archistory: December 2013

Friday 6 December 2013

Wednesday 4 December 2013

BAUHAUS ARCHITECTURE

Bauhaus (“House of Building” or “Building School”) is the common term for the Staatliche Bauhaus , combined crafts and the fine arts.

DURATION -1919 to 1933.

The Bauhaus school was founded by Walter Gropius in Weimar.

Its founder was and architect, the Bauhaus did not have an architecture department during

the first years of its existence.

The Bauhaus had a profound influence upon subsequent developments in subjects like art,

architecture, graphic design, interior design, industrial design and typography.

The school existed in 3 German cities

Weimar from 1919 to 1925,

Dessau from 1925 to 1932,

Berlin from 1932 to 1933.

1930 - when Mies van der Rohe took over the school , he transformed it into a private school.

Finally, by joining all the planes firmly into boxes and interlocking their separate volumes into an asymmetrical composition like the continuous mechanical movement of a set of gears, Gropius’s Bauhaus emerges.

The form of the Bauhaus also reflects Van Doesburg’s influence on the pedagogy.

In 1922, Gropius changed the focus of the school from craft to the understanding of industrial methods of production.

The classrooms/ administration offices were built on one side of the road, while the studios were across the street.

These two volumes were connected by the bridge where the professors had their offices.

The teachers had mastered both the intellectual and technical knowledge needed to produce artistically designed, economical goods.

Chicago school of architecture

CHICAGO SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

It refers to either the architects who were working in chicago or the buildings constructed during that time.

1871 Disastrous fire , in chicago , experienced a massive boom in new housing , warehouses n commercial buildings , this led to the development of the skyscrapers

BEGAN- 1885 (popularly)

DURATION -1875 -1910

EMPHASIS - On simplicity of design

(became forerunner of modernism)

FEATURES - Chicago Window

one of the famous element

central pane fixed - wide

either side movable sash windows - narrow
- Elevators

taller buildings were possible by safety elevators

Illions were first to exploit it

ARCHITECTS William Le Barron Jenny

Daniel Burnham

Louis Sullivan ......

New form of architecture practiced by them came to be known as "Commercial Style"

MSU Baroda College

Baroda College

This Building is the most ambitious project of Chisholm in Baroda & one of the finest buildings constructed in India during this period of the 19th century- both in the territory of British India or the Princely States of so called Native India, Note that the scale of this building the technological design of its dome is very sophisticated. It clearly delineates that Chisholm wanted to design a building that would become a centre-piece of the architecture of Baroda State. Note that Baroda was a City- State & its territory was a region almost 30% of present day Gujarat. It is this vast territory — which this building seems to address. Chisholm s structural engineering of the Dome is the most striking aspect of this building.

DATE- 1887

DOME - 45 mt span of the dome

-twin-dome structure where in 16 ribs created between the inner & outer dome- become the key skeletal members

- twin domes system also enables the natural ventilation of the dome & details of apertures in the dome have been cleverly worked out to exit rain- water etc.

- 6 other domes in this building in the 2 wings that define courtyards etc.

PLINTH - 4-5 metres completely changing the urban scale in the setting.

MINIATURE BUREAU CABINET

TYPE – Object / cabinet

STYLE – Indo euro

DISCRIPTION -Scaled down version of English Bureau Cabinet

-upper part is divided into 3 parts

-upper central part has 4 drawers

USE – For writing & storing documents & papers

MATERIALS – Ivory ,sandalwood

FEATURES INDIAN influence

-Bracket feet

(decorated with animal masks)

-Floral patterns

(from vizigapatam)

EUROPEAN influence

-Pediment

(broken n optional)

-Engraving

(horizontal spaces with rows of fantastic buildings , pavillions , fence;

vertical space in 2 tiers ,1st of trees & 2nd of buildings)

-Veneering

(ivory veneered on sandalwood carcass)

-Decoration

(depicting pavilions & landscapes of dutch & english engraving)

CABINET ON STAND (CONTADOR)

TYPE - Object (Cabinet)

STYLE – Indo portugse

DISCRIPTION - Large multiple drawer cabinet

- mounted on stand

- patterns of stars & intersecting circles

FEATURES - DISTINCTIVE

-Scrolling legs

(inlaid with bird forms)

INDIAN influence

-Nagas/naginis

(Hindu snakes are considered auspicious & believed to provide protection)

-Birds

(jatayu , king of vultures, central character of Ramayana)

EUROPEAN most common influence

-Atlantes (male supporting heavy burden)

(They were used in columns n now as supports in cabinet)

-Brass

(cast mount decoration)

-PORTUGESE influence

-Triangles

(repeating designs of triangles)

-Marquetry

(seaweed named after interlacing designs & dense arabesques)

-DUTCH influence

-Turn element

(this flemish decorative element)

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