Theme 10 - Architecture & Society

Psychological connotations of a cube, a sphere, and a tetrahedron

Cube - stability and strength

Sphere - movement and continuity

Tetrahedron, unsteadiness and aggressivity

Name of building, architect, place, date

Altes Museum, Schinkel, Berlin, 1830

Main charactersitics of the Altes Museum by Schinkel

1. Neoclassical purity - simple shapes drawing from Ancient Greek forms

2. The building has a horizontal axis instead of a vertical axis like a cathedral - It is oriented towards an open space

3. Façade is a delicate filter of columns - symbol of permeability that invites people in

4. The columns are only on the main façade of the building - emphasises the frontal view and remarks the direction towards the exterior open space

Which building did the Altes Museum inspire?

Crown Hall, Mies van der Rohe, 1940

Differences between the Crown Hall of Mies van der Rohe with the Altes Museum by Schinkel

Altes Museum:

1. Neoclassical style

2. symmetrical monumental, inspired by Greek temples

3. interior: central rotunda, galleries, light-filled spaces

4. public palace for art

Crown Hall:

1. modernist and international style

2. symetrical simple composition

3. open plan column-free interior with suspended roof and steel frame

4. the idea: allow students to see what they are all doing so they can learn from each other

5. radical departure from historical styles by showcasing modern engineering in a pure form

Comparisons between the Crown Hall of Mies van der Rohe with the Altes Museum by Schinkel

1. both have exterior columns - Crown Hall’s columns are made out of steel

2. they both have a plan made with the golden ratio

Name of building, architect, place, date

Jewish Musem, Libeskind, Berlin, 1999

Name the main elements that make up the Jewish Museum by Libeskind

1. Main building

2. Holocaust Tower

3. The Garden of Exile

Main metaphors of the Jewish Museum building by Libeskind

1. zigzag plan - broken star of David (jewish star) symbolising fragmentation and upheaval in Jewish life

2. voids - the voids in the building create dark spaces that represent the absence and loss of Jewish life in Germany

3. angled narrow windows - created harsh dramatic light that shows fragmentation in the Jewish community

4. materials - raw concrete, zinc cladding, and exposed steel create an unsettling atmosphere

Main metaphors of the Jewish Museum Holocaust Tower by Libeskind

1. materials - concrete for a brutalist and cold feel

2. height and emptiness - narrow, unheated, completely empty vertical space

3. access - entered through a heavy steel door, making users feel trapped

4. emotional impact - designed to evoke feelings of distress, isolation, fear, and the profound absence of life

Main metaphors of the Jewish Museum Garden of Exile by Libeskind

1. 49 concrete pillars - imposing, unevenly spaced columns represent instability and displacement of exile

2. slanted ground - it disrupts the user’s sense of balance, creating a sense of dizziness and disorientation, mirroring the loss of stability faced by those in exile

3. olive trees - these grow on top of the pillars, symbolising hope and peace

4. axis of exile - the graden is accessed through an underground path - connecting it to the broader narrative of forced migration

During which dates did Art Nouveau take place?

1880 to 1910

Where did Art Nouveau first emerge?

England

What does the name “Art Nouveau” suggest that the movement does?

“new art” means it moves away from historic styles

Name the 4 main characteristics of Art Nouveau (general movement)

1. organic shapes - clear inspiration from nature (not rigid structures like in the past)

2. undulating assymmetrical line - suggesting movement or energy

3. total art - coordination of architecture, furniture, decor, and everyday objects

4. decorative elements - stained glass, mosaics, ornate metalwork

5. art of the industrial bourgeoisie - new class wanted a new art movement to represent them

Name 6 main characteristics of Art Nouveau in architecture

1. linear accent

2. use of wrought iron + stone-brick walls

3. use of many materials such as stone, iron, wood, ceramic, glass

4. variety of colours

5. inside: stylistic unity / outside: merge arch + nature

6. naturalist themes - specifically flowers and the feminine figure

7. flowing curves - movement, organic sense capable of transmitting feelings of optimism, lightness, elasticity - leitmotiv

Name the 2 main trends in Art Nouveau architecture

1. concave-convex shapes

2. geometric shapes

Name 3 architects that use concave-convex shapes

1. Horta

2. Van de Velde

3. Gaudí

Name 3 architects that use geometric shapes

1. Wagner

2. Mackintosh

3. early works of Wright

Name of building, architect, place, when built

Tassel House, Horta, Brussels, 1893

3 Main characteristics of the Tassel House

1. central light well brings light deep into the house

2. organic forms - nature-inspired, sinuous curves dominate the iron railings, mosaic floors, wall designs

3. open plan - allows rooms to flow into each other and maximises light

Name of building, architect, place, when built, fusion of two movements

Karlsplatz station, Wagner, Vienna, 1899, neoclassisicm + art nouveau

Main characteristics of the Karlsplatz station by Wagner

1. colours and materials - vibrant apple-green steel frameworks, white marble walls, gold leaf, and sunflower designs

2. fusion of practical transport needs with aesthetic appeal

3. neoclassical style and art nouveau - imperial waiting room yet pavillions with flowing lines and organic patterns of art nouveau