Johnson's Glass House

Philip Johnson is a critical figure in any account of twentieth-century architecture. Along with Henry Russell Hitchcock, he organized the Museum of Modern Art’s influential “International Style” exhibition in 1932 and worked tirelessly to promote the cause of modern architecture. In the late 1940s, he studied architecture under Walter Gropius at Harvard and with his New Canaan residence he launched a very successful career as a professional architect. In addition to his own significant body of work, Johnson became one of the most powerful figures in the American architectural community. His extensive network of personal connections with corporate, educational, and political leaders allowed him to promote emerging talent, validate new directions in architecture, and influence design discourse.

Le Corbusier applied these five points in the design of the Villa Savoye, a weekend retreat located at Poissy, thirty kilometers outside of Paris. A visitor’s first impression is of a pristine geometric form lifted off the ground on pilotis so slender that any sense of gravity seems negated. The curve of the recessed ground story was determined by the turning radius of an automobile. Once inside, the visitor is drawn into what Le Corbusier described as a promenade architecturale?a carefully orchestrated progression through space?that leads to a rooftop terrace. Because the structural skeleton of the building consists of point support rather than continuous load-bearing walls, internal partitions can be arranged freely. The elevations are treated as thin, taut planes. The horizontal windows (also termed ribbon or strip windows) signaled a break with the tradition of square or vertically oriented openings. Modern architects maintained that hori?zontal windows allowed a more even distribution of light throughout interior spaces. In the history of architecture, the rooftop solarium and the horizontal windows are clear responses to the emphasis on sunlight and fresh air that figured prominently in early-twentieth century descriptions of modern environments.

One might think that the architect, Matteo Thun, from Milan is joking with the name of his architecture, a pre-fabricated house. One immediately thinks of the typical clich?s associated with this name: the Alps, barns, farms, and pristine countryside. It is true that Heidis are not high-tech houses, but are completely built of wood, if one overlooks stonewalled segments. Nevertheless, they still cannot be considered a wooden cabin in the Alps. The appearance of the “zero energy house” is optimally integrated into the landscape and nature with its curved rooftops, the windowless north side and a glass fa?ade on the south side. The architect himself also speaks of a type of “light shutter”, which opens the house to the sun and thus to its warmth. The effective energy-storing characteristics of the wood enable an efficient energy supply, because wood not only projects warmth optically. The interior is divided by a massive wooden stand construction made of spruce, in which each everyday function receives its own fixed place. Heidis are available in 6 different sizes. The cross- section of the curved arc always remains the same, only the length varies according to the desired size of the house.

b. Karlsruhe, 1766;
d. Karlsruhe, 1826.

Friedrich Weinbrenner was the dominant figure within the German school of Neo-Classicism at the beginning of the c19. After studying mathematics and architecture at the Academy in Vienna, Weinbrenner travelled to Berlin and Italy, returning in 1797 to take up the position of building inspector in Karlsruhe, where his influence became considerable. His works included several important civic buildings and also a series of model dwellings which private contractors were obliged to copy. Weinbrenner shared with Goethe an unshakable faith in the Classical ideal, believing that Truth and beauty could be found only in antiquity. His vision of a new German architecture, founded on early Greek and Roman examples, was instrumental in his decision to open a private architecture school at his Karlsruhe home in 1800. Many of his students, such as Wimmel and Hubsch, were to become influential in their own right and the school was later incorporated into the main University.

The design challenge was to unite two separate stand alone houses for different families, while maintaining a sense of space and harmony between them. The solution was to create a central garden shared by both houses with a swimming pool, greenery and outside seating areas. Views to this garden can be enjoyed from within the houses and also from relaxation areas, complete with large sofa, in the overhead bridge between the houses. This transportation bridge becomes a beautiful lamp when lit at night.

A contemporary minimalist design was adopted with all structures following simple and symmetrical forms. A sense of openness and transparency was achieved through the use of large windows. Air circulation is promoted through the open design and integration of interior and exterior spaces.

The interior is finished with simple furniture and accessories with various elements of ethnicity and accent, reflecting the occupants? love of Indonesia. Down lights are used as well as various types of up-light lamps to expose different areas within the house.

Client: Mr. Ali T
Architect: Artistika Ragam Tata PT
Principal Architect: Paulus Rudy Jr
Project Architect/Designers: Boy I. Sudiaswarin, Ferick eXs, Wisnu
Contractor: Gunawan CV
Site Area: 600 square meter
Floor Area: 500 square meter
Building Height: 2 storeys
Construction Start: 2005

b. St Petersburg (Leningrad), 1761;
d. St Petersburg, 1811.

Leading Russian Architect, the classicist of the early 19 century. Son of a minor admiralty official, Zakharov entered the preparatory school of the Academy of Arts in 1767, ultimately graduating from its Architecture School in 1782 with the gold medal. The prize took him to Paris for four years under J.F.T. Chalgrin and to Italy. On his return he taught at the Academy from 1787, becoming senior professor of architecture in 1803. He was appointed chief architect to the admiralty in 1805. His early work for various establishments was eclectic, including a Neo-Gothic church at Gatchina. Large urban scale characterized other early projects, including an unrealized one for unifying all buildings of the Academy of Sciences into one grandiose structure, and a highly successful one for developing the tip of Vasilevsky Island with a Bourse complex and related new urban space.

Andreyan Zakharov, The Admiralty, Leningrad, 1806-23

The two characteristics came together in his redevelopment of the whole admiralty complex in central Petersburg. Replicating the needle-like gilded spire of the previous complex (by 1. K. Korobov), Zakharov wove an original and eclectic synthesis of Classical motifs into the most powerful of all architectural expressions of Russia’s imperial power, with volumes of great geometrical clarity, subtle regulation of vast elevation-al lengths through recession and the play of columnar and flat-wall surfaces, and with superbly scaled symbolic and narrative sculpture. The result was a world-class model of true classical continuity between a city-planning concept, the architectural language and the narrative potential of public art.