25 Monumentality 024

Monumentality and Architecture

  • Overview of the theme of monumentality in architecture and its criticisms.

Architectural Figures

Josef Albers (1888-1976)

  • Worked on composition in 1950.

  • Featured in Yale University Art Gallery, 1953, New Haven, Connecticut.

Louis Kahn (1901-1974)

  • Noted architect known for monumental architecture.

Quotes by Louis Kahn

  • "If you think of Brick, you say to Brick, 'What do you want, Brick?' And Brick says to you, 'I like an Arch.'... Honor the material you use."

    • Importance of using materials appropriately in architecture.

    • Suggests that each material should have its own voice in the design process.

Architectural Sites

Yale University Art Gallery

  • Designed by Louis Kahn in 1953, New Haven, Connecticut.

Richardson Laboratories

  • Constructed between 1957-1965 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Salk Institute

  • Built from 1959-1965 in La Jolla, California, by Louis Kahn.

Phillips Exeter Academy

  • Library and Dining Hall constructed from 1965-1972 in Exeter, New Hampshire.

Free Sher-e-Bangla Nagar

  • Completed between 1962-1983 in Dhaka, Bangladesh by Louis Kahn.

Kimbell Art Museum

  • Built from 1966-1972 in Fort Worth, Texas, designed by Louis Kahn.

The Yale Center of British Art

  • Completed in 1977, New Haven, Connecticut, by Louis Kahn.

Lincoln Center, New York City

  • David Geffen Hall (1962), David Koch Theater (1964), Metropolitan Opera House (1966).

TWA Flight Center, JFK Airport

  • Designed by Eero Saarinen (1959-1962) in New York City.

Yale Art and Architecture Building

  • Completed in 1963, New Haven, Connecticut, designed by Paul Rudolf.

Boston City Hall

  • Constructed in 1968 in Boston, Massachusetts by Kallmann, McKinnell, Knowles.

Team X

  • Dissenting group in CIAM, notable meeting in Otterlo, The Netherlands, 1959.

Alison and Peter Smithson

  • Major figures in British architecture, known for their work during the 1950s.

  • Projects included:

    • Hunstanton School (1949-1954)

    • Golden Lane Housing (1952)

    • Robin Hood Gardens (1966-1972)

The Smithsons' Exhibition

  • "Parallel of Life and Art," 1953, at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), London.

Nicholas Pevsner's Quote

  • “A bicycle shed is a building; Lincoln Cathedral is a piece of architecture.”

    • Contrast between functionalism and artistic architecture.

Architectural Innovations

Axonometric Views

  • View of library layouts, showing functions like book stacks and student flow discussed.

Recent Architectural Developments

University of East Anglia, Student Housing

  • Built from 1962-1968 in Norwich, England by Denys Lasdun.

Royal National Theatre

  • Designed between 1967-1976 in London.

Archigram Group

  • Active from 1961-1974, focused on avant-garde architecture and urban settings.

Key Projects

  • The Walking City (1964) by Ron Herron.

  • Plug-In City (1964) by Peter Cook.

Engineering Building, University of Leicester

  • Completed in 1963, designed by James Stirling and James Gowan.

History Faculty Library, University of Cambridge

  • Built in 1968, illustrating modern library design concepts.