by rking3 | May 10, 2023
Hilde Heynen investigates the theme of anonymity in modernist architecture, with a focus on the domestic space. Heynen contends that modernist architects sought to create anonymous, standardized spaces devoid of any historical or personal references. The goal was to create a universal architecture that could be used by anyone, regardless of social status or background. Similar to our week five reading, this approach to architecture was influenced by modernist ideologies that focused on rationality, efficiency, and hygiene.
Heynen then investigates how anonymity exists in the modernist home. She observes that modernist architects used a variety of techniques to create anonymous spaces, such as standardization, repetition, and ornamentation removal. Heynen also claims that the modernist house was intended to be a machine for living, with functional and efficient spaces. Despite the emphasis on anonymity, Heynen observes that modernist architects recognized the importance of leaving traces of personal identity in the domestic space. Heynen investigates how modernist architects accomplished this by designing spaces that allowed for personalization and customization, such as movable partitions or flexible furniture.
Heynen’s chapter discusses the line that exists in modernist architecture between anonymity and personalization. While modernist architects attempted to create anonymous and universally pleasing spaces, she claims they also recognized the importance of allowing for personal identity within the domestic space. This reminds me of a few previous interpretations of the term, most notably Adolf Loos’ sentiment that the surface of a wall was for the user. Too many architects at the time were concerned with curating an interior that looked perfect and elegant in a single photograph; Loos didn’t care about the photographability of a space, only that the user felt comfortable. To me, the idea that modernist architects were striving for universally appealing spaces while unintentionally creating spaces that encouraged personalization is beautiful, and I believe it gives the user an important sense of agency within the architectural process. This relates to my current studio project of designing rapid refuge shelters, and I have learned that it is often best for the Architect/Designer to design “less” to foster this user-focused design methodology.
This week, I looked through the class map through the lens of Heynen’s chapter and thought Espresso Roma would fit in nicely. Espresso Roma is a popular cafe near campus where I’ve spent a lot of time. The cozy study area is made up of several small interior rooms as well as a back patio courtyard. The rooms feel cozy because of their size, but the numerous canvases of artwork, worn burlap bags, and peeling yellow paint on the walls also contribute to the space’s coziness. I believe that all of these personal wall decorations contribute significantly to the cafe’s popularity. College students are constantly on the lookout for a third space, a cool, cozy place to study, but they want to be a part of something authentic, something with history, rather than a polished corporate chain like Starbucks. Espresso Roma has curated this feeling for those people, and they were able to do so not because
the interior of Espresso Roma Cafe, showing a mustard yellow wall, a coca-cola refrigerator, and a tan burlap bag hung on the wall.
they hired an architect to design the perfect space for them, complete with custom light fixtures and a service counter, but because their building existed as a blank canvas, able to receive personalization in an authentic way over time, which I believe is exactly what Heynen is getting at in their writing. I have also witnessed unhoused occupying the benches in front of the Cafe. Perhaps this relates to the idea of modernist adaptability of their space. In the same way that space is easily personalized by the owners, it too can be adapted by unhoused users.
by rking3 | May 3, 2023
In his article “The Modern Movement and the Surveillance Society,” Peter Jones looks into the connection between modernist architecture and the rise of surveillance. He discusses how Modernist architectural principles began to prioritize efficiency, transparency, and logic. These principles were used to design buildings and urban spaces that allowed for control through surveillance. Jones claims the origins of this surveillance society to the early twentieth century when modernist architects rejected traditional forms in favor of designs that preferred functionality and practicality. According to Jones, the desire for visibility was a key component of both the surveillance society and the Modern Movement in architecture. The desire for visibility appears in areas of Modernist discourse such as glass, the interior, the house, and the factory. Glass, an important component of the Modern Movement, was seen as a symbol of a new collective life, whether under reformed capitalism or a socialist state. The shift from opacity to transparency, on the other hand, is symptomatic of the larger shift toward a surveillance society and has facilitated its development. In the name of sunlight, architects such as Le Corbusier prioritized open floor plans and long ribbon windows. As a result, surveillance-optimized buildings such as homes, schools, and government buildings were built.
Jones also mentions the role of technology in the evolution of the surveillance society, referencing innovations such as CCTV and computer networks made it easier to monitor and control people in public spaces. Overall, Jones believes that modernist architecture and its fetishization of materials, particularly glass, played an important role in the development of a built environment that facilitated individual control and monitoring, thus contributing to the development of a “surveillance society”. I agree with Jones in his assertion that modernist architects were fetishizing materials and I would push that idea further and claim that there was a fetishizing of the building as a static object to be viewed. Homes like the Farnsworth house appear to me like they were prioritizing how the building appeared in a photograph or as an architectural drawing rather than the user experience. If I remember correctly from my visit to the home, the privacy curtains had to be installed at the request of the client. An additional closet storage space was also built roughly a mile up the river because Mies did not include it in his design.
I couldn’t help but choose Camp 13 Cafe at the Jaqua Center when I was looking through the class map for a building to study this week. The structure is essentially a giant square glass cube, and given this week’s reading topic of surveillance and the modernist architecture movement, I had to investigate further. Programmatically, the building serves as a study space exclusively for the University of Oregon student-athletes. It appears to be one of the nicest, most opulent buildings on campus to me, and anyone who attends the University understands that the student-athletes here are in a completely different societal class. There is a reason why I took my photo from the outside of the Cafe, I didn’t feel comfortable walking up to the door of the building. Now this feeling is counter to the thesis of the reading, a facade made entirely of glass should result in a lack of privacy for its inhabitants. However, an elegant, obscuring screen hangs between the glass and the interior space, allowing light to enter the space, but not the public eye. This screen acts as a physical barrier, but I would argue that the sense of exclusivity associated with the space does far more to protect against public surveillance, suggesting that the concept of surveillance is nuanced and extends beyond materiality.
The exterior of the John E. Jaqua Center with a reflection of a cloudy sky.
by rking3 | Apr 26, 2023
The reading explores the work of Peter Behrens, an influential architect and designer of the early twentieth century who worked for the German electrical company AEG. Behrens’ designs for AEG’s products, buildings, and branding emphasized functionality, simplicity, and modernity, reflecting the company’s emphasis on technological progress and its desire to be perceived as a luxury brand. According to the chapter, Behrens’ work for AEG was influential in shaping the modern concept of luxury as a function of technological innovation rather than material excess. Behrens’ designs emphasized the machine’s beauty while also recognizing the efficiency and productivity that technology allowed. Behrens’ work for AEG contributed to the idea that luxury could be found not only in the richness of materials but also in the experience of using cutting-edge technology.
The chapter also discusses Behrens’ work in its social and cultural context, including the rise of mass production and the emergence of consumer society in the early twentieth century. Behrens’ designs for AEG were aimed at a mass market, and his emphasis on functionality and efficiency reflected the modern world’s growing importance of rationality and scientific management. The chapter concludes that Behrens’ work for AEG represents an important turning point in the history of modern luxury, when technological progress and mass production were viewed as the key to achieving a new, more democratic form of luxury that was accessible to a broader audience. This is a sentiment that I believe many people my age would recognize. Steve Jobs and Apple have recently revived the rise of minimalist aesthetics. The latest iPhone not only makes its owner feel luxurious, but it is also a global status symbol. The design of the iPhone and many other Apple products incorporate Behrens’ ideas, with an emphasis on technological innovation; the improved cameras are highlighted by the design team, becoming an icon of the product and making the user feel as if they own a luxury item.
The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art shares similarities with Peter Behrens’ ideologies and AEG products. The west-facing facade (shown in the featured image) hosts art through an expansive, flat, and windowless brick wall. Behrens believed that luxury was more about finding beauty in the functionality and production of the material than it was about fancy forms or exotic materials. While this flat brick wall may be considered a luxury by today’s construction standards, it is still made of a humble and mass-produced material: red clay brick. The facade employs a variety of ornamental patterns that may deviate from Behrens’ ideologies. While these intricate masonry patterns draw attention to and highlight the beauty of the humble brick, Behrens may have argued for a simpler, less intricate pattern. The austere nature of the wall, on the other hand, agrees with Behrens’ emphasis on functionality. The Museum’s purpose is to display text, films, and art, and what better way to do so than with a flat wall? Perhaps the lack of windows allows the viewer to infer th
The front entrance of a museum clad with intricate red brick design spanning roughly 100 feet.
e program housed within; a lack of windows usually indicates that you are looking at a casino, theater, or museum. The clients or architects could have included a few fake windows to fit into a typical building typology, but they chose to promote the building’s function by erecting this windowless structure.
by rking3 | Apr 23, 2023
a view of the front of McMenamin’s Restaurant, highlighting an ivy-covered fence that surrounds an outdoor seating area.
Ryan King –
SUMMARY –
Penny Sparke writes on the life and career of Elsie de Wolfe, one of the early 20th century’s first professional female interior decorators. The article goes beyond our introduction from lecture and discusses de Wolfe’s background, education, and influences, as well as her relationships with her female clients, many of whom were wealthy and influential figures at the time.
The author’s main argument was that de Wolfe’s success was due in part to her ability to navigate her clients’ social and cultural expectations, as they frequently had very specific ideas about how their homes should look and feel. De Wolfe managed to find a balance between their desires and her own vision for modern, stylish interiors that reflected changing attitudes at the time. De Wolfe’s work questioned traditional gender roles and expectations, showing that women can succeed in more “professional male-dominated fields like design. The author also argues that this led to women being perceived as rational and “modern” thinkers. De Wolfe also helped to redefine the “modern” woman as more than a passive decorative object but as an active participant in the design and decoration of her own home.
From the standpoint of design history, the work of de Wolfe and other designers like Charlotte Perriand and Eileen Gray began a transition from historicism to modernism. Their work was critical in introducing women to modernity and giving them an active role in the creation of the modern world. While interior decoration was initially restricted to the wealthy, it spread an aesthetic and cultural model that was widely influential and represented a critical transitional moment without which the modernism we know today may not have emerged.
EXTENSION OF AUTHOR’S ARGUMENT –
This notion is something I agree with completely, without the career and life of Elsie de Wolfe and the general notion of the “female professional decorator” I believe that the profession of Architecture and other design-related fields would be noticeably further behind. All we need to do, I believe, is look at the current gender demographics of a few other fields, such as engineering and computer science. Those two fields of work, in my opinion, are far more male-dominated than design-related professions. This is not to say that Architecture isn’t still largely dominated by men (particularly white men in the United States), but it is my contention that the opinion of a woman is met with less skepticism in the field of Architecture than in Engineering or Computer Science. DeWolfe, I believe, paved the way for women to enter male-dominated fields such as architecture and design, while also contributing to the larger movement for workplace gender equality. While there is still work to be done in all industries to achieve true gender parity, the work of Elsie de Wolfe and other female interior decorators was instrumental in breaking down barriers and paving the way for women to enter the field.
ANALYSIS OF SPACE –
I’ve chosen to study the outdoor patio seating at McMenamin’s in Eugene using the theme of female influence in design. A small section of outdoor eating space is shown on the right of my photograph. The space is surrounded by a three-foot-high metal gate, above which is another metal scaffolding device with thick green vines. The space is also set back from the sidewalk and street, allowing those seated to see passersby while still feeling safe. I describe the space in this way to emphasize a specific point: while I do not know who designed the building, one could assume that a woman was involved and made these design decisions. This space’s design makes me feel very safe; it has physical barriers between it and the sidewalk/street and provides protection from danger. Being outside can be dangerous, which is an unfortunate reality that many women must face. It is possible that if a woman had not been present during the design process of this outdoor space, these safety measures would not have been considered, resulting in a potentially unsafe-feeling place for customers to eat.
by rking3 | Apr 20, 2023
Sundance Natural Foods is a grocery store near the busy intersection of Hilyard and 24th Avenue. It is a simple, single-story, linearly organized structure with a small overhang over a few benches. The interior is divided into three distinct sections, is small, and is densely packed with organic produce and non-traditional food necessities. As it is on my way to campus, I frequently stop at this grocery store if I only need a few specific items. Because it is so small in comparison to other grocery stores like Winco, I suspect that others use it for small grocery trips as well. A small parking lot in front of the building is frequently full of cars and bikes. This busy intersection is also home to a number of other restaurants and convenience stores. All of which are extremely popular among residents of South Eugene. The parking lot has a few picnic tables and is shaded from wind and rain by a number of trees, which provides shelter to a small number of unhoused people on a regular basis.
West facade mural.
