Louis Kahn

By-Anish Uchil

BORN ON: FEBRUARY 20, 1901.

IN: SAAREMMAA ISLAND IN KURESSAARE.

BIRTH NAME: ITZE-LEIB SCHMUILOWSKY BUT WAS CHANGED UPON ARRIVAL IN THE US IN 1906.

EDUCATION: UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA.

AWARDS RECIEVED: AIA GOLD MEDAL IN 1971 AND THE RIBA GOLD MEDAL IN 1972.

STARTED HIS OWN FIRM IN: 1935

PROFESSION: ARCHITECT, CRITIC AND A PROFESSOR OF ARCHITECTURE AT YALE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE.

INTERNATIONAL DESIGNS:

* THE YALE UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY: 1951.

* THE JONAS SALK INSTITUTE FOR BIOLOGICAL STUDIES: 1965

* THE MARGARET ESHERICK HOUSE: 1961

* THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY BUILDING: 1962

DESIGNS IN INDIA:

* INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, AHEMEDABAD

* INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

* NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AT DACCA.

CONCEPT

INFLUENCED BY ANCIENT RUINS,

KAHN'S STYLE TENDS TO BE

MONUMENTAL AND MONOLITHIC;

HIS HEAVY BUILDINGS DO NOT

HIDE THEIR WEIGHT, THEIR

MATERIALS, OR THE WAY THEY

ARE ASSEMBLED. LOUIS KAHN'S

WORKS ARE CONSIDERED AS,

‘MONUMENTAL BEYOND

MODERNISM’.

THE JONAS SALK INSTITUTE

FOR BIOLOGICAL STUDIES

THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

BUILDING

ONE EXAMPLE OF THIS SUCCESSFUL REHABILITATION OF OLD IDEAS WAS KAHN’S AFFECTION FOR SYMMETRY, WHICH MODERN ARCHITECTS USUALLY SAW AS UNIMAGINATIVE AND CONFORMIST. KAHN DESIGNED THE SALK INSTITUTE IN LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA AS A COMPLEX OF BUILDINGS, IDENTICAL ON EITHER SIDE AND STACKED THEM ON EITHER SIDE, LIKE ORIGAMI, OF A CENTRAL FOUNTAIN.KAHN USED THE IDENTICAL ROWS OF BUILDINGS TO DRAW THE VIEWER’S EYE TO THE CENTRE OF HIS DESIGN, AND TO THE SEA BEYOND IT. THE FOUNTAIN THAT RUNS THROUGH THE CENTRE OF THE INSTITUTE ALIGNS WITH THE PATH OF THE SUN ON BOTH THE AUTUMNAL AND VERNAL EQUINOX. THUS KAHN USED SYMMETRY NOT AS AN AESTHETIC DEFAULT BUT INSTEAD WITH GREAT INTENTIONALITY, TO PROVIDE ONE WITH A SENSE OF BALANCE, FOCUS, AND MOMENTUM.

KAHN MANAGED TO REINTRODUCE

THIS SENSE OF WONDER AND

MAGNIFICENCE TO MODERN WORKS.

IN THE YALE CENTRE FOR BRITISH

ART, HE DRAWS THE VIEWER’S EYES

UPWARD TO THE HIGH WINDOWED

CEILING, MUCH AS THOUGH IT WERE

THE DOME OF A CHURCH. THE

BUILDING’S WIDE COLUMN IS

IMPOSING; EVEN THE STAIRCASES

CREATE A SENSE OF LOFTY SPACE

AND HEIGHT. THE EFFECT IS THAT

THE VIEWER FEELS REVERENCE AND

APPRECIATION NOT ONLY FOR THE

ART ON DISPLAY, BUT FOR

BUILDINGS, MUSEUMS AND THE IDEA

OF CULTURE ITSELF.

PHILLIPS EXETER ACADEMY LIBRARY

KAHN LIKED TO CLEVERLY JUXTAPOSE UNEXPECTED MATERIALS LIKE CONCRETE AND OAK, AS HE DID IN HIS ESHERICK HOUSE, BUILT IN 1959. THE TWO MEDIUMS DEMONSTRATE STRIKINGLY DIFFERENT, YET REMARKABLY COMPLEMENTARY VIRTUES. THE WOOD GIVES THE SPACE A WARMTH AND DOMESTICITY THAT MAKES THE HOUSE A GOOD PLACE FOR A BOOKWORM, WHILE THE CONCRETE PROVIDES A SENSE OF STRENGTH AND STABILITY THAT LENDS IT A REASSURING FEELING OF REFUGE FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD. THIS COMBINATION OF MATERIALS SUBTLY SUGGESTS THAT WE CAN FIND COMFORT AND STRENGTH TOGETHER.

Wooden shelves and warm beige concrete in The Esherick House in Philadelphia

WOODEN SHELVES AND WARM BEIGE

CONCRETE IN THE ESHERICK HOUSE IN

PHILADELPHIA

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT-AHEMDABAD

LOCATION

ZONING

Year of completion : 1963Chief Architect : Louis I. Khan

B.V DoshiAnant Raje

Site Area : 66 AcresNo. of Students : 500 StudentsNo. of Faculties : 100 FacultiesNo. of Staff Members: 350 people

I I M, Vastrapur, Ahmedabad, Gujarat

CAMPUS LAYOUT• SEPARATE ENTRIES FOR INSTITUTIONAL AND

RESIDENTIAL COMPLEX.

• SEPARATE SERVICE ENTRY.

• ACADEMICS AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES HAVE BEEN INTEGRATED WITH STUDENTS AND STAFF LIVING.

• INSTITUTIONAL COMPLEX IS TAKEN AS FOCAL BUILDING.

• AUDITORIUM IS LOCATED NEAR MAIN ENTRANCE FOR EASY ACCESS FOR VISITORS.

• RESIDENTIAL AREAS HAVE BEEN PLANNED IN HIERARCHICAL PATTERN

• SCHOOL BUILDING IS PLANNED AROUND A COURT.

• SCHOOL BUILDING AND STUDENTS DORM HAVE BEEN PLACED DIAGONALLY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WINDS FROM SOUTHWEST.

DORMITORIES

ACADEMIC COMPLEX

FACULTY BLOCKS

SCHOOL BUILDINGLIBRARY

LOUIS KAHN PLAZA

PLAN OF ACADEMIC COMPLEX

SCHOOL BUILDING BLOCK

KAHN’S NATURE TO REPEAT GEOMETRIC SHAPES IS WIDELY SEEN IN HIS DESIGN FOR THE SCHOOLING BLOCK. HIS REPETITIVENESS WAS PERCIEVED AS BORING AND UN-IMAGINATIVE BY MANY OF THE CRITICS THEN.

MOST ARCHITECTS THEN THOUGHT THE BEST DESIGNS CAME FROM THE MOST EFFICIENT METHODS AND MATERIALS, BUT LOUIS KHAN WAS A DIFFERENT MAN. HE BELIEVED THE MATERIALS WOULD ADVICE THEM ABOUT HOW TO DESIGN.

LIBRARY BLOCK LOUIS KAHN USED LARGE AND MONUMENTAL SPACES IN HIS DESIGNS TO DRAW FOCUS TO THE CENTRE, IN THIS CASE THE TWO SIDED SPIRAL STAIRCASE CONNECTING THE FOUR STOREYS.

HIS USAGE OF MASSIVE SPACES IS CLEARLY SEEN IN THE LIBRARY WHERE THE READING HALL IS NOT JUST

DOUBLE BUT TRIPLE HEIGHT.

CLASS ROOMS• THE SHAPE OF

CLASSROOM IS HEXAGONAL

• THE DESIGN OF CLASS ROOM IS BASED ON THE SEMINAR TYPE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE STUDENTS AND THE FACULTY.

• WINDOWS ARE HIGH TO GET GLARE FREE LIGHT. FACULTY BLOCKS OVER THE

LANDSCAPEDGARDEN IN BETWEEN

AUDITORIUMo CAPACITY : 550 SEATS

o ENTRANCE LOBBY : 560SQFT

o FOYER : 560 SQFT

o AUDITORIUM HALL : 3000 SQFT

o CONFERENCE ROOM : 200 SQFT

o SEMINAR ROOM :400 SQFT EACH

THE SIMPLE USE OF A HEXAGON FOR THE LAYOUT OF THE AUDITORIUM MAKES IT MAJESTIC IN TERMS OF SIZE AND EFFIECIENT IN TERMS OF DESIGN. FIRST

FLOOR

GROUND FLOOR

LOUIS KHAN PLAZAINSTEAD OF SMALL COURTYARD, ONE LARGE COURT HAS BEEN PLANNED IN THE CENTER TO RELATE THE MOVEMENT AROUND.

BRICK HAS BEEN USED AS PRIMARY BUILDING MATERIAL FOR THE ENTIRE COMPLEX WALLS, COLUMNS.BRICK ARCHES HAVE BEEN USED FOR WIDE SPANS.USE OF CONCERETE HAS BEEN RESTRICTED TO FOUNDATIONS, FLOOR SLABS, AND TIES FOR ARCHED OPENINGS.

DORMITORIES• THE SHAPE OF EACH

DORMITORY BLOCK IS SQUARE WITH TWO RESIDENTIAL WINGS, TRIANGULAR LOUNGE AND A SERVICE AREA.

• THE POSITION OF THE STAIRCASEAND WASHROOM ARE MEANT TO PROTECT THE LIVING ROOM FROM SUN AND GLARE WITHOUT OBSTRUCTING AND THE BREEZE AND VENTELATION.

• IN MOST OF THE BLOCKS THE GROUND FLOOR IS USED AS BANK ETC.

• THE DORNS ARE PLACED ONE BEHIND THE OTHER TO OBTAIN THE MUCH NEEDED BREEZE AND CROSS VENTELATION.

VIEW OF THE DORMITORY BLOCK

COURTYARD IN BETWEEN DORM BLOCK

DINING BLOCKTHE DINING BLOCK IS SYMMETRICAL IN DESIGN AND PROVIDES A CLEAR DISTINCTION FOR GIRLS AND BOYS.

ACCORDING TO MANY ARCHITECTS THE BUILDING LACKED CREATIVITY BECUASE OF THE SYMMETRY IN DESIGN BUT KAHN WAS CONFIDENT THAT THIS WOULD BE A SUCCESS .

MANAGEMENT DEVLOPMENT CENTER• MANAGEMENT DEVLOPMENT CENTER IS

LOCATED TOWARDS ESTERN EDGE OF THE CAMPUS. IT HAS BEEN PLANNED AS A SELF CONTAINED UNIT WITH ACADEMIC AREA, OFFICES, EXECUTIVES HOSTELS AND DINING FACILITIES.

• IT IS A DOUBLE STORYED BUILDING WITH A BASEMENT AND HAS A U SHAPE PLAN ENCLOUSING A COURT IN BETWEEN

• THERE ARE TWO LECTURE HALLS, TWO CONFERENCE ROOMS AND EIGHT SYNDICATE ROOMS IN THE MDC BUILDING.

THE PLAN OF MDC