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Rising from of the Ashes: post-war Philippines Architecture
Get PDFThe 1945 battle for liberation witnessed the massive decimation of Manila’s urban built-heritage and the irreplaceable treasures of colonial architecture. Despite the seemingly impossible task to resuscitate war ravaged Manila, it rose again. Out of the ashes, modernism provided the opportunity to craft a new architecture for a newly independent nation. Modernism emerged as the period’s architectural symbol of survival and optimism. In a post-colonial cultural milieu, Filipino architects pursued the iconography of national mythology channeled through the pure surfaces and unadorned geometries of modern architecture. They found in modernism a convenient aesthetic modus to denounce the colonial vestiges embodied in the infrastructure of American neoclassicism in pre-war Manila and sought to create new-built environments that conveyed emancipation from the colonial past and celebrate the vernacular forms processed through modernist geometric simplification. Modernism, therefore, was a logical choice, for it provided a progressive image. The Philippines post-independence architecture endeavored to dispense an image that stimulated a national spirit, inspired patriotism, and invoked faith in the unknown future of the national imagination
In memoriam Ruy Jervis d’Athouguia (1919-2006)
No full textTo pay tribute to Ruy Jervis d’Athouguia, the modern innovative architect born in Macau 100 years ago, the researchers and professionals engaged with his work were called upon to write about the importance of his
legacy on the contemporary theory and practice
The Sequence of Mies van der Rohe in Barcelona: the German Pavilion as Part of a much Larger Industrial Presence
Get PDFThe German Pavilion for the 1929 Barcelona International Exhibition was part of a much larger exhibiting sequence, which Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich constructed following their main undertaking in the Barcelona industrial exhibits: to design the entire German section. By the time Mies van der Rohe started the project of the German Pavilion, he had already been working for more than 4 months on the construction of the identity and representation of the strength of the German industrial fabric, which he would architecturally express in the interior design of 8 neoclassical palaces. Hence, the two most innovative architectural elements of the German Pavilion – the milky color double-glazed wall and the chrome-plated cross-shaped posts – can be traced back to the interiors of these palaces. The 16,000 m2 of industrial exhibits, not reconstructed in 1986, form today the immaterial heritage that underpins the historical relevance of the Barcelona Pavilion. 3 documents, including a sequence from the official exhibition film, preserve the order linking the range of Mies van der Rohe’s work in Barcelona and broaden the historical meaning of one of the most important works of architectural modernism
Fumihiko Maki
Get PDFContributing to the debate on the development of modern architecture in the Asian countries, in March 2017, Ana Tostões interviewed Fumihiko Maki, one of the greatest Asian architects engaged with the modern project, and member of the Metabolism group. Maki is currently developing a number of projects in Asia, including the Taipei Main Station Redevelopment in Taiwan, Shenzhen Sea World Culture and Arts Center in China, and the New City Hall of Yokohama, Japan
The Heritage of Mies
Get PDFMies van der Rohe’s built work covers a timeframe of over 60 years, including two world wars and several revolutionary events in the history of architecture. The extraordinary architect has influenced 20th century architecture worldwide like few others have. In the context of several restoration projects, the time has come to review the condition of his buildings: Is their materiality as timeless as their appearance? Did his constructions, which are of sometimes an experimental nature, prove to be sustainable, or did they fall into disrepair? How can Mies van der Rohe buildings be documented, repaired, restored, reconstructed, without losing the characteristic details of his work, and in order to preserve the architectural integrity and relevance of the Mies van der Rohe's oeuvre
Nation Building and Modern Architecture in Malaysia
Get PDFThis paper explores the historical development of modern architecture in Malaysia, which is evident in the emerging architectural language; the efforts of the Federation of Malaya Society of Architects (later known as the Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia); as well as the direction taken by the architectural practice in the country; all of which were driven by the prevailing political, economic as well as the socio-cultural attributes of the new nation, and the vision on Tunku Abdul Rahman, the first Prime Minister of the Federation of Malaya. The outcome of all these is an architecture that speaks of the nation’s modern society’s values and identity
Modern Architecture in Thailand
Get PDFThe influence of modern architecture became more visible in Thailand after the country shifted from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy in 1932 and also as a result of economic circumstances and world trends. The first generation of Thai Modernist architects (or the pioneers of modern architecture in Thailand) had their education in Europe because of the necessity to modernize Thailand. The second generation were Thai architects who received their architectural education in Thailand as well as some continuing their studies in the USA. Their works reflect the International Style with a concern for a tropical architecture vocabulary and local material utilization based on economics. As the architectural profession was declared a protected profession in 1965 for Thai architects only, there was very little modern architecture in Thailand designed by foreign architects
The Re-birth of the Tugendhat House
Get PDFFollowing a thorough and pioneering conservation-science study, the Tugendhat House was restored between 2010 and 2012. The house of Greta and Fritz Tugendhat, in Brno, designed by Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich (1928-1929), is the single example of modern architecture in the Czech Republic inscribed in the list of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites. After an intense and dramatic life with different uses, the house received an outstanding restoration which brought back its original form, space and materiality, and was opened to the public as a House-Museum. This paper aims to bring light to this fascinating story based on the book Tugendhat House. Ludwig Mies van der Rohle by Daniela Hammer-Tugendhat, Ivo Hammer and Wolf Tegethoff (Basel, Birkhäuser Verlag GmbH, 2015), namely on Daniela Hammer-Tugendhat statements and on the experience of the members of the International Expert Advisory Commission THICOM
Modern Indonesian Architecture: a Cultural Discourse
Get PDFThe paper highlights the course of Indonesian architectural development through the narrative of national and cultural identity which prevailed almost consistently from the early years of the 20th century. Despite the various contexts and the involvement of participants from different eras, the question of identity recurs among architectural practitioners, political figures, as well as the general public in Indonesia. In this light, architects are perceived as active agents continually contributing models of national identity through architectural forms, expressions, materials, and narratives
The Verseidag Silk Factory in Krefeld. Architectural History and Restoration of a much-neglected Mies van der Rohe Project
Get PDFAlthough the buildings for the Verseidag silk factory, in Krefeld, Germany, are the only factory buildings that Mies van der Rohe ever planned and built (1931-38), many open questions remain about the history and development of the site. The paper presents new research results on the architectural history and materiality of the site that are derived from detailed documentation on site and analysis of newly available archive material. The scientific results and the acquired knowledge directly influence the current restoration of the buildings, in which the key characteristics designed by Mies van der Rohe are preserved and restored