870 1 casabella 870 1996–2016 indici nuova edizione indices 632–869 new edition

FEBBRAIO 2017 in consultazione esclusiva su: available for reference only at: casabellaweb.eu

3—12 33—51 76—89 Metro + Massimo tre case. Gordon Bunshaft Bottura 34 In cinque puntate le opere Refettorio Gastromotiva, Morana+Rao del progettista che ha portato Rio de Janeiro, Brasile Casa sull’altopiano ibleo, a SOM il Pritzker Prize a cura di Chiara Baglione 5 Noto, Italia L’uso intelligente e colto della 34 77 semplicità unisce anche i cuochi Abitare il paesaggio Gordon Bunshaft 1909–1990 migliori e gli architetti più bravi Massimo Ferrari Nicholas Adams Francesco Dal Co 38 83 Gordon Bunshaft 6 Shinichi Ogawa 1/5 Restituire dignità S Gallery & Residence, Giappone Massimo Bottura Il padiglione del Venezuela 38 all’Esposizione Universale Un piano di appoggio, un di del 1939 piano per proteggerlo: ciò Nicholas Adams 13—32 che non si può eliminare due modi in una casa di interpretare Massimo Ferrari 90—93 44 la chiesa. BIBLIOTECA Pedro Domingos 14 90 Casa a Oeiras, Portogallo Elisa Valero Ramos recensioni 44 92 Chiesa di Playa Granada Alla luce di Barragán a Motril, Spagna Dipingere il pensiero. Il lascito Federico Tranfa dell’Umanesimo 15 Verso l’essenziale Alberto Giorgio Cassani Giovanna Crespi 52—67 24 Eduardo Souto 94—97 Boris Podrecca Complesso parrocchiale de Moura ENGLISH TEXTS Pentecoste a Milano Recupero, restauro, 94 ricostruzione English texts 25 Un gioco di colori, luce, 54 ricordi Non sempre la simulazione Jean-Marie Martin è bugia. Il recupero della tenuta São Lourenço do Barrocal Marco Mulazzani

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Gordon Bunshaft, 1909–1990 Nicholas Adams

Il nome di alcuni architetti evoca già un luogo e un’epoca: è sufficiente sentirlo per visualizzarne subito il mondo. L’archi- tetto americano Gordon Bunshaft è uno di questi: quando lo si cita viene subito in mente la New York del dopoguerra che sperimentava l’espressionismo astratto, dominata dalle grandi corporations e immersa nei ritmi del cool jazz. Nella Grande Mela sorsero gli edifici moderni “pelle e ossa” di Gordon Bunshaft: la (1952) e le sedi della Manufacturers Trust Company Bank (1954) e della Chase Manhattan Bank (1961). E quella fu la città in cui visse Bunshaft: 1 un uomo caustico, laconico, brusco, apparentemente a proprio agio sia con i capitani d’industria del —Gordon Bunshaft all’età di circa tempo sia con i sistemi produttivi moderni. Bunshaft lavorava per Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), otto anni —Gordon Bunshaft, ca. aged 8 uno dei principali studi d’architettura dell’epoca. 2 Benché dal 1939 al 1983 abbia firmato ufficialmente solo trentotto edifici, la sua mano è rico- —Gordon Bunshaft all’epoca del noscibile in moltissimi altri progetti1. Bunshaft fu responsabile della progettazione architettonica di Padiglione del Venezuela, «Buffalo SOM dal suo ritorno negli Stati Uniti dopo la guerra fino al 1962 circa, quando altri colleghi (Bruce Courier-Express», 14 maggio 1939 —Gordon Bunshaft at the time of Graham, Walter Netsch, Chuck Bassett) assunsero ruoli di rilievo all’interno dello studio. Tuttavia, la the Venezuela Pavilion, «Buffalo sua influenza si avvertì anche dopo quella data. Fu autore di edifici di tipologie diverse (residenze, Courier-Express», 14 May 1939 biblioteche, fabbriche e musei) realizzati a New York come a New Orleans, Pittsburgh e Gedda e co- 3 struiti nei centri delle città, nei sobborghi o in aperta campagna. Il riconoscimento dell’alta qualità —Gordon Bunshaft, ritratto, 1958 ca. del suo lavoro è attestato dai premi conquistati nel corso della sua carriera, tra cui l’Arnold W. Brun- —Gordon Bunshaft, portrait, ner Memorial Prize dell’American Academy of Arts and Letters (1955), la Gold Medal dell’American ca. 1958 Institute of Architects (1984) e il Premio Pritzker per l’architettura (1988), per il quale, a quanto si rac- conta, si autocandidò. Nato a Buffalo, nello stato di New York, in una famiglia di immigrati relativamente modesta, Bunshaft frequentò il Mas- sachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), dove conseguì la laurea e un master in architettura rispettivamente nel 1933 e nel 19352. Ottenne la Rotch Traveling Scholarship (1935–37) che gli consentì di visitare l’Europa dove ebbe modo di vedere di- versi esempi della nuova architettura. Tornato a New York, iniziò a lavorare per SOM, diventando socio nel 1949 e, fatta ec- cezione per il periodo della guerra (1942–46), rimase nello studio fino al 1979, anno in cui andò in pensione. La sua quaran- tennale carriera si svolse parallelamente alla crescita di SOM: dal primo studio a Chicago (1936) a una partnership con più sedi: quella di New York aprì nel 1937, seguita dagli studi di San Francisco (1947), Portland (1951), Washington (1967), Bo- ston (1971), Los Angeles (1974), Houston (1976) e Denver (1977)3. La formazione al MIT si svolse nell’ambiente relativamente moderno che più tardi avrebbe accolto Alvar Aalto. Bunshaft non era né un gran lettore né un attento studente di storia dell’architettura, e neppure un disegnatore particolarmente do- tato. Come lui stesso riconosceva: «Non sono un intellettuale. Sono solo una persona diretta»4. Le esperienze formative cru- a cura di Chiara Baglione ciali furono legate ai compagni di studio e alla biblioteca. Riferendo una conversazione con uno dei colleghi di Bunshaft al MIT, l’architetto Ambrose Richardson ha fornito un’indicazione utile sul metodo di progettazione che avrebbe adottato in se- guito: «L’uomo mi raccontò: “Gordon era il tipo che se ne andava in giro –e mi sembra ancora di vederlo– a guardare i dise-

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gni degli altri. Non rubava necessariamente la tua idea ma ru- Museum of di New York9. Una volta completato, era diventato il punto di riferimento. E per quanto la sua ar- pena avevamo buttato giù qualche idea, il progettista senior, bava il meglio di ogni progetto”. E quando dico “rubava” cito l’edificio divenne un’attrazione turistica, soprattutto per il si- chitettura fosse più gioiosa e colorata (e solo di rado altret- Paul e io –soprattutto Paul e io– ci consultavamo»14. Come esattamente le sue parole. “Rubava il meglio di ogni progetto, stema di lavaggio delle finestre con un ponteggio mobile. tanto coerente in senso estetico), anche Bunshaft fu etichet- ricordano i colleghi, Weidlinger diventò “un vero collabora- metteva insieme il tutto e vinceva il premio”. Gordon aveva una Dopo la clamorosa accoglienza riservata alla Lever House, tato come “miesiano”12. tore”, una figura di cui il giovanile Bunshaft non aveva avuto straordinaria capacità di selezionare le aziende si misero in fila per richiedere il lavoro di Bunshaft: Sulla scia del Seagram (e dei bisogno fino ad allora.A nche il nuovo linguaggio architetto- 4 gli aspetti migliori di un lavoro»5. la Manufacturers Trust Company Bank (1954), l’Hilton Hotel 7 nuovi edifici di calcestruzzo di Le nico gli si rivelò congeniale; dalla collaborazione con l’inge- —Gordon Bunshaft, Seymour —Gordon Bunshaft, veduta del Bunshaft aveva bisogno dello (1955), la Connecticut General Insurance (1957), la Reynolds H. Knox Jr. e Gordon M. Smith, Corbusier), SOM e Bunshaft cerca- gnere nacquero edifici importanti come la Beinecke Library Pont Neuf, Parigi; acquerello, 1935 direttore della Albright-Knox Art —Gordon Bunshaft, view stimolo degli altri e utilizzava quegli Metal (1958), la Pepsi Cola (1960), la Union Carbide (1960), rono una nuova direzione. Nel gen- (1963), la Banque Lambert (1965) e la sede dell’American Re- Gallery, studiano l’ampliamento of the Pont Neuf, , spunti per valutare diverse alterna- la First City National Bank (1961) e la Chase Manhattan Bank della Albright-Knox Art Gallery di naio del 1958, Nathaniel Owings di- public Insurance Company (1965). watercolor, 1935 tive. Sempre stando ai ricordi di Ri- (1961). Grazie al progetto per la sede della Chase Manhattan Buffalo; New York, 14 dicembre chiarò in un’intervista: «Lo studio non Come capita spesso con le teste coronate, gli ultimi anni 5 chardson, anche in seguito, nell’am- Bank di New York, ancora una volta ottenuto con l’interme- 1961 è fermo allo “standard dell’acciaio da SOM non furono facili. Una nuova generazione di proget- —Gordon Bunshaft, veduta di San —Gordon Bunshaft, Seymour Francesco, Assisi; acquerello, 1936 biente di lavoro: «Gordon ci usava diazione di Owings, Bunshaft e SOM diventarono gli archi- H. Knox, Jr., and Albright-Knox Art inossidabile” come lo chiama la no- tisti acquisì posizioni di potere all’interno dello studio e per —Gordon Bunshaft, view come fossimo mani a sua disposi- tetti di riferimento della famiglia Rockefeller, una delle più Gallery Director Gordon M. Smith stra concorrenza. Ciò che ci interessa quanto le opinioni di Bunshaft fossero pungenti come sem- of San Francesco, Assisi, zione. Era fantastico. Era una sorta di potenti (e ricche) degli Stati Uniti. Nei racconti sulla scelta study addition to the Albright- è la plasticità ed esploriamo tutte le pre, il suo stile non era più in sintonia con i tempi: le pru- watercolor, 1936 Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New 13 piovra. Lui si occupava dell’ideazione delle opere d’arte per il nuovo edificio, venne sottolineato York, 14 December 1961 strade per ottenerla» . SOM assunse denti decisioni collegiali delle aziende misero fine alle ini- 6 10 —Gordon Bunshaft, veduta di del progetto e poi faceva eseguire a il ruolo di Bunshaft . Bunshaft diventò anche l’architetto 8 l’ingegnere di origini ungheresi Paul ziative coraggiose dei capitani d’industria che lo avevano as- Tarragona; sanguigna, 1936 noi giovani bei disegni o qualsiasi al- dell’élite politica e fu incaricato di progettare la Lyndon Bai- —Gordon Bunshaft e Walter Weidlinger (1914–99) per una serie sunto negli anni del dopoguerra. Il crescente disprezzo da —Gordon Bunshaft, view of tra cosa di cui avesse bisogno»6. nes Johnson Memorial Library della University of Texas (1971). Severinghaus, socio dello studio di edifici originali di calcestruzzo a lui manifestato per le torri di uffici («Non sono neppure si- Tarragona, red chalk, 1936 SOM, osservano il plastico del Ciò che contava per Bunshaft Cosa ottenevano i suoi clienti? Innanzitutto, avevano la Convention Center di New York, forma di scatola collocati su piccoli curo che un edificio di uffici sia architettura. In realtà è solo erano l’ampiezza, la varietà e la mol- certezza di un progetto originale e ben studiato. SOM era 1973 piloni di forma piramidale. Per rea- un calcolo matematico, un investimento tridimensionale…») teplicità degli spunti architettonici. celebre per la sua capacità di reinterpretare attività tradizio- —Gordon Bunshaft with SOM lizzare i nuovi edifici anche Bunshaft era frutto di questi cambiamenti15. Gli capitò ancora di in- Partner Walter Severinghaus La Lever House, l’edificio grazie a cui Bunshaft con- nali e ripetitive (come quella bancaria o assicurativa) dando study the model for the New York doveva in qualche modo rinnovarsi. contrare uomini forti convinti che valesse la pena spendere quistò la fama, cambiò la sua vita per sempre. Nathaniel A. loro espressione con edifici originali e sempre degni di at- Convention Center, 1973 Le tecnologie dell’acciaio e del cur- tanto per l’alta qualità dei suoi progetti (per esempio l’im- Owings (1903–84), socio fondatore dello studio, aveva vinto tenzione da parte della stampa. La sede della Manufacturers 9 tain wall di vetro non avevano segreti prenditore immobiliare per il grattacielo al 9 l’incarico con una partita a dadi e aveva fornito il parti della Trust fu presentata sul «New Yorker» e sul «Saturday Eve- —Gordon e Nina Bunshaft con lo per lui, ma il calcestruzzo, che cono- di West 57th Street, 1974), realizzò altri edifici pubblici (LBJ 7 scultore , 1969 “perfetta torre per uffici” che Bunshaft aveva poi sviluppato . ning Post»; l’edificio della Connecticut General Insurance —Gordon and Nina Bunshaft with sceva molto meno, lo obbligava ad Library, 1971; Hirschhorn Museum, 1974) e lavorò per nuovi L’opera ebbe un successo straordinario: la Lever House rap- comparve su riviste come «Time», «Newsweek», «Business the sculptor Isamu Noguchi, 1969 andare coi piedi di piombo. Negli anni uomini potenti all’estero (National Commercial Bank, Gedda, presentava al contempo un imponente simbolo pubblicita- Week» e «Fortune» e sul «Saturday Evening Post». Il grat- Cinquanta Bunshaft era solito riman- 1983; the Hajj Terminal, 1981). Si trattava di costruzioni mo- rio per l’azienda di saponi e prodotti per la pulizia, una solu- tacielo della Chase Manhattan Bank fu pubblicato pratica- dare la consultazione con gli ingegneri fino a quando il pro- numentali e con strutture robuste, astratte e moderniste, zione al problema delle strade buie e sporche della città e mente ovunque11. Più specificamente, i clienti ottenevano getto non fosse in fase piuttosto avanzata. Negli anni Ses- erette a mo’ di baluardo contro le prime manifestazioni di un’opera d’architettura davvero notevole8. Benché la sua co- un’opera architettonica perfettamente in linea con l’estetica santa e Settanta, però, preferiva anticipare il coordinamento postmodernismo. In quel contesto Bunshaft appariva fuori struzione non fosse ancora ultimata, il suo plastico costituì del dopoguerra, improntata all’efficienza e alla modernità con Weidlinger: «Sapevamo di poter fare di tutto con il cal- luogo, un dinosauro proveniente da un altro mondo, un eroe l’elemento centrale della mostra dedicata a SOM allestita al per le quali Mies van der Rohe, grazie al Seagram Building, cestruzzo… ma avevamo bisogno di studiarlo bene. Non ap- nell’epoca degli antieroi, un uomo d’azienda quando anda-

78 Gordon Bunshaft 1/5 casabella 870 79 10 11 oller o / ezra s t ezra / o t es oller o / ezra s t ezra / o t es

Note vano di moda gli individualisti e soprattutto un vecchio in una 1 Carol Krinsky, Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, MIT Nicholas Adams Press e Architectural History Foundation, Cambridge e New York 1988, è l’autore del libro pp. 335-338. Conto altri ventidue edifici in cui si nota l’influenza di società che aveva deciso di non credere più in chi aveva su- oller Bunshaft precedenti al 1962. Vedi Nicholas Adams, Gordon Bunshaft: What Convinces is Conviction, in «SOM Journal», 9, 2014, pp. 8-19.

perato i trent’anni. St E zra o,

12 13 s t 2 Suo padre, David Bunshaft, vendeva uova all’ingrosso. Nel 1946 E Bunshaft era un uomo complicato. Famoso, famigerato lasciò un considerevole patrimonio di 51,236 dollari alla moglie Yetta 14 (vedi «Buffalo Courier Express», 20 luglio 1946). La famiglia viveva in persino, per il carattere e le opinioni taglienti; ma questo suo una semplice casa unifamiliare di legno al 55 di Manchester Place. modo di essere nascondeva delle insicurezze: non amava 3 Successivamente altre sedi furono aperte a Londra (1986) e Shanghai (2001). Gli studi di Portland, , Houston e Denver sono stati chiusi. parlare in pubblico, si rifiutava di scrivere di architettura, 4 Oral History of Gordon Bunshaft, intervista di Betty J. Blum, Art Institute, Chicago 1990, edizione rivista 2000, p. 209. si scontrava spesso con i clienti. Pare che si trovasse vera- 5 Oral History of Ambrose M. Richardson, intervista di Betty J. Blum, Art Institute, Chicago 1990, p. 160. mente a proprio agio solo con gli artisti. Il lungo carteggio 6 Oral History of Ambrose M. Richardson, cit., p. 78 7 Nathaniel A. Owings, The Office Building of Tomorrow, in «Skyscraper con Jean Dubuffet (1901–85) e Henry Moore (1898–1986), Management», 32, novembre 1947, pp. 10-11 e 24-27; A Radically New Conception of Tomorrow’s Office Building, in «National Real Estate and conservato alla Avery Library della , è al- Building Journal», gennaio 1948, pp. 28-29; The Ideal Office Building–A legro e arguto al tempo stesso, descrive piacevoli conversa- dream boat speech by Architect Owings, in «Architectural Forum», 91, agosto 1949, pp. 75, 164, 165. La Lever House fu recensita per la prima zioni e rivela una persona del tutto diversa. Bunshaft fu ge- volta nel giugno del 1949. 8 Vedi la relazione di J.E. Drew, direttore delle pubbliche relazioni della neroso con l’Albright-Knox Museum di Buffalo (era un caro Lever Brothers presentata durante un incontro sul tema “Economic Values of Design”, tenutosi nell’ambito della AIA Annual Convention a amico di Seymour Knox, il fondatore). Lasciò la casa di Long New Orleans nel giugno del 1959. Una copia è conservata nella divisione marketing di SOM a New York. Island, la cosiddetta Travertine House (1963), e gran parte 9 Skidmore, Owings & Merrill architects, U.S.A., in della sua collezione d’arte al di New «Bulletin of the Museum of Modern Art», 18, autunno 1950. 10 Vedi Art at Work: The Chase Manhattan Collection, a cura di Marshall York, non dispiaciuto, a quanto pare, che la casa venisse Lee, E.P. Dutton, New York 1984. 11 Showcase in The Talk of the Town, in «The New Yorker», 30, 2 ottobre venduta e la collezione dispersa. 1954; Jack Alexander, The Bank That Has No Secrets, in «Saturday Evening Post», 30 novembre 1957, pp. 36, 105-106; sul Connecticut Per questa serie di cinque saggi ho scelto alcuni de- General, vedi Office Building Gets Trial Run, in «Business Week», 20 agosto 1955, p. 48; For Corporate Life ’57, in «Newsweek», 16 settembre gli edifici meno noti tra quelli realizzati da SOM sotto la di- 1957, pp. 114-115; Building with a future, in «Time», 16 settembre 1957, pp. y rezione di Gordon Bunshaft. Le opere dimostrano la va- 86-91; A Dramatic New Office Building, in «Fortune», settembre 1957, pp. oller

164-169 e 228-229; Joe Alex Morris, It’s Nice to Work in the Country, in L angle zra St E zra o,

«Saturday Evening Post», 5 luglio 1958, pp. 21, 70-72. «Architectural s t E rietà di cui era capace e attestano la sua attenzione per le A lex J. Forum» dedicò ben ventinove pagine alla Chase Manhattan Bank linee ampie e i particolari eleganti, per la monumentalità e (Chase, portrait of a giant; report on the biggest office building in Manhattan in 25 years, in «Architectural Forum», 115, luglio 1961, pp. 66- 10 12 14 l’astrazione, per lo humour e i materiali. Oggi che gli archi- 95. L’edificio fu pubblicato sulle principali riviste d’architettura, d’arte e di arredamento d’interni americane, francesi («Architecture Aujourd’hui», 6, —Gordon Bunshaft (SOM), Pepsi- —Gordon Bunshaft (SOM), —Gordon Bunshaft (SOM), tetti guardano di nuovo con interesse alla ricca tradizione dicembre 1961, pp. 82-91; «L’Oeil», 87, marzo 1962, pp. 80-87) e Cola Corporation, sede mondiale, Lever House, New York, 1952 Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript del movimento moderno, il lavoro di Bunshaft va conside- tedesche («Bauen und Wohnen», 11 aprile 1957, pp. 122-123; 16 gennaio New York, 1956–60 —Gordon Bunshaft (SOM), Library, , New Haven, 1962, pp. 9-21; «Baukunst und Werkform», 15, 1962, pp. 30-36, —Gordon Bunshaft (SOM), Lever House, New York, 1952 1963 rato con maggiore (e non minore) attenzione. Bunshaft fu, supplemento 2-4). 12 Nicholas Adams (con Nicola McElroy), Column and Frame: Mies van Pepsi-Cola Corporation, World 13 —Gordon Bunshaft (SOM), senza vergognarsi di esserlo, un architetto commerciale che der Rohe and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, in La Colonne: Nouvelle histoire Headquarters, New York, 1956–60 Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript de la construction, a cura di Roberto Gargiani, Presses polytechniques et —Gordon Bunshaft (SOM), lavorò negli ambienti più commerciali e tuttavia riuscì a im- universitaires romandes, 2008, pp. 484-493. 11 Manufacturers Trust Company Library, Yale University, New 13 Vedi The Architects from Skid’s Row, in «Fortune», 57, gennaio 1958, —Gordon Bunshaft (SOM), Bank, New York, 1954 Haven, 1963 porsi con un'identità propria, ricercando i livelli qualitativi pp. 137-140; 210, 212, 215. Citazione a p. 215. 14 Krinsky, Gordon Bunshaft, cit., p. 138. Albright-Knox Art Gallery, —Gordon Bunshaft (SOM), più elevati, tanto nella progettazione quanto nella costru- 15 Citato in Walter McQuaid, A Daring New Generation of Skyscrapers, nuova ala, Buffalo, 1958–62 Manufacturers Trust Company zione dei suoi edifici. in «Fortune», 87, febbraio 1973, p. 81. —Gordon Bunshaft (SOM), Bank, New York, 1954 Albright-Knox Art Gallery Traduzione italiana di Irene Inserra Extension, Buffalo, 1958–62 per Scriptum, Roma.

80 Gordon Bunshaft 1/5 casabella 870 81 15 Gordon Bunshaft 1/5

Il padiglione del Venezuela all’Esposizione Universale di New York del 1939 Nicholas Adams

L’Esposizione Universale di New York del 1939–40 fu la medicina e alla salute pubblica. L’unico padiglione nazionale prima fiera mondiale esplicitamente dedicata al futuro. L’o- firmato dallo studio, il padiglione del Venezuela, era uno dei belisco Trylon, alto 185 metri, e la Perisphere progettati da progetti che Bunshaft non includeva tra i “pessimi”, o quanto (1895–1981) e André Fouilhoux (1879–1945) meno considerava “quasi buono”. Fu la prima opera su cui ap- simboleggiavano l’entusiasmo per “il mondo di domani” che pose anche la sua firma3, cogliendo l’occasione per cominciare animava la manifestazione. Seguendo il loro esempio, gli ar- a sperimentare la nuova architettura moderna che lo aveva chitetti incaricati di realizzare i vari padiglioni si sentirono in- colpito durante i viaggi in Europa, compiuti grazie alla Rotch coraggiati a proporre idee sperimentali e innovative. Il Futu- Travelling Fellowship. Nella foto che accompagnava un articolo rama di Norman Bel Geddes, con il suo sistema di percorsi pubblicato sul quotidiano della sua città natale, Bunshaft è raf- su più livelli e la simulazione del rumore di aerei che volavano figurato mentre osserva con attenzione un disegno del padi- a bassa quota, fu una delle costruzioni di maggior successo. glione; nel testo viene citata una sua descrizione dell’Esposi- Tra i padiglioni dei vari paesi alcuni erano interessanti, altri zione come «un pallone sonda lanciato nel futuro»4. meno. Quello italiano, firmato da Michele Busiri Vici, non era Il padiglione del Venezuela fu un piccolo segnale della particolarmente memorabile e presentava una statua della ripresa delle relazioni diplomatiche tra gli Stati Uniti e l’A- dea Roma assisa su un piedistallo alto 60 metri, che si er- merica del Sud5. Nel 1933 il presidente Franklin Delano Ro- geva su una fontana dedicata a Guglielmo Marconi. La rivi- osevelt aveva lanciato l’iniziativa “Good Neighbor” (“Il buon sta «Architectural Forum» lo descrisse come: «Una curiosa vicino”) che stabiliva una nuova politica di non intervento perversione delle convenzioni classiche»1. Molto elogiati fu- e non interferenza nell’area da parte degli Stati Uniti. Da rono i progetti della Finlandia (Alvar Aalto), della Svezia (Sven quel momento i rapporti con l’America del Sud sarebbero 2 York

w Markelius) e del Brasile (Lucio Costa e ) . In stati improntati allo sviluppo economico e alla crescita de- N e o f genere, poi, le aziende commerciali cercarono di sfruttare la gli scambi commerciali. Uomini come Nelson A. Rockefeller e C ity th e

o f situazione per dare risalto ai loro prodotti di punta, a disca- (1908–79) avevano tutto l’interesse a promuovere un’imma- um

M u se pito dell’architettura dei loro stessi padiglioni. La Continen- gine progressista e moderna dell’America Latina all’Esposi- tal Baking, per esempio, volle replicare sull’esterno dell’edifi- zione. A quanto pare l’intervento di Rockefeller –che aveva 15 cio, progettato da Skidmore e Owings con John Moss, il mo- lavorato per la Creole Petroleum in Venezuela e la cui madre —Gordon Bunshaft, proposta per il tivo che decorava le confezioni del popolare “Wonder Bread”. era tra i fondatori del Museum of Modern Art di New York– Padiglione del Venezuela, veduta dall’interno del giardino incorniciato Skidmore e Owings (ai quali non si era ancora unito Mer- ebbe un suo peso nell’assegnazione dell’incarico a Skid- da una mela, disegnatore John rill) svolsero un ruolo importante all’Esposizione, sia come con- more & Owings (l’unico altro padiglione nazionale con pro- Moss, 1938 —Gordon Bunshaft, proposal for sulenti sia come progettisti. Affiancati da John Moss, ottimo di- getto americano fu quello del Cile, ideato da T. Smith-Mil- the Venezuela Pavilion, view from segnatore, realizzarono nove padiglioni: Swift Premium Meats, ler, Sanders & Breck). Benché due anni prima a Parigi i ve- interior to the garden framed by an Continental Baking, Radio Corporation of America (RCA), il pa- nezuelani avessero presentato un padiglione neocoloniale apple, John Moss renderer, 1938 diglione delle Gas Industries, il padiglione Westinghouse, l’edi- di loro progettazione (architetti Luis Malaussena e Carlos ficio Standard Brands, il Glass Building e lo stand dedicato alla Raúl Villanueva), gli americani pensavano fosse più oppor-

82 Gordon Bunshaft 1/5 casabella 870 83 16 «Furono preparati almeno diciannove 17 progetti diversi, tutti pessimi tranne forse uno». —Gordon Bunshaft

tuno rivolgersi a un architetto del posto6. È possibile, inol- zata da travi a doppia T a flangia larga, lungo la facciata sud9. tre, che Rockefeller sia stato in qualche modo sollecitato Sul lato inferiore della copertura inclinata, Luis Alfredo López dai tanto ammirati progetti di Costa e Niemeyer per il padi- Méndez e Miguel Arroyo dipinsero scene di vita quotidiana in glione del Brasile. Probabilmente Rockefeller e Bunshaft eb- Venezuela, anticipando, secondo Joan Ockman, «l’elegante bero la possibilità di vederli (Co- integrazione di arte e architettura che segnò i lavori del do- 16 sta e Niemeyer erano entrambi poguerra di Bunshaft»10. Orchidee racchiuse in sfere di ve- —Gordon Bunshaft, Padiglione del a New York nell’estate del 1938) tro punteggiavano il giardino antistante il padiglione e all’in- Venezuela, pianta —Gordon Bunshaft, Venezuela in tempo sufficiente per rendersi terno decoravano delle installazioni simili ad alberi. Il tetto, Pavilion, plan conto della necessità di proporre comunque, era il motivo architettonico dominante della fac- qualcosa di moderno per i vene- ciata sud: la gioiosa connessione tra esterno e interno ri- zuelani, un progetto che, sulla falsariga dell’idea brasiliana, specchiava il clima tropicale del Venezuela, mentre la linea coniugasse l’architettura moderna e l’espíritu venezolano7. astratta indicava la modernità in via di sviluppo del paese. Le Di conseguenza, pur includendo stand e allestimenti de- altre facciate erano meno rilevanti. Come rivelano i disegni dicati a prodotti come il caffè, il cacao e il petrolio «destinati a di Moss, visto da est e da ovest, l’edificio aveva le caratteri- rappresentare le grandi risorse del Venezuela», il padiglione stiche di una moderna stazione ferroviaria o degli autobus, o proponeva anche elementi di cultura moderna rappresentati magari di un ufficio postale; richiamava persino il padiglione dalle decorazioni degli artisti venezuelani dell’epoca. Come d’ingresso progettato da Gunnar Asplund per l’Expo di Stoc- York

sottolineato dal console generale all’inaugurazione del padi- colma del 1930. Bunshaft aveva particolarmente ammirato w N e glione, il governo del presidente Lopez Contreras «era l’incar- anche la fabbrica Van Nelle di realizzata da Brin- o f e C ity th e

nazione della democrazia più avanzata» e il suo paese era «tra kman e Van der Vlugt nel 1931: nell’opera di New York c’è un o f i più liberi del mondo»8. Come si leggeva sul muro del padi- ricordo della semplicità di quell’edificio, con i nastri traspor- um

glione, inoltre, il Venezuela era un paese «senza disoccupa- tatori esterni tradotti nel tetto inclinato. M u se th ers, s Bro s t

zione, né debiti né tasse». Bunsahft racchiuse la modernità All’interno del padiglione Bunshaft ebbe poco controllo W u r del paese in un volume di vetro dalla forma aerodinamica. sul progetto. L’elemento centrale era il cosiddetto “Altar of È possibile che i primi progetti siano stati disegnati in- the Good Neighbor” (“Altare del buon vicino”, contenente una 17 —Gordon Bunshaft, Padiglione del sieme a John Moss. Vi si osserva una copertura, simile a ciocca di capelli di George Washington appartenuta a Simon Venezuela, veduta da sud, 1939 un’ala, che si estende da ovest a est, con una spettacolare Bolivar), intorno a cui erano esposti i prodotti tipici del paese. —Gordon Bunshaft, Venezuela inclinazione, sopra una semplice scatola di vetro. Nel lato est Interno ed esterno erano collegati dal vetro, ovviamente, e Pavilion, view from the south, 1939 del volume di vetro, coperti dalla parte più bassa di questo dalla collocazione della scritta “VENEZUELA” che attraver- tetto inclinato, si trovano la caffetteria e il ristorante. A ovest sava la griglia di vetro del padiglione11. Un pannello curvili- la copertura è sostenuta da un solo pilastro libero, il più alto; neo libero (un’eco del padiglione finlandese diA alto?) faceva la veduta da sud-ovest ci regala l’immagine più caratteristica da sfondo alle sculture di legno create sul posto da France- dell’edificio.A ltre vedute mostrano la scatola di vetro, raffor- sco Narváez (riflettendo a posteriori sull’esperienza, Bunshaft

84 Gordon Bunshaft 1/5 casabella 870 85 18 19 York York w w N e N e o f o f e C ity th e C ity th e

o f o f um um M u se M u se

18 19 —Gordon Bunshaft, proposta per il —Gordon Bunshaft, proposta per il Padiglione del Venezuela, veduta Padiglione del Venezuela, disegni prospettica, disegnatore John della sezione, disegnatore John Moss, 1938 Moss, 1938 —Gordon Bunshaft, proposal for —Gordon Bunshaft, proposal for the Venezuela Pavilion, the Venezuela Pavilion, section perspective view, John Moss drawings, John Moss renderer, renderer, 1938 1938

86 Gordon Bunshaft 1/5 casabella 870 87 20 21

Note espresse la necessità di mantenere il controllo su tutti gli 1 «Architectural Forum», 70, giugno 1939, p. 456. 2 «Architectural Forum», 70, giugno 1939, p. 459: aspetti del progetto). Il «New York Times» descrisse la scena sono riportati i risultati di un sondaggio secondo cui il padiglione preferito dal pubblico era quello come un insieme di «bellezza e affari». Particolari consensi ot- dell’Unione Sovietica di Boris Iofan e Karo S. Alabian. tennero le orchidee che, stando al quotidiano, «facevano bat- 3 Carol Herselle Krinsky, Gordon Bunshaft: 12 Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Architectural History tere più forte il cuore di tutte le donne» . Foundation, New York 1988, p. 9. 21 Benché il padiglione avesse un discreto 4 «Buffalo Courier Express», 15 maggio 1939, p. 3. 5 Tra i paesi dell’America del Sud solo il Venezuela, —Joseph Binder, poster successo –e contribuisse a rinsaldare il rap- il Brasile, l’Argentina e il Cile avevano un loro dell’Esposizione Universale di New padiglione. York del 1939–40 raffigurante il porto tra SOM e la famiglia Rockefeller, de- 6 Vedi Lorenzo González Casas, Nelson A. Rockefeller y la modernidad venezolana: Trylon e la Perisphere progettati da stinato a durare altri vent’anni– in Venezuela intercambios, empresas y lugares a mediados del Wallace Harrison e André Fouilhoux fu accolto con qualche polemica13. I costi siglo XX, in Petróleo Nuestro y Ajeno: La illusión del —Joseph Binder, poster of the modernidad, a cura di Juan José Martín Frechilla e Yolanda Texera Arnal, Universidad Central de New York World’s Fair of 1939–40 elevati –sia di manodopera (artisti e musi- Venezuela, Caracas 2004, pp. 173-234. depicting the Trylon and the cisti venezuelani, infatti, non erano iscritti Ovviamente, tra gli architetti venezuelani c’erano Perisphere designed by Wallace anche esponenti del movimento moderno come ai potenti sindacati newyorkesi) sia di ma- Cipriano Domínguez, che aveva lavorato nello Harrison and André Fouilhoux studio di a Parigi, Villanueva stesso e nutenzione– costrinsero il governo a chiu- Manuel Mujica Milán. 7 Vedi Zilah Quezado Deckker, The Brazilian dere il padiglione dopo il primo anno. Pro- Pavilion at the New York World’s Fair 1939, in Brazil Built: The Architecture of the Modern Movement in

York babilmente anche gli architetti venezuelani non gradirono l’as-

w Brazil, Spon, 2001, cap. 3. Bunshaft

N e pensava che sotto il profilo qualitativo, il padiglione o f segnazione dell’incarico al giovane e inesperto Bunshaft. La venezuelano fosse secondo solo all’edificio di e C ity th e regola americana del non intervento e della non interferenza, Costa e Niemeyer. Vedi Krinsky, Bunshaft, cit., p. 9. o f 8 «New York Times», 27 maggio 1939, p. 9. um evidentemente, valeva solo per più importanti questioni diplo- 9 I francobolli per la posta aerea emessi dal Venezuela in questo periodo raffiguravano un ers, M u se th ers, matiche. Solo quando il rappresentante venezuelano all’Espo- velivolo in virata. L’immagine potrebbe aver s Bro s t sizione minacciò di dimettersi («troppi mal di testa») l’ordine di suggerito a Bunshaft la forma del tetto. W u r 10 Joan Ockman, Art, Soul of the Corporation: 14 Patronage, Public Relations, and the Interrelations chiusura fu cancellato per un breve periodo . Nel maggio del of Art and Architecture after World War II, in «SOM 20 1940 il Venezuela si ritirò e stilò dei preventivi per la spedizione Journal», 5, 2007, pp. 170-186, in particolare p. 182. 11 Il passaggio di forme tra interno ed esterno, —Gordon Bunshaft, Padiglione del del padiglione a Caracas dove, se il piano fosse andato a buon attraverso il volume di vetro, fu utilizzato in seguito nell’atrio-giardino della Lever House. Venezuela, interno, pannelli 15 espositivi per il petrolio fine, sarebbe stato adibito a centro turistico . 12 «New York Times», 30 aprile 1939, p. 128. 13 Successivamente lo studio Skidmore, Owings & venezuelano, 1939 Secondo «Architectural Forum» il padiglione di Merrill fu incaricato dalla Creole Petroleum di —Gordon Bunshaft, Venezuela Bunshaft «non suscitava particolari emozioni»16. Considerata progettare un insediamento residenziale e una Pavilion, interior, display panels chiesa cattolica ad Amuay Bay. Vedi Permanent Housing Project: Creole Petroleum Corporation, for Venezuelan oil, 1939 a posteriori, tuttavia, l’opera si distingue per essere stata il Amuay Bay, Venezuela, S.A., New York, 1946. primo lavoro indipendente di Bunshaft, il progetto in cui si ri- 14 «New York Times», 25 ottobre 1939, p. 18. Il Venezuela aveva tentato di mandare muralisti, velò il suo talento per quelli che lui stesso definiva «il fascino musicisti e camerieri venezuelani a lavorare al padiglione ed era poi stato costretto ad assumere e il divertimento», qualità che sarebbero emerse con forza una squadra di americani (che non lavorò) che affiancasse i venezuelani. nei due capolavori del dopoguerra: la Lever House e la sede 15 «New York Times», 4 maggio 1940, p. 17. della Manufacturers Trust. 16 «Architectural Forum», 70, giugno 1939, p. 451.

Traduzione italiana di Irene Inserra per Scriptum, Roma.

88 Gordon Bunshaft 1/5 casabella 870 89 page 5 page 6 charity program: it is a cultural project. cal reasons, of Andalusian architectur- the forceful tactile and visual expressive cess to the weekday chapel, are at the construction of the dam on the Guadi- the backbone of the work of Eduardo ing the thicknesses and proportions; The intelligent and cultured application Restoring dignity So when I ask myself what I can do to- al culture, Elisa Valero reveals the role qualities of the material. Once visitors side of the main entrance. The walls, ana River along the border between Por- Souto de Moura) that also has to be con- the new roof structures, not left visible, of simplicity brings together the best Massimo Bottura day, what chefs can do, what anyone can that has always been played by light in have entered the full-height hall through 50 centimeters thick, are in concrete, tugal and the Spanish Estremadura. served in relation to the lifestyle sought are made with steel beams with a slight- chefs and the most talented architects do, I respond: her work, and by the need to make care- the entrance compressed as a point of while the roof is formed by a reticular On an estate of 780 hectares with vine- by the new residents, namely the guests ly curved design – a sort of “advance” Francesco Dal Co To care for food as you care for people: Restore dignity. ful, mature use of that element. «Light transition between contraction and di- steel structure supporting a full plat- yards, olive and cork groves, the settle- of the hotel. For these reasons, the ru- deformation of the pitches, barely per- the absolute responsibility of a chef. For To a spotty apple, an overripe banana, changes without ceasing to be itself, lation of the space, they find a well- form made with the use of slabs. Flank- ment takes its name from the barrocais, ined constructions of Barrocal have not ceptible in the descending profile of the Every year in the world 1.3 tons of food me the time has come to give back eve- stale bread. Talking about people, we with a constant devotion to change.» proportioned chamber whose ceiling, ing the church on the side towards the granite boulders naturally protruding been taken as a vestige to be restored to tiles from the peak to the eaves, in keep- end up in the trash bin. At the same rything I have received in these years of often say they have “inner beauty.” We The awareness in her work of this una- gradually bending towards the altar, im- street, lower volumes contain the week- from the ground, which the local pop- an impossible “original state,” but as an ing with a tradition that comes from the time, over 700 million people are under- successes and honors, challenges and have to understand that food can also voidable condition is translated into an proves the acoustics inside the church day chapel and the lateral aisle with the ulace in ancient times selected for its opportunity to be grasped, making the Inquérito à Arquitectura Regional Portu- nourished. This chilling fact has prompt- hard work; likewise, chefs should get have inner beauty. An imperfect piece economics of the necessary, into archi- and displays a nudity that gains its only altar of the Virgin. Both spaces are in di- megalithic monuments. Built in the sec- decision to continue the transforming guesa and which Souto de Moura shares ed the project Food for Soul, organized out of their kitchens and make them- of fruit still has much to give in terms tecture capable of bringing out the ex- ornamentation from the light: «Perfec- rect visual contact with the presbytery of ond half of the 19th century in relation action of time through design, to make with his friends from Porto. by Massimo Bottura. The first step coin- selves available to the community, to lis- of flavor, aroma, complexity. Chefs have pressive potential of each material while tion is achieved, not when there is noth- the hall. The weekday chapel has a trap- to the agricultural development of the the complex ready for use once again, Undoubtedly the recovery of the “mon- cided with the opening of the Refettorio ten to its needs and roll up their sleeves. the responsibility of making use of at the same time controlling costs and ing more to add, but when there is noth- ezoidal plan of 34.75 x 10.32 x 2.70 me- lands around Monsaraz, São Lourenço i.e. available for everyday activities, en- te” of Barrocal, in the words of Sou- Ambrosiano; an abandoned theater in And together with chefs, everyone has to foods in every moment in their lifespan: the use of available resources. ing left to take away. It results from this ters, and a height of 7.05, with a struc- do Barrocal is a typical Alentejo “monte,” abling it to become a shared “legacy.” to de Moura himself, represents a pro- was transformed into a soup kitch- be aware. Of what? just baked bread, warm and fragrant, After years of work on the creation of ed- that perfection of invention touches ture similar to the one described above. a small rural village where the produc- For the architect from Porto, the Barro- ject «done on the razor’s edge,» because en for the poor, where the victuals were Of the fact that today they are about 800 with a crisp crust, can reach the table ucation facilities –schools, daycare cent- hands with absence of invention» (An- Along the southern side of the area a tion of cereals, legumes and wine, hunt- cal thus becomes a sort of experimental it runs a dual risk: “to do too much” and prepared using leftovers from Expo 2015. million people suffering from hunger just as it is. On the next day it will be ers, colleges– as well as art spaces and toine de Saint-Exupéry, Wind, Sand and longitudinal volume made with prefabri- ing and livestock raising ensured surviv- laboratory, configured on the one hand “to do too little”; nevertheless, the sur- This initiative is now famous, but Food or malnutrition. And that in the same perfect for making pappa al pomodoro, workplaces, assiduously documented Stars, 1939). cated cementitious panels occupies the al for a certain number of families (up to as a process of discovery and knowl- vey of the transformations done at Bar- for Soul has also launched other projects. world, our world, one third of total food and a few days later it can be grated for by «Casabella», starting with her own entire length of the lot; it is connected about fifty) that lived there year round – edge of its “style” and of its constructive rocal and the decision to carry them out In 2016 they created Refettorio, a res- production passes from supermarkets, use in meatballs or passatelli. studio (see no. 780, August 2009, later to the church by a glass atrium and con- a population confirmed by the presence modes and materials, and on the other by taking maximum care not to betray taurant to recycle the surplus from the restaurants and homes directly into the Restore dignity. joined by no. 809, January 2012 and no. page 25 tains the oratory and the parish center. of a chapel, an oven for baking bread, has an ongoing search for solutions ap- the character of the place, restoring its Olympic Village during the period of the trash bin. The mission of chefs has to To an abandoned theater, a suburb, a 848, April 2015), Elisa Valero was com- A game of colors, light and memories The elevation, similar to an enveloping and a small praça de touros. Abandoned propriate to the challenge raised by the image, has turned out to be a winning games in Rio de Janeiro. The construc- go beyond the satisfaction of taste buds: derelict structure. Ethics and aesthet- missioned by the Parrocchia di Nuestra Jean-Marie Martin ribbon, is shaped by two overlaid com- during the last quarter of the last centu- necessary changes of the utilization of strategy. Upon closer consideration, we tion in the lively Lapa district in Rio was we have a moral duty to respect ingredi- ics are one and the same: Beauty with- Señora del Carmen of Motril to design positional themes: the rhythmical, reg- ry, the Barrocal estate has been revived the buildings – the olive press becomes can see that this is a theme found in all completed in less than two months. It is ents, to care for the planet and our com- out Goodness isn’t beautiful at all. And her first church. The place of worship is In 1989 the Diocese of Milan, guided ular and materic theme of the prefabri- in the first decade of this century based a lounge, the workers’ lodgings, store- of Souto de Moura’s work: to design sim- hard to imagine a better architecture stu- munities. Goodness needs Beauty to communicate named for St. Josephine Bakhita, an Af- by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Monti- cated panels, and the other “liquid“ and on a transformation plan for non-inten- rooms and garages for agricultural vehi- ulation with great clarity, because “the dio than METRO to interpret the needs This is why, with my wife Lara, we have its message. rican nun belonging to the Company ni, assigned the New Churches commit- variable theme of the glazed portions. A sive tourism, organized in several phas- cles contain the fitness center and com- facade that is telling a lie tells the truth.” and the spirit of the project supervised decided to found the non-profit organi- Restore dignity. of the Daughters of Charity, born in Su- tee chaired by Monsignor Giuseppe Aro- double-height external pergola in wood es, the first of which called for the ren- fortable hotel rooms, the former manor by Bottura. Martin Corullon, Gustavo Ce- zation Food for Soul. With this associa- To a homeless person, a struggling fam- dan, who lived for many years in sio the task of building 25 new churches. completes the composition. The longi- ovation of the complex of the “casas do house and agricultural sheds become droni, Helena Cavalheiro, Marina Ioshii, tion, we are replicating the model of the ily, an outcast. Putting them back at the and was made a saint by Pope John Paul Some of the commissions were assigned tudinal volume of the oratory has two monte,” creating a hotel outfitted with a small two or three-room apartments, page 69 Amanda Amicis, Gabriela Santana, João Refettorio Ambrosiano launched during center of attention does not only mean II in 2000. by means of competitions, and therefore stories and contains the multifunction- fitness center, restaurant and winery. on two levels, the kennel becomes a res- Reinterpreting the Medina Quinas, Luis Tavares, Manuela Porto, Ra- the Expo in Milan, in places where phys- getting them away from the outskirts of The land set aside for the church is at Mauro Galantino, Giangiacomo D’Ardia al space, a meeting room, auxiliary spac- Designed and built –apart from the in- taurant… Each of the new functions has Camillo Magni fael de Sousa, Renata Mori are the archi- ical hunger goes hand in hand with the the city, from our everyday life. It means Playa Granada, the southern part of and Marco Contini had the opportuni- es and the side entrance to the parish terior furnishings– by Eduardo Souto de been developed and positioned where tects who have worked with him. They need for culture. There, on the outskirts giving them the opportunity to recreate the city of Montril, south of the Sier- ty to build the churches of San Ireneo center. A long staircase with a handrail Moura from 2008 to 2016, the project is it is less “invasive” with respect to the Sometimes architecture is the happy re- are all part of METRO, a studio based of Milan, some of the world’s greatest a social network, to have human contact ra Nevada, halfway between Malaga and at Cesano Boscone, San Romano in the in colored glass, dramatically placed in interesting not only for its results, but specific characteristics of the host con- sult of the meeting of a client, a func- in São Paulo founded in 2000, which on chefs cooked in a dining hall for disad- and exchange, making them feel wel- Almeria, and faces the Mar de Alborán, Gallaratese district and Varedo. In a pe- the entrance atrium, leads to the up- also due to a series of questions regard- struction, but also more “convenient” tional program and an architect. The multiple occasions has collaborated with vantaged people, starting with the food come, included, part of a community. the westernmost portion of the Mediter- riod in which the Italian Episcopal Con- per level of the building where the cat- ing the very concept of historical her- with respect to the overall configura- contaminations that arise between those english one of the few great contemporary archi- surplus generated by the Expo pavil- Restoring dignity to people can happen ranean between Spain and Morocco. ference, above all thanks to Monsignor echism rooms face onto a transparent itage, the value we assign to it and that tion of the settlement. Hence, for exam- who construct spaces and those who fi- tects, , absorb- ions. We welcomed guests in a space en- through food and its sharing, because Punctuated by young palm trees, the Giancarlo Santi, became one of the most gallery. The roof of the atrium is made defines its status, and the actions that ple, the decision to slightly extend the nance and inhabit them become the texts ing his lessons and standing out as one hanced by works donated by great con- cooking is an act of love. area has a slight slope that made it pos- enlightened clients in the promotion of with a light metal structure resting on can effectively permit its conservation. two wings of the residential block at the project’s life’s blood. Observing the chil- of the most solid and interesting profes- temporary artists and designers, also sible to place a direct access to the vol- professional assignments for Italian ar- the walls of the oratory and the church. In Souto de Moura’s experience, no rec- eastern end of the village, to recoup the dren’s center built at Tadjourah in Dji- sional groups active in the world today. making the value of beauty available to ume of the base to the north at the po- chitects, in 2001 a competition was held, The clergy house faces towards the play ognition of historical value can protect a alignment with the outer facade of the bouti, the interaction and exchange be- Food for Soul does not only set up spac- our guests. And we served up tasty, nu- page 15 sition of the crypt, and to the church also open to European architects, for the area. This building with a limited height construction against the passage of time new winery; and, at the same time, to tween the different subjects is clear. The es to offer food to those for whom it is tritious meals, right on the table, thanks Towards the essential from the south by way of a few steps that construction of the Pentecoste church at (about 6.8 meters) has a traditional that has shaped it; instead, it has to con- “shift” by one span the passage separat- sensitivity of the client regarding such a in precarious supply. The kitchen in Mi- to 100 volunteers who responded to our Giovanna Crespi lead from the garden to the level of the Quarto Oggiaro, on the outskirts of Mi- structure with concrete pillars and slabs tinue to be experienced and used «be- ing this construction from its neighbor, special function corresponds to that of lan has welcomed some of the most fa- appeal. church hall. The planimetric and volu- lan. The architects invited were Franc- and brick infill. In a limited zone where cause only everyday life transforms it bringing greater clarity to the relation- the design towards the context, the en- mous international chefs, artists and de- We tried to shift the focus from the Uni- From 7 in the morning to 8 in the even- metric organization of the architectur- esco Cellini, David Chipperfield, Justus the presence of an auditorium requires into something natural and can grant it ship between the volumes, the route and vironment and a program dense with signers to contribute to the process. In versal Exposition to the outskirts of Mi- ing, a sequence of 12 shots taken each al organism is clear and immediately un- Dahinden, Simo Paavilainen, Alfredo large spans, the slabs are made light- the status of Heritage.» This transform- the lengthened patio-garden placed be- meanings. The client in this case is SOS the case of Rio de Janeiro, METRO creat- lan, with my response to the theme of hour documents the variations of light derstandable. Terse geometric volumes Payá, Boris Podrecca and Eduardo Souto ened predalles. A large churchyard de- ative approach can be seen in the recent tween the winery and the intermediate Children, a non-governmental organi- ed a construction in an abandoned area the Expo: Feeding the Planet. In 2016 we inside the church of the Monasterio have the task of conveying the religious de Moura. Podrecca was the winner, and signed to host community gatherings works of Souto de Moura like the con- volume of the residences. zation that operates to protect children. of 50 x 8 meters, adjacent to a small pla- were able to do the same thing in Rio Benedictino de la Santisima Trinidad de character of the building, whose dis- now the church he designed has been and festive occasions leads to the parish version of the Robinson factory at Porto The images that document the work- Founded in in 1949 with the aim za that has now been revitalized, using de Janeiro, during the Olympic games. Las Condes in Santiago, Chile, a work tinguishing and recognizable features consecrated. complex. The entrance to the main nave Alegre, the renovation of the Convento site clearly convey a sense of the difficul- of helping the orphans of World War II, the most common materials. A polycar- The dream we have been developing from the 1960s by the architects Mar- are the steeple and the precisely placed The parish complex is organized in two is through a large bronze-color door set das Bernardas at Tavira, and the Abate ty and complexity of the project, which today it works in 132 nations, reaching bonate skin wraps a steel structure. On with David Hertz since his visit to Refet- tin Correa and Gabriel Guarda. A photo- openings along the facades. zones with different functional and into the main facade, whose panels con- Pedrosa municipal museum in Santo called first of all for the recovery of all 80,000 children each year and running the side facing the plaza, the posts sup- torio Ambrosiano has become reali- graphic multiple shows, from the same Light is the elective material in the pro- structural characteristics. A large con- tain the smaller door for ordinary access Tirso («Casabella» no. 798, 2011; no. 817, the existing materials that could be re- over 500 centers. The architect is the port translucent panels that open out- ty: together we have built the Refettorio position, the corner apse of the altar ob- ject, and through its abstract and es- crete portal, with a length of 25 and a to the church. The large door is appro- 2012; no. 865, 2016): different projects, cycled –roof tiles, bricks, sheets and Spaniard Urko Sanchez, who has always ward; on the opposite site, the beams are Gastromotiva in Lapa. Gustavo Cedro- tained by intersecting three inclined sential use Elisa Valero underlines the height of 23 meters, frames the volumes priately sized with respect to the church- because «each case is unique,» that share blocks of stone for thresholds, floors been involved in projects of internation- inserted in the masonry of the existing ni of the studio Metro Architecture was planes along whose perimeter the light concept of the trinity, cutting three of the church and the weekday chap- yard and the concrete portal that frames an ability to investigate the past without and pavements– and for their supple- al cooperation, and moved definitive- building that determines the lot. On the with us during all 55 days of the con- enters and invades the hall. A visual pro- openings into the rough mass of the el, while in the open space, given their the main building of the complex. As we nostalgia, selectively taking every oper- mentation where needed – for exam- ly to Kenya to concentrate on projects in side of the kitchen, at the center of the struction; Vik Muniz oversaw the artis- gression that brings out the beauty and building from which to watch the en- different heights, a three-dimension- have seen, this also frames the lower vol- ation of renewal as the result of a pri- ple, with bricks and tiles made by hand, the central-eastern area of Africa. plan, stand the tables; the opposite end tic part, donating his works and involv- dynamism of an impalpable and indis- try of the light in the hall set aside for al cross has been inserted. The church ume of the weekday chapel, for which – or exercise of critical interpretation. The or recovered (as in the case of the roof The project responds to the need to contains a small flight of steps in wood, ing other great artists in the project, like pensable material, in continuous, viv- worship. The first is a skylight made in has a rectangular plan measuring 30.3 x unlike what Podrecca imagined when same can be said of the “monte” of Bar- tiles) from other nearby constructions. build 15 residences for troubled families to underline the fact that this space can JR and the street artist Pas. The Cam- id renewal. the thickness of the roof, facing east, 15.7 meters, while the height of the hall preparing the competition version of rocal, where we can still observe many This does not mean that every building and disadvantaged kids. Urko Sanchez have different, multiple uses. The ma- pana Brothers got into the spirit of re- This is the eloquent image used by Eli- where the sun rises, arranged cross- is 18.15 m. Not only the typological or- his project– cladding has been applied particular features, starting with the ex- was reconstructed “as it was” – an op- takes the historic Arabian city as the ref- terials have been used in the most logi- cycling we promote with Food for Soul, sa Valero Ramos to introduce the first wise between the end of the zone for ganization suggests that of the Turku in panels identical to those used for the ceptional charm of the “great and spir- eration that would also not have been erence point for the organization of the cal and simple, though not naive, man- making beautiful tables and chairs with pages of the book Light in Architecture. the congregation and the presbytery, Cemetery Chapel in Finland designed volume connected to the church. Thus ited land” that surrounds it. The urban possible, due to the very nature of the domestic spaces. This original choice is ner, as can also be seen by observing the scrap wood. We invited chefs from all The Intangible Material (RIBA Publish- bringing indirect light to the altar; the by Erik Bryggman (1938–41). Just as in the white elevation of the church stands character of the settlement is a clear fac- implemented transformations. Never- the factor that sets the project apart and slight squared overhang that adds move- over Brazil, Latin America and the world ing, London 2015; expanded and updat- oblique evening light crosses the gaps Bryggman’s church the basilica nave out powerfully from the volume, also tor, a sort of in miniature universe with theless, wherever possible the existing distances it from the repetition of the ment to the front of the construction fac- to cook with the leftovers of the Olympic ed Spanish edition La materia intangi- of an opening to the west, at the choir, that concludes in a flat roof supporting thanks to the chromatic dissonance pro- a clear hierarchy, with a main street –la load-bearing walls have been reinforced most widespread types of collective res- ing the street. There are no indulgent ep- Villages. At the end of the Olympics and ble: reflexiones sobre la luz en el proyecto and projects the iridescent silhouette a vaulted wooden covering is joined by duced by the coloring of the panels that rua do monte– faced by the doors of the and the vaults have been restored –as in idences that take the approach of lin- isodes in the design of the structure, the the Paralympics, we had provided over de arquitectura, Ediciones Generales de of a cross on the altar; finally, light in- a lateral aisle, so it concludes in a wood- form the enclosure of the service vol- homes and the public facilities, a small the building that contains the reception ear row buildings. The project uses a enclosure, the furnishings, the kitchen, 20,000 meals. la Construccion, Valencia 2004). Shortly vades the nave from the south, enter- en vault in the case of the church de- ume that extends along one side of the plaza beside the manor house, a system area, cafe and lounge of the hotel, in the low, dense fabric that saturates the en- and the entire project is a demonstra- But the mission of Refettorio Gastro- before it, she includes a famous passage ing between the vertical parts of the jal- signed by Podrecca. The spaces of differ- churchyard, beyond the footprint of the of courtyards open towards the moun- fitness center, and on the ground floor tire lot bordered by a perimeter enclo- tion of the aesthetic advantages of pur- motiva and Refettorio Ambrosiano, and from the Book of Genesis: «In the be- ousie facing the garden and, beyond it, ent heights, organized in keeping with church proper. tains, and service buildings towards of the former manor house– while the sure. In this way the form of the build- suit of the essential. The cultured and in- of the services we have activated in Bo- ginning God created the heaven and the the sea. the memory of the chapel of Turku, are the outside: a value of memory and use large masonry arches of the agricultur- ing vanishes; there is no main facade, telligent use of the essential, after all, is logna and Modena, is not limited to of- earth. And the earth was without form, The materic identity of the church re- connected and lit by the nimble inser- to be reinforced, because the “village” al buildings and garages have been con- no idea of the building itself. In its place the earmark of the finest works complet- fering food: we want every space to be a and void; and darkness was upon the lies exclusively on concrete. The use of a tion of a blade of zenithal light that de- page 54 is in any case designed to host a small served; rugged outdoor stucco now coats Urko Sanchez designs a village, a city ed by METRO, which like those of Pau- gathering place, a container of art and face of the deep. And the Spirit of God construction system with double walls scends from a skylight created the side Simulation is not always falsehood community, though it is one that is no the existing brick surfaces as well as the portion with an intricate maze of pedes- lo Mendes da Rocha never succumb to music, a reference point for the whole moved upon the face of the waters. And in reinforced concrete containing ther- of the roof summit. Behind the altar a Marco Mulazzani longer permanent but temporary. One newly laid masonry, done with salvaged trian routes, patios and plazas, in an ap- banality, which is the inevitable result community. For this reason, we build God said, Let there be light: and there mal insulation, previously applied for large surface in alabaster-glass, a Pale- quality that is no less important is the bricks placed over the new walls in hol- parently disorderly layout for the fami- when the essential is no longer seen as a and outfit the dining halls so they can was light. And God saw the light, that it the addition of the Cerrillo de Marace- ochristian “memory,“ spreads light and São Lourenço do Barrocal is located in essential natural quality of the construc- low brick, and the pillars and architraves ly lodgings. The composition focuses on means, but as a kind of cult. As a whole, operate for the duration of an event, was good» (1:1-4). na school in Granada (see «Casabella», functions as a backdrop for the proces- central Alentejo, a few kilometers from tions, based on the use of simple mate- in reinforced concrete inserted where the almost obsessive repetition of regu- the backbone of the Food for Soul project while also ensuring that the project can Catholic, linked by background to fig- no. 848, April 2015), makes it possible sional cross. The baptismal font, a mon- the walled city of Monsaraz and the big rials and of forms corresponding to the required in the reconstructions. All the lar volumes. Observing the plan, we can can be seen precisely in this intelligent, continue over the long term, without an ures of Latin American and to achieve a terse architecture, reduced olith of quartzite enclosed by a metal artificial lake of Alqueva, with an area of utilitarian origin of the aldeia: a suita- casements have been replaced and rede- see that every individual room is defined erudite, essential approach. expiration date. Food for Soul is not a a descendent, not only for geographi- to the necessary minimum, exploiting housing, and the confessional with ac- 250 km2, created in 1995–2002 after the bility (a value and a goal that represent signed for artisan production, conserv- by an autonomous volume, in group-

94 english texts casabella 870 95 ings that form housing units and then is in balance with the contemporary fea- He said, “Gordon was the kind of guy an interviewer: “This firm is not stuck with to monumentality and abstraction, to hu- 80-87) and German (Bauen und Wohnen, a small sign of diplomatic rapproche- Exhibition (1930). Bunshaft was also great World’s Fair 1939,” in Brazil Built: The Archi- an entire village. This produces a sort of tures. The result is a microcosm capa- that would walk around” –and I can just see the ‘stainless-steel standard,’” as our com- mor and materials. As architects today 11, April 1957, 122–123; 16, January 1962, pp. ment between the United States and Latin admirer of Brinkman and van der Vlugt’s tecture of the Modern Movement in Brazil disorientation in the visitor, where the ble of calling forth ancient memories in him– “and look at everybody else’s scheme. petition calls it. We’re interested in plasticity, look again at the rich traditions of modern- 9-21; Baukunst und Werkform 15, 1962, pp. America.5 In 1933 President Franklin De- van Nelle factory, Rotterdam (1931) and here (London: Spon, 2001). Bunshaft thought the scale of reference of the building disap- the visitor, while at the same time using He didn’t necessarily steal your scheme, but and we’re exploring every avenue to get it.”13 ism, the achievement of Bunshaft needs 30-36, sup. 2-4). lano Roosevelt’s “Good-Neighbor” initia- too is a recollection of the simplicity of that Venezuela Pavilion second in quality only to pears, replaced by a continuous land- contemporary forms in a forceful, coher- he stole the best of every scheme.” When I They engaged the Hungarian-born engineer more (not less) attention. He was, without 12 Nicholas Adams (with Nicola McElroy), tive had established non-intervention and building with the glass conveyor belts trans- that of Costa and Niemeyer’s building. See scape. This is the characteristic with the ent way to offer needy families a place in say “stole,” I use his words. “He stole the Paul Weidlinger (1914–1999) for a series shame, a commercial architect working in “Column and Frame: Mies van der Rohe and non-interference as the new policies of lated into the sloping roof. Krinsky, Bunshaft, p. 9. greatest debt to the historical fabric of which to live with dignity. best of every scheme, and then he’d put it of original box-shaped concrete buildings the most commercial of environments, and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill,” in La Colonne: the United States for the region. Economic On the inside Bunshaft had little control 8 New York Times, 27 May 1939, p. 9. the Medina. Nevertheless, the reinter- together and win the prize.” Gordon had this placed on small pyramidal pylons. The new yet –against the odds– he established a Nouvelle histoire de la construction, ed. Rob- development and reciprocal trade would over the design. The central feature was an 9 Venezuelan airmail stamps from this pe- pretation does not come from a reading wonderful knack for sifting out. buildings required a new Bunshaft. The distinctive identity always insisting on, and erto Gargiani (Lausanne: Presses polytech- now mark United States relations with the “Altar of the Good Neighbor” (containing a riod show a banking aircraft. That image of the context, but from a more theoret- page 77 Bunshaft required stimulation from oth- technologies of the steel and glass curtain building to, the highest standards of design. niques et universitaires romandes, 2008), south and men like Nelson A. Rockefeller lock of George Washington’s hair that had could have suggested the roof form to Bun- ical process of abstraction. At Djibouti, ers and used that stimulation to toggle be- wall had been well known. Concrete –with 484-493. (1908–1979) had a significant interest in been owned by Simon Bolivar) and there shaft. Gordon Bunshaft (1909–1990) in fact, there are no Medinas: until the tween alternatives. Later, in the office envi- which he was much less familiar– obligated Notes 13 See, “The Architects from Skid’s Row,” the presentation of a progressive up-to- were displays of natural resources. Inside 10 Joan Ockman, “Art, Soul of the Corpora- Nicholas Adams last century the inhabitants were mostly ronment, Richardson reports: him to adopt the interrogative. In the 1950s, 1 Carol Krinsky, Gordon Bunshaft of Skid- Fortune 57 (January 1958), pp. 137-140; 210, date image of Latin America at the Fair. and outside were drawn together through tion: Patronage, Public Relations, and the nomads, and the capital itself grew only There are certain architects whose names Gordon used us as hands really. It was Bunshaft postponed extensive consultation more, Owings & Merrill (Cambridge and New 212, 215. Quotation from p. 215. Rockefeller, whose mother was a founder glass, of course, and by the placement of Interrelations of Art and Architecture after at the end of the 19th century through speak clearly of place and time: we can wonderful. It was just like he was an octo- with engineers until the design was well York: MIT Press and the Architectural History 14 Krinsky, Gordon Bunshaft, p. 138. of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the name VENEZUELA both inside and out- World War II,” SOM Journal 5 (2007), pp. the initiative of the French colonists visualize their world instantly. The Ameri- pus. He could do all the thinking, and he had advanced, but with Weidlinger in the later Foundation, 1988), p. 335–38. I count an ad- 15 Quoted in Walter McQuaid, “A Daring and who had worked for Creole Petroleum side the glass grid.11 A freestanding curving 170–186, see p. 182. who introduced settlement models typi- can architect Gordon Bunshaft is one such all of us young guys do these beautiful draw- 1960s and 1970s, he recognized the desir- ditional twenty-two Bunshaft-influenced New Generation of Skyscrapers,” Fortune 87 in Venezuela, seems to have had a hand in screen (echoing Aalto’s Finnish pavilion?) 11 The passage of forms between inside and cal of colonial cities, using the figure of figure. It’s post-war experi- ings for him or whatever he needed done.6 ability of early coordination: “We knew we buildings not acknowledged by Bunshaft (February 1973), p. 81. advancing Skidmore & Owings as designers provided a backdrop for wooden sculptures outside across the glass envelope was later the regular block and the grid of streets. menting with abstract , domi- What counted for Bunshaft were could do all sorts of things using concrete… prior to 1962. See Nicholas Adams, “Gordon for the Pavilion. (The only other pavilion with created on site by Francesco Narváez. (Re- used in the garden atrium at Lever House. From this standpoint, Urko Sanchez nated by great American corporations, and breadth, variety, and multiple architectural but we needed education. As soon as we got Bunshaft: What Convinces is Conviction,” an American design was that of Chile by the flecting on the Pavilion later, Bunshaft ex- 12 New York Times, 30 April 1939, p. 128. draws on very distant formal repertories with a soundtrack of cool jazz. There too stimuli. some rough ideas, the senior designer and SOM Journal 9 (2014), 8–19. page 83 team of T. Smith-Miller, Sanders & Breck). pressed the need to maintain control over all 13 Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (as they be- that refer to an abstract idea of an Islam- are the skin-and-bone modern buildings Lever House changed Bunshaft’s life Paul and I –mostly Paul and I– would get 2 His father, David Bunshaft, was a whole- Though the Venezuelans had designed their aspects of design.) de- came) subsequently received the commis- Gordon Bunshaft 1/5 ic city. The principle of “critical region- of Gordon Bunshaft: Lever House (1952), forever and became the building that made together.”14 Weidlinger became, as associ- sale egg dealer. In 1946 he left a consider- own neocolonial pavilion two years earlier in scribed the scene as “beauty and business” sion for a housing development and Catholic alism” is interpreted in a wider, arche- Manufacturer’s Trust (1954), Chase Manhat- his reputation. Founding partner Nathaniel ates recall, “a real collaborator,” something able estate of $51, 236 to his wife, Yetta. (see Paris (architects Luis Malaussena and Car- on display. The most popular part of the church for Creole Petroleum at Amuay Bay. Venezuela Pavilion, typal and –to some extent– formal way. tan Bank (1961). And there too is Bunshaft A. Owings (1903–1984) had won access to the youthful Bunshaft had not needed be- Buffalo Courier Express, 20 July 1946.) The los Raúl Villanueva) the Americans thought Pavilion were the orchids that, as the news- See Permanent Housing Project: Creole Pe- New York World’s Fair, 1939 (destroyed) While in typological terms the project himself: sharp-tongued, laconic, brusque, at the commission in a game of craps and had fore. In this new idiom Bunshaft still thrived: family lived at 55 Manchester Place in a sim- a local architect would be advisable.6 Rock- paper observed would “make any woman’s troleum Corporation, Amuay Bay, Venezuela, Nicholas Adams does not have immediate links to the ease with the corporate captains of the day provided the parti for an “ideal office tower,” Beinecke Library (1963), Banque Lambert ple single-family wooden house. efeller may also have been stimulated by the heart beat faster.”12 S.A. (New York, 1946) context, from the viewpoint of climate and thoroughly comfortable with modern that Bunshaft developed.7 Its success was (1965), the American Republic Insurance 3 Offices have opened later in London «They did about nineteen different projects, much-admired designs of Costa and Nie- Though the Pavilion was a popular one 14 New York Times, 25 October 1939, p. and environment it has profound im- assembly-line production. He is at home at spectacular: Lever was simultaneously a Company (1965) are the results of this col- (1986) and Shanghai (2001). The offices in all of them lousy except maybe one.» Gor- meyer for the Brazilian Pavilion. Rockefeller –and helped seal a relationship between 18. Venezuela had attempted to bring Ven- plications. In Djibouti the weather is Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), one of massive advertising symbol for the soap and laboration. Portland, Boston, Houston, and Denver have don Bunshaft and Bunshaft would have had the chance to SOM and the Rockefeller family that lasted ezuelan muralists, musicians, and waiters very hot, and in spite of the proximity the largest architectural firms of the day. cleaning company, a solution to the problem The last years within SOM –as is so of- closed. their designs in sufficient time (both Costa another two decades– in Venezuela there to the Pavilion and had been forced to hire a to the sea summer temperatures reach Though he took responsibility for only of the dark grimy canyons of the city, and a ten with crowned heads– were not easy. A 4 Oral History of Gordon Bunshaft, inter- The New York World’s Fair of 1939–40 was and Niemeyer were in New York through the was controversy.13 High costs –both labor non-working American team to shadow the levels above 40°C. The dense organiza- thirty-eight buildings, from 1939 to 1983 notable work of architecture.8 Even incom- new generation of SOM designers moved viewed by Betty J. Blum (Chicago: Art Insti- the first international fair explicitly dedicat- summer of 1938), to realize the need to push (since the Venezuela artists and musicians Venezuelan. tion of the dwellings stands up to this his hand is visible in countless others.1 He plete, its model formed the centerpiece to positions of power within the firm and tute, 1990, revised edition, 2000), p. 209. ed to the future. The 610-foot obelisk Trylon through something modern for the Venezue- were not members of the powerful New York 15 New York Times, 4 May 1940, p. heat, ensuring plenty of shade. The nar- was the acknowledged leader of architec- for an exhibition of the work of SOM at the though Bunshaft’s opinions were as sharp 5 Oral History of Ambrose M. Richardson, and spheroid Perisphere, designed by Wal- lans –something that, echoing the Brazilian labor unions) and continuing maintenance– 16 Architectural Forum, 70 (June 1939), p. row streets and the lack of doors and tural design at SOM from his return after Museum of Modern Art in New York.9 When as ever, his style no longer matched the interviewed by Betty J. Blum (Chicago: Art lace Harrison (1895–1981) and André Fouil- entry, united modern structure with el es- led the government to close the Pavilion af- 451. windows in the daytime zones facilitate the war until ca.1962 when others (Bruce completed the building even became a tour- times: prudent collective corporate deci- Institute, 1990), p. 160. houx (1879–1945) were symbols of the Fair’s píritu venezolano.7 ter the first year. Venezuelan architects, too, cross-ventilation, while windcatchers are Graham, Walter Netsch, Chuck Bassett) ist attraction –visitors came to watch the sions put an end to the manly industrial 6 Oral History of Ambrose Richardson, p. 78 enthusiasm for “the world of tomorrow.” Thus, though the Venezuelan Pavilion may have felt slighted by the awarding of the inserted inside the homes to provide nat- rose to prominence within the firm and windows being washed from its movable captains who had hired him post-war. Bun- 7 Nathaniel A. Owings, “The Office Building Following their lead the pavilion architects included displays dedicated to products contract to the young, unproven, Bunshaft. ural cooling. even thereafter his influence continued to scaffolding. shaft’s growing disdain for office buildings of Tomorrow,” Skyscraper Management 32 were encouraged to be experimental and such as coffee, cocoa, and oil, “designed to American non-intervention and non-inter- The 15 housing units are of the same be felt. He built a range of building types In the wake of the tumultuous reception (“I’m not sure office buildings are even ar- (November 1947), pp. 10-11; 24-27; “A Radi- innovative. Norman Bel Geddes’s Futurama represent the potential wealth of Venezuela,” ference, it seemed, applied only to larger size, but have different orientations and (houses, libraries, factories, and museums) for Lever House, corporate clients lined up chitecture. They’re really a mathematical cally New Conception of Tomorrow’s Office was one of the most popular displays with there was a strand of modern culture, with diplomatic issues. Only when the country’s groupings to generate variations of plan from New York to New Orleans and Pitts- for Bunshaft: Manufacturers Trust Bank calculation, just three-dimensional invest- Building,” National Real Estate and Build- its multi-level system of motorways and contemporary Venezuelan artists provid- representative at the Fair threatened to re- and volume. The unit is composed of burgh to and he built in city centers, (1954), Hilton Hotel (1955), Connecticut ments….”) reflected those changes.15 He ing Journal (January 1948), pp. 28-29; “The simulated sounds of low-flying aircraft. The ing the decorations. The administration of sign (“too many headaches”) was the order four rooms: a living room, a private pa- in suburbs, and on open country sites. Dur- General Insurance (1957), Reynolds Metal still found the occasional strongman who Ideal Office Building A– dream boat speech international pavilions were a mixed bag. President Lopez Contreras, as the Consul briefly rescinded.14 In May 1940 Venezuela tio, a kitchen and an entrance. The liv- ing his lifetime he was acknowledged for (1958), Pepsi Cola (1960), Union Carbide thought the high quality of Bunshaft’s de- by Architect Owings,” Architectural Forum Italy’s pavilion by Michele Busira-Vici was General pointed out at the inauguration of withdrew and prepared estimates to ship ing area has no doors or windows, and is the high quality of his work as the recipient (1960), First City National Bank (1961), and sign worth paying for (for example, the real 91 (August 1949), pp. 75, 164, 165. The first unmemorable with a statue of the goddess the Pavilion, was “the very incarnation of the Pavilion to Caracas where, had the plan accessed through the patios and the typ- of the Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize of the Chase Manhattan Bank (1961). With estate developer Sheldon Solow at 9 West discussion of “Lever House,” occurred June Roma seated on a 200-foot high pedestal the most advanced democracy,” and the been followed through, it was to have found ical device of the bayonet entrance that the American Academy of Arts and Letters Chase Manhattan in downtown New York 57th Street, 1974) and he built more for the 1949. over a water pool dedicated to Guglielmo country was “among the freest countries in its home as a tourist center.15 guarantees privacy, while the bedroom (1955), the American Institute of Architect’s City, again brokered by Owings, Bunshaft government (LBJ Library, 1971; Hirschhorn 8 See the lecture of J.E. Drew, the Public Marconi. Architectural Forum described it the world.”8 It was a country too, as was em- Bunshaft’s Pavilion, in the opinion of Archi- area is reached through the private spac- Gold Medal (1984), and the Pritzker Archi- and SOM became associated with the Rock- Museum, 1974) and there were new strong- Relations director for Lever Brothers deliv- as “a curious perversion of classical prec- blazoned on the wall of the Pavilion, “where tectural Forum, was “not too exciting.”16 In es of the house. This arrangement of the tecture Prize (1988) for which, it is said, he efellers, one of the most powerful (and rich- men from abroad (National Commercial ered to a session on the Economic Values of edent.”1 Those of Finland (Alvar Aalto), there is no unemployment, no debts, and no retrospect, however, it stands out as his first spaces, like the type of openings and nominated himself. est) families in the United States. Accounts Bank, Jeddah, 1983; the Hajj Terminal, 1981). Design at the AIA Annual Convention in New Sweden (Sven Markelius), and Brazil (Lucio taxes.” Bunshaft encapsulated the country’s independent work and a work that revealed windows, responds to a precise cultur- Born in Buffalo, NY to a relatively modest of the selection of art works for the new They are all monumental structures, big- Orleans in June 1959. A copy is located in the Costa and Oscar Niemeyer) were especially modernity in an aerodynamic glass box. his talent for what he called “fascination and al need for family privacy that produces immigrant family Bunshaft attended Massa- building highlighted the role of Bunshaft.10 boned, abstract, and modernist, built like Marketing Division, SOM, New York. praised.2 Typically, commercial firms sought Initial plans may have been drawn up fun,” qualities that would emerge promi- –in compositional terms– an introvert- chusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where Bunshaft was architect for America’s politi- bulwarks against the first waves of post 9 “Skidmore, Owings & Merrill architects, to capitalize on their product design in their together with John Moss. They show a dra- nently in his two post-war successes: Lever ed building in which very closed external he took two degrees, a B.Arch (1933) and cal elite as well –selected to design the Lyn- . In the context of the times, Bun- U.S.A.,” Bulletin of the Museum of Modern pavilions to the detriment of their architec- matically angled wing-like roof sweeping House and Manufacturers Trust. elevations prevail, featuring large stuc- an M.Arch (1935).2 He was awarded a Rotch don Baines Johnson Memorial Library at the shaft seemed out of place, a dinosaur from Art, 18 (Fall 1950). ture: Continental Baking (Skidmore and through a simple glass box from west to co-clad walls in an almost abstract play Traveling Scholarship (1935-1937) that ena- University of Texas (1971). another world, a hero in the age of the anti- 10 See Art at Work: The Chase Manhattan Owings with John Moss) used the wrapper east. To the east side of the glass box under Notes of volumes. bled him to see the new architecture in Eu- What did his clients get? First and fore- hero, corporate when the fashion was for Collection, ed. Marshall Lee (New York: E.P. design for their popular product “Wonder the lower end of the sloping roof are cafete- 1 Architectural Forum, 70 (June 1939), p.456. The communal space is formed by a sys- rope. On return to New York, he went to work most, they received a well-programmed the individual, old, as society decided not to Dutton, 1984). Bread” as exterior cladding. ria and restaurant facilities. To the west the 2 Architectural Forum, 70 (June 1939), p. 459 tem of walkways that wind into the cent- at SOM where he became a partner in 1949, original design. SOM was famous for its trust anyone over 30. 11 “Showcase,” in “The Talk of the Town,” The Skidmore and Owings (they had yet to roof is supported by a single detached pier, reported that an opinion poll designated the er, expanding in plazas and patios, nar- and with the exception of wartime service ability to reinterpret traditional repetitive Bunshaft was a complicated man. Fa- New Yorker 30 (2 October 1954); Jack Alex- be joined by Merrill) had a significant pres- the tallest, and the view from the southwest Soviet Union pavilion (Boris Iofan and Karo rowing and widening as they go along. (1942-1946), worked there until his retire- activities (like banking or the processing mous –infamous even– for his temper and ander, “The Bank That Has No Secrets,” Sat- ence at the Fair, as consultants and as de- provided the most characteristic view of the S. Alabian) as the popular favorite. These variations add value to the out- ment in 1979. His forty-year career parallels of insurance) in original ways to make their his sharp opinions –he seems to have been urday Evening Post, 30 November signers. They teamed with John Moss, a not- building. Views show the glass box stiffened 3 Carol Herselle Krinsky, Gordon Bunshaft: door space, which like the constructed the growth of SOM: from a single office in buildings newsworthy. Manufacturers Trust most at home among artists. The exten- 1957, pp. 36, 105-106; on Connecticut Gen- ed delineator, and produced nine pavilions: by wide-flange steel I-beams along the Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (New York: Ar- part forms fluid zones for play, gather- Chicago (1936) to a multi-office partnership: was written up in The New Yorker and Sat- sive correspondence with Jean Dubuffet eral, “Office Building Gets Trial Run,” Busi- Swift Premium Meats, Continental Baking, southern façade.9 On the underside of the chitectural History Foundation, 1988), p. 9. ings and circulation. The twisting pro- New York opened in 1937 was followed by urday Evening Post; Connecticut General (1901–1985) and Henry Moore (1898–1986) ness Week, 20 August 1955, p. 48; “For the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), the roof, Luis Alfredo López Méndez and Miguel 4 Buffalo Courier Express, 15 May 1939, p. 3 gress creates a certain ambiguity of the San Francisco (1947), Portland (1951), Wash- was featured in Time, Newsweek, Business at the Avery Library, Columbia University, is Corporate Life ’57,” Newsweek, 16 Sep- Gas Industries Pavilion, the Westinghouse Arroyo painted scenes of daily Venezuelan 5 Only Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, and boundaries that separate collective and ington (1967), Boston (1971), Los Angeles Week, Fortune, and the Saturday Even- both playful and witty, describing cheerful tember 1957, pp. 114-115; “Building with a Pavilion, the Standard Brands Building, the life, prefiguring, according to Joan Ockman, Chile among South American countries had private zones, and interesting contami- (1974), Houston (1976), and Denver (1977).3 ing Post. Chase Manhattan seems to have conversations, and revealing a wholly dif- future,” Time, 16 September 1957, 86-91; Glass Building, and a Medicine and Public “the elegant integration of architecture and their own pavilions. nations emerge, in apparent contrast to Bunshaft’s training at MIT was in the been published everywhere.11 Looking more ferent person. He was generous to the Al- “A Dramatic New Office Building,” Fortune Health display. The one national pavilion the art in his postwar work.”10 Orchids in glass 6 See Lorenzo González Casas, “Nelson A. Islamic culture. moderately modern environment that later closely their clients received an architecture bright-Knox Museum in Buffalo (and a good (September 1957), 164-169; 228-229; Joe firm undertook, the Venezuela Pavilion, is globes dotted the garden in front of the Rockefeller y la modernidad venezolana: in- The project by Urko Sanchez at Djibou- welcomed Alvar Aalto. Bunshaft was not a that seemed fully engaged with the larger friend to Seymour Knox, its patron). He left Alex Morris, “It’s Nice to Work in the Coun- the one building of the group that Bunshaft Pavilion and inside they decorated tree-like tercambios, empresas y lugares a mediados ti is one of the virtuous examples in great reader or an attentive student of archi- post-war aesthetic of efficiency and moder- his home, the so-called Travertine House on try,” Saturday Evening Post, 5 July 1958, pp. called not “lousy,” or at least, “semi-good.” It displays. The roof was, however, the domi- del siglo XX,” in Petróleo Nuestro y Ajeno: La which the intervention of international tectural history, or even an especially talent- nity for which, after Seagram Building, Mies Long Island (1963) and much of his personal 21, 70-72. Chase Manhattan received a was the first work he acknowledged.3 Here nant architectural motif on the southern illusión del modernidad, ed. Juan Jose Martin cooperation becomes a chance to rede- ed draftsman. He freely admitted, “I’m not van der Rohe became to be the defining art collection to the Museum of Modern Art twenty-nine page spread in Architectural he was able to begin his experimentation façade –its playful inside-outside connec- Frechilla and Yolanda Texera Arnal. Caracas: fine the identity of places and to contrib- an intellectual. I am just straightforward.”4 figure. Though Bunshaft’s architecture was in New York –quite content, it seems, to see Forum (“Chase, portrait of a giant; report on with the new that had tion reflecting Venezuela’s tropical climate Universidad Central de Venezuela, 2004, pp. ute to build a dialogue between the roots His critical educational experiences came more playful and more colorful (and rarely as the house sold and the collection dispersed. the biggest office building in Manhattan in absorbed his attention on his travels in Eu- and its sweeping abstract line its develop- 173–234. There were, of course, Venezuelan of the past and the present. The project from his studio classmates and in the library. aesthetically consistent), he too received the For this series of five essays I have se- 25 years,” Architectural Forum 115, July 1961), rope as a Rotch fellow. In an article in his ing modernity. The other facades were less modernists such as Cipriano Dominguez combines historic forms and spatial ap- A remark, recollected by the architect Am- label “Miesian.”12 lected some of the lesser-known buildings pp. 66-95 as well as publication in the ma- hometown newspaper he is pictured look- prominent. From east and west, as revealed who had worked in Le Corbusier’s studio in proaches with a contemporary language, brose Richardson (who reports a conversa- In the wake of Seagram (and with the built under the direction Gordon Bunshaft jor American architectural, interior, and art ing intently at a rendering of the pavilion and in the Moss drawings, the building had the Paris, Villanueva himself, and Manuel Mujica without leaving room for picturesque or tion with one of Bunshaft’s MIT classmates) new concrete buildings of Le Corbusier), at SOM. They demonstrate the rich vari- magazines. It was also featured in French quoted as calling the Fair a “trial balloon into characteristics of a contemporary train or Milán. vernacular rhetoric. The use of certain provides a key insight into his subsequent SOM and Bunshaft sought a new direction. ety of which he was capable and exhibit (Architecture Aujourd’hui 6, December 1961, the future.”4 bus station, or possibly a post office –even 7 See Zilah Quezado Deckker, chapter 3, historical features like the Moorish arch design method:5 In January 1958, Nathaniel Owings assured his attention to broad line and fine detail, pp. 82-91; L’Oeil, no. 87, March 1962, pp. Venezuela’s pavilion at the Fair was Asplund’s entry pavilion for the Stockholm “The Brazilian Pavilion at the New York

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