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26.01.2012 1 CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE Postmodernism, Charles Moore, Robert Venturi Philippe Johnson Hans Hollein James Stirling Week 14 Modernist architecture when the cube was king- didn‘t age well. As time passed, grime streaked flat, concrete walls, like wrinkles carved into a smooth face. Glass-paned skyscrapers lost their shine. Stripped of ornament, abstract forms that once seemed ultramodern appeared just plain blank by the 1970s. In scaling up from the margins to the mainstream, Modernism went awry. Buildings heralded as avant-garde in the 1930s lost their edge when mass-produced in the postwar building boom. The glass box, built cheaply and without distinguishing nuances, became an emblem of corporate capitalism and conformity. What shook up the architectural world and broke the stranglehold of slick, geometric forms was a book by Robert Venturi, Complexity and Contradiction (1966). ―Architecture,‖ the Philadelphia architect declared, ―is evolutionary as well as revolutionary.‖ Venturi challenged architects to create buildings reflecting historical and local styles rather than anonymous, austere facades that scorned the past. The book unleashed what architect Rem Koolhaas called ―an enormous rebirth of detailing.‖ During the 1970s and ‘80s, buildings termed Postmodern were decorated not only with color – but with a pastiche of cutesy Classical elements like slightly out-of-whack columns. Architects liberally tacked on miscellaneous borrowings from all periods of history. Sleek was gone. ―Anything goes‖ was booming. By the 1990s, picturesque Po-Mo had been so overdone, plastered on every suburban strip mall facade, it was declared passé. The next thing was Deconstructivism, a cerebral style of spiky angles and fractured forms. Decon practitioners claimed the style reflected cultural chaos at the end of the millennium. Since 1960s, the mainstream has split into multiple branches. Diversity reigns, with a push for sustainable (environment-friendly) design gaining ground.

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Page 1: CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE - Çankaya Üniversitesiinar323.cankaya.edu.tr/uploads/files/week 14_postmodernism.pdf · • By the 1990s, picturesque Po-Mo had been so overdone, plastered

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1

CONTEMPORARY

ARCHITECTURE

Postmodernism, Charles Moore, Robert Venturi

Philippe Johnson

Hans Hollein

James Stirling

Week 14

• Modernist architecture –when the cube was king- didn‘t age well. As time passed, grime streaked flat,

concrete walls, like wrinkles carved into a smooth face. Glass-paned skyscrapers lost their shine.

Stripped of ornament, abstract forms that once seemed ultramodern appeared just plain blank by the

1970s. In scaling up from the margins to the mainstream, Modernism went awry. Buildings heralded as

avant-garde in the 1930s lost their edge when mass-produced in the postwar building boom. The glass

box, built cheaply and without distinguishing nuances, became an emblem of corporate capitalism and

conformity.

• What shook up the architectural world and broke the stranglehold of slick, geometric forms was a book

by Robert Venturi, Complexity and Contradiction (1966). ―Architecture,‖ the Philadelphia architect

declared, ―is evolutionary as well as revolutionary.‖ Venturi challenged architects to create buildings

reflecting historical and local styles rather than anonymous, austere facades that scorned the past. The

book unleashed what architect Rem Koolhaas called ―an enormous rebirth of detailing.‖

• During the 1970s and ‘80s, buildings termed Postmodern were decorated not only with color – but with a

pastiche of cutesy Classical elements like slightly out-of-whack columns. Architects liberally tacked on

miscellaneous borrowings from all periods of history. Sleek was gone. ―Anything goes‖ was booming.

• By the 1990s, picturesque Po-Mo had been so overdone, plastered on every suburban strip mall facade,

it was declared passé. The next thing was Deconstructivism, a cerebral style of spiky angles and

fractured forms. Decon practitioners claimed the style reflected cultural chaos at the end of the

millennium.

• Since 1960s, the mainstream has split into multiple branches. Diversity reigns, with a push for

sustainable (environment-friendly) design gaining ground.

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POSTMODERNISM:

AT PLAY IN THE FIELDS OF HISTORY

After the big disconnect of Modernism when the past was flung on the rubbish heap of history, Post-

Modern architects reconnected with the styles of yesteryear in a big way. But how could one connect in

a multicultural world? When ethnic groups refused to blend into a melting pot but remain stubbornly distinct,

the only valid style is collage. A strategy of juxtaposition replaced forced harmony and unity. Although

historical motifs like faux-Palladian windows were everywhere, ornamentation was pluralist. Strict imitation of

the past was uncool. Po-Mo is eclecticism with a wing.

Theorists call it double-coding. Which basically means Po-Mo architects used past elements self-

consciously—transformed, distorted, pumped up in scale, and drenched with ambiguity and irony. There is

always a subtext of ―Sure, I am using an arch, but it is MY arch, so it is hip, not history.‖

Leading Post-modern architects like Venturi, Charles Moore, Michael Graves, Hans Hollein,

Philip Johnson and Ricardo Bofill encrusted their buildings with historical or vernacular allusions→

architectural ornament returned with a vengeance.

Po-Mo architecture connects directly with the public, a major aim. Instead of faceless, bland

Modernism (considered prissy ―either/or‖ absolutism, according to Venturi), Post-Modernism embraces the

multiplicity of ―both/and.‖ It is an exclusive, accessible style communicating readily with a public turned off by

sterile Modernism.

Probably because it proved popular and easily commercialized, Po-Mo elicited huffy putdowns from

critics, Hilton Kramer termed it ―ersatz contrivance,‖ a style of architectural one-liners‖ without subtlety or

depth. It has been called ―bimbo‖ architecture, obsessed with gimmicks of surface decoration, a packed

version of history that appeals to a sensation- hungry public.

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MOORE AND MORE

• For Charles Moore (1925-1993), an archetypal Post-Modernist who heaped on multiple allusions, more was never enough. An outspoken opponent of anonymous bedroom suburbs and interchangeable cities, Moore wanted architecture to recapture a lost ―sense of place.‖ each commission was an opportunity to highlight what the ancients called ―genius loci,‖ or special attributes of a site. Moore‘s Sea Ranch housing (1965-72) on the California coast was an extreme example of ecological architecture. The houses modeled on local barns, are nestled into the site, sheltered from the prevailing wings. Slanted woods both deflect wind and collect sun light.

Moore, Lyndon, Turnbull & Whitaker, Sea Ranch, CA, 1966

Piazza d'Italia, Charles Moore, New Orleans, Louisiana

Most of Moore‘s buildings have a theatrical flair.

They are whimsical playful —impish as Moore

himself. The structure that best shows this

flamboyance is the Piazza d‘Italia (1975-1978) in

New Orleans. Brightly colored superficial as a

Hollywood stage set, the composition of arcades,

fountains, and mosaics has all the exuberance of

this carnival city, where ―Laissez les bons temps

rouler‖ (let the good times roll) is the motto.

Moore stressed the need for “joy” in

architecture. An omnivorous usurper of

historical forms, he considered himself

somewhere between “litmus paper and a

piranha fish" in his relation to high and

low culture.

Piazza d’Italia (1975-1978) ,

New Orleans,

By Charles Moore.

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Moore‘s structures were often

made of ephemeral materials—

plywood and stucco— because

they were cheaper and lighter.

Some, like Piazza d‘Italia, have

suffered from the passage of

time. For Moore, permanence

was not attainable. He lamented

the ―presence of absence‖ —

the loss of identity in our

increasingly homogenized

culture, which he tried to rectify.

At his memorial service, a New

Orleans jazz band played to

honor the architect who brought

honor and humanism to design

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Moore alluded to historical motifs

only to spoof them. His capitals

consist of water jets shaping Corinthian

―leaves.‖ Stainless-steel Ionic volutes

and streams of water flowing down

columns to suggest fluting are a

mischievous takeoff on Classical style.

In a high-camp parody, medallions

shaped like Moore‘s head spout water.

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GRAVES:

METAPHOR MAN

Michael Graves (b.1934), who

originally wished to be a painter,

color-codes his building to create

what he calls ―metaphorical

landscapes.‖ His shades are derived

from nature, such as blue as an

analogy for sky, green and earth

tones for landscape. It is as if he is

carving his own mount, albeit

adorned with his personal

interpretation of Classical motifs. He

wants his architecture to be ―capable

of being read by anybody.‖

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Portland Building, Michael Graves,1982

Michael Graves (b.1934) designed the first major

postmodern building, the Portland Public Services

Building (1979-82).He has said that he designs as if

he were a child, and the building looks like a toy

block colored with crayon. Classical elements were

vastly overscaled, like seven-storey pilasters

topped by huge brackets and a three-storey key

stone. In a Post-Modern touch, the fluting in the

pilasters and ―joints‖ of the keystone are really

bands of ribbon windows. Applied ornament

consists of abstracted swags and garlands, also

inflated enormously.

Portland Building, Michael Graves,1982

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Portland Building, Michael Graves,1982

Hu

man

a B

uild

ing

, Lo

uisv

ille,

Mic

hael

Gra

ves,

198

5

Each side of the building has slightly different designs.

The form of the upper few floors are designed as a sloping

pyramid. The building is famous because of the flat pink

granite that covered the exterior façade.

The loggia on the building‘s north facade is respectful to

the older downtown architecture, and in a way continues

the storefront line of the original street fabric.

The large, curved portion towards the top of the building is actually an open-air observation deck. The outermost point of the circle

has space for a few people at a time to be surrounded by glass, allowing for a spectacular view of the Ohio River and down Main Street.

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Swan & Dolphin Hotel, Orlando Florida, Michael Graves, 1990

ROBERT VENTURI & DENNIS SCOTT BROWN

Robert Venturi might be

considered as one of the

fathers of Postmodern

architecture. He is a pivotal

figure for the postwar

American Architecture. He

is also known for coining

the maxim "Less is a bore"

as antidote to Mies van der

Rohe's famous modernist

dictum "Less is more".

Together with his wife,

Dennis Scoot Brown,

Venturis are running an

architectural office and their

designs forced the

American architects and

planners to reconsider the

Modernist sway of

architectural practice, and

to perform a more humanist

architecture that belongs to

American traditions.

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Guild House – THE SYMBOLISM OF THE ORDINARY: As Robert Venturi stated ―The pretensions of the ‗giant order‘ on the front,

the symmetrical, palazzo-like composition with its three monumental stories (as well as its six real stories), topped by a piece of

sculpture—or almost sculpture—suggest something of the heroic and original. It is true that in this case the heroic and original

facade is somewhat ironical, but it is this juxtaposition of contrasting symbols—the appliqué of one order of symbols on

another—that constitutes for us the decorated shed. This is what makes Guild House an architect’s decorated shed—not

architecture without architects. — Robert Venturi. from Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown, and Steven Izenour. Learning from Las Vegas. p70.

―The purest decorated shed would be some form of conventional systems-building shelter that corresponds closely to

the space, structure, and program requirements of the architecture, and upon which is laid a contrasting—and if in the

nature of the circumstances, contradictory—decoration. In Guild House the ornamental-symbolic elements are more or

less appliqué: The planes and stripes of white brick are appliqué; the street facade through its disengagement at the top

corners implies its separation from the bulk of the shed at the front. (This quality also implies continuity, and therefore

unity, with the street line of facades of the other older, non-freestanding buildings on each side.) The symbolism of the

decoration happens to be ugly and ordinary with a dash of ironic heroic and original, and the shed is straight

ugly and ordinary, though in its brick and windows it is symbolic too.…”— Robert Venturi. from Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown, and Steven Izenour. Learning from Las Vegas. p70.

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In the world of

architecture, Guild

House is one of the

most famous

buildings of the 20th

century. As John

Farnham, Ph.D., of

the Historical

Commission noted in

his outstanding

nomination essay,

Guild House is not

just an important

example of a style

of architecture, it

defined the

architectural style

of the late 20th

century known as

Post Modernism.

Robert Venturi said, "I had fun doing 'wrong' things with this building. While everyone

else was putting up Corbusian slabs, I wanted this to fit into the existing neighborhood.

I put in an arch, a column, a sign for heaven's sake, and said I know I'm going to

architectural hell. But the client was completely supportive, and the residents, then and

now, love their apartments."

From Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture

by Robert Venturi, © 1966

Venturi designs this building for his mother. The design of the building embodies several “complexities and

contradictions”: it is both complex and simple, open and closed, big and little; some of its elements are good on one level and bad

on another; its order accommodates the generic elements of the house in general, and the circumstantial elements of a house in

particular. It achieves the difficult unity of a medium number of diverse parts rather than the easy unity of few or many motival parts.

Vanna Venturi House, Philadelphia, PA, 1964, Robert Venturi

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The inside spaces, as represented in plan and section, are complex and distorted in their shapes and interrelationships. They

correspond to the complexities inherent in the domestic program as well as to some whimsies not inappropriate to an individual

house. On the other hand, the outside form—as represented by the parapeted wall and the gable roof which enclose these

complexities and distortion—is simple and consistent: it represents this house's public scale. The front, in its conventional

combinations of door, windows, chimney and gable, creates an almost symbolic image of a house.

The contradiction between inside and outside, however, is not total: inside, the plan as a whole reflects the symmetrical

consistency of the outside; outside, the perforations in the elevations reflect the circumstantial distortions within.

Concerning the inside, the plan is originally symmetrical with a central vertical core from which radiate two almost

symmetrical diagonal walls that separate two end spaces in front from a major central space in back. This almost Palladian

rigidity and symmetry is distorted, however, to accommodate to the particular needs of the spaces: the kitchen on the right,

for instance, varies from the bedroom on the left.

A more violent kind of

accommodation occurs

within the central core

itself. Two vertical

elements — the fireplace-

chimney and the stair —

compete, as it were, for

central position. And each

of these elements, one

essentially solid, the other

essentially void,

compromises in its shape

and position — that is,

inflects toward the other to

make a unity of the duality

of the central core they

constitute. On one side the

fireplace distorts in shape

and moves over a little, as

does its chimney; on the

other side the stair

suddenly constricts its

width and distorts its path

because of the chimney..

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The architectural complexities and distortions inside are reflected on the outside. The varying locations and sizes and shapes of the

windows and perforations on the outside walls, as well as the off-center location of the chimney, contradict the overall symmetry of

the outside form: the windows are balanced on each side of the dominating entrance opening and chimney-clerestory element in the

front, and the lunette window in the back, but they are asymmetrical. The protrusions above and beyond the rigid outside walls also

reflect the complexity inside. The walls in front and back are parapeted to emphasize their role as screens behind which these inner

intricacies can protrude. Indentations of the windows and porch on the sides at all but one of the corners, increase the screen like

quality of the front and back wails in the same way as the parapets do at their tops.

National Gallery London Sainsbury Wing,

Robert Venturi,1991

Built on the last open space on Trafalgar

Square, the Sainsbury Wing houses one of the

world‘s greatest and most visited collections of

early Italian and Northern Renaissance

paintings. Stylistically, the Wing is designed to

connect to and reflect William Wilkins‘ 1838

National Gallery building while maintaining

its own identity as a work of contemporary

architecture. It’s constructed of the same

Portland limestone and observes the

cornice height of the original. Elements

from the Wilkins facade are replicated on

the new building, but used in innovative and

unexpected ways alongside contrasting

elements -- for example, large square-cut

openings and small metal columns -- to

create new rhythms and harmonies.

The Sainsbury Wing contains a new and more

generous entry that provides grade access to

the entire National Gallery. This ground-level

entrance is not only accessible to all people

but, in contrast to the original structure,

appears accessible -- an important

consideration as museums reach out to ever

more diverse audiences.

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National Gallery London Sainsbury Wing,

Robert Venturi,1991

Site Plan of National Gallery London and Sainsbury Wing,

Robert Venturi,1991

VSBA placed first in an international invited

competition for design of the Sainsbury

Wing after a previous design was

abandoned at the urging of the Prince of

Wales. As prime architect, VSBA provided

architectural design, programming, interior

design, and construction documents in

metric.

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In contrast with the rich ornamentation of the main building, the

galleries in the Sainsbury Wing are pared-down and intimate, to suit

the smaller scale of many of the paintings. The main inspirations for

these rooms are Sir John Soane's toplit galleries for the Dulwich

Picture Gallery and the church interiors of Filippo Brunelleschi (the

stone dressing is in pietra serena, the grey stone local to Florence).

HISTORICAL REFERENCE 1:

the church interiors of Filippo Brunelleschi

Galleries of National Gallery London

Sainsbury Wing,

Robert Venturi, 1991

HISTORICAL REFERENCE 2:

Sir John Soane's toplit galleries for the Dulwich

Picture Gallery

The northernmost galleries align with Barry's central axis, so that there is a single vista down the whole length of

the Gallery. This axis is exaggerated by the use of false perspective, as the columns flanking each opening

gradually diminish in size until the visitor reaches the focal point of (as of 2009), an altarpiece by Cima of The

Incredulity of St Thomas. Venturi's postmodernist approach to architecture is in full evidence at the Sainsbury Wing,

with its stylistic quotations from buildings as disparate as the clubhouses on Pall Mall, the Scala Regia in the

Vatican, Victorian warehouses and Ancient Egyptian temples.

Plan of National Gallery

London ,Sainsbury Wing,

Robert Venturi, 1991

The Incredulity of St

Thomas by Cima

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Seattle Art Museum,

Seattle, Washington,

Robert Venturi,1991

Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington,

Robert Venturi,1991

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The unique columns and capitals,

Seattle Art Museum,

Seattle, Washington,

Robert Venturi,1991

Base of wall of granite,

sandstone and bluestone: Like

other "Pop"-influenced buildings

of Venturis, this museum uses

colorful decorative elements to

enliven the facade.

Terra cotta framed arches:

The use of polychrome framing

elements is contextual, reminding

the viewer that buildings in

Seattle's historic district had terra

cotta elements.

Inside, a wide stone stair mimicking the

outdoor terracing also connects the First

and Second Avenue entrances. Rising

gradually, with sculpture on each landing,

the stair is a many-leveled room and cafe

as well as a route to the galleries.

The main lobby is located at the First Avenue

entrance, and the ground level includes

information and orientation functions,

classrooms, the museum shop, an auditorium,

and an enclosed loading area. At the stair‘s

midlevel, a broad landing opens onto a

mezzanine restaurant and the terrace

outdoors; for banquets and receptions, the

dining area can be extended onto the landing

and outside. The second-floor level holds the

lobby and admission desk for the Second

Avenue entrance, as well as a large flexible

gallery for traveling exhibitions. The third and

fourth floors contain varied and flexible

permanent galleries. Visitor circulation is

defined by a progression of columns and large

windows at each end of the building

connecting viewers to the outside world. Each

floor also contains classrooms placed near

relevant art exhibitions. The fifth floor holds

administrative offices, a conservation

laboratory, and a library.

Wide indoor staircase

Like the south wall of the exterior,

this interior south wall echoes it

with a processional staircase. The

staircase leads from the entrance

lobby to the second floor galleries.

Sculptures of Chinese military

figures and animals decorate it at

intervals. Above the wide staircase,

polychromed decorative arches

enliven the way.

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Interior of Seattle Art Museum, Seattle,

Washington, Robert Venturi,1991

The "Art Ladder": the main staircase of the 1991

Venturi building, now integrated into the

expanded SAM as a free public space.

view of entrance lobby

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These are sketches for a series of imaginary houses, with a program

for a minimal vacation bungalow, livingdining, bedroom, and bath.

This is a theoretical exercise on the idea of the decorated front and

the ordinary or ―Mary-Anne‖ behind. Style and function are juxtaposed

rather than distorted; the styles are applied to the front while plan,

section, and the other three elevations remain constant.

ECLECTIC HOUSE PROJECT

Architects: Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, Inc.

Completion: 1977 (design sketches)

PHILIP JOHNSONAmerican architect, critic and collector. The son of a

well-to-do lawyer, he early displayed a keen natural

intelligence that was diligently cultivated by his mother.

He enrolled as an undergraduate at Harvard

University, Cambridge, MA, in 1923. A restless nature

drew him successively to disciplines as diverse as

music, the classics and philosophy, while emotional

turmoil led to several breakdowns that delayed his

graduation until 1930. By then, however, he had

developed a close friendship with the young art

historian Alfred H. Barr Jr., who in 1929 assumed the

directorship of the new Museum of Modern Art in New

York. At about the same time Johnson met another art

historian, Henry-Russell Hitchcock, whose article on J.

J. P. Oud (‗The Architectural Work of J. J. P. Oud‘, The

Arts, xiii/2 (Feb 1928), pp. 97–103) had suddenly

focused Johnson‘s scattered mental energies on

architecture and, more specifically, on modern

European architecture of the 1920s.

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In 1930 Johnson and Hitchcock toured

Europe, studying the work of the

architectural avant-garde. On his return

Johnson, appointed by Barr and assisted

by both Barr and Hitchcock, organized the

epoch-making Modern Architecture:

International Exhibition, which opened at

MOMA in 1932. The show effectively

introduced to the American public the

work of Walter Gropius, Le Corbusier,

Mies van der Rohe and Oud, together with

that of other selected architects from

around the world. The name International

Style, which became associated with the

exhibited work, can be traced to several

independent sources, but its place in the

contemporary vocabulary is traceable

chiefly to the title of a book, The

International Style by Johnson and

Hitchcock, that accompanied the MOMA

exhibition. Both exhibition and book

advanced the concept that early modern

architecture, especially in Europe in the

1920s, had qualities in common that

suggested a style global in its reach.

Johnson and Hitchcock emphasized the

formal and aesthetic value of these

qualities, while ignoring the social and

political dimensions of the architecture in

which they were embodied.

It is no wonder Philip Johnson’s favorite quote

comes from Heraclitus: “Everything floats and

nothing abides; everything gives way and

nothing stays fixed.” his own identity as an

architect has been protean for sixty-five years.

At the center of the major movement in

architecture since he burst on the scene

championing the International Style in 1932,

Philip Johnson (b.1906) morphed from a

Modernist to a Post-Modernist to a Decon

dilettante and, most recently, a member of the

architecture-as-sculpture school.

―You know I‘m a whore,‖ this expert self-promoter has repeatedly

acknowledged, adding, ―I‘d work for the devil himself‖ in a 1973 interview. ―I

do not believe in principles, in case you haven‘t noticed,‖ he said at a 1982

conference. Often hired as a ―signature‖ architect to give a cachet of

prestige to his commercial commissions, Johnson has no true signature

other than his allegiance to trendiness.

At first he was a passionate disciple of Mies van der Rohe,

even joking his name was Mies van der Johnson. Working as

his idol’s assistant, Johnson designed interiors for the

milestone Seagram Building. In his Glass House, Johnson

created the ultimate sleek Modernist box, achieving Mies’s

goal of “almost nothing.”

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The Glass House or

Johnson house, built in

1949 in New Canaan,

Connecticut, was designed

by Philip Johnson as his own

residence and is a

masterpiece in the use of

glass. It was an important

and influential project for

Johnson and his associate

Richard Foster, and for

modern architecture. The

building is an essay in

minimal structure, geometry,

proportion, and the effects of

transparency and reflection.

The estate includes other

buildings designed by

Johnson that span his

career.

A model of the Glass House

on display at MOMA in NYC

Derived from Mies van der Rohe‘s Farnsworth House (1946–51) at Plano, IL, but more classical in plan, the Glass

House attests to Johnson‘s naturally critical turn of mind and his preoccupation with history. In an article written in

1950 for the Architectural Review, he listed the influences behind the Glass House, which included not only Mies

van der Rohe but also Le Corbusier, Claude-Nicolas Ledoux, Kazimir Malevich, Karl Friedrich Schinkel and the De

Stijl movement.

Interior view: Mies van der Rohe had designed the couch for Philip Johnson‘s New York apartment back in the

early 1930s, and the chairs for German Pavillion at the Barcelona International Exhibition of 1929.

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In the early 1950s Johnson‘s work veered sharply

away from the manner of Mies van der Rohe. His

own work of the 1950s and 1960s was marked by

a dizzying, eclectic variety of styles underpinned by

a steadfast commitment to a formalist aesthetic. A

notable completed building from the period is the

monumentally classicist New York State Theater

(1964; with Richard Foster) within the Lincoln

Center, New York.

Interior, as seen from the stage,

Lincoln Center, New York

The David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center

The David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln

Center, seen from the Lincoln Center Plaza.

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Promenade

Johnson is best known for his Post-Modern structures,

like AT&T (now Sony) building. This granite clad

skyscraper sounded the death knell for minimalist

glass boxes. With its Classical loggia at the base and

Chippendale top, it certified the marketibility of Post-

Modernism.

It borrows elements and references from the past

and reintroduces symbolism to architecture.

Philip Johnson's Sony Building (originally AT&T

Building) in New York City, 1984.

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The AT&T Building in Manhattan,

now the Sony Building, was

completed in 1984 and was

immediately controversial for its

neo-Georgian pediment

(Chippendale top). At the time, it

was seen as provocation on a

grand scale: crowning a

Manhattan skyscraper with a

shape echoing a historical

wardrobe top defied every

precept of the modernist

aesthetic: historical pattern had

been effectively outlawed among

architects for years. In retrospect

other critics have seen the AT&T

Building as the first

Postmodernist statement,

necessary in the context of

modernism's aesthetic cul-de-

sac.

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JAMES STIRLING

James Stirling (1926-1992) began as a Brutalist and

High-Tech exponent. Without loosing his techno flair,

Stirling dallied with Po-Mo design, juicing up his

buildings from the 1970s onward with a range of

historic references. Enlivened by bright colors and

undulating walls, Stirling‘s work is both monumental

and casual.

Called ―Big Jim‖ for his physical girth as well as

his prominence in architecture of the 1980s,

Stirling never wanted to be a pigeonholed. ―I,

for one, welcome the passing of the

revolutionary phase of Modern Movement,‖ he

said. ―Architects have always looked back in

order to move forward.‖ Diverse elements, like

bright green mullions on windows and a

blatantly Post-Modern arcade behind classical

statues, hold ―an architectural conversation.‖

The resulting mix expresses the conflicting

facades of contemporary urban life.

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No 1 Poultry, 1986, London1 Poultry is an office

and retail building in

London. It was

designed by Stirling

and was completed

after his death by his

architectural partner

Michael Wilford. The

building is one of the

leading postmodern

buildings in London

with use of bold but

perhaps unsubtle forms

and colours.

Staatsgalerie, rear view, James Stirling, Stuttgart,1977

Staatsgalerie, terrace, James Stirling, Stuttgart,1977-8

Stirling‘s masterpiece is his addition to a Stuttgart

museum called Neue Staatsgalerie, a hodgepodge

of High-Tech and Po-Mo. Stripes of polished gold

sandstone and brown travertine and sweeping

ramps unify the vast whole, punctuated by pipe

railings in electric blue and fuchsia. Green framed

windows weave in and out like Borromini‘s Baroque

walls. Stirling called it ―a collage of old and new

elements.”

Stirling believed that architecture could employ

passion. In his buildings, innovative forms and

psychedelic colors convey his intensity yet still relate

to their context.

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Neue Staatsgalerie, ariel view, James Stirling

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