The Fagus Factory is the first building and work by architect Walter Gropius in collaboration with Adolf Meyer. Before Walter Gropius got commissioned to work on the Fagus Factory he was working under Peter Behrens, another well-known architect. The Fagus Factory was located in Alfeld, Germany and was a factory for manufacturing boots. Carl Bensheidt was the owner of the factory and was already in the process of an expansion project for the building with architect Eduard Werner, but Gropius convinced him to go with his approach of a new artistic building and got commissioned for the project in 1911.

The Fagus Factory is a complex brick structure that contains many different buildings that have different functions for operating the factory. Even though the exterior is brick, the main material is glass. Gropius designed the building to have free façade where the load-bearing concrete columns were placed inside versus on the exterior. The use of modular glass and flat roofs gave the building a very geometric and sophisticated appearance. Most the exterior and even interior features that Gropius focused on such as geometric forms, weightless appearance, and glass materials were the earliest works of modern architecture. “Gropius is considered to be one the most important pioneers of Modernism”.

Source: AD Classics: Fagus Factory / Walter Gropius + Adolf Meyer | ArchDaily

Marking the start of a cultural reconstruction period as a result of a devastating earthquake, the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art opened in Kobe, Japan in 2002. The museum was designed by Tadao Ando and contained many notable features that made the museum so unique. One of the most notable features are the stairs. First, there is a spiral staircase called the Circular Terrace. This serves as the center of the structure and connects the different wings of the museum. On the outside of the building, guests will find the Large Staircase that faces the Osaka Bay where they can enjoy looking at the sunset while resting on the staircase.

There are many spots throughout the museum where the brightness and contrast is just right for guests to take photographs of their visit. This was no coincidence because Ando had this in mind when designing the building. It was his vision to utilize a variety of materials, like concrete and glass, and place them accordingly to provides the right amount of scale and tone which would enhance the experience. As a result, many guests visit the museum to appreciate the artwork and take aesthetic pictures during their visit. This is considered one of Ando’s best minimalist works.

(1) Image retrieved from https://setouchifinder.com/ja/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/01Ando.jpg

(2) Image retrieved from https://a1.cdn.japantravel.com/photo/3466-21461/840×560!/hyogo-hyogo-prefectural-museum-of-art-21461.jpg

With the construction of the Bourse de commerce, Tadao Ando’s work now goes beyond the country of Japan and has made its way to Paris, France. Although the structure was built in the mid-1700s, French architect Francois Pinault called for the reconstruction and redesign of the building. Ando was responsible for constructing a concrete wall within the rotunda that would allow artwork to be presented for guests to see. He was essentially tasked to place an art museum within an already established building. Along with the concrete wall, Ando also built seven galleries, a large auditorium, and a restaurant on the top floor of the building. The project took three years to complete and reopened in May 2021.

Pinault wanted Ando to be the one responsible of the redesigning of the building because of Ando’s minimalist aesthetic. It was Ando’s mission to create a venue that would correlate with the Bourse de commerce and not take away the beauty from the rotunda. Since the walls of the rotunda contained art of the city’s history, it was important to Ando to ensure that his work did not interfere with the structure. As a result, none of the artwork within the rotunda was affected by Ando’s work and the project was a success in terms of showing off the magnificent artwork within the new structure.

Image retrieved from https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2021/05/tadao-ando-bourse-de-commerce-paris-architecture-news_dezeen_hero-1704×959.jpg

The Jubilee Church, formally known as Dio Padre Misericordioso is a Catholic Church and community center located in Rome. Complete in 2003, the church has become notable for its architectural innovations by the building’s architect, Richard Meier. While this church is an interesting building to look at, Meier chose the design of the building with a larger purpose. The three large curved walls of concrete were actually designed in an attempt to minimize thermal peak loads. The idea is that the large concrete walls help to control internal heat gain and help with energy efficiency. To help keep the outside of the building the clean white it started as and prevent plant growth the walls were coated with titanium-dioxide-based cement. It is very clear that Meier thought through every aspect of his design in order to help this church function to the best of its ability. With the church serving more than 8,000 local residents for close to twenty years, this church has stood the test of time.

The Douglass House was constructed for James and Jean Douglas and completed in 1973. World-renowned architect, Richard Meier designed this house located in Harbor Springs, Michigan. This home is located on a steep hill, overlooking Lake Michigan. This house is four stories high and has a clean modern design, especially for the time which it was built. The large windows of this home are not only sleek but allow for maximum views of the lake and foliage around.

Every aspect of this house was meticulously thought out. All the stairways in this four-story home were thoughtfully placed in corners in order to allow for maximum natural sunlight and views. This house is very unique and is able to catch the eye of anyone. Before this course, I had seen images of this house before, but never known the history or thought that went into it. Knowing now what I do, I have a great appreciation for this home that was designed by Richard Meier well before its time.

Steven Hoff designed the Headquarters for iCarbonX, a Chinese biotechnology company, and included offices, apartments, laboratories, a clinic, a gymnasium, dining, and a large urban public plaza. Steven Holl won a competition to build the companies Shenzhen headquarters.

            The building is inspired by the structure of unfolding DNA. The 150 M tower is for residential use only and is the “living” part of the complex. The other 200 M tower is a functional office space with labs and public recreational areas. The buildings are connected with four separate suspended bridges that are designed to represent the chemical bonds that join carbon atoms together. The upper bridges form pathways dedicated to health and wellness, including the gym and swimming pool. The bottom two bridges are for linking public areas including the clinic, galleries, and meeting spaces.

Säynätsalo town hall is the town hall designed by Alvar Aalto in 1949 to serve as the small Finnish town’s town hall and civic center. [1] “The civic complex was to comprise a council chamber, local government offices, a community library, staff apartments, and retail space that would ultimately allow the functions of the town hall to expand beyond their original parameters. Aalto’s winning proposal for the project follows the traditional European court-and-tower model of a civic center. The complex consists of two wood-framed brick buildings: the rectangular library block and the U-shaped government building.” This building reminds me very much like the buildings here at OU. The red brick and the European court-and-tower model closely resemble the Cherokee gothic that we have here on campus, and as someone who grew up in Norman their whole life I have a slight preference to this kind of style which is very similar to Säynätsalo town hall. The next thing I like about this is that Alvar seems to include nature into his design, he has it in the the exterior going up certain walls and incorporated in the stairs. Both of the brick and nature styles are very warm and inviting to me and it shows that you don’t need to have some big and flashy building to be exciting.

[1] https://www.archdaily.com/783392/ad-classics-saynatsalo-town-hall-alvar-aalto?ad_medium=gallery

Photos: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/S%C3%A4yn%C3%A4tsalon_kunnantalo_2.jpg/1200px-S%C3%A4yn%C3%A4tsalon_kunnantalo_2.jpg

https://flockler.com/thumbs/sites/3187/design-stories-saynatsalo-14-bb912945-48af-4d18-9159-dfba113507f0_s1260x0_q80_noupscale.jpg

Alvar Aalto Was a Finnish architect who lived from 1898 to 1979 and was the architect of many different beautiful buildings, one of which is the Santa Maria Assunta located in central Italy. The design of the church was done from 1965-1966 and the Santa Maria Assunta began being built in 1975 and was later finished in 1978, the church was completed one year after Aaltos death so he never got to see it finished. [1] “The church is structured by six asymmetric prefabricated concrete frames, or arches in descending size towards the chancel. They support a series of prefabricated light scoops, which are conic sections, giving the church its distinctive exterior profile, which some liken to an abstraction of the local Apennine mountains. The facades are faced with mortared stone, and the roof is copper sheeting. The interior is mostly whitewashed plaster, which advantageously reflects northern light brought in from the scoops above. Wooden Pews, each slightly shorter in length than the preceding one as they approach the chancel are placed on the terra cotta tile floors. The altar is unadorned and hewn from a single block of marble.” This church is probably one of my favorite architecture buildings I have got to see in this class. everything about it is just so remarkable, the outside looks old but not worn out, the stone used looks very smooth and appealing, and the inside is my favorite part, I really love the all-white walls and the way the natural light hits the room from the windows at the top right and the interconnecting arches going across the ceiling is beautiful. This church seems to be very minimalistic and small, growing up a Christian I have gone to a small church like this in size so it seems very familiar to me, though the church I went to was not as beautiful as this one.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Maria_Assunta,_Riola_di_Vergato

Photos: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Riola1_%28cropped%29.jpg

https://www.floornature.com/media/photos/1/14244/03_interno_docu-film_ronchi-corradi_full.jpg

Another one of Jeanne Gang’s buildings has a lot to do with the sun. The structure is called the “Solstice on the Park” and is in Chicago, IL. Construction was completed in 2018 and it is a residential building. With 26 floors, 400,000 square feet, and 250 units, the building can house many residents. The structure is green globe certified.

The tower is “shaped by the angles of the sun and one of the first Studio Gang projects to explore the idea of solar carving for environmental advantages”. This project paved the way for the Solar Carve building in New York (which was discussed in a previous blog). The windows are angled at 72 degrees. This creates the optimum angle for Chicago winters and summers. In the winter the angles allow maximum sunlight for passive solar warming. In the summers the angle helps reduce light and heat gain, which decreases air-conditioning usage. Another way the structure is sustainable is the structure has a green roof. This structure has many innovative features that make it unique. Gang’s innovations not only make an interesting looking apartment building but a building that saves money and has environmental benefits.

Before being assigned Jeanne Gang I had never heard of her or her work. I now know so much more about a truly inspiring architect. She has paved the way in the profession for other ambitious women to be as successful as she has been. Finally, Jeanne Gang was not just successful but environmentally conscious.