Blog Six - Maison de Verre

Blog Six: Pierre Chareau’s bathrooms in the Maison de Verre

How do Chareau’s particularly ingenious design strategies impact upon the users of the space?

It is instructive to look at what people who have had the privilege of visiting the Maison de Verre have say about their experience. One recurring theme is that in the house as a whole, Chareau’s strategies allow the space to be shared by the occupants in a very sophisticated way. Commentators say that the house offers a great balance between solitude and companionship. (Edwards J. and Gjertson G. 33) The absence of fixed walls means that “voices too travel through the rooms, so that you are always faintly aware of the presence of the other.” (Radulescu)

The word choreography has been used in describing how the space functions, suggesting that the inhabitants of the house interact with each other in a type of dance. Chareau has achieved these effects by the layout and particularly the movable screens.

“The bathroom floor is raised in certain areas so that as we crossed it, we could catch occasional glimpses of each other before suddenly dropping back out of view ….. A pair of perforated metal panels that divide the shower and bath can swing open, enabling us to chat with each other as we bathed. When they were closed, you could see the outline of a human silhouette moving behind the screen. It was the same dance we had performed around the central salon, now brought to its most intimate scale. “ (Radulescu)

Frampton has suggested that the experience of being in the house can be likened to Duchamp’s The Large Glass (The Bride Stripped Bare by her Bachelors).

Duchamp – The Large Glass

Image Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Duchamp_LargeGlass.jpg

I can see the idea of glass, separate male and female zones and screens in perpetual motion but the link to the Maison de Verre doesn’t seem appropriate to me as this artwork is often described as depicting perpetual sexual frustration between the bride and her bachelors, who are permanently separated by a panel. On the contrary many visitors to the Maison de Verre have drawn attention to the eroticism of the experience.

“The intimacy of the spaces permits the bathroom screens to be made of semi-transparent perforated metal, which veils but does not fully conceal the nude body; rather, they enhance the body’s seductive power. In the absence of the live body the screens take on the appearance of cladding (i.e. clothing) to the body metaphors presented by the sanitary appliances.” (Wigglesworth, 278)

Again, this effect is achieved through the screens and the semi-transparent material they are made of.

How do these design strategies challenge and contest the conventional segregation of bathing spaces within the home? (consider aspects such as placement, materials, lighting, sound transmission, thresholds)

The bathrooms are on the top floor. There are a lot of them: a guest bathroom, a main bathroom as well as mini bathrooms within each of the two other bedrooms. So far as I can see it from the plans, there is no door directly into the main bedroom without passing through the bathroom first. This is unconventional and has the effect of “allying the place of sexual acts with the requirements of hygiene. “ (Wigglesworth 278) The placement of the guest bathroom is unusual because guests would have to walk to the end of a corridor past all the family bedrooms to get to it. It is also surprising that it wasn’t put on the floor below in the public part of the house.

An axonometric drawing showing the layout of the bedrooms and bathrooms

Image Source: http://richviewer.blogspot.com/2009/03/axonometric-section.html

It is unconventional to have separate bathrooms for every member of the household. Social relationships between family members are altered by this arrangement as there is no need to share bathroom space and unclean items (like dirty towels and personal products) are kept entirely separate. However, it was possible for Mr and Mrs Dalsace to see each other washing, a feature that the couple may have found erotic.

Given the space devoted to bathrooms, there is a very heavy emphasis on hygiene and cleanliness in the house. Wigglesworth has pointed out that “a different appliance (bath, shower, bidet, basin) deals selectively with the cleansing of different parts of the body, separating waste products in a hierarchy of different orders of dirt. “ (Wiggleworths 278). I think this would have been unusual at the time. Frampton has pointed out that there are more bidets in the bathroom than are strictly necessary and that their provision is “symbolic”.

The materials used in the bathrooms were perforated metal, glass walls and duralumin. As Wigglesworth puts it “The surfaces are shiny, reflective, permanently bright, ageless (278)”. The plumbing is also exposed and it is possible to rotate the bidets. 

 

Swiveling bidet and cupboard in the master bathroom

Image Source: Edwards and Gjretson

The master bathroom is on the second floor, facing South East. One wall is entirely glazed permitting diffused light to come in. There are also floodlights outside and by turning these on and off the mood of the house could be adjusted. The bathroom is also illuminated with wall lights. This lighting arrangement adds to the erotic mood of the bathroom.

Sound transmission of “personal noises” is often something that designers

go to great lengths to avoid (including use of sound proof GIB board and separate rooms for the toilet). In the Maison de Verre bathroom set-up it was be possible for sounds to be transmitted. This has its obvious down-side as well as an upside in that Mr and Mrs Dalsace were able to converse with each other while using the facilities.

The walls of this bathroom are not fixed. They are flexible and it is possible to re-arrange them in different ways.

Bath screens between Mme Dalsace’s bathtub and her husband’s showering area.

Image Source: Edwards and Gjretson

In a more contemporary context, Nicholas Frei has suggested in the bathroom of the future walls could be eliminated entirely from the apartment and replaced with curtains and that the bathroom functions could be dispersed throughout the apartment. (Frei, 35) The transmission of smells that arises from this set-up is normally another feature that designers go to some lengths to avoid and so this is another aspect of unconventionality.

What do you imaging bathing in these spaces would be like?

My first response is to think that it would be quite unpleasant to use these bathrooms. The materials: steel, aluminum and glass seem cold and unyielding and the prospect of negotiating shifting metal panels while naked, seems distinctly unappealing. This response could be a consequence of the fact that most of the photos you see are black and white, which exacerbates the feeling of coldness.

I note that this is not the response from those who have actually visited the house:

“As the critic Julien Lepage says: There is nothing mechanistic about this house. None of the equipment is menacing. It is all treated with such delicacy and its function is so well revealed that all these pieces are more like organs than instruments. “(Edwards, J and Gjertson, G. 35)

“This focus on the interior awakens one’s sensual appreciation of the visual, tactile, and aural qualities of the materials: textured wire glass, warm fir cabinets, soft, hazy aluminum perforated panels, and velvety steel. The surfaces of the spaces are, in fact, warm and comfortable. These surfaces do more than function; they perform in response to human activity and touch.” (Edwards J. and Gjertson. G. 33)

Works Cited

Edwards, M. and Gjertson, W. “La Maison de Verre: Negotiating a Modern Domesticity” Journal of Interior Design Sept 2008, Vol. 34 Issue 1, p15-37 Web 3^rd November 2011

Frampton K. “Maison de Verre” in (Re) Reading Perspecta Edited by Stern, R. Plattus, A. Deamer, P. The MIT Press Cambridge Massachusetts 2004 Print

Frei, Nicholas “Bathroom Smear Test” in Hebel, D (editor) Bathroom Unplugged: Architecture and Intimacy Birkhauser Berlin 2005 Print

Radulescu Paris – la Maison de Verre

http://updateslive.blogspot.com/2007/08/paris-la-maison-de-verre.html Web. 3rd November

Taylor, Bryan Brace Pierre Chareau Designer and Architect Taschen 1992 Print

Vellay, Dominique and François Halard La Maison de Verre : Pierre Chareau's Modernist Masterwork London Thames and Hudson 2007 Print

Wigglesworth, Sarah “Maison de Verre: sections through an in-vitro conception” The Journal of Architecture Volume 3 Autumn 1998 page 263-286 Web 3^rd November 2011

Blog Eleven - Mangere Arts Centre - Nga Tohu o Uenuku

BLOG 11 - Mangere Arts Centre - Nga Tohu o Uenuku   

Image Source: http://www.dulux.co.nz/specifier/colour/colour-awards-finalists/mangere-arts-centre

What is your impression of the arts centre as you approach the entrance? Does the design reflect a particular culture or community? Provide specific examples.

The centre reflects Pacific cultures in general. The upside waka which forms the entrance canopy and the ceiling in the foyer is a motif used in a lot of Pacific architecture (e.g Otara town centre). The outside courtyard has stakes around it that reminds me of the Maori garden in the Hamilton Gardens – Te Parapara. 

 

Image http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/ParksLeisureCulture/

Arts/artscentretheatresgalleries/Pages/mangereartscentre.aspx

There are a lot of diagonal lines used in the design in the interior for example in the worked concrete of the exterior of the theatre, they remind me of the diagonal patterns in tapa cloth and in weaving.

There is also a lot of colour used in the bright external panels. As explained on the Dulux website, the architects who designed the building used Maori and Pacific Island mythology to inform their colour choices. The bright coloured batons on the outside wall were inspired by Uenuku, the God of creativity (whose manifestation is the rainbow). The water bubbles on the external wall represent puna wai or a spring of naturally flowing water from the depths of mother earth.

Designer/Architects: Harry Street of Creative Spaces

Date Opened: 3rd September 2010

Who do you think this particular space is intended for?

As expressed in its mission statement first and foremost the building is intended for the citizens of Mangere.

What is the intended use of this building?

The building is intended as a centre for the performing and visual arts. It houses a performing arts space, a gallery space, studio space, a shop and many offices, dressing rooms, a community kitchen, an outdoor courtyard and space for a café in the future.

The Exhibition

What is the whakatauaki associated with this exhibition?

Kia tupu, kia hua, kia puawai

What is the English translation?

To grow, to prosper, to sustain

Who is Te Puea Herangi, and why would Tainui have been involved in providing this particular taonga?

The proverb is from Te Puea Herangi, who was a respected Maori leader from the Waikato. Tainui were involved in providing this quote because she is one of their ancestors. The quote was considered appropriate by Tainiu because of the difficult times we live in from an economic and environmental point of view.

Choose 1 work to discuss in the following response.

Title: Inextricable Links

Artist/Designers: Elke Finkenauer

Date: 2011

How do you see the above whakatauaki discussed above embedded in this particular object?

The title of the piece conveys the idea of being bound together in a permanent and complicated way. The forms in the piece are circles that are linked together in a web. They possibly represent people in abstracted form. There is a strong sense of upward movement in the piece from lots of vertical lines but there are also some horizontal linkages.

The materials used to make this artwork are handcut pvc and pencil, however the completed object looks as though it is made form more precious materials. It has a metallic silver/gold shine reflecting the precious nature of the subject matter, which I think is the community of human beings and other living things.

The piece represents the web that binds people (and possibly other forms of life) together and helps them be strong. It shows the interdependence of people and the possibility for growth, upward movement and prosperity if the web is strong. This is the link to the whakatauaki.

Works Cited

Dulux

http://www.dulux.co.nz/specifier/colour/colour-awards-finalists/mangere-arts-centre Web 1^st November 2011

NZ history

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/people/te-kirihaehae-te-puea-herangi Web

1^st November 2011

Blog Ten - Hotunui

Blog 10 Hotunui at The Auckland War Memorial Museum

1. Describe your personal experience as you occupied this space. Think about how you approached the wharenui. How did the atmosphere differ from the exterior to the interior of the wharenui? Did it change the way you behaved? Was there anything unsettling about the experience?

When I entered the wharenui I walked more slowly and took time to look at the cravings and painted rafters. The interior seemed to be quite “busy” and alive with many patterns and eyes looking at me. This was a bit unsettling. Strangely enough, the interior felt calm at the same time.

The fact that the interior was rectangular with no hidden rooms and no structures above floor level also conveyed the feeling of openness and inclusiveness. I also felt a sense of comfort from walking on the wooden floor and the well proportioned dimensions of the room.

2. Who is Michael Austin? Where does he work and what does he specialise in?

Professor Michel Austin is a Unitec lecturer who is program leader for the Masters in Architecture course. He specializes in understanding Maori and Polynesian architecture, including housing and public buildings.

3. In what context does Austin say the “marae is not treated as architecture…”? How do you feel about this?

Austin states that in studies of Maori architecture, the buildings were “treated as monuments to a dying culture ”and that they were analysed as “decorated art objects”, with an emphasis on the carvings. (Austin, 223) The spatial and structural characteristics of the buildings and their cultural meanings were not analysed at all.

I think that this reflects Western ethnocentrism in the characterization of what is and is not architecture. This marginalization of Maori architecture has had wider consequences as Brown points out “… Maori architecture as part of New Zealand architecture, has always operated on the periphery of creative practice as far as the arts community and government are concerned.” (Brown, 136)

I think that to omit Maori architecture from consideration is to fail to recognize an important part of New Zealand’s heritage and is also a lost opportunity in gaining insight into the Maori culture (as this exercise has illustrated to me).

4. What three factors does Austin state are important to understanding the “significance of the marae?”

For Austin the concepts of open and closed space and exclosure are important. The marae is the open space, in front of the meeting house and the setting of it is important. It faces outward to open elements like the sea or flat land and it has closing elements behind it like mountains or bush. Exclosure refers to the space that is past the “boundary of the marae proper, but still part of the marae.” (Austin 229) For the marae to operate there must be a host group (tangata whenua) and a guest group (manuwhiri).

5. How does Austin describe a Maori concept of home? How might this differ from a western idea of home?

Austin says that for Maori, the community home (the marae) is of more importance than the individual nuclear family home. The special significance of the marae reflects the importance to Maori of a wider community of relations and ancestors. The marae is also important as a place the Maori expects to return to at the time of death.

6. What/where is home for you? Elaborate.

My concept to home is a bit different to most people as I have no family home (I live by myself and both of my parents live in a hospital.) In addition, although I am a New Zealander I have lived away from NZ for most of my life. For me, home is a place of beauty and stimulation where I can feel re-energised and calmed. The Victoria and Albert Museum and the Tate Modern Gallery in London are places that have this effect on me.

7. According to Austin, how does the meeting house discuss notions of embodiment?

The meeting house is symbolic of an individual, usually an ancestor. Austin writes that when you enter the meeting house, you are symbolically entering the body of the ancestor. Jamie Lee Kingi has said that it is also symbolic of entering a woman. Parts of the ancestor’s body are represented in the structure of the building – on the exterior the gable figure at the apex of the building is the koruru, the facing boards (maihi) are arms that end in fingers (raparapa). In the interior the ridge pole is the spine, the rafters are ribs, the centre pole is the heart. (Austin, 230) (Maori Info)

Works Cited

Austin, Michael. “A Description of the Maori Marae (1976).” New Dreamland: Writing New Zealand Architecture. Ed. D. L. Jenkins. Auckland: Random House New Zealand; 2005. pp. 222-23 Print

Brown, Dierdre, Maori Architecture: From Fale to Wharenui and beyond Penguin Books New Zealand 2009 Print

Maori Information website

http://www.maori.info/maori_society.htm Web 1st November 2o11

Blog Nine - IDEA Journal

Blog 9: COLOUR and SPACE: An Investigation of Three-Dimensionality Dr D Smith 2004 IDEA Journal Web. 103-116 Web. 4^th November

In this article Smith writes about the difficulties of teaching students about using colour in real interiors. The issues arise because when you experience colour in two dimensions this experience does not easily translate to a three dimensional context of a real interior, that is, the spatial context where colour is applied has a major impact on the way it is perceived.

“ Students of design often have difficulty in extrapolating theoretical or studio exercises in colour to the design of three dimensional space. This occurs because ‘real’ spaces are not able to be readily tested. Generally the principles can only be applied to representations of spaces. Although analyses of existing environments, drawing the designs for new environments or interiors, making working models, or developing presentation models can be incorporated into the coursework, the level of engagement with appropriately scaled or life size spaces is very limited for a student.” (Smith 103)

Smith describes how the work of Mark Rothko, Bridget Riley, Claude Monet and Wassily Kandinsky can be used as valuable source of information for emerging designers.

“By referring to paintings (or more specifically a body of work by an artist) we are able to see how particular patterns or practices of colour use can potentiate the way that we experience three-dimensionality in the two dimensions.” (Smith 108)

She also describes an exercise that she undertook with students where they applied ideas about colour from an artist’s work.

“The research task is to investigate the light and colour theories of one artist or designer selected from a list provided. The group is required to identify who the artist/designer is, the period during which he/she worked, any group to which he/she belonged, typical examples of his/her body of work, and the principles of light and colour that are being applied.

 

Having completed the research and presented a seminar, each student creates a suspended ‘installation’. This requires the student to identify the key principle/s of the artist’s work that they wish to explore and demonstrate.” (Smith 109)

I think that Smith raises an interesting idea. I have had the experience that a colour scheme that looks good with colour chips may not work at all when it is used to paint a room. The proportions of the various colours matter a lot and the lighting of a room can make the same colour on different walls look quite different. Even combining colours into pleasing schemes is much more difficult than it first seems, in my experience.

I like Smith’s idea that a 3D space can be analysed by simplifying it into a 2D colour field. I also like the idea that the colour palette used by great artists has a lot to teach us about how colours work together. Analysis of paintings can show how the colour of some objects causes them to recede and others to “pop”. 

I have applied these ideas to thinking about how the work of Mondrian has been used in the context of interior design. Mondrian’s colour palette of primary red, primary blue and primary yellow has been used in furniture design, interior design and in fashion. In addition, his way of framing spaces (the black outline around a white space) has been used extensively in interiors.

 

Image: Home Magazine 0ct 2007               Image http://creativeinfluences.

                                                   blogspot.com/2011/06/pietmondrian.html

When trying to analyse what I found so pleasing about this interior described in Home magazine.(above). I realised that it reminded me of a Mondrian painting.

In the case of furniture design, Charles and Rae Eames have made extensive use of Mondrian style colours and composition.

Photo Source: http://www.furniturefashion.com/2009/05/11/mid-century_eames_storage_unit_for_3400.html

The colour palette has also been used in interior design. The following is an image from the Bauhaus hotel in Zurich.

Image Source: www. hotelrigihof.hotelszurich.it

This journal reading has taught me about the value of studying paintings to a applying a 3D context and how to analyse an interior as a field of colour.

Work Cited

COLOUR and SPACE: An Investigation of Three-Dimensionality

Dr D Smith 2004 IDEA Journal Web. 103-116 Web. 4^th November 2011

 

Blog Eight - Historical Sites

Blog 8: Respond to Robin Byron’s discussion of Historical Sites.

What are some of the important considerations for interior practitioners when designing for an historic site?

Robin Byron spoke about the idea of retaining features of the old building when renovating to try maintain a memory of how it looked pre-renovation. She referred to the case of the Jean Batten building where old window fittings had been retained on one floor and a new ceiling had been created which permits a view through to the old ceiling. She also pointed out the stainless steel floor disks that were used to mark the outline of the old building. These features allow the interested observer to have some understanding of the elements of the original building.

She also said that it is always best if the usage of the new building is the same as the old building. Robin used the example of Hotel De Bretts to illustrate this concept. It is important to be honest about what is modern rather than trying to mimic the old and to be respectful in scale, materials and colours. She showed us a light fitting that was partly constructed from elements that were present in the original building. This object created a link to the past building in terms of materials, style and colour and showed the value of recycling.

In the case of the Auckland Art Gallery Robin showed how an interaction can be created between the old and new building. Glass has been used around the exterior edges of the new extension so that it doesn’t break the view of the old façade.

In the case where the project involves preservation of a residence Robin said that it might be best to be very light handed in the renovation, to retain the original atmosphere and even signs of deterioration in the building. She showed us the example of water stains in the ceiling of the Frank Sargeson house and said that the decision had been taken not to repair them as this could have undermined the atmosphere of the house.

Finally Robin said that it was important to be alert to educational possibilities, for instance leaving some signs of the fabric of the building visible as in the case of the Treaty House in Waitangi, to show how it was constructed.

Recall an historic site/home that you have visited. What can you remember about the displays and the possibilities for interaction for the audience?

At Hampton Court in London there are a wide range of activities for visitors. The experience of visiting an historic building is brought alive with sights, smells and physical activities.

 

Hampton Court

Image Source: http://www.evanevanstours.co.uk/hampton-court.htm

On selected days, real Tudor style food is cooked in the Tudor kitchen by “history chefs” in Tudor costume. The menu includes such strange dishes as buknade – a recipe for kid with sage, hyssop, mace and cloves.

Tudor Kitchen

Image: www.hrp.org.uk/HamptonCourtPalace/stories/thetudorkitchens

In the main hall, on selected days actors and actresses in costume invite you to join the dances in the style of Tudor England.

 

Dancing in the Great Hall

Image: http://www.hrp.org.uk/HamptonCourtPalace/henryVIIIsgreathall

There is also the opportunity to get lost in the maze.

Image: http://www.hrp.org.uk/HamptonCourtPalace/maze

They also have a family ghost trail, jesters wandering around, velvet cloaks available for visitors (to ensure that they are properly dressed!), lectures and courses.

Works Cited

Historic Places Trust website

http://www.hrp.org.uk/HamptonCourtPalace/henryVIIIsgreathall

Web 1^st November

Blog Seven - The Green Imperative

Blog 7: The Green Imperative Papanek, Victor. “The Green Imperative: Ecology and Ethics in Design and Architecture.” London: Thames and Hudson, 1995.

1. In Chapter 1, on the first page, Papanek exhorts that we each examine our ethical responsibilities towards our eco-system, based on our specific role in society.

Describe how you could, or already are, making an undertaking to consider the impact of your work/ lifestyle on the environment.

When I was growing up I was told that the single most important contribution one could make to the environment was not to drive. I have kept to this for 50 years, but for most of my life I have lived in places where public transport is very good (Wellington, London and Zurich) and this was not a problem. I am finding that Auckland has been testing my limits as a public transport user and many people tell me it will be difficult to get an interior design job without a license, so my commitment to this is wavering.

I used to fly internationally a great deal in an earlier part of my life, but I changed my attitude to this a lot after seeing Al Gore's “An Inconvenient Truth”.

 

See U tube link www.youtube.com/watch ?v=wnjx6KETmi4

I am ashamed to say that before seeing this movie in 2007 I did not understand the link between flying and carbon emissions. These days I fly much less.

As an interior designer it is important to design to the highest standards possible so that the client will not wish to update the design and to use durable products that will not need replacing. I look for furniture that can be deconstructed into its component parts and recycled and try to select furniture, paints and wood treatments do not release VOCs that could adversely impact interior air quality. In the selection of wood products I look for renewable timbers. I also look at the statements made by manufactures about the waste products created in the manufacturing process. I try not to print materials for clients but instead show them on a laptop or email material to them.

As a lighting designer I recommend products on the basis of energy efficacy (although this is often a bit difficult to do as many manufacturers make misleading claims for their products) and durability of lamps and luminaries.

Do you agree with Papanek that environmental considerations are a contemporary necessity for designers? Why?

I agree with Papnek that environmental considerations should be an important focus for designers because I think that the way in which fashion enters into the design process creates the potential for a lot of waste, as products get thrown out before the end of their useful life simply because they have gone out of style.

In addition in the past, designers have paid little attention to what happens when products get thrown “away”, but I have come to realize that there is no “away”.

I think some of these ideas are well illustrated in the You tube link The Story of Stuff: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM

2. In Chapter 2, pg. 29- 32, Papanek describes 6 stages to consider for designers to produce environmentally sound projects.

Find a “green star” rated building or an “eco-friendly” product in a journal or on the internet with enough information provided to answer the following:

Beesonline is based in Waimauku. It has won numerous awards - Sustainable business Challenge Award – Trailblazer in 2007, the E_Award (for promoting responsible environmental behaviour and ethics) among others. (Beesonline)

The Beesonline building was designed by Herceg Architects. It has many green features like a flat green roof with grass treatment terraces that permits rainwater to be collected and filtered so that it reaches a drinkable state and can be re-used. The green roof (which has insulating properties) and the concrete slab floor combine to reduce the need for mechanical heating or cooling. The building is naturally ventilated, it has a louvre roof which can be opened for ventilation (Herceg). It also features a system of gabion baskets that assist in the water filtration process and protect against erosion. There is no carpet installed in the interior, which assists ensuring the internal air quality. (Turner)

In the Beeonline environmental statement they say that they have chosen “ indigenous site landscaping to increase the local wetlands and encourage wildlife to inhabit these areas”. (Beesonline)

Image Source: David Turner’s Architecture Technology paper – Lecture Notes 7^th April 2009

The production process that the company uses is natural and supports the bee population. The honey it produces is very high quality and promotes healing. The product is packaged in glass, which is a good environmental choice. Their land management policy has been to use only organic sprays and fertilisers. (Beeonline)

In many respects this business is exemplary. However, there is an epilogue to this story. I noticed that not much has been heard about this business since about 2008. I also noticed that in the Beesonline website the links to the details of the organic certification of the honey and the sustainability business network no longer work. I found out from an article in Life and Leisure magazine that they have recently suffered an infestation of varroa bee mite that meant forfeiting organic certification for the hives because of the required treatment. I also visited the site recently. The visitor’s centre that was used to raise awareness and provide education about the ecosystem, GE free and organic certification, the healing properties of honey and bees themselves, has been closed. In addition, they told be that they have closed down the factory and moved all honey production to a site in Hamilton.

I think that this a sad outcome and that it shows that building an environmentally sustainable business may be more difficult than it looks. I still think it is very very important to try.

Works Cited

Beeonline website www.beesonline.co.m=nz Web 26^th September 2011

David Turner’s Architecture Technology paper – Lecture Notes 7^th April 2009

Herceg Architects http://www.hercegarchitecture.com/ Web 17 October 2011

New Zealand Life and Leisure http://www.nzlifeandleisure.co.nz/node/790?page=0%2C1 Web 29^th October

Blog Three - Modernist Interiors

1. Find a photographic example of one Modernist interior from any online design museum and connect it with a link to your blog.

Living Room from Highpoint 2, Highgate, London

Designer: Berthold Lubetkin 1936-38

Photo Source: Allan, J. Berthold Lubetkin Merrell Publishers Ltd London 2002

2. Can you identify formal design features associated with a Modernist aesthetic in your chosen interior?

Concerning interior design, the modernist aesthetic can be summarized with this quote about Le Corbusier and Adolf Loos: “(they) rejected the overly decorated and feminized interiors of bourgeois society as antithetical to modern living.“ (Edwards and Gjertson, 15) Le Corbusier is quoted as saying “One can see these same business men, bankers and merchants, away from their businesses in their own homes, where everything seems to contradict their real existence — rooms too small, a conglomeration of useless and disparate objects, and a sickening spirit reigning over so many shams — Aubusson, Salon d’Automne, styles of all sorts and absurd bric-à-brac …” (Edwards and Gjertson, 15)

Lubetkin’s interior is simple, spacious and practical. It seems consistent with Le Corbusier’s dictum that a house is a “machine for living in” in the sense that the human needs for relaxation, socializing, eating together can be easily accommodated without crowding or clutter.

The interior is aesthetically a radical departure from the both the dark and cluttered Victorian style, the feminine curvaceous style of Art Nouveau and the machine and ocean liner aesthetic of Art Deco.

There is a lot of wood used in the furniture (Norwegian yew, sand-blasted paneling) and cowhide on the chairs. All of the materials used are kept in a natural state, in accordance with the modernist idea of expressing the qualities and beauties of the materials. The interior has a combination of lightweight plywood furniture (Eames style) but also very heavy looking rustic furniture. The former is consistent with Modernist principles about the use of new technology especially plywood to make light comfortable but sturdy furniture but the latter, less so.

There is no unnecessary ornamentation in the design of the furniture although the walls are highly patterned. In the choice of patterns Lubetkin shows some subversive spirit as they include theatrical prints from Pollock, timber paneling and blown-up photographic images of microscopic marine life. Wilk states that “In its furnishings, Lubetkin's Penthouse displayed a distinct Surrealist sensibility within the rational shell of Modernist architectural design.” (Wilk, 84) This is consistent with statements that Lubetkin made about the potential for modernist architecture to loose its soul. Lubetkin warned of “architecture’s increasing anonymity, disregard of history, and loss of human resonance” (Allan 9) Lubetkin interior is full of human resonance.

3. Is the designer/designers of this interior part of the Modernist movement? Does this movement have a manifesto?

Lubetkin was born in Russia where he trained under famous Russian constructivists Rodchenko, Popova and Tatlin. These teachers emphasized the idea of the “artist engineer” - industrial techniques being used to make “socially useful” objects. Later he moved to Paris where he worked for a radical architect who had been taught by Le Corbusier and was involved in the design of a building in the International Style. In 1931 he moved to Britain where he joined other émigrés in the emerging British Modern Movement. (Allan)

In 1928 the Congres Internationale d'Architecture Moderne (CIAM) created the La Sarraz Declaration - a manifesto of the modernist movement led by Le Corbusier. The focus was on creating “healthy living quarters” for the population. They gave importance to “… the general economy of the dwelling, the principles of property and its moral significance, the effects of sunlight, the ill effects of darkness, essential hygiene, rationalization of household economics, the use of mechanical devices in domestic life, etc.” (CIAM manifesto quoted in Edwards, J and Gjertson, G. 2008)

The Modern Architectural Research (MARs) group (the English wing of CIAM) also prepared a manifesto – the Modern Plan for London in July 1942. This was mainly about town planning, transport and social factors. However, it also mentioned the need for communal housing: “Housing. In order to provide the liberation of as much land as possible, flats of 20 storeys should be provided, concentrated in parkland, to provide the advantages of the garden and city, and avoid their disadvantages by wasting transport and community necessities. 80% of the existing dwellings are designed to be let at the lowest possible rents” (Korn, Fry and Sharp 165)

4. Try to find an example of your chosen architect or designer’s critical writing (in the form of a manifesto or public declaration) or select another artist’s Modernist manifesto for the same time period, which relates to your chosen example.

“We have to choose which tradition to follow since they now exist in parallel. Back to romantic melodrama, mortgaged, all electric manor houses with phony chimney stacks, and the pre-slump semi-Tudor villas screened by pretensions or the sober eloquence of regularity with its sharp-edged space and lucid geometry. Architectural design can be either a metaphor for the world to come or an epitaph of the one that has gone, never to come back again.” (Lubetkin's speech at the Royal Institute of Architects, 1982, quoted in Allan, 50) This quote shows Lubetkin’s commitment to “giving a new face to our age”.

5. How are Modernist ideologies manifested in this design?

Allan lists the three key aspects of modernist ideology: the vision of architecture as means of creating social progress, the importance of the application of new technology and materials and the pursuit of a radical design aesthetic. To this list I would add an emphasis on the role of architecture in promoting public health and hygiene.

Lubetkin’s ideas about architecture were heavily influenced by his left wing political commitment. It is ironic that a designer of such strong left wing sensibilities ended up designing for wealthy clients. “Highpoint I soon became luxury flats leavened with a few units let at low rents, even though the project started life as a scheme for worker’s housing for Zigmund Gestetner, the office machinery manufacturer. “ (Gold, 44) 
 

In the downstairs Lubektin provided a space that Allan says he had hoped would provide an opportunity for people of different classes to socialize. In practice, this did not happen. However, new technology and materials were used in the design of the Highpoint building as they were one of the first examples in Britain of communal housing in a garden setting. Allan states that they provided crucial technical ground for many post war schemes. This is consistent with the Modernist belief in addressing the need for major post war re-building by building blocks of housing.

The buildings certainly incorporated a radical design aesthetic, although has Powers has pointed out there was a “big difference between Lubetkin’s Highpoint 1 (1933-35) a pure structure of monolithic concrete and Highpoint II (1936-38) a framed structure with varied textures and colours and an overall symmetry. (Powers 28) Highpoint 1 represented severe Modernism, Highpoint II, a more relaxed, playful aesthetic. Highpoint II also incorporated radical features like double height voids, brick glass walls, floating balconies and a beautiful central staircase of travertine and terrazzo. (Wilks)

The Highpoint building also promoted the modernist idea of health and the outdoors. It featured cross ventilation and open views.

Works Cited

Allan, J. Berthold Lubetkin Merrell Publishers Ltd London 2002 Print

Edwards, J and Gjertson, G. “La Maison de Verre: Negotiating a Modern Domesticity” Journal of Interior Design Volume 34 Issue 1 September 2008 Web.

Gold, J. “In Search of Modernity: The Urban Projects of the Modern Movement 1929-39” in Modern Britain 1929-39 – Edited by James Peto and Donna Loveday Design Museum 1999 London Print.

Grieve, A. “Isokon” in Modern Britain 1929-39 – Edited by James Peto and Donna Loveday Design Museum 1999 London Print.

Korn, A., Fry, M. and Sharp, D. “The M.A.R.S. Plan for London” Perspecta, Vol. 13/14 (1971), pp. 163-173 The MIT Press on behalf of Perspecta Web.

Powers, A. Modern – The Modern Movement in Britain Merrell Publishers Ltd London 2005 Print

Wilk, Christopher Modernism: Designing a new world edited V&A Publications London 2006 Print.