Biography of Louis I Kahn

8/11/2019 Biography of Louis I Kahn

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Louis Isadore Kahnbiography….

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A personality whom people want to experience through his D’signs….

1901 :

born on feb 20th at Estonia

near Russiafather: Leopold - glass painter

& sergeant in Russian army

mother: Bertha Kahn - worker

in textile industry

siblings: Sarah (sister),

Oscar(brother)



1906:

migrated to Philadelphia (due to Russo-

Japanese war) at the age of 5

his name was changed from Itze Leib

Schmuilowsky to Louis Isadore Kahn.

in childhood days itself, he was known

as an artist & he played piano very well.

kahn attended public schools andsupplemented his education with art

classes.( a mode of income from his

paintings)

1912:

kahn starts high school & got

introduced into architecture through

the study of world history.





1928:

to find inspiration, he travelled through

Europe. (2 years)1930:

kahn married Esther Israeli, but had difficulty

finding works during economic depression.

during this period, he got interested in modern

architecture (as a tool for social change)

got inspired by Le Corbusier, Walter Gropious,

Along with many other unemployed architects,

he started experimenting with the design of

public housing ( Architectural Research Group)



1935:

established an independent

architectural practice in Philadelphia.

associated with George Howe & OskarStonorov. 1941:

designed 7 communities for war time

factory workers.(after World War - II)

against the funtionalistic & materialistic

theme of government, he proposedhumane-client oriented approach to post

war planning & approach.



1947:

he became a design critic at Yaleschool of Architecture.

as s teacher, he felt as often learned

than he taught.

always concerned about the emotional

expression of ideas.

he was particularly interested in the

power of single tangible idea and the

more the student simplified, the better.

1950:

won a fellowship to the american academy

in Rome and travelled to Greece & Italy

where he was inspired by the ancient ruins.

got inspired by the monumentality &

spiritual qualities of ancient buildings.

after returning, he adapted a ‘back-to-the-

basics’ approach.

wanted younger generation to make an

everlasting impact on society like Greeks &

Egyptians - seeking perfection & pursuing

excellence.

buildings should be built to last….

his buildings from here on had a very spiritual &

timeless quality….



1951:

on returning back, Kahn put his ideas

into practice.

first important project of his career:

Yale Art Gallery

opportunity to build at amonumental scale.

intelligent use of space & light.

1957:

Richard Medical Research Building- a

turning point in Contemporary

Architecture.

application of Servant & Served Spaces

his own distinctive style….





1962:

starts work on a twelve year programme to

build IIM, Ahemdabad & construction of

Capital Complex in Dhaka.

two different archetypes :

individual activity

congregant activity

many important projects came in during

1960’s

1971:awarded AIA gold medal

1972:

awarded RIBA gold medal

1974:

march 17nth, he died of heart attack at pennsylvania

station,New York while returning back from India

he was not a good businessman, so he couldn’t make

many buildings because he never compromised his

design ideas to satisfy a buyer’s wish.

and when he died, he was in great debt.

yet continues to influence lives on…

Documents

Biography of Louis I Kahn