Lauren MacKenzie
Diagramming: Form Body Technique Space
EVDA 621
E i n s t e i n T o w e r FORM - EINSTEIN TOWER
grid represents single uniform Erich Mendelsohn, architect of the Einstein incoming light beam Tower, took inspiration from Einstein’s theory of relativity were light bends around objects due to imposed gravitational forces. Mendelsohn envisioned a new monolithic concrete tower which aimed to streamline exteriors with organically flowing interiors that defied traditional structural law (Pearson, 2001). The challenge was to still have the building function as a working observatory while not sacrificing the desired form. “Mendelsohn did not deny his ignorance regarding the practical aspects of a working observatory and was open to constructive criticism” (Hentschel, 1997, p. 55). Mendelsohn spoke often with his close friend Erwin Freundlich, an astronomer/ Einstein’s assistant, about how the building had to functionally be able to perform.
After learning that the form, mostly layout, of the interior tower and subterranean floors was fixed in size and dimension due to the requirements of a working observatory, Mendelsohn shifted his focus to the rest of the building which was fair game for him to design. The exterior Expressionist architecture that emerged was seen to be unusual and “a little capricious… the stylistic language [did] not in any way suit the other buildings of the Astrophysical Institute” (Hentschel, 1997, p. 62) but due to the political situation of Germany post WWI, the Nation was in a hurry to build a monument in Einstein’s honour. “Thanks to the runaway inflation rate, such reservations about the design were briskly swept aside by decree at the highest cabinet levels, so as not to delay start of construction” (Hentschel, 1997, p. 63). Mendelsohn’s final drawings were therefore
resulting deformation inspired built with striking similarity to his original form of Einstein Tower forms that were sketched during WWI. FORM - EINSTEIN TOWER
“Every artistic impression is based upon its own energetic escalation. Segments line up, blow up, or jut out. Only the interplay of their energies can transmit the overall tone” (Hentschel, 1997, p. 57). The rounded off corners of the tower emphasize the continuity of the form (Abrams, 2008) and it is necessary for every shape of the building to be as it is so that the entire building is understood as a whole.
“The conceptual program was perhaps more complex than the functional one: Mendelsohn consciously strove to make a design devoid of right angles, that was molded rather than built, and that architecturally expressed the dynamic interchange of mass and energy inherent in Einstein’s theory of relativity” (Taylor, 2009). Based on the bending of light due to gravity, Mendelsohn had a curvilinear exterior so when light struck the building it would bend as he interpreted it would within the boundaries of the theory.
The Einstein Tower has “relaxed horizontal forms” where many contemporaries justifiably see the tower as an architectonic rendition of Einstein’s theory” (Hentschel, 1997, p. 71). Seeking to represent mass and form, Mendelsohn chose reinforced concrete to create a “dynamic and rhythmic condition” (Galison, 2008, p. 109) that described relatively as he understood it.
The tower gets ever so slightly thicker at the base because of structural requirements and yet the proportions of the building naturally change with the increase in size. Mendelsohn noted the Exterior form of the Einstein Tower: natural shape change when brick had to be the tower becomes curvilinear eliminating all right included in the foundation for extra support. angles as if the skin of the tower were light deforming around an object Each element shifted where it needed to in the overall form for aesthetic balance. FORM - EINSTEIN TOWER
Rooted in Jugendstil (Art Neuveau) and Expressionist architectural styles the Einstein Tower was described by Einstein himself as “organic” (Bolles, 2004, p. 128). New typology was created based on past precedents informing new forms for the tower (Argan, 1996). The Einstein Tower was only similar to other observatories when looking at the cupola at the top of the tower. The lenticular dome atop the tower was required to me mechanically opened to allow the telescope to measure readings from space.
A whole new series of effects were produced to form the Einstein Tower (Allen, n.d.). Besides being outfitted with the largest aperture telescope in the world, the tower could boast having an Expressionist form which was a vast departure from any other observatory built before it. “In terms of architecture, the 19th century and modern period had produced observatories that were neoclassical monuments, frequently repeating the same movement away from shape and decorative patterns as civil palaces” modern angles to (Wolfschmidt, n.d., p. 211). expressionist curves The interpretation of science and technology in terms of organic form is completely observable when studying the Einstein Tower. One can see that the exterior skin of building appears as though it is being stretched like light affected by gravity; the building was not built to be a modern monument rather it played with curvilinear forms pushing the conceptual boundaries of architecture. The architect applied his own understanding of the union of space and time dictated by special relativity and of the general theory’s non-Euclidean select curved forms from space-time structure to create an unique the Einstein Tower structure (Hentschel, 1997, p. 71). BODY - MAN AND PERFECTION
phallic shape of einstein tower MALE
“Take the case of the chair: as a body part, the chair is mimetic of the spine; as a projection of physical attributes, it is mimetic of body weight; as a repository of the desire to will an end to discomfort, it is mimetic of sentient awareness as a whole” (Beatritz, p. 7).
Understanding then that architecture often translates parts of the human body into the built environment we look to Filareti, who describes human figures represented in architecture as always being male (Agrest, p. 180). When one looks at the Einstein Tower, one is aware of connection between the height of the tower and the phallic symbolism that is male. The “well-shaped man” shows particular symmetry, Vitruvious would say (Agrest, p. 177). BODY - MAN AND PERFECTION
Where “symmetry is related to proportion- symmetry being an essential feature in the design of temples and proportion being the correspondence among measures of an entire work” (Argrest, p. 177) one can argue that the symmetry and proportion used in the design of the Einstein Tower was a response to getting closer to an understanding of the universe, by trusting science. After WWI, the world had come to know a place that “no god would fashion for his most deadly enemies” (Harrison, p. 69) and there was a common conception that god had abandoned mankind. This notion gave rise to the ideology that science was the new way to understand the changed world.
The Einstein Tower was a symbol of the revival of Germany and its superiority in astronomy with a new tower and telescope that could look further into the sky than ever before. Man could look for the answers that they believed were out there. The tower would be used, and it later did prove Einstein’s theory of relativity” (Fraser, p. 133). Mendelsohn, the architect, applied a lot of his own understanding to the union of space and time as defined by the theory of relativity (Hentschel, p.71) and many contemporaries justifiably see the tower as an architectonic rendition of Einstein’s theories” (Hentschel, p. 70).
the unknown
state of the art lens
cone of vision
versus BODY - MAN AS TOWER
folds of human fat
swells of human fat
resulting swells of building facade
The conceptual program “was perhaps more complex than the functional one: Mendelsohn consciously strove to make a design devoid of right angles, that was molded rather than built, and that architecturally expressed the dynamic interchange of mass and energy inherent in Einstein’s theory of relativity” (Taylor and Francis, p.28), which subsequently took the form of an overweight male. The concrete covering, filled with protuberances and recesses, appears swollen with pressing internal cavities, and it gesticulates to the surrounding atmosphere (Zevi, p. 41). These protuberances and recesses are what specifically look like fat rolls on a human body. BODY - INSPIRED PERFECTION
“We want architecture that bleeds, that exhausts, that whirls and even breaks” a round delicate, voluptuous, dreaming, seductive, palpitating architecture (Beatriz, p. 8). The Einstein Tower does have many of the qualities just described. There are many human characteristics portrayed in the built form beyond that of human fat. The enlargement of the body as a form of shelter keeps warm and safe the individuals that it houses the same way the body encloses and protects the individual within: “like the body, its walls put boundaries around the self, preventing undifferentiated contact with the world, yet in its windows and doors it enables the self to move into the world and allows that world to enter (Beatriz, p. 10). The client primarily detailed the interior program of the building but Mendelsohn did bring the swelling form of the exterior into the interior of the building wherever possible. “The interiority of architecture more than any other discourse defines a hierarchy of vision articulated by inside and outside” (Eisenman, p. 558) and Mendelsohn designed the tower comprehensively. Finally, the human eye is also represented in the Einstein Tower. With the tower being an observatory, many connections between the tower’s programmatic layout and the networking of the human eye can be seen.
external images viewed
lens of eye/ telescope
human eye combination of images astronomy tower
brain/ computer processing the external images basement labs telescope lens TECHNIQUE- PART A - FORM
Mendelsohn had to deal with thickening of the building at the base due to structural requirements.
For the rest of the building, Mendelsohn had full authority to design whatever he pleased as seen here on the ground floor. The triangular shaped staircase leads into the entrance then to the half-moon shaped stairs that go down to the technical space below. The traditional shaped stairs further to the left wrap around the telescope beam- transmitting square.
Above the ground floor the Einstein Tower already starts to slender.
The building continues to take on new form as it extends vertically here on the third floor.
The top of the Einstein Tower resembles the form of other observatories already built at the time. The specific part of the Einstein Tower that fully articulates itself based on precent is the half shaped cupola that mechanically opens to allow light to reflect down to the subterranean astro- physical laboratory. PART A - FORM
Here is the only part of the exterior building that has any right angles. The subterranean laberatory was the portion of the building in which Mendelsohn had no control over the design outcome. Mendelsohn was required to design around predetermined spaces due to the desired functionality of the area, it being a working observatory. This portion of the building has grass growing on the exterior walls to help mask the abrupt right angles.
light deforming surface Modern to Expressionist
Mendelsohn aimed at dynamic construction. The curvilinear shape of the exterior upper levels is what is seen as depicting the building being bent/pulled as if it were light bending around an object.z Although this effect may be hard to see, Mendelsohn saw that light interacted with surfaces based on the way that they were constructed; therefore, he designed the exterior so that it would bend light a certain way over the curvilinear surfaces . PART A - BODY
Einstein Tower Foundation
Brick Added to Structure for additional support
Useable Technical Space
Unused Space - Support for upper floors
Mendelsohn had to accomodate a more stable foudnation for the coelostat and lens in the dome, resulting in a stouter tower. But the design was not altered significantly” (p. 65)
b
a b
“Wood was used instead of steel to help dampen vibration in the heavy instruments in the tower and thus prevent blurring of the images; and the separate foundation allowed the optics to remain unaffected by any movement of the building cause, for example, by gusts of wind against the external walls.” (Hentschel, p. 68). The rest of the Enstein Tower sits centered above the base of the working observatory.
a_ The horizontal length and vertical height of the Einstein Tower was fixed by the focal length of the spectrograph and lenses. b_ Specific rooms designed by astronomers were required close to the technical equipment. The building has a clear sence of what is There are many protuberances and interior versus exterior space. It is easily recesses that give the Einstein Tower an defined and controlled based on the organic/ human quality. openings in the building envelope.
Technical lab (basement)
Ground floor
Second floor
Third floor and up PART B - FORM a
Foundation
Ground Floor
Second Floor
Third Floor
Fourth Floor and Up PART B - FORM b PART B - FORM c Light deforming surface: Modern to Expressionist Style
Dynamic Construction PART B - BODY
Gutenbergstraße 71, Potsdam, Germany
Grass over basement decreases visual impact of right angles from every direction PART B - BODY
Technical lab (basement)
brick foundation
stairs to basement
grass covered basement telescope reflector PART B - BODY
north east view south west view
Ground floor
linear stairwell dynamic construction PART B - BODY
office window
Second floor
windows circulation PART B - BODY
base of telescope
telescope
circulation
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Basement Thermoconstant room with + - 0m lattice and prismatic spectrograph
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Micrometer room with accumulator room Ground Floor + 3.39m
Study
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Lens Rostrum
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Cupola Fifth Floor + 16.55m
source: Fritsch, 1992 MATERIAL FORMATIONS 3
The main body of the Einstein Tower was built as a brick substructure covered with reinforced cast-in-place concrete. Mendelsohn argued that the functional construction of the 1 building transferred the essence of the machine to the building itself whereas the dynamic construction worshiped the mechanical motor of the telescope housed within the observatory (Zevi, 1982). The striated space of the building is a constant push and 4 pull of the functional versus the dynamic, sterility versus plastic 2 exuberance. The smooth space surrounding the observatory is reminiscent of an English garden. The landscape literally envelops the lowest floor of the tower in an attempt to rid the exterior of right angles. From 1997-1999 an extensive renovation was done to the interior and exterior of the tower.
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1 & 2. form versus function within the tower 3. pathway/ vegetation of the ‘English garden’ landscape 4. pre-1997 renovation 4 SENSATIONS OF SPACE
Mendelsohn described the Einstein Tower as a building that looked at physics in a new way; intricate winding shapes and elegantly bending curves represented it. Albert Einstein himself called the building ‘organic.’ The expressive lines are unlike any other buildings of its kind. The plastic treatment of form (where not dictated by function) allowed for the building to float up to the domed cupola. The abstract form that emerged successfully drew the logic of the exterior into the interior (of the upper floors) with furniture representing the overall design. Many monuments to Einstein are placed around in the landscape of the site allowing for visitors to engage with the site.
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Source: Coersmeier, 2008 unique design flowing curves Bibliography
Abrams, M. (2008). Architectural foundations 1. Retrieved October 3, 2010 from architecture.cua.edu/res/docs/courses/arch101a/lect5-quality.pdf
AIP Images. (2010). Telegrafenberg Observatory: Einsteinturm. Retrieved 25 November 2010 from http://www.aip.de/image_archive/Telegrafenberg_ Observatory.Einsteinturm.html
Allen, S. (n.d.). Practice: architecture technique + representation. Retrieved from Formal Strategies Course Reader.
Argan, G. (1996). On the typology of architecture. Retrieved from Formal Strategies Course Reader.
Argrest, D. (1993). Architecture from without theoretical framings for a critical practice. Retrieved from course readings.
Beatriz, C. (1997). The medical body in modern architecture. Retrieved from course readings.
Bolles, E. (2004). Einstein defiant: genius versus genius in the quantum revolution. Joseph Henry Press: Washington.
Coersmeier, J. (2008). Photos. Retrieved 9 December 2010 from http://www.flickr.com/photos/pixelprobe/2925865907/in/photostream/
Eisenman, P. (1996). Visions unfolding: architecture in the age of electronic media. Retrieved form course readings.
Fraser, D. (1996). The buildings of Europe: Berlin. Redwood Books: Wiltshire.
Fritsch, A. (1992). Erich Mendelsohn: Das Gesamtschaffen Des Architeckten. Vieweg & Sohn Verlagsgesellschaft mbH: Braunscheweig.
Galison, P., Holton, G., Schweber, S. (2008). Einstein for the twenty-first century: his legacy in science, art, and modern culture. Princeton University Press: Princeton.
Harrison, C. (2002). Generals die in bed. Firefly Books Ltd.: Willowdale
Hentschel, K. (1997). The Einstein Tower: in intertexture of dynamic construction, relativity theory, and astronomy. Stanford University Press: California.
Pearson, D. (2001). New organic architecture. Gala Books Ltd,: London. Retrieved October 3, 2010 from http://www.ucpress.edu/excerpt.php?isbn=9780520232891
Taylor and Francis. (2009). Einstein tower, Potsdam, Germany. Retrieved October 3, 2010 from http://www.bookrags.com/tandf/einstein-tower-potsdam-germany-tf/ ISBN: 0-203-48388-X.
Wolfschmidt, G., & Cotte, M. (n.d.). Case Study 12.5: the Einstein Tower, Potsdam, Germany. Retrieved October 3, 2010 from www.astronomicalheritage.org/images/ content/astroherit/.../ch12cs5.pdf
Zevi, B. (1982). Erich Mendelsohn. Rizzoli Internaltional Publications, Inc.: USA.