A

PRESENTATION ON

LOUIS I. KHAN

PREPARED BY

KIRAN MAN JOSHI(059/BAE/215)

SUBHASH SHAKYA (059/BAE/240)

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION
BACK GROUND
KAHNS UNIQUE VOCABULARY
CONSTANTS
KIMBELL ART MUSEUM
YALA ART GALLERY
SALK INSTITUTE
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY HALL
MINISTRY OF HEALTH
KAHNS CONTRIBUTION
SETBACKS
CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION

AMERICAN ARCHITECT BORN IN SAARAMA, ESTONIA

(USSR) IN 1901

HE IS KNOWN FOR HIS OBSESSION FOR NATURAL LIGHT

AND SHADOWS AND CONNECTION WITH OUTDOORS

HE WAS A ARCHITECT WHO REJECTED UNIFORRMITY IN

THE DESIGNS. HE SUPPORTED INDIVIDUALITY, SENITIVITY
AND FREEDOM TO RESPOND IN PARTICULAR WAY
ACCORDING TO CONSTRAINS OF BUILDING PROGRAM
HE IS BECAME THE LEGEND OF THE MODERN
ARCHITECTURE

BACKGROUND

FROM ESTONIA HE IMMIGRATED TO PHILDELPHIA,

USA IN 1905
AS A BOY HE WAS INTERESTED IN PAINTING AND
MUSIC
SCHOOLING FROM CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL AND
PUBLIC INDUSTRIAL ART SCHOOL IN PHILADELPHIA
HE GRADUATED IN ARCHITECTURE FROM
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA IN 1924
HE WORKED WITH JOHN MOLITOR, PAUL CRET
AFTER GRADUATION LATER WITH GEORGE HOWE
AND OSCAR STONORVO
HIS PROMINENT APPRENTICES INCLUDE MOSHE
SAFDAI AND ROBERT VENTURI

BACKGROUND

IN 1950S HE EMERGE WITH A PROMINENT STYLE

WITH PERFECT PHILOSOPHY

FROM 1947 TO 1957 HE WAS DESIGN CRITIC AND

PROFESSOR OF ARCHITECTURE AT YALE UNIVERSITY

BEGINNING IN 1935 KAHN WORKED WITH A SERIES

OF PARTENERS, BUT FROM 1948 UNTIL HIS DEATH IN
1974, KAHN WORKED ALONE
ALTHOUGH HE DEVELOPED HIS OWN
ARCHITECTURAL FORMS HE DERIVED INFLUENCE
FROM LE CORBUSIER AND HIS OWN BEAUX ARTS
EDUCATION

KAHN UNIQUE
VOCABULARY
1.

SERVANT AND THE SERVED

SPACE

FORMAL ZONING DIFFERNTIATION BETWEEN THE

PRIMARY SPACE OF THE BUILDING AND THE
EQUIPMENT AND ANCILLARY USE

2. SILENCE AND LIGHT

HE IS CONCERNED WITH EXPRESSING THE

CONTRASTS OF DUALITY
SILENCE MEANS VOID AND DARK SPACES AND
CLEAR DISTINCT SPACE IS LIGHT

CONSTANTS
1. THE SENSE OF COMPOSITION
AND INTEGRITY OF THE
BUILDING

BATH HOUSE IS MOST SIGNIGICANT ONE IN ALLOCATION OF

SPACE AND ORDER PLAYS A KEY ROLE
ORDER HAS PSYCHIC RELATION WITH ART ,INFLUENCE THE
WEIGHT OF COMFORT OF THE OCCUPANT
REALIZE WHETHER A SPACE IS TO SERVE OR TO BE SERVED

CONSTANTS
2. THE ATTEMPT TO
REVEAL THE CHARACTER
OF THE BUILDING

HUGE OPENINGS IN THE BUILDING HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE

DUE TO THE CONCRETRE BEAMS AND COLUMN
GEOMETRY IS THE LINK BETWEEN MEASUREMENT AND
SPACES
IN THREE OUTSTANDING PROJECT HE USED SIMPLER
MATERIAL (BRICK AND CONCRETE)

CONSTANTS
3.

THE SENSE OF THE ROOM AS

THE ESSENCE OF
ARCHITECTURE
THE ROOM IS THE PLACE OF MIND
SPACE GIVE ORDER THAN FUNCTION WILL
BE FULFILLED
STRUCTURE OF THE SPACE WAS MORE
IMPORTANT THAN THE BUILDING

CONSTANTS
4. DAYLIGHT CAREFULLY
EMPLYOD AS THE MAKER
OF ARCHITECTURE

KIMBELL ART MUSUEM IS BEST ONE WHERE WE CAN FIND

EFFECT OF NATURAL LIGHT FROM SKYLIGHT AND METAL
REFLECTOR AND OPENING MODULATES THE QUALITY AND
INTENSITY OF DAYLIGHT INSIDE

KAHN SAW ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS, SUCH AS THE

COLUMN, ARCH, DOME, AND VAULT, IN THEIR CAPACITY OF
MOLDING LIGHT AND SHADOW

HE TOOK LIGHT FOR DIVISION OF SPACES AND THINKS THAT

SHADES AND SHADOW ARE MYSTERY OF LIGHT

CONSTANTS
5. ARCHITECTURE OF
CONNECTION

THE CONNECTING ELEMENTS IN ARCHITECTURE ARE

IMPORTANT WHEN THE CONCEPT OF COMPLEXITY IS
SUBSTITUTED FOR A SINGLE BUILDINGS
CONNECTIVE COLUMNS AND VAULT IN KIMBELL
MUSEUM ARE PERFECTLY PLACED
BRYN MAWR COLLEGE DORMITORY THE
CONNECTIONS ARE MADE AT THE CORNER OF THE
SQUARE

BUILDINGS
STRUCTURES

YEAR

LOCATION

YALE UNIV. ART

GALLERY

1951-53

NEW HAVEN,
CONNECTICUT

NEWTON RICHARDS
MEDICAL RESEARCH
BUILDING

1957-65

PHILIDELPHIA,
PENNSYLVANIA

FIRST ULITARIAN
CHURCH AND SCHOOL

1959-69

ROCHESTER NEW YORK

SALK INSTITUTE FOR

BIOLOGICAL STUDIES

1959-65

LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA

PHILIP EXETER
ACADEMY LIBRARY

1965-72

EXETER, NEW HAMPSHIR

KIMBELL ART
MUSEUM

1966-72

FORT WORTH, TEXAS

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
HALL

1962-83

DHAKA, BANGLADESH

KIMBER ART MUSEUM

FORT WORTH,TEXAS(1966-1972)

LOCATED IN A PARK IN FORTH WORTH TEXAS

AREA 120000 sq ft , LENGTH 318 ft, WIDTH 174 ft, HIGH 40
ft
VAULT ROOF COVERED WITH COPPER
EACH VAULT SPLIT BY A SKYLIGHT AT APEX
LIGHT COMES FROM BOTH ABOVE AND FROM INTERNAL
COURTYARD
MOVEABLE WALLS
SPACE OF MUSEUM IS FLEXIBLE FOR TEMPORARY
EXHIBITION

INTERIORS AND EXTERIOR

OF KIMBELL ART MUSEUM

KIMBELL ART
MUSEUM
FORT WORTH,TEXAS(1966-1972)

EACH FACADE IS TREATED INTRESTINGLY

VAULT AND CHANNEL ARE EFFECTIVE STRUCTURE
VIEW OF INTERIOR AND VISTA TOGETHER ADD
VISUAL INTEREST TO THE MUSEUM VISITOR
EFFECT OF NATURAL LIGHT FROM SKYLIGHT AND
METAL REFLECTOR AND OPENING MODULATES THE
QUALITY AND INTENSITY OF DAYLIGHT INSIDE

YALE ART GALLERY

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT

(1951-53)

THIS WAS HIS FIRST MAJOR

RENOWNED WORK

BUILD AS A EXTENSION OF YALE

UNIVERSITY

THE MAIN ORTHOGONAL VOLUME

IS ANIMATED BY A CYLINDRICAL
FORM HOUSING THE MAJOR
ACCESS STAIR. HERE, THE
CYLINDER IS THE "SERVANT" AND
THE RECTANGLE THE "SERVED"
FORM.
PLAN SHOWING SERVED AND SERVENT SPACE

YALE ART GALLERY

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT (1951-53)

THE BUILDING IS CHARACTERISED BY

HEAVY SPACE FRAME
THIS FOUR STORIED BUILDING SHOW
IMPRESSIVE INTEGRATION OF
MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL, ACOUSTICAL
& LIGHTING SYSTEM WITH MODIFIED
CONCRETE

SALK INSTITIUTE
LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA(1959-1966)

INSTITUTE FOR BIOLOICAL

STUDIES BUILT ON SEA SIDE
CONTEXT

THE EXTERNAL SUN CONTROL

ELEMENTS ON THE BUILDING
GIVES ABSTRACT MODERN FORM

MATERIALS USED ARE

CONCRETE,WOOD, MARBLE &
GLASS. CONRETE BEING STONE
OF MODERN MAN LEFT WITH
EXPOSED JOINTS AND
FORMWORK

SALK INSTITIUTE

BOARD PLAZA BETWEEN TWO RESEARCH & LAB

WINGS PROVIDE VIEW OR THE BEAUTIFUL PACIFIC
OCEAN AND COASTLINE
KAHN DIDNT NEED TO DRESS UP THE LAND
AROUND THE BUILDING. HE BLENDED THE BUILDING
WITH THE SURROUNDING SEASIDE LANDSCAPE
WELL IMPLEMENTATION OF HIS IDEA OF SERVED
AND SERVENT SPACE. LABORATORIES BEING MAIN RESEARCH
CENTER IS A SERVED SPACES WHILE STUDY AREAS AND OFFICES
WHERE IDEAS ARE IMITIATED ARE SERVENT SPACES. FUNTIONALLY
THE SERVENT SPACES SERVES THE SERVED SPACES.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY BUILDING

DHAKA, BANGALADESH(1962-83 )

MAGNIFICENT EXAMPLE OF VERNICULAR AND

MONUMENTAL ARCHITECTURE WITH CLEAR FORM AND
COMPOSITION WHICH KAHN DREAMT OF CREATING
UNIQUE WAY OF BRINGING LIGHT TO PUBLIC SPACES ARE
THE MOST DISTINGUISHING ELEMENT OF KAHN'S DESIGN.
LIGHT FROM THE ROOF ILLUMINATE DIFFERENT SPACES
AS IF AMBIENT GLOWS ARE SHOWERED FROM HEAVEN

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
BUILDING
DHAKA, BANGALADESH(1962-83 )

THE ENTIRE BUILDING BECAME A LIGHT

FILTER, STARTING WITH ITS TOP, WITH
GEOMETRIC RADIAL PARTITIONS CUT-OUTS,
SERVING AS INTERNAL FILTERS
DESPITE VARIOUS DIFFICULTIES HE WAS
ABLE TO DESIGN MAGICAL SEQUENCE OF
BUILDINGS THAT APPEAR TO FLOAT ABOVE
THE SURROUNDING WATER IN VERNACULAR
MARBLE & BRICK CONSTRUCTION
BRILLIANTLY CONSTRUCTED BY LOCAL
CRAFTMAN

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
BUILDING
DHAKA, BANGALADESH(1962-83 )
.

DOMINATING CIRCULAR AND RECTANGULAR CONCRETE

MASSES IMPART A SUPREME MONUMENTALITY TO THE
BUILDING QUITE SUITED TO ITS NOBLE FUNCTIONS

INTERIOR
CORRIDORSS

SITE PLAN

MINISTRY OF HEALTH
KATHMANDU, NEPAL

ALTHOUGH NOT HIS MASTER PIECE OF

WORKS, THE BUILDING REFLECTS HIS TASTE
FOR EXPOSED BRICK MASONARY WORK AND
SIMPLE INTERPALY OF MASS AND VOID

THE EXISTING MANDALA WAS ALSO PART OF

THE PLAN WHICH WAS BUILD MANY YEARS
AFTER. THIS REFLECTS HIS FUTERISTIC VISION

THE BUILDING HAS BEEN BUILT IN CONTEXT

TO NEPLESE SOCIETY WHICH IS REFLECTED
BY USE FO BRICK MASONARY AND
COURTYARD PLANNING

CONTRIBUTIONS
USE OF LIGHT AS A BUILDING MATERIAL
HE BELIEVED THA SHADES AND SHADOWS ARE
MYSTERY OF LIGHT AND NO SPACE
ARCHITECURALLY IS A SPACE UNLESS IT HAS
NATURAL LIGHT. THE PRIME EXAMLE OF WHICH
BEING KIMBELL ART GALLERY IT WAS NATURAL
LIGHT THAT BROUGHT ARCHITECTURE TO LIFE. THE
ARTIFICIAL LIGHT HAD AN UNVARYING "DEAD"
QUALITY IN CONTRAST TO THE EVER-CHANGING
DAYLIGHT.
RELEASE OF CORNER OF A BUILDING FROM BEING
AN INTRINSIC STRUCTURAL COMPONENT
WITH USE OF NEW MATERIAL LIKE REINFORCED
CONCRETRE AND STEEL, HE REBELLED WITH THE
IDEA OF USING CORNERS AS STRUCTURAL
COMPONENT OF BUILDINGS EG AT PHILIPS EXETER
ACADEMY

CONTRIBUTIONS
CONCEPTION OF SERVED AND SERVENT
SPACES
HE FORMULATED A NEW CONCEPT OF
BUILDING PLAN OF SEPERATING SERVED
AND SERVENT SPACES. THE SERVECT
SPACES SHOULD SERVE SERVED SPACE
INTEGRATION OF TRADITIONAL VALUES INTO
CONTEMPORARY PRACTICE
PRODUCE BUILDINGS WHICH WERE AS
MONUMENTAL AND AS SPIRITUALLY
INSPIRING AS THE ANCIENT RUINS OF
GREECE AND EGYPT PRIME EXAMPLE OF IT
ASSEMBLY BUILDING OF DHAKA

SETBACKS

MUCH OF KAHN LIFE WAS STRUGGLE

KAHN WORK OFTEN FAILED ECONOMICALLY BECAUSE

OF HIS UNWILLINGNESS TO COMPROMIS HIS ARTISTIC
AND THE SOCIAL GOALS

THE INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND ANOTHER

ONGOING WORK, THE CAPITAL COMPLEX OF
GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS AT DHAKA IN BANGLADESH,
KAHNS MOST AMBITIOUS PROJECT WERE
COMPLETED AFTER HIS DEATH.

IT WAS DUE TO HIS UNCOMPROMISING CHATACTER

THAT HE DIED BANKRUPT OWING HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS

CONCLUSION
KAHN WAS ONE MODERN ARCHITECT WHO BELIEVED IN
PRODUCING BUILDINGS WHICH WERE AS MONUMENTAL
AND AS SPIRITUALLY INSPIRING AS THE ANCIENT RUINS
OF GREECE AND EGYPT
POINEER IN USE OF NATURAL LIGHTING IN THE BUILDING
HIS WORKS LIKE KIMBELL ART GALLERY SETS
BENCHMARK IN INTERPLAY OF LIGHTING IN BUILDING
HIS WORK DISPLAYS MASSIVE CREATIVE EFFORTS MORE
ARTISTICALLY IMPULSIVE THAN ANALYTICLAL
HE WAS PHYLOSOPHICAL AMONG THE ARCHITECT