THE EAMES HOUSE case s tudy house # 8

Patricia Villafane

ABOUT case study house program + the Eames

CASE STUDY

PROGRAM

FORMAL APPEARANCE

SPATIAL QUALITIES

HOW ITS MADE Structural + materials + sustainability

DESIGN ANALYSIS

CONCLUSION

TAB

LE OF C

ON

TENTS

23 case study houses were developed. Case Study House 8, the Eames House, is considered to be the most innovated of these design

CASE STUDY

Post World War II, the US was facing a housing crisis.

John Entenza, editor of Art’s and Architecture, created the Case Study House Program. Designers were invited to design prefabricated, modern homes able to be reproduced.

THE

EAMES Charles and Ray married in 1941 and began their career as innovators in toys, films, furniture design, industrial design, and architecture. In 1949, they designed and built the Eames House.

Their design was embraces their ideas of playful discipline. It is a modern design brought to life through photographs and films, disclosing the Eames’s private life and how they lived in the space.

Case StudyThe Eames designed this house for a couple working in graphic arts and to be a backdrop for “life in work”. The Eames House design merges with the landscape, preserving its natural site and creating spaces where nature coexists with the interior space.

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PROGRAMThe Eames House is divided so the larger building makes up the residential space and the smaller building makes the studio space

Upon entering the residential building, a narrow hallway leads to 3 spaces. The kitchen, the upstairs bedroom, and the living room. The kitchen and bedroom are smaller rooms with sliding doors that designate spaces. The living room is the focal point of the residence, the large area extending from the floor to the roof.

Separating the two buildings is a courtyard. It is an exterior continuation of the living room.Mirroring the living space is the studio in the adjacent building. The studio is two stories high as well and the glass walls allow an uninterrupted view of the meadow

The Eames house is a long, rectangular form broken down into two large volumes separated by an exterior void. The repetition within the grid like, steel beam structure breaks up the form rhythmically and brings a sense of unity to both volumes. The black steel beam is contrasted by primary colored panels, wired, translucent, and transparent glass. These different materials interrupt the rhythm of the structure.

FORMAL A

PP

EAR

ENC

EDe Stijl is an abstract art movement envisioning harmony and order by using basic visual elements of geometric form and primary colors.

In this project spaces are meant to be flexible. This is achieved through the use of material and altering the definition of spaces. In the interior spaces, sliding doors are used to designated specific programs. the kitchen can be separated into three utility spaces. Similarly, sliding doors are used in the bedroom. The bedroom overlooks the living room, becoming a part of this public space. Sliding doors can define a more private space.

The Eames house is a continuation of spaces, through private and public or exterior and interior. Large windows and the wood interior bring the quality of the natural site into the interior space. The thin steel frame does not interrupt the site and colored glass allows different lights to filter through along with natural light These qualities allow the space to flow from the living space, to the exterior courtyard and through the studio.

SPATIAL QUALITIES

STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS

MATERIALS

SUSTAINABILITY MADE ITS HOW

The structure is a prefabri-

cated, exposed steel struc-

ture including h columns

and web joists.

The thin black steel bars

contrast the natural site,

yet allows for a light quali-

ty of the spaces

A 200 feet concrete retain-

ing wall extends on either

side of the masses and is

visible from the patio.

STRUCTU

RAL system

s

The Eames house is one of the few case study houses which uses only prefabricated material. Charles and Ray Eames had an interest in materials with low cost and high quality.

MATERIALS Corrugated decking, colored panels, sliding glass doors,

Exposed steel frame and glass

Wired glass, translucent glass

Originally the Bridge house, the house was elevated above the meadow and faced the ocean. The Eames rotated the house because they realized the bridge house would impose on the site and require many trees to be removed. The Eames house instead runs parallel to the hill, resting on and being integrated into the site. The residence utilizes prefabricated standardized materials, making it more economical. The wood interior and glass panels allows the interior space to be naturally lighted and flow into the exterior space.

is it

Eames Foundation: Eames House

Charles and Ray

History

Case Study House Announcement

Construction Magazine: The Eames House

The Art Story: De Stijl

IMAGES

SOURCES Eames Foundation Photo Gallery

Google Maps

Inhabit

https://socalarchhisto-ry.blogspot.com/2010/02/publications-of-esther-mccoy-patron.html

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/a-look-back-housing-tight-in-st-louis-area-as/