Pimp my Crib (Survey 7)

Lecture:

In this lecture, we learned a shit ton about Frank Lloyd Wright and how he became a ground breaking architect in the US.

“Form follows function” is very important according to Judy and this quote will follow us for the rest of our design lives.

Anyway, Wright became interested in book design during the 19th century and was heavily influenced by William Morris. Unlike Morris, however, his style was very linear and industrial looking compared to the organic, nature based shapes. We can see this in how he designed the House Beautiful book.

Peter Behrens was another cool dude and was a leading German architect. He left behind a great legacy for the modernist movement and was an inspiration to other leading names including Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius. He is also very well known for the AEG turbine factory which went on to become a very influential example of industrial architecture.

Sources: (sorry the format in this post is really off for some reason and i cant fix it.)

https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Beaux_Arts_style

https://www.aoc.gov/capitol-hill/architecture-styles/beaux-arts-architecture-capitol-hill

https://study.com/academy/lesson/beaux-arts-architecture-definition-characteristics-style.html

Beaux Arts

Research:

In 1913, New York’s 60-story Woolworth Building became the tallest in the world. Additionally, The Grand Central railway in NYC was also opened. What they have in common is that they were both built in the

BEAUX ARTS STYLE! ~

Beaux-Arts architecture was an academic architectural style based in Paris, France. It was taught at Ecole des Beaux-Arts (School of Fine Arts), a popular school for architects in France. Beaux-Art architecture is a classical style that harkens back to Greek and Roman styling. While originated in France, it made its way to the United States and was popularized there (as many things that come to America are). It is also labelled as the American Renaissance Movement as interest in Greek and Roman concepts were finally realized there. This style is documented as being the popular between the Chicago Columbian Exposition and the Great Depression (1893-1929).

This type of architecture is characterized as being very massive and heavy, being used to construct monumental buildings but never for a person’s home unless they were filthy rich! It would have been far too grand for a house anyways since these buildings usually incorporated large decorative pillars or columns, large arched windows and entryways. More than any other style, (apart from the Chateauesque), the Beaux Arts expressed the taste and values of America’s industrial barons. Before tax was a thing, people were able to capitalize on their earnings and proudly display their wealth in the form of ornate and expensive buildings.

Symmetrical facade
Roofs: flat, low-pitched; mansard if modeled after French Renaissance Revival
Wall surfaces with decorative garlands, floral patterns, or cartouches dripping with sculptural ornament
Facades with quoins, pilasters, or columns (usually paired with Ionic or Corinthian capitals)
Walls of masonry (usually smooth, light-colored stone)
First story may be rusticated
Large and grandiose compositions
Exuberance of detail and variety of stone finishes
Projecting facades or pavilions
Paired colossal columns
Enriched moldings
Free-sanding statuary
Windows: framed by freestanding columns, balustraded sill, and pedimented entablature on top
Pronounced cornices and enriched entablatures are topped with a tall parapet, balustrade, or attic story