Architecture




 * Le Corbusier**- French, worked mostly in the 1920's and 1930's. Known for his vision of houses as "machines for living." He was interested in the mass production of a "Utopian" house - an ideal house for everyone.




 * Frank Lloyd Wright-** American, worked in 30's, 40's, and 50's. Evolved a new concept of interior space in architecture. Rejecting the existing view of rooms as single-function boxes, Wright created overlapping and interpenetrating rooms with shared spaces. He designated use areas with screening devices and subtle changes in ceiling heights and created the idea of defined space as opposed to enclosed space.

Through experimentation, Wright developed the idea of the prairie house - a long, low building with hovering planes and horizontal emphasis. He developed these houses around the basic crucifix, L or T shape and utilized a basic unit system of organization. He integrated simple materials such as brick, wood, and plaster into the designs.This photo shows one his most famous homes, //Falling Water.//




 * Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe-** German, worked in the 1920's-1960's. Famous for his saying 'Less is More', Mies attempted to create contemplative, neutral spaces through an architecture based on material honesty and structural integrity. Over the last twenty years of his life, Mies achieved his vision of a monumental 'skin and bone' architecture. He worked toward the idea of a universal, simplified architecture. The Seagram Building in New York is pictured at right.

**Frank Gehry-** Canadian, worked in 1970's through today. His deconstructed architectural style began to emerge in the late 1970s when Gehry, directed by a personal vision of architecture, created collage-like compositions out of found materials. Instead of creating buildings, Gehry creates large pieces of functional sculpture.

Gehry's architecture has undergone a marked evolution from the plywood and corrugated-metal materials of his early works to the distorted but pristine concrete of his later works. However, the works retain a deconstructed aesthetic that fits well with the increasingly disjointed culture to which they belong.

In the large-scale public commissions he has received since he converted to a deconstructive aesthetic, Gehry has explored the classical architecture themes. In these works he melds formal compositions with an exploded aesthetic. The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles is pictured at left.




 * Renzo Piano-** Italian, 1970's through today. Like most works designed by members of the "High-Tech" movement, Piano established technology as a starting point for his designs. Fortunately, he modified his attempts to generate an architectural character based on technological forms with a concern for user comfort and needs. The building at right is called "The Shard" and is scheduled to be completed in London in 2012.

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 * Student Work**

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media type="custom" key="7342567" An animoto by Jim