tech

niq

ue

Salk InstituteLouis I. Kahn

Andrew PunEVDA 621

October 18, 2011

...the assumption is of order as a rigorous delineation and within that the building as object. So the external boundary is set, and by grid and sub-grid a method of exact subdivisions begins...

Cecil Balmond in New Structure and the Informal"

“

After reading this article, I wanted to explore the Kahn’s technique of Order at the Salk Institute in plan view. I began with a regular grid 6.0 x 6.0 m grid and then began transforming it based on a hierarchy of spaces and Kahn’s notion of served and service spaces. The intention was to see whether or not an overall sense of Order could still be achieved based on an irregular grid system.

......ttthhheeeeeee aaasssssuuummmpppttiiooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnn iiisssssssssssss ooooooooffffffffffff oooooooorrrrrrrrrrddddddeeerrr aaasss aaaa rrrrrrrrriiiiiiigggggggggggggoorroouuusss ddddddddeeelliinnnnnnnneeeaaaaattttttttiiiooonnn aaannnndd wwwwwwwwwiiiiiiiiitttttttthhhhhhhhhhiiinnnnnn ttthhhaaattt tthhhee bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbuuuuuuuuuuuuiiiiiiiillldddiiinnngg aaaasss ooobbbbbbbbjjjeeecccttt. SSSSSSSooo tthhheee eeexxxttttteeerrrnnaal bbooounddaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrryyyyyy iiisss sssssssseeeettt,, aaannndd bbbyyyyyy gggrriiddd aaanndd sssuuubbb--gggrriiidddd aaa mmmeeeeeeeeeeettttttttthhhhhhooooooodddddd ooofffffff eeexxxaacccttt ssssuubbddiiiivviiiisssiiiooooonnnsss bbbeeeggggggiiiinnnnsss...........

CeCeCecicicil l l BaBaalmlml onono d d inninnnnnnnnn N N ewewew S S Strtrucuctututurerere aa andnd tt theheh I IInfnfnforororo mamam ll

Affteeeteeeer r rr rerereeadadadaddddinininnininng g g gggg ththhhhhthis aartrtticicici le, I I wanted to exe plore eeeee the Kahn’s technhh ique of OrOrOrOrOrOrOrdedededededeeddd rrr r r r atatatatatata t t t tttheheheheheehe S S SS S SSSSalaaaaa k kkkk InInnnnststss itttututtu e eeee ini plan viewwwwwww. I bebbbbbb gan with a regular grid 6.6.0 000x x x xxx xx 6.6.6.6.66.6.666 0 00 00 0 m m mm mmm grgrgrgggrrgg ididdid a aaa aaandndndndndndnddd t t t ttt theheheheheheheeh n n bebebebeebebebeb gagaag n n n trannnnnsfsfororooorormimmm ng it based on a hierarchyhyyyyyy of fffspspspspspspspsspacacacacacacacacesesesesesesesese a a aa a a a andndndndndnndndndndd K K K K K KKK K KK ahahahahahahahahahahhahhn’n’n’n’n’n’n’nn s s s s s ss s s s nonononononononn titititititititionononononooonon o oooooo of ff f fff seseseseseseseeervrvrvrvrvrvrvrvrvrvededededededededede a a a a aa aa aaandndndndnndnd service spaces. The intention wawawawawawawawawwaaas s ss s sss tototototottotoo s ssssss eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee wwww wwwwwwhehehehehehehehheheththththththththhthereererererreerere oooooo o orrr r rrrr nononononononononoon ttttt tt t ananananananaananananan o ooo o oooovevevevevevevevevv rararrararararararar llllllllll sssssssssseneneneee sese oooof f Ordeer r cocccccoococoulululuulld d d ddddd stststsstilili l be aacacacacacachihihihhihiievevevvvvededddedd bbbasasasasssedededede oooo oooooooon n n n n anananannanananana i i iii i i irrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrregegegegegegegegegulululululululuuu arararararaaararaar g g g g g gg g gg iriririririr dddd d d dddddd sysysysysysysysysysystststststststtststeememememememememe .

Architecture is an art because it is in-terested not only in the original need for shelter but also in putting together, spaces and materials, in a meaningful manner. This occurs through formal and actual joints. The joint, that is the fertile detail, is the place where both the construction and the construing of architecture takes place...

The Tell-the-Tale Detail by Frascari in Kenneth Frampton’s

The Case for the Tectonic

"

“

Kahn was especially interested in the joint and paid careful attention in the details to reiterate broader concepts and ideas of his works. Steele notes that rather than trying to conceal the joint, Kahn chose to accentuate and that the holes left by the form ties were not patched so the spacing was care-fully considered. The intention of these diagrams is to see what the building may have looked like if the treatment of the form-ties and spacing wereconsidered differently.

no form-ties

spacing for 9 form ties

spacing for 5 form ties

This diagram illustrates how the building may have been constructed (based on a detail drawing found in The Details of Modern Architecture by Ford) As suggested by Tafuri, much of the modernism move-ment began exploring mass assembly and a “kit of parts” approach towards architecture. After doing this exercise, it is evident that Kahn was unlike most architects of his time and thought of buildings differently through methods of construction.

Formwork Materials List

• 3/4” x 3/4” tapered wood strip inserted at joint between pours

• two 2x6 beams to counteract pressure of wet concrete

• screw type form ties• 3/4” plywood formwork• 4x4 structural wood support

...the single building is no longer an “object” now. It is only the place in which the individual cells, through elementary assembly, assume physical form...

M. TafuriTowards a Critique of Architectural Ideology

"

“

How was the Salk Institute understood in the past and how is it un-derstood today? Various forms of media have given meaning to the building. The purpose of this diagram is to see what types of media and methods of communication have influenced our undertstanding of the building, and what methods of communication continue to give meaning to the building today.

Rapidly, we approach the final phase of the extensions of man – the tech-nological simulation of conscious-ness, when the creative process of knowing will be collectively and cor-porately extended to the whole of hu-man society, much as we have already extended our senses and our nerves by the various media.

M. MacLuhan Understandsing Media"

“

19959-11199999999996555555connstrs uctu ion965965

pre-coonsts rucuctionto 1999999955555999to 1959

psot-constructictiono1966-- PPPresentpsot constructioot constructio

works cited

1. Steele, J. (1993). Architecture in Detail: Salk Institute. London, UK: Phaidon Press Limited.

2. Cecil Balmond, “New Structure and the Informal”, in Pierluigi Nicolin, ed. Lotus International 98, 1998,

pp. 70-83

3. Kenneth Frampton, “Rappel a L’ordre, the Case for the Tectonic”, in Kate Nesbitt, ed. Theorizing a

New Agenda for Architecture, 1996.

4. M. Tafuri, “Toward a Critique of Architectural Ideology, in K.M. Hays, ed., Architecture and Theory

since 1968, MIT Press, 2000.

5. Marshall McLuhan, “Understanding Media”, in E. McLuhan and F. Zingrone, eds., Essential McLu-

han, Anansi, 1995.