BUILT IN LINCOLN, MASSACHUSETTS IN 1938 THE GROPIUS HOUSE WAS DESIGNED FOR WALTER GROPIUS AND HIS FAMILY WHEN THEY MOVED TO AMERICA FROM EUROPE. THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE GROPIUS HOUSE IMPACTED AMERICAN DRAMATICALLY AND WAS ONE OF THE FIRST EXAMPLES OF ‘INTERNATIONAL STYLE’

1913 1922 1925 1938 1959 Fagus Factory Chicago Tribune Competition Bauhous Gropius House Embassy of the US in Athens Dessau, Germany Lincoln MASSACHUSETTS Alfad, Germany

1939 Brazilian Pavilion House Cathedral of Brasilia Niterói Contemporary Art Museum Oscar Niemeyer Museum New York World Fair Canoas, Barra de Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Brazil Niteroi, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil , Paraná, Brazil MODERNISM, Corbusian Modernism, Irregular Expressionist Modernism structural Expressionist Modernism sculptural, Expressionist Modernism sculptural, EYE MONUMENTAL MONUMENTAL, UFO BUILT IN CANOAS, RIO DE JANERIO, BRAZIL IN 1953. OSCAR NIEMEYER’S HOUSE WAS DESIGNED FOR OSCAR NIEMEYER AND HIS FAMILY , WHICH WAS LATER USED AS HEADQUATERS OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY IN BRAZIL. IT IS CONSIDERED TO BE ONE WALTER GROPIUS OF THE FIRST EXAMPLES OF “FREEFORM” MODERN ARCHITECTURE “Our guiding principle was that design is neither an intellectual nor a material affair, but simply an integral part of the stuff of life, necessary for everyone in a civilized society.” OSCAR NIEMEYER “I’m not attracted to hard right angles and inflexible straight lines. My attraction is tocurves , the curves of my country’s mountains, of her rivers and of the bodies of her women. The universe is made of curves.” DRIVING COMPONENTS

RIBBON WINDOWS Roof Curveature to allow Nature to penetrate into the spaces EXTRUDED CANOPY ALONG ANGLED PATH Interiorr

Boulder acts as a Joint connecteing the exterior and interior. Inside the boulder begins to become part of the space- GLASS BLOCK ALONG ENTRY becoming a stair THE RIBBON WINDOWS ALONG THE SECOND FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IS AN ELEMENT IN RESPECT TO CORBUSIER’S FIVE POINTS OF ARCHITECTURE. THE EXTRUDED CANOPY COVERING THE ANGLED PATHWAY SIGNIFIES A DIRECT ROUTE INTO THE HOUSE AND REPRESENTS A SENSE OF OPENNESS AND WELCOMING, ALLOWING A FILTERING EFFECT TO OCCUR FROM THE STREET INTO THE HOUSE. THE GLASS BLOCK ALONG THE ENTRY IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW GROPIUS WANTED TO UNITE TRADITIONAL NEW The pool of water begins to shape ENGLAND MATERIALS WITH MORE MODERN AND TECHNOLOGICALLY DRIVEN ASPECTS. circulation into the house

OSCAR NIEMEYER USES THE SITE CONTEXT TO DRAW THE IRREGULAR SHAPE. HOUSE IS MADE UP OF THREE BASIC ELEMENTST: THE CONCRETE ROOF OVER THE TERRAIN SLOPE, THE BOULDER AND SWIMMING POOL. THE CURVY SHAPE OF THE ROOF SLAB MATCHES THE THE CURVY SHAPES OF THE ROOF SLAB MATCH THE SHAPES OF THE HILL AND THE ORGANIC VEGETATION THAT SURROUNDS THE HOUSE. NIEMEYER USES THE BOULDER ON SITE AND INCORPO- RATES IT INTO THE HOUSE, “: THE ROCK, LIFT INITS NATURAL FORM AND SIZE, FUNCTIONS ALMOST LIKE A JOINT, SOFTLY PENETRATING THE HOUSE” . THE THIRD ELEMENT, THE POOL ORGANIZES THE EXTERIOR SPACE, DIRECTING THE CIRCULATION INTO THE ENTRY. THE THREE ELEMENTS ARE HEAVLY INFLU- ENCED BY THE EXISTING SITE CONDITIONS. OSCAR NIEMEYER USED “NATURE AS HIS INTERIOR DECORATOR”.

WALTER GROPIUS OSCAR NIEMEYER GROPIUS HOUSE NIEMEYER HOUSE LINCOLN, MASSACHUSETTS 1938 THE FORM OF THE GROPIUS HOUSE IS VERY LINEAR. FROM LOOKING AT THE BUILDING PLAN 1 “My priority was design the residence with total freedom, adapting it to IT APPEARS AS IF THE OVERALL SHAPE OF THE BUILDING IS COMPRISED OF THREE 2 the land topography, without change it, making the house in curves, in a RECTALINEAR FORMS WITH THE ANGLED CANOPY PROTRUDING THOUGH FROM THE way that the vegetation can penetrate in it, without the ostensive break- SIDE OF THE BUILDING. THIS EXTREME ANGLE SIGNIFIES THE ENTRY INTO THE BUILDING, down of the straight line.” WELCOMING VISITORS FROM THE NEARBY ROAD.

3 FORM

UNLIKE THE GROPIUS HOUSE, WHICH PLACED PRIVATE ROOMS ON THE HIGHER LEVEL, OSCAR CREATES A CEREMONIAL ENTRY, MAKING THE USER PRIVATE FACILITIES FOR THE NIEMEYER HOUSE IS LOCATED BELOW LEVEL. LEAVE THE CAR PARKED DOWN THE SLOPE AND FORCING BOTH PROJECT SHARE THE IDEA OF PLACING PUBLIC ROOMS ON GROUND LEVEL. THEM TO EXPIERENCE THE NATURAL SURROUNDINGS OF THE AREA. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT NIEMEYER WANTED THE VISITORS TO LEAVE THE WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY AND ENTER INTO THE REALM WHERE ARCHITECTURE MEETS NATURE. ENTRY & PARKING CIRCULATION

THE SHARP ENTRY INTO THE GROPIUS HOUSE IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF THE “HIDDEN” ENTRY WAY OF THE NIEMEYER HOUSE. THE ANGLED AND ROUGH LINED CANOPY SIGNIFIES A STRONG AND PRIVATE FACILITIES PRIVATE FACILITIES DIRECT ROUTE INTO THE BUILDING. Public THIS ANGLED CANOPY CONTRASTS THAT OF THE REST OF THE HOUSE PUBLIC PUBLIC Private OSCAR NIEMEYER USES THE SITE TYPOGRAPHY, TO LAYOUT WHICH CONSISTS OF MOSTLY RIGHT ANGLES. HIS INTERIOR SPACES.THE PRIVATE SPACES ARE LOCATED IN THE LOWER LEVEL, AND PUBLIC ON THE UPPER LEVEL.OSCAR KEEPS THE UPPER LEVEL OPEN AND TRANSPARENT. ALLOW- INTERIOR ORGANIZATION ING THE LIVING ROOM SPACES TO FLOW INTO THE SURROUNDING LANDSCAPE.

THE HOUSE IS SITUATED ON A FLAT SITE WITH VERY MINIMAL CHANGE IN ELEVATION. THE HOUSE IS ISOLATED WITHIN A CONGESTED FOREST, WITH THE NEAREST HOUSE LOCATED OVER 100 FEET AWAY

WALTER GROPIUS SITE OSCAR NIEMEYER GROPIUS HOUSE TYPOLOGY NIEMEYER HOUSE LINCOLN, MASSACHUSETTS 1938 LINCOLN, MASSACHUSETTS 1938 MATERIALITY & STRUCTURE

THE LOCATION OF THE SITE HIGHLY INFLUENCED THE STYLE OF THE GROPIUS HOUSE. IN ORDER TO KEEP THE SITE PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE DESIGN OF THE HOUSE. BUT UNLIKE WALTER RESPECT TO THE NEW ENGLAND FARMHOUSE AESTHETIC AND VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE, GROPUIS HE DOES NOT DESIRE TO INCORPARTE BRAZILS VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE. WALTER GROPIUS AND HIS FAMILY TRAVELLED AROUND THE NEW ENGLAND AREA INSTEAD HIS DESIGN BEGINS TO MIMC THE EXISTING LAND TOPOGRAPY, DESIGNING THE RESI- IN SEARCH FOR INSPIRATION AND GUIDANCE. THE EXPLORATION LED TO THE HOME’S FINAL DESIGN DENCE WITH COMPLETE FREEDOM. OSCAR’S INSPIRATION WAS THE NATURAL ELEMENTS OF THE WHICH COMBINED TRADTIONAL NEW ENGLAND ELEMENTS SUCH AS CLAPBOARD, BRICK AND SITE, USING THE BOULDER, AND LAND TOPAGRAPHY, AND VIEWS. FIELDSTONE WITH MODERNISTIC TECHNOLOGIES THAT GROPIUS WAS ACCUSTOMED TO BACK IN EUROPE.

CLAPBOARD BRICK CONCRETE GLASS MOSTLY USED TO ENCLOSE THE STRUCTURE OF FARMHOUSES

ALTHOUGH GROPIUS’ MAIN CONCERN AND GOAL WAS TO NOT OBSTRUCT THE NEW ENGLAND VERNACULAR STYLE, OSCAR DECIDES TO PRESERVE THE VIEWS BY ENSURING ALMOST TOTAL VISUAL CONTINUITY THROUGH HE IMPOSED THE FARMHOUSE ARCHITECTURE WITH INNOVATIVE MATERIALS RARELY USED FOR THE INTERIOR - DEMANDING LARGE AREAS OF GLASS SHADED BY AN OVERHANG ROOF TO ENSURE TRANS- DOMESTIC TYPOLOGIES AT THAT TIME, SUCH AS GLASS BLOCK, ACOUSTICAL PLASTER, CHROME BANISTERS PARENCY AND MINIMAL INTERNAL DIVISION. NIEMEYER USES MODERN TECHNOLOGY TO ACHIEVE THE AND USED THE LATEST TECHNOLOGIES IN FIXTURES. ALONG WITH THESE MATERIAL ADDITIVES, FEELING OF LIGHTNESS AND TRANSPARENCY. GROPIUS ALSO PAITED THE HOUSE WITH A STARK WHITE. WHICH WHEN COMBINED WITH THE TINTED RIBBON WINDOWS AND THE GLASS BLOCK WOULD GIVE A SLIGHTLY CORBUSIAN FEEL. WALTER GROPIUS OSCAR NIEMEYER GROPIUS HOUSE NIEMEYER HOUSE LINCOLN, MASSACHUSETTS 1938 WORKS CITED

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