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Can one design
poetry in
t h e a r c h I t e c t u r e of h o u s I n g ?
a brief introduction Louis Sauer Visiting Professor RMIT 26 July 2011
China Two Lions 1957 Cai Gui-Qang
Can one design
poetry in
Can one design
poetry in
t h e a r c h I t e c t u r e of h o u s I n g ?
a brief introduction
Louis Sauer Visiting Professor RMIT 26 July 2011
Architectural
poetry “... is a form of … building art
in which … architecture
is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities
in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning.”
LS edit Wikipedia
If not poetry,
how about architectural
music ?
Architectural
music … is an art form whose medium is…
a building’s solids, voids and texture. Common elements are … rhythm
and its associated concepts tempo, meter, and articulation …
LS edit Wikipedia
Architectural
building ELEMENTS
consist of the spatial elements :
- solids
- shapes
- voids
- textures
- colors
- space
.
The architectural element of
S P A C E
may have 2 or 3 dimensions.
It refers to the distances, areas, volumes
between, around or within the components of a piece
. Wikipedia
There are two types of s p a c e , positive and negative.
.
Wikipedia
Positive space
refers to the space of a form representing the subject matter.
Negative space
refers to the space around and between the subject matter.
Wikipedia
solid & void spaces
Casa das Histórias Paula Rego, Cascais, Portugal, Eduardo Souto de Moura, Architect. House for Elderly People, Alcacer do Sal, Portugal, Aires Mateus Arquitectos
photography by Fernando Guerra on Dezeen
textures & colors
textures, colours, solids & voids
Washington D.C. Suman Sorg, Architect
- Solids
- Shapes
- Textures
- Colors
- Space
are arranged in geometric patterns and rhythms
to express a feeling, an idea, concept,
a belief.
I’ll just talk briefly about a few.
Minimalism
Timeline
Shared architectural
ideas & beliefs
become
‘styles’
The creation, performance, significance,
and even the definition of
architectural poetry and musical styles
vary according to culture and social context.
LS edit Wikipedia
Here are two 20th century architects
known for their art of architectural poetry
who created houses
with similar planes projecting into space.
The Robie House 1908-09
Chicago, Illinois Frank Lloyd Wright, Architect
Farnsworth House 1946 -51
Fox River, Illinois Mies van der Rohe, Architect
These designs
have a similar quality
of planes projecting
into space but
their meanings
are
very different
Modern Minimalist
Prairie Style
Prairie Style The Robie House, Chicago Illinois Frank Lloyd Wright, Architect
To Wright, all is specific.
The home is caught between the earth and the sky.
The earth represents life’s mortality and the sky represents the unknown forever.
The roof appears a captured horizon to harbor the space below, anchored by solids, a specific place
It protects life from the unknowable infinity.
1946 -51 Farnsworth House Plano, Illinois Mies van der Rohe, Architect
In contrast to Wright, Mies believes everything is universal.
The roof and floor planes extend into the landscape.
Mies believes the outside has the same meaning as the inside – that all physical and non-physical forms are spiritually joined in absolute truth.
Perceived difference is ephemeral. All places are the same.
Mies’ truth
- during the early 20th century group of leading artists and architects,
such as Modrian, von Doesburg, Rietveld and Mies,
held strong beliefs in the spiritual beliefs of Theosophy.
“Theosophy presents a world view
that emphasizes the unity and interconnectedness of all life,
the basic oneness of all species on earth and of all peoples.”
Adyar Bookshop
The unity of interiors and exteriors
Mies’s belief is clear in his plan for his 1924 Brick Country House.-
Brick Country House 1924 Mies van der Rohe
Mies and Wright are an example
of how different beliefs can exist in the same century.
They give different meanings to similar forms.
Another example of how architectural form conveys meaning, is how a culture differentiates the front of buildings
from the backs of buildings.
Backs and fronts have strongly different social meanings.
The Royal Crescent, 1767-74 Bath England, John Wood the Younger, Architect
Backs are utilitarian,
private, functionally contingent and display a lack of organizational cohesion
Fronts are pubic, formal
and designed for a ordered ‘beauty’
rather than utility
These front facades display a high degree of repetitive organizational formality.
They could have been designed only in a culture whose values were strongly accepted
by both of the residents and their government
The Royal Crescent, Bath, England, John Wood the Younger, Architect
In contrast to the architectural differences of the front and back another culture believed all sides of a building
should display a common aesthetic – the same appearance.
In the ‘neo-classical’ architectural culture,
all utilitarian and/or private functions were minimalized except the entry and its steps
so that all sides could be a ‘public front’.
Neoclassical 1st Floor Plan Villa Rotunda 1567 Vicenza, Italy Andréa Palladio, Architect
With all sides of the building presenting a symmetrical ‘front’ to the outside, this diminishes the
importance of any private functions.
Public life is more important than private life.
Villa Rotunda 1567 Vicenza, Italy Andréa Palladio, Architect
The Entry Facade The Other Facades
20th Century Suburban USA Ranch Style
In startling contrast,
the facade design of the suburban house clearly expresses utility and function. One can easily read (understand) the place for the car, the entrance, the living room and a bath room.
This culture believes that private life is more important than the public life.
Again a contrast, in 16th century Amsterdam ..
16th Century Canal Houses in Amsterdam All individual buildings belong to a family of facade designs. These buildings show facades within an overall design discipline but with individual variations.
Once again, we understand this was a culture where the public had a stronger authority over private life – but, it is clear that individual families strived for a unique identity within the community..
The design variations at the street and
cornice levels, in an otherwise almost
identical fenestration, indicate that the
building owners’ desire individual
recognition by the community.
“Vernacular architecture is a term used to categorize methods of construction
which use locally available resources and traditions
to address local needs and circumstances.”
Wikipedia
Contemporary Vernacular AC du Grand Large-Neptune 2010 Dunkirk, France Nicolas Michelin & Associates Architects
Before the owners moved in After 0wnership
Modern transformed by Vernacular Low-income Social Housing Quinta Monroy 2003 Iquique, Chile Elemental Architects
Designed for change Transformed by the residents
Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design
where the work is stripped down to its most fundamental features.
Wikipedia
De Stijl & Bauhaus artists are a major source of reference for minimalistic work.
They expanded the ideas that could be expressed
by using basic elements such as lines and planes organized in very particular manners.
Wikipedia
Light and Space, Laszlo Moholy Nagy Contra Construction Project 1923, Von Doesburg Arithmetic Composition, 1930, van Doesburg
Konstruktion 1927 Hannes Meyer
Minimalism
Points 2006 Robert Ryman
Free Ride 2007 Tony Smith
Minimalism
The Center Court, Salk Research Center, Palo Alto California, Louis Kahn, Architect
Minimalism
Front Facade Azuma House, Osaka, Tadao Ando, Architect
Minimalism
Courtyard
3.2 x 12.8 m 65 m2 Azuma House , Tadao Ando, Architect
Cherokee Lofts 2007 Los Angeles, Pugh & Scarpa Architects
Minimalism
Moriyama House Tokyo, Ryue Nishizawa, Architect
Minimalism
Villers Road 2008 London England Peter Barber, Architect
Minimalism
In contrast
Nude Number 2 1912 Marcel Duchamp
Futurism, Italy
Russian Constructivism Komposition 8 1923 Wassily Kandinsky
Ray and Maria Stata Center MIT, Cambridge USA 2004 Frank Gehry, Architect
Deconstruction, USA
What happened ? new values
a new way of understanding life .
a new style
The Deconstruction Style
“… is the expression of the uncanny.
… the need for an architecture of
"discomfort and the unbalancing of
expectations" Tschumi 1977
a mystery - form contradicts function.
“The Deconstruction style is linked to Postmodernism which in turn is linked to nonsense
… Nonsense is an early 20th Century literary technique,
which employs enlightening witticisms …
to convey a sense of wistful romantic nostalgia
and pizza within 20 minutes or your money back …
that's got to be your stupidest idea ever.’ Wikapedia
Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center, Las Vegas USA, Frank Gehry, Architect
attitudes, orientations, and underlying assumptions
shape the built environment ”
from Ideas and Beliefs in Architecture and Industrial design
Invar Holm (2006) Oslo School of Architecture and Design
People’s
Here are some examples of my work
Yellow Field 1958 oil on cardboard Louis Sauer
The Garden of Louis Sauer Architect 2005
89A Lawson Avenue, Frankston South, Australia
2nd Street Townhouses 1969
Society Hill , Philadelphia Louis Sauer, architect
The Frankel Houses 1967 Margate NJ
Louis Sauer Architect
1967 The Lenard Frankel House
Margate, New Jersey Louis Sauer Architect
Lounge
Kitchen
1967 The Lenard Frankel House
Margate, New Jersey Louis Sauer Architect
Interior
The Buten House
Philadelphia 1962
Louis Sauer Architect
Courtyard Facade
The Buten House, Philadelphia 1962 Louis Sauer Architect
Interiors Hamilton House 1963 New Hope, PA Louis Sauer, Architect
Courtyard McClennen House 1965
127 Pine Street, Society Hill Philadelphia
Louis Sauer, Architect
Courtyard Living Room
McClennen House, 1965 127 Pine Street, Society Hill Philadelphia, Louis Sauer, Architect
Lounge from the Study
McClennen House 1965
127 Pine Street, Society Hill Philadelphia
Louis Sauer, Architect
