Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 3 of 3
Full-Text Articles in Architecture
Friedrichstrasse Skyscraper: Transfiguration Through Glass, Or Vertical And Horizontal Transparencies: Mies Van Der Rohe, Ufuk Ersoy
Publications
Mies van der Rohe’s entry for the Friedrichstrasse Skyscraper Competition of 1921, a project he named the “Wabe” (Honeycomb) construction, not only epitomized the polemics then current about the renovation of Berlin as a modern metropolis, but also represented a radical shift in the architect’s own viewpoint – his views of modern life, modern construction, and modern materials, particularly glass.
To See Daydreams: The Glass Utopia Of Paul Scheerbart And Bruno Taut, Ufuk Ersoy
To See Daydreams: The Glass Utopia Of Paul Scheerbart And Bruno Taut, Ufuk Ersoy
Publications
In 1914, the passionate young architect Bruno Taut (1880-1938) and the bohemian poet Paul Scheerbart (1863-1915) drew a parallel between the two imaginative disciplines of building and narrative and committed themselves to a shared vision of Utopia. Both sought to represent an archetype of “glass architecture”; one by narrating, the other by building. Highly critical of existing architecture and social conditions, they were in search of an inspiring alternative, as were many of their more progressive contemporaries. Yet, what made Taut and Scheerbart’s shared approach more sophisticated than that of their contemporaries also left it open to criticism. In particular, …
Becoming Jane Jacobs First Draft 2009, Peter L. Laurence
Becoming Jane Jacobs First Draft 2009, Peter L. Laurence
Publications
Jane Jacobs (1916-2006), author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961), did not like the term “urban design” and did not describe herself as an architectural critic, but contributed significantly to the development of American architectural criticism and the new field of urban design. Although relatively little is known about Jacobs’ intellectual development, her influences, and her early writing career, before Death and Life was published, Jacobs was already among the most influential critics of urban renewal in the country. The book was a culmination of many years of studying and writing about the city; of working …