ever erected in Israel by Kahn, and became an architectural icon, presenting the best in the Brutalist architectural style to be found in Tel-Aviv-Yafo, alongside other outstanding structures from the same period
Conservation or Change for Works of the Modern Movement
Get PDFThe Modern Movement in architecture, in so far as any such movement can be defined, was predicated on the idea that architecture had to change to reflect the radical technological advances that had occurred during the century preceding its formulation, and also to reflect the changing social needs that those advances had generated. Architecture, it was felt, had ossified and lost vitality as a result of not recognizing those changes. A century has now passed since the Modern Movement first formulated this program, and technical advances and the social changes they induce have of course by no means ceased, rather they have accelerated. So, it seems legitimate to say that a technologically – and socially – determined architecture should reflect these further advances and changes. The evolution continues. But does that mean that each Modern Movement building created at a particular point in that evolution has in itself to continue to change in order to “catch up” with the evolution subsequent to its creation? It is a question that has importance when it comes to considering the conservation of Modern Movement architecture. It is an assertion that would ignore the formal element in architecture
Communicating “space and form?”: The history and impact of the journal Tér és Forma as the Hungarian pipeline of Modernism
Get PDFIn the interwar era, architectural journals were at the forefront of professional attention and had the power to disseminate the Modern Movement in architecture globally. The Hungarian journal Tér és Forma (1928-1948) took the lead to introduce international modern architecture to the Hungarian public, while continually reporting on the newest building projects in interwar Hungary. Virgil Bierbauer, the periodical’s long-time editor (1928-1942), presented the broad panorama of contemporary architecture and his followers from 1943 intended to continue his legacy even in wartime. The impact of the periodical did not halt at its cessation in 1948 but, directly as well as indirectly, continued to define 20th century architectural historiography in Hungary
Ignoring and erasing: collective housing in 20th century Czechoslovakia
Get PDFA concept of a collective house that would include apartments and a wide array of communal facilities was a topic of intensive debate in Czechoslovakia throughout the 20th century. This topic was popular not only among architects, but most importantly among feminists, social activists, sociologists, politicians or businessmen. Debaters projected onto these houses their ideas of a future political and social system of Czechoslovakia. For some, shared living was a way to facilitate the arrival of communism, for others it represented a means to develop liberal capitalism. This article presents the political framework behind the idea of collective housing in Czechoslovakia
Metallic brutalism and its present embellishment. The addition to the Slovak National Gallery in Bratislava
Get PDFThis paper summarizes the creation and formulation of the modern addition to the Slovak National Gallery, an iconic architectural work of post-war Modernism in Czechoslovakia which instigated a major discussion between specialists and the general public already from its construction time. In the second part of the text, related to the reconstruction currently underway, I attempt to interpret the actual process of this building’s reconstruction and remodeling, which could be viewed as a physical dimension of the discussion on the polarizing effects of Modern Movement architectonic concepts as well as the impoverishment of the authentic heritage value of this unique instance of Slovak modernity
David B. Brownlee interviewed by Ana Tostões
Get PDFIn February 2018, Ana Tostões interviewed David Brownlee, pioneer researcher on Louis I. Kahn and an historian of modern architecture and professor of the history of art at the University of Pennsylvania, in order to debate Kahn’s realm of ideas and their contemporary significance. David Brownlee was guest curator of the exhibition Louis I. Kahn: In the Realm of Architecture (Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1992), and is co-author of the homonymous book (with David G. De Long, New York, 1991, translated into four other languages) that stands as the first worldwide comprehensive publication on Louis I. Kahn