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Teachers' Notes Louis Kahn: the Power of Architecture

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TEACHERS’ NOTES LOUIS KAHN: THE POWER OF ARCHITECTURE 09 JULY 2014 – 12 OCTOBER 2014 INTRODUCTION Louis Kahn (1901-1974) is an American architect who is considered to be one of the great master builders of the Twentieth Century. Kahn created buildings of monumental beauty with powerful universal symbolism. This exhibition shows architectural models, original drawings, travel NATIONAL ASSEMBLY BUILDING, DHAKA sketches, photographs and films. Highlights of the exhibition include a four-metre-high model of the spectacular City Tower designed for Philadelphia (1952-57). The room is divided into seven sections beginning with a biographical introduction. The work of Louis Kahn is then explored through the themes of: City, Science, Landscape, House, Eternal Present and Community. For students of any design discipline, this exhibition is an excellent primary source to support research. The exhibition provides insight LOUIS KAHN into ways that a designer develops and communicates ideas and how ideas can be expressed and evolved. The exhibition can also support reflection on the role of design in the built environment and the influence of architecture on identity and community. HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EXHIBITION BIOGRAPHY FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT FOUR About Louis Kahn FREEDOMS PARK, NEW YORK Louis Kahn was born in 1901 in a country that is now part of Estonia. His family was very poor and migrated to America in 1906. Despite his family’s poverty, Kahn received an excellent education and, inspired by a high school course in architectural history, won a scholarship to study architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. Louis Kahn began his career working on housing and urban planning, but as his career progressed he also designed museums, laboratories, schools, churches, synagogues and even a national parliament. Despite his prolific designs, Kahn’s career as an architect SALK INSTITUTE, CALIFORNIA resulted in relatively few completed buildings. However the structures that were built established him as one of the most influential designers of his era. CITY Louis Kahn grew up, lived, learned and worked in the city of Philadelphia. He played a pioneering role in thinking about urban development. Beginning with housing projects, and then turning to bigger urban schemes during the 1950s and 1960s, Kahn ideas became more radical. His key proposals for the city of Philadelphia included the reorganization of urban traffic making the inner city pedestrian-friendly, and the bold project of a 180-meter high City Hall Tower which was never built. A scale model of the City Hall Tower at 1:50 scale can be seen in the exhibition. Its spiraling double helix is inspired by James Watson and Francis Crick's discovery of DNA in 1953. SCIENCE Through his many influences, Kahn brought together design, art, science and engineering, to develop a truly unique architectural style. Kahn’s influences included Buckminster Fuller who popularized the geodesic dome and Josef Albers whose work with geometric shapes sparked Kahn’s fascination with light and shadows. Kahn’s ideas were also shaped by his colleague Anne Tyng, who pioneered the use of space frame architecture, where interlocking geometric patterns are used to form light-filled space. LANDSCAPE Landscape was important to Kahn, and he viewed the gardens and grounds around his work as an extension of the buildings. He was interested in how buildings could be formed to make the most of light and natural elements. This can be seen in the dramatic Salk Institute for Biological Studies (1959–65) which is a geometric concrete structure with a channel running through the centre of an open courtyard, connecting the building to the nearby Pacific Ocean. HOUSE All of the houses designed by Kahn and built during his lifetime were in and around his home city of Philadelphia. Louis Kahn saw the home as an institution, and believed that the house was a basic element of a city. Kahn said ‘the plan of a city is like the plan of a house’ where every space has a function including social space, work space, rest and leisure areas. Kahn’s houses show the influence of the American Arts and Crafts Movement, favouring simple interiors and furniture of wood. ETERNAL PRESENT Kahn’s travels to Italy, Greece, and Egypt shaped his architectural thinking, as his travel drawings show. Kahn was capitvated by ancient monuments and ruins, and wanted to create modern monuments for a new age. Through this, Louis Kahn developed a new type of modern architecture by challenging the trends of using technology and material to make buildings lighter and taller. Instead, Kahn’s buildings celebrated that mass and weight of buildings. He composed structures that addressed the balance, scale, space, and form, and by doing so, he found a new way of presenting monumental, symbolic buildings. COMMUNITY Kahn wanted his buildings to be places for ppeople to meet, work, and live together. This was best expressed through Kahn’s late and largest projects in India and Bangladesh – both city-like complexes. Kahn’s design for the National Parliament House in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka (1962-1983) and the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (1962–74) were designed to enable people to meet, work and connect with each other. These projects bring together Kahn’s interest in landscape, geometry, materials, light and connected space. ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS FOR SCHOOLS The suggestions below are starting points that could be adapted into activities for primary or secondary school students. 1. Material hunt Like many designers and architects, Louis Kahn used a variety of materials to explore and communicate his ideas. See how many different materials you can identify as you explore the different architectural models exhibited. We found: steel, paper, bronze, wood, cardboard, card, plasticine, chipboard, Bristol board, wood and acrylic. 2. Plan your city In the exhibition, find out Louis Kahn’s thoughts on home and cities, then design your own fantasy building. If there are several people in your group, each individual building could be put together to make a unique new city. 3. Travel sketches: for the way to or from the museum Louis Kahn travelled extensively, in the early stages of his career he gathered ideas and gained new experiences, later in his career he designed buildings in South-East Asia. Take photographs or do quick sketches of the landmarks that stand out on your journey to/from the Design Museum. What has inspired you along the way? DESIGN DICTIONARY More useful design definitions can be found online at: http://designmuseum.org/discoverdesign/glossary Albers, Josef (1888-1976) Artist, educator and influential member of the Bauhaus school. Arts and Crafts The Arts and Crafts Movement was an international Movement design movement most influential from 1860 to 1910. It favoured handmade, rather than mass produced design. Bauhaus Named after the Bauhaus School in Germany, the word Bauhaus is now used to describe 'modernist' design and architecture popular in 1920s-30s. Buckminster Fuller American architect, author, designer and inventor (1895-1983) who popularized the geodesic dome. Modern Architecture Buildings in the Modern style made use of technological and material innovation to challenge traditional structures and forms. Space frame architecture Lightweight geometric structures formed from interlocking struts Tyng, Anne (1920-2011) Architect and professor who collaborated with Louis Kahn at his practice in Philadelphia for 29 years. Urban planning Urban planning organizes the elements of a city including transportation, power and communication infrastructures, housing and central services such as schools and hospitals. FURTHER READING Current exhibition information http://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/2014/louis-kahn Overview biography and summary of the career of Louis Kahn: http://designmuseum.org/design/louis-kahn ‘My Architect: a son’s journey’, is a documentary film made by Nathaniel Kahn (2003), son of Louis Kahn. https://vimeo.com/67173077 EXHIBITION GUIDANCE This is a traditional exhibition including delicate models and rare prints. Many objects are in cases, but some items are on open display. Care should be taken when moving around the exhibition and no objects in this exhibition should not be touched. We would be grateful if you could brief your students accordingly. Depending on your group and your itinerary for the visit, we would recommend that you set aside approximately 30 minutes to explore this exhibition. Filming and photography is strictly prohibited in this exhibition. This is due to conservation requirements of the historic material on display. Please ensure that you read our school visit Terms and Conditions document before making your visit. We encourage the use of sketchbooks and pencils in the gallery. To access free downloadable gallery activity worksheets for students, please visit our online resource Discover Design http://designmuseum.org/discoverdesign/downloads.html Design Museum, Shad Thames, London SE1 2YD Daily 10am – 5.45pm T 020 7940 8782 E [email protected] .
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