SCHEU HOUSE

LIFE AND WORK

A D O L F L O O S W A S B O R N I N B R N O ( B R U E N N ) , M O R A V I A , N O W C Z E C H R E P U B L I C , O N D E C E M B E R 1 0 , 1 8 7 0 .A D O L F L O O S W A S I N T R O D U C E D T O T H E C R A F T O F B U I L D I N G AT A N E A R LY A G E W H I L E W O R K I N G I N H I S F A T H E R ’ S M A S O N R Y S H O P.F R O M 1 8 9 0 T O 1 8 9 3 , A D O L F L O O S S T U D I E D A R C H I T E C T U R E A T T H E T E C H N I C A L C O L L E G E I N D R E S D E N . A S A S T U D E N T, A D O L F

L O O S W A S P A R T I C U L A R LY I N T E R E S T E D I N T H E W O R K S O F C L A S S I C I S T S C H I N K E L A N D A B O V E A L L , T H E W O R K S O F V I T R U V I U S .A D O L F L O O S ’ S D E V E L O P I N G TA S T E S W E R E C O N S I D E R A B LY B R O A D E N E D D U R I N G A T H R E E -Y E A R S TA Y I N T H E U N I T E D S TAT E , W H I C H B E G A N I N 1 8 9 3 .I N 1 8 9 6 , A D O L F L O O S R E T U R N E D T O V I E N N A W H E R E A D O L F L O O S B E G A N W O R K I N G I N T H E B U I L D I N G O F F I R M O F C A R L M AY R E D E R .

A D O L F L O O S R A N K S A S O N E O F T H E M O S T I M P O R TA N T P I O N E E R S O F T H E M O D E R N M O V E M E N T I N A R C H I T E C T U R E .H I S I N F L U E N C E W A S B A S E D L A R G E LY O N A F E W I N T E R I O R D E S I G N S A N D A B O D Y O F C O N T R O V E R S I A L E S S AY S .A D O L F L O O S ’ S B U I L D I N G S W E R E R I G O R O U S E X A M P L E S O F A U S T E R E B E A U T Y, R A N G I N G F R O M C O N V E N T I O N A L C O U N T R Y C O T TA G E S T O P L A N A R C O M P O S I T I O N S W E R E L I T T L E K N O W N O U T S I D E H I S N AT I V E S A U S T R I A D U R I N G E A R LY Y E A R S O F P R A C T I C E .

VILLA MULLER

STEINER HOUSE

HIS WORK

S

SCHEU HOUSE• O W N E R : G U S TA V S C H E U• L O C A T I O N : L A R O C H E G A S S E 3 ,

1 1 3 0 V I E N N A• T I M E : 1 9 1 2 - 1 9 1 3 • S C H E U H O U S E W H I C H W A S T H E

F I R S T H O U S E I N E U R O P E T O H A V E A R O O F T E R R A C E

• T H E B A S I C I D E A O F T H E S T R U C T U R E I S T H A T O N E C A N S T E P O N T O T H E E A S T T E R R A C E F R O M E A C H B E D R O O M , A S A S Y M B O L O F P E R S O N A L F R E E D O M .

• T H E “ O P E N - A I R F E E L I N G ” O F T H E O C C U P A N T S R E F L E C T S A N E W B O D I LY C O N S C I O U S N E S S O F T H E B O U R G E O I S A V A N T- G R A N D E .

• A D O L F L O O S H A D B E E N D E V E L O P I N G A B O U T S P A C E T H R O U G H O U T H I S C A R E E R A N D H I S PA R T I C U L A R A P P R O A C H , W H I C H H A S B E E N T E R M E D ‘ R A U M P L A N ’, O R S P AT I A L P L A N N I N G .

WHAT IS RAUMPLAN?A P L A N N I N G M E T H O D I S O N

D I S C R E T E R O O M S A N D A D Y N A M I C

S E C T I O N . T H I S I S A M E T H O D

P L A C E S G R E AT E M P H A S I Z E O N T H E

S C A L E O F I N D I V I D U A L R O O M S A N D

O F T E N R E Q U I R E S S T E P S I N T O E A C H

R O O M O R C L U S T E R O F R O O M S . T H E

M E T H O D L A R G E LY B E L O N G S T O T H E

A R C H I T E C T A D O L F L O O S A N D

R E Q U I R E S A H I G H L E V E L O F

S T R U C T U R A L A W E R E N E S S A N D

A B I L I T Y T O M O D E L S S P A C E S .

FLOOR PLAN

RAISED GROUND FLOOR

FIRST FLOOR

TOP FLOOR

DIMENSIONS• BASE AREA: 11x16 M ON

GROUND FLOOR• ROOM HEIGHT (GROSS):

RAISED GROUND FLOOR: 3.45M; FIRST FLOOR: 3.45M; TOP FLOOR: 3.45M.

• LEVELS: 4• STORIES: 4 (BASEMENT,

RAISED GROUND FLOOR, FIRST FLOOR, TOP FLOOR.

RAISED GROUND FLOOR

FIRST FLOOR

TOP FLOOR

EXTERIOR• PLAIN EXTERIOR• EXAMPLIFIES

PERSONAL LIBERTY (DIFFERENT FROM THE SURROUNDING HOUSES) AND SIMPLICITY.

• LOOKS LIKE GIANT STAIRCASE

PRESENT VIEW ON GARDEN FAÇADE. GLAZED VERANDA, SMALL TERRACE WITH CLOSED WALL AS PARAPET AND LATERAL STAIR IN GARDEN LEVEL.

INTERIOR

HALL IN RAISED GROUND FLOOR WITH STAIRS TO

PRIVATE ROOM

VIEW TO INGLENOOK WITH LOWER CEILING AND MUSIC SALON WITH LIBRARY. LOOS

MOTIF: UPHOLSTERED LEATHER BENCH IN FRONT OF

BOOKSHELVES

RAISED GROUND FLOOR

VIEW TO VERANDA WITH TRANSLUCENT

GLAZING TO NEIGHBORING VILLA

VIEW FROM DINING ROOM TO INGLENOOK. LOOS MOTIF: DINING

TABLE EXACTLY IN CENTER OF ROOM; MIRROR OVER

CUPBOARD AT HEADHEIGHT BY SITTING.

“ THE HOUSE SHOULD BE SILENT TO THE OUTSIDE, INSIDE IT SHOULD

REVEAL ALL ITS WEALTH “

-ADOLF LOOS-

REFERENCES• ADOLF LOOS, WORK AND PROJECT BY RALF BOCK, 2007,SKIRA EDITORE• LOOS BY AUGUST SARNITZH 2003, TASCHEN• THE DETAILS OF MODERN ARCHITECTURE BY EDWARD R. FORD, 2003, FIRST MIT

PRESS• THE STORY OF ARCHITECTURE OF THE 20TH CENTRY BY JURGEN TIETZ 1999

KONEMANN• MODERN ARCHITECTURE A CRITICAL HISTORY BY KENNETH FRAMPTON, 1992,

THAMES & HUDSON LTD• THE STORY OF MODERN ARCHITECTURE BY PAOLO FAVOL, 2012, PRESTEL• https://en.wikiarquitectura.com/index.php/Scheu_House• www.galinsky.com/buildings/scheu/• http://thearchitectureblog.co.uk/tag/raumplan/• http://architect.architecture.sk/adolf-loos-architect/adolf-loos-architect.php