Global Modern Architecture

W2-Simple Case Study

I.Sydney Opera House

  • Building name: Sydney Opera House
  • Type: Performing arts center
  • Architect: Jørn Utzon
  • Location: Sydney, Australia
  • Date: 1973

Description:

Sydney Opera House is a multipurpose performing arts center in Sydney, New South Wales in Australia. It hosts symphony concerts, theatrical productions, and popular music shows. Utzon believed architecture should have a bond with the environment and be built to last. Design characteristics of this masterpiece include organic forms and texture, color of the water and sky and shells-inspired design. The architect also found ways to leverage sustainable natural resources. Working with engineer Ove Arup, Utzon implemented a cooling system which circulated seawater directly from Sydney harbor, saving close to four million gallons of municipal potable water each year; in addition to naturally air-conditioning spaces, the system also sequestered heat produced by cooling units to keep interiors warm during the chillier months. More than 1 million roof tiles cover the iconic roof, all made in Sweden. Sydney Opera House is an outstanding work of 20th century architecture.

Significance:

  • Exceptional engineering achievements and technological innovation
  • Design inspired by organic forms and texture
  • Multi purpose center that houses concerts, restaurants, retail shops, restaurants

What I learned:

  • Successful architecture has a bond with the environment
  • Use design to tell stories that represent the origin of that place

Images:

Sources:

  • https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/
  • https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/little-known-facts-sydney-opera-house#:~:text=Sydney%20Opera%20House%20was%20designed,and%20be%20built%20to%20last.

 

 

II.Church of Christo Obrero

  • Building name: Church of Christo Obrero (also known as the church of Atlántida)
  • Type: Church
  • Architect: Christo Obrero
  • Location: Uruguay
  • Date: 1958

Description:

The Church was created by and for the community of Estación Atlántida, a town very close to the Atlántida spa, created as a working-class town at the same time that the first chalets of the spa were built. In this construction, surprising curved walls of exposed brick support the vault that covers the main nave without columns. Designed from the outset to be built with local materials by local people, the Church of Atlántida, located in a lower middle-class semi-rural community, has its roots in long-established building traditions, while embodying the scientific and technical achievements of modernity. The Church of Atlántida reflects efforts to optimise the use of resources and ensure sustainability. The property is imbued with the humanistic principles that constantly guide the spatial and material concepts of engineer Dieste. The free-standing bell tower is a reinforced brick tower with a height of 15 meters and perforations arranged over its entire surface. The prefabricated steps were placed as brackets embedded in the exterior wall and the work platform was supported on the tower itself as it was raised. The observation of the spiral staircase manages to transmit a feeling of infinity. Due to its verticality and liturgical meaning, this bell tower is a visual icon of Dieste’s work. The church illustrates the confluence of geometry, of the static conception of the building.

Significance:

  • Building built with local materials by local people
  • The outstanding spiral interior architecture

Images:

Sources:

  • https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1612/
  • https://www.architectural-review.com/archive/church-at-atlantida-uruguay-by-eladio-dieste

 

 

 

III.Church of Notre Dame du Haut

  • Building name: Church of Notre Dame du Haut
  • Type: Church
  • Architect: Le Corbusier
  • Location: France
  • Date: 1955

Description:

Church of Notre Dame du Haut was built for a reformist Church looking to continue its relevance. Warning against decadence, reformers within the Church looked to renew its spirit by embracing modern art and architecture as representative concepts. It symbolized the end of World War II and hope for the future. The chapel is a simple design with two entrances, a main altar, and three chapels beneath towers. Although the building is small, it is powerful and complex. The structure is made mostly of concrete and is comparatively small, enclosed by thick walls, with the upturned roof supported on columns embedded within the walls, like a sail billowing in the windy currents on the hill top. Much like the church at the monastery at La Tourette, the roof of Notre Dame du Haut appears to float above the walls. This is possible, because it is supported by concrete columns, not the walls themselves. The effect produced allows a strip of light to enter the building, thus lighting the space further, and making the church feel more open.

Significance:

  • The unique design of the roof
  • It symbolized the end of World War II and hope for the future.

What I learned:

  • A building can tell a lot about the history of the time it was built

Images:

Sources:

  • https://architectuul.com/architecture/notre-dame-du-haut#:~:text=The%20Chapelle%20Notre%2DDame%2Ddu,and%20architecture%20as%20representative%20concepts.

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