TheFloatingModern:PilotisandtheFreePlan
PaperbyNickTanner
Arch6237CaseStudy:Modernism
Dr.OleW.Fischer
UniversityofUtahCollegeofArchitectureandPlanning
SaltLakeCity,Utah
2011(Submitted5May2011)
TableofContents
I. IntrotoFloatingArchitectureHistroyandDefinition................................................... 1
II. BackgroundonArchitects LeCorbusier.......................................................... 2 MiesvanderRohe..................................................... 4III. CaseStudies VillaSavoye........................................................... 5 FarnsworthHouse..................................................... 9 ContemporaryProjects................................................. 17IV. Conclusion FunctionorAesthetic...................................................17 Meaning/Symbolism...................................................17
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TheFloatingModern:pilotisandthefreeplan
I. IntrotoFloatingArchitecture
Themodernistmovementfacilitatedmanynewideasintheformalarrangementandconceptualapproachtoarchitecturaldesign.TheideaofanelevatedorfloatingarchitecturewasexploredanddevelopedthroughthefirstpointofLeCorbusiersFivePointsofNewArchitecture.LudwigMiesvanderRohealsoinvestigatedthisideawithminimalisticdesigns.ThispaperwillmakeacomparisonandanalysisastowhatisTheFloatingModernandhowitwasdevelopedthroughLeCorbusierandMiesvanderRohe.Thispaperwillevaluateeachoftheirearlycareersandprominentprojectsthatleduptotheirprimeexamplesoffloatingarchitecture.Throughthisjourney,wewilldiscoverhowfloatingarchitecturecametobe,whatmakesitsuccessful,whatitmeansandifithaspotentialtoday.
Inclassicalarchitecture,oneelementofdesigntocreatespaceswasthe
column.Servingprimarilyasasupportfunction,composedofthreeparts:thebase,shaftandcapital.LookingattheDoriccolumnwhichincorporatedanentasis,orsculptingofcolumnswithlargerradiusinthemiddlethanoneitherend,makingthemseemtoflexlikeamuscleundertheweightoftheentablature.(Prina,2008,p.375)Theintentionofthecolumnwastogroundthebuildingtothesiteandpreventvisualappearanceofthebuildingslantingoutwards.IntheParthenon,Athensconstructed44738BCE,thearrangementandformofthecolumnsisusedtocompensateforthevisualimpressionoftheoutwardinclinationcausedbytheluminosityoftheskyagainstwhichtheyareprojected.(Prina,2008,p.38)
Theideaoffloatingtakestheuseofthecolumnanddeliberatelybreaksthelink
totheground.Therearemanywaystoexpressthenotionoffloating.Somesynonymsoffloatincluderaising,lifting,elevating,keepingadrift,bringingup,andsuspending.Itcanalsobeassociatedwithhovering,flying,gliding,soaring,andlevitating.Ithasa
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senseofbeingaboveandweightlessness.Itisoftenrelatedtowater,buoyancy,watercraftandaircraft.ThisissignificantbecauseofCorbusiersinterestintheMachineAgeandthepowerfulformsofbeautyfoundinoceanlinersandairplanes.(TowardanArchitecture,2011,Wikipedia)II. BackgroundonArchitectsLeCorbusier
CharlesEdouardJeanneret,whochangedhisnameatage33toLeCorbusier,wasborninLaChauxdeFonds,Switzerlandon6October1887toGeorgeEdwardandMarieCharlotteAmlie.Hismotherwasamusicteacherwhilehisfatherwasawatchengraverandenameller.Attheageoffour,hebeganhiscreativelifepathbyattendingprimaryschoolatLaChauxdeFonds,akindergartenthatusedFrobelianteachingmethods.Thisteachingapproachsuggests,Thatchildrenlearnbyplaying.(FriedrichFroebel,2011)Later,in1900hestudiedwatchengravingwithhisteacherCharlesLEplattenier.In1904,atage17,hebeganstudyingintheAdvancedDecorativeArtsCoursealsotaughtbyLEplattenier.LEplattenierwastheteacherthatsparkedCorbusiersinterestinarchitecture.LEplatteniersparticularinfluenceonJeanneretwasthatheexpectedtheyoungmantobeatthesametimethearchitectandtheartist.ThiswastohavelastingeffectonJeanneretaswouldthespecialrelationshipofmastertostudentaspracticedbyLEplattenier.(Sekler,1977,p.305)Corbusierhadhisfirstrealarchitecturaldesignex
periencewhenLouisFalletcommissionedCorbusiertodesignavilla.HeteamedupontheprojectwiththearchitectReneChapallaz.In1907,twoyearsafterthecompletionofVillaFallet,hebeganaseriesoftravelsthroughoutEurope.
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ItalywasthefirststopinhisfiveyearEuropeanjourneyfollowedbyvisitstoAustria,France,Germany,Bulgaria,TurkeyandGreece.Duringallhistravels,hemademanysketches,tooknotesandphotographs.Whiletraveling,hehadotheropportunitiestoexpandhisdesignskills.CorbusierworkedhalftimeasadrafterforAugusteandGustavePerretinParisin1908.
WhilevisitingGermany,twoyearslater,atage23,hearrivedattheofficeofPe
terBehrenswherehestayeduntil1911.Hisexperiencetherewasdissatisfying.AtBehrenssofficeonedoesnotmakepurearchitecture,onlythefaade.(Frampton,2001,p.13)WhileatBehrenssoffice,hemetMiesvanderRoheandWalterGropius.AfterleavingBehrensoffice,hecontinuedtouringEasternEuropeincludingGreece,andItaly.(FoudationLeCorbusier,2011)
In1918,LeCorbusierwasintroducedtothecubistartistAmedeeOzenfantbyhisformeremployerAugustePerret.Together,CorbusierandOzenfantestablishedthePuriststyleofpainting.Thisstyleofpaintingwasinspiredbymachineryandthegoldensection(seefigure4).Thegoldensectionisarectangle,whichisderivedfromaunitsquarebycreatinganarcwiththecenterpointatthemidpointofoneofthesidesofthesquare.The
radiusofthearcisadiagonallineextendingtoacornerofthesquareandrotatedtothehorizontalplane.Itrejectedthedecorativetrendofcubismandadvocatedareturntoclear,orderedformsthatwereexpressiveofthemodernmachineage.During19181922,hefocusedondevelopingthepuristtheoryanddidnotconstructanybuildings.Alsoduringthistime,heinitiatedajournalcalledLEspritNouveau.ThismovementfocusedonhavingtheaestheticoftheDeStijlbutbeclassicalin
spirit.(Colquhoun,2002,139)Whileinthisperiodofreinventinghimself,hechangedhisnametoLeCorbusier,whichwasderivedfromhismaternalgrandfather,Lecorbesier.
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MiesVanDerRohe
LudwigMieswasbornalittleoverayearandahalfbeforeLeCorbusier.MieswasborninAachen,GermanyonMarch27,1886totheownerofastoneyard.Forhisearlyeducation,heattendedtheCathedralSchoolofAachenuntilagethirteen,andthenattendedatradeschooluntilagefifteen.Duringhisearlyyears,heapprenticedinhisfather'sstonecuttingyard,becomingaJourneymanBrickMason.Thisopportunitygavehimtheknowledgeoftheconstraintsofmaterials.In1905,atagenineteen,MiesworkedinBerlinfortwoyearsforanotedfurnituredesigner,BrunoPaul.Thisexperiencelenthimthefamiliarityofwoodanditsrestrictionsandcapabilities.AttheageoftwentyonewhenheleftBrunoPaul'soffice,Miesreceivedhisfirstcommission,theRielhouse.ThisstyleofdesignreflectedJapanesearchitecture.In1908,attheageof22,MiesbeganworkforPeterBehrens,andhisprominentteamofarchitecturalinnovationists.HereMieswastosupervisetheconstructionofBehrensGermanEmbassyinSt.Petersburg.WhileworkingforBehrensMiesmetandmarriedAdaBruhrn,theyhadthreedaughterstogether.
Shortlyafterleavingthearmyin1919,Miesstartedtodesignincrediblymodem
buildings.Glasshadnotbeenconsideredastheprimematerialofarchitecture;Mieswantedtochangethatwayofthinking.MieswascommissionedtobuildtheGermanPavilionforInternationalExpositionatBarcelonain1929,knownastheBarcelonaPavilion.Thelargeoverhangcantileverroofisanearlyexpressionoftheideaoffloatingarchitecture.Thebuildinghadnopracticalpurpose,butthebuildingitselfwastheobjectoftheexposition.Mies'Europeanmasterpiecewasdestroyedaftertheexpositionwasoverin1930.MieswasmadetheDirectorofBauhausSchoolatDessauin1930.Twoyearslatertheschoolwasclosed.(Vandenberg,2003,p.59)During19311938Miesdesignedaseriesofprojectsforidealhouseswhereunbrokenexteriorwallsenclosedahouseorgarden.(Zimmerman,2006,p.92)MiescametotheUnitedStatesin1937atage
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51,andayearlaterhebecametheDirectoroftheArmourInstitute,nowcalledtheIllinoisInstituteofTechnology.
Despitebeingbuiltseventeenyearsapart,theVillaSavoyebyLeCorbusier&theFarnsworthHousebyMiesvanderRohearetimelesspiecesofarchitectureandhavemanysimilarcharacteristicsrelatingtotheideaoffloatingarchitecture.ThefollowingillustrationsfromPrecedentsinArchitecture,ThirdEditionalongwithmyowndescriptionandadditionalreferenceswillpresenttheseformativeideasandanalyticdiagramsforanexplorationofeachdesign,whichstrengthenthenotionoffloatingarchitecture.III. CaseStudiesVillaSavoye
In1914whileCorbusierworkedwithhiscousinPierreJeanneret,hedevelopedtheideaoftheMaisonDomino.Thiscreatedasystemstructureskeletonindependentoftheplanofthehouse.Thisdesigncreatedaformmadeofstandardcomponentsallowinggreatdiversityinhomeinteriorlayout.(FoundationLeCorbusier,2011)Itisbelievedthatthenamingofthisdesignschemecamefromthemergingoftwowords,domicileandinnovation.(Frampton,2011,p.21)
BeforebeginningtheVillaSavoye,LeCorbusierhadavillathatwasanotableprecedent.VillaSchwabwasthefirstoccasiononwhichCorbusieremployedtheGoldenSectionaswellasapplyingregulationlinestocontroltheelevationschemes.
[Figure1a]ThestructureofVillaSavoye,built19291931,beginsonafourbaybyfourbayconcretecolumnargridsofpilotis.Thisgridformsanuninterruptedequidistantperimeterofcolumnsspaced4.75mapartinbothdirections.Initiallythedesigncalled
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for5meterspacingbuttheclientrequestedtoreducesomeofthecostsandthesmallerspacingresulted.Theinteriorspacingofcolumnsisnotasconsistentwithadditionalcolumnoffgridatthecoreoftheplanwheretherampandstairsarelocated.Itiswiththepilotisthattheideaoffloatingarchitectureisrealized.FrancescaPrinadescribesthefunctionofthepilotisas:Theyliftthehouseofftheground,freeingitfromthedampnessoftheearthandincreasingitsaccesstolightandair.Moreover,Theyopenupthegroundfloorandmakeitusable;theareagainedcanbecomepartofthegarden,asisalsothecasewiththehousesroofterrace.(Prina,2008,p.93)Further,theintentionofthepilotisistoraisethebuildingssothattheywouldappeartobefloating,celestialobjects.(Sbriglio,1999,p.49)Corbusier'spilotiperformanumberoffunctionsaroundthehouse,bothinsideandout.Onthetwolongerelevations,theyareflushwiththefaceofthefaadeandimplyheavine
