Docomomo Journal
Not a member yet
547 research outputs found
Sort by
Luis Barragán’s House in Pedregal. A Successful Restoration
Get PDFLuis Barragán (1902–1988) produced few works in his prime, among which, other than his own house, in the Jardines de Pedregal only the Casa Prieto López (1950) has been preserved intact. It was successfully restored when Cesar Cervantes purchased it in early 2014 and hired architects Jorge Covarrubias and Benjamín González Henze. After extensive research, the architects, respecting the context and simplicity of design, eliminated additions and carefully conserved architectural details and furnishings; the color of the walls was restored based on stratigraphic findings that revealed surprising tones very different from the traditional Mexican palette
The Restoration of the Paintings of Le Corbusier in the Villa E-1027, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Alpes Maritimes
Get PDFThe restoration of the paintings of Le Corbusier in the Villa E-1027 was preceded by an important study phase including systematic sampling of the paintings. One purpose of the study was to determine the presence of the original paintings under the global over-paint made by a local craftsman in the seventies. Four of the eight paintings have been rediscovered, in a much better condition than expected. These paintings are a fragile testimony of the particular use of “Ripolin” by Le Corbusier, in the context of its use by others famous artists as Picasso or Picabia in the same period
The Legacy of Mies van der Rohe in Modern Movement and the Modern Architecture in Korea
Get PDFThe following article is an edited version of the keynote presented at the 13th International docomomo Conference that took place in Seoul, Korea, on September 2014. The paper discusses how “Western” architecture was first introduced to Korean soil: a French Catholic missionary-architect built the Seoul Cathedral at the end of the 19th century. American and Canadian architects built educational buildings for the Protestant missionary-founded colleges in Korea. Japanese civil servant architects built some public buildings during the colonial rule. The work of two prominent Korean architects, Kim Chung-Up and Kim Swoo-Geun are discussed. The author discusses his education at Mies van der Rohe’s Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in mid-1950s, his work for the Master during the 1960s, and his teaching at IIT 1966 and 1978. He describes how his dual position of teaching at IIT and working for Mies gave him the opportunity to work on three projects of importance: the Mies Retrospective in Berlin in 1968; the exhibition proposal for the extension of the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston of 1969; the Toronto-Dominion Bank executive floor and Banking Pavilion of 1966–1968. The author discusses several works of Mies van der Rohe to “demystify” the general perception that Mies was a rigid aesthetician: how Mies van der Rohe would arrive at design decisions not always sticking to the module, grid and geometry, contrary to the conventional reading of his architecture. The author then discusses five works from his three decades of practice with sac International in Seoul, highlighting where Mies’ influences might be found in these works: the Korea Military Academy Library of 1982; Seoul Hilton Hotel of 1983; the Weight-lifting Gymnasium for ‘88 Seoul Olympics of 1986; Kyongju Museum of Art of 1991; and the SK Group Office Building in Seoul of 1999. The paper also reflects on its relationship to the main theme of the recent International docomomo Conference in Seoul, Expansion and Conflict
Conversion of the Church of Sainte-Germaine-Cousin Reaching out to the Community
Get PDFThis essay synthesizes a serious concern related to built ecclisiastical heritage in Quebec. Most of all, it intends to present the recent conversion of the church of Sainte-Germaine-Cousin in Montreal, built between 1960 and 1962 by architect Gérard Notebaert into a community center related to social housing and child care. Today, after a decade and as the project is nearly complete, it recounts a modern heritage tale that led to an exceptional outcome from social and cultural perspectives and, of course, from an architectural angle. On a larger scale, this project responded sensitively to fundamental issues by creating awareness and a sense of belonging toward modern built heritage
The Role of the Fondation Le Corbusier in the Conservation of the Le Corbusier's Architectural Work
Get PDFLe Corbusier died on 27 August 1965 at Roquebrune-CapMartin, near his Cabanon. Without direct heirs and driven by the fear that his carefully conserved archives and works be scattered after his death, Le Corbusier spent the last fifteen years of his life conceiving and implementing, down to its smallest details, the project of a Foundation that would bear his name.
Today the activity of the Fondation Le Corbusier comprises two main undertakings: circulating his work and spreading his ideas; preserving the architect’s work and collections. Indeed as the legatee and direct offshoot of its creator Le Corbusier, the Foundation holds the moral rights to this work and therefore has a duty to constantly watch over his architectural work (and indeed the artist’s entire legacy). For the Foundation each of his buildings constitute a piece of art in and of itself. Each issue concerned in the restoration of Le Corbusier’s buildings is effectively governed by this specificity
National Museum of Western Art as Important Cultural Property of Japan: its Evolution and Historical Value
Get PDFStarting with the conception of the World Museum as part of the 1929 Mundaneum project, Le Corbusier continued to develop and refine that concept. The main building of the National Museum of Western Art completed in 1959, was also designed as a Museum of Unlimited Expansion prototype. NMWA has undergone conservation work and seismic base isolation work a number of times, and is therefore in generally good condition. The principal conservation works to the main building since its completion is summarized in this essay, along with other construction, extension and maintenance work carried out on the grounds
Progress Report on the Musashi-Ranzan Country Club Clubhouse Conservation and Repair Work
Get PDFThis is a progress report on the plan to conserve and repair the Musashi-Ranzan Country Club clubhouse designed by architect Taro Amano. It is a valuable example of the conservation and repair of private company-owned modern reinforced concrete architecture without the use of subsidies. Project planning commenced in 2009, and minor construction has been carried out each year, with the third installment of work carried out in 2014. For carrying out the construction, the design content and course of construction are based on the results of an analysis and survey of the original building. The clubhouse, together with the conservation and repair work currently being carried out, was selected as one of the works in the docomomo Japan 174 in 2014
Conservation and Renovation Project of Hizuchi Elementary School: First Challenge to Treat a Post-war Wooden Architecture as a Cultural Property
Get PDFHizuchi Elementary School is an example of timber modern architecture completed between 1956 and 1958. It was recognized as one of the twenty representative modern buildings in Japan by docomomo in 1999, and from 2006 to 2009 it was meticulously restored. The consortium members for its conservation and renovation were awarded the Annual Award of the Architectural Institute of Japan and World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize in 2012. This paper outlines the project of the Hizuchi Elementary School and the architect Matsumura Masatsune who designed it
Reuse and Transformation of a Modern Movement Masterpiece: UN-CEPAL-ECLAC Building, Santiago de Chile
Get PDFRecent interventions in modern oeuvres of high cultural significance have set new challenges, opening discussion on the various positions associated with their preservation and sustainability. In particular, the relationship between newly conceived architecture and modern heritage, for which the analysis of the design in the original building, the ideas promoted in terms of its significance and the results obtained in material terms, become the key features in each case. The experience of the United Nations ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean) building in Santiago, Chile, may, in this sense, be of special interest in order to verify possibilities of sustainability that assume both the contingencies among which the rehabilitation process takes place and the values recognized in the building as monument
The Couvent de La Tourette from 1960 to the present day. Future Discernibility of Past Interventions
Get PDFThe La Tourette Convent, built by Le Corbusier in Eveux (1953–1960) was subjected to interventions very soon after its inauguration. The article presents a critical analysis of these interventions: those overseen by Fernand Gardien (until 1964) right after completion; those undertaken before the complex was listed and for which limited documentation is available (1964–1979); the restoration campaign led by the Architecte en Chef des Monuments Historiques (ACMH) Mortamet, who followed an approach based on the completion of Le Corbusier’s work; lastly the most recent campaign, overseen by the ACMH Repellin, who succeeded in devising intelligent alternative compliance measures thanks to the fire safety officials. The complex was returned to its original appearance, following an approach that has yet to come to terms with the aging of modern architectural works, but is nevertheless still widely used today in the conservation of 20th century architecture