Yale University, School of Architecture

Order and Form

Author(s): Louis I. Kahn
Source: Perspecta, Vol. 3 (1955), pp. 46-63
Published by: The MIT Press on behalf of Perspecta.
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 47

order and form

The builders of the past had it much easier than those of
the present in one important respect: they did not have to
yale art gallery and design center worry about pipes, ducts, conduits and innumerable mechan-
ical intestines. Form, structure and function were all one---

designed by Louis I. Kahn clear, visible and sublime. There was nothing to hide: a
building could have unshakable integrity.
Yale Art Gallery and Design Center in New Haven The upheaval of Western culture that occurred in con-
nection with industrialism lead to the borrowing of historical
and the Mill Creek Public Housing Project in
forms from other cultures and was paralleled by a nascent
Philadelphia are among the latest works of LOUIS
craving for mechanical amenities. The habit arose to conceal
I. KAHN, Philadelphia architect and Chief Critic
the newly invented technology behind the appearance of
of Architectural Design at Yale. traditional forms.
Even though traditional forms are being discarded
rapidly, the habit of completely divorcing the building shape
from mechanics and from the geometry of structure strongly
persists. In an analytic fashion, typical of our age of science,
the architect, the structural engineer, the mechanical engi-
neer, the interior decorator, work separately on the various
aspects of a building producing an assemblage that might
happen to be mechanically efficient and visually striking, but
which cannot be a work of art for lack of unity, integrity
and order. A superficial coat of plaster conceals an often
jerry-built structural frame and chaotic mechanical stuffing.
Inspired by the subtle structural integrity and con-
vincing visual order of Gothic structures, Louis I. Kahn,
the architect of the new Art Gallery and design center at
Yale, set himself the task of creating a space in which the
structure and the mechanical equipment-lighting, acoustical
and climatic-would all live one life and would become the
basic means of artistic expression. Integral unity in form
was his first objective.
His second objective was permanence. The uses of the
building were to be varied-exhibition space, offices, draft-
ing rooms, lounges, workshops. All the future uses could
not possibly be anticipated. A building tightly fulfilling the
present requirements would quickly become obsolete. There-
fore, a universal space was to be created, easily adaptable
to new patterns of use.
Finally, it is Mr. Kahn's conviction that order lies at
the root of architecture. A discipline of the spirit rather
than emotional whims produce works of art. The creative
task of the designer is to sense an initial order, which will
guide him from then on.
The construction of the Art Gallery gave Louis Kahn
an opportunity to realize his convictions. His original idea
was to establish an order from which widely spaced columns
could be designed, supporting a series of slabs, which would
create flexible loft spaces. These could be subdivided, where
necessary, by easily removable plywood partitions. The
elevator and all vertical ducts would be grouped in one
central shaft.

PERSPECTA: The Yale Architectural Journal

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 49

Reflected ceiling plan

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 49

Reflected ceiling plan

Ventilation.

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 49

Reflected ceiling plan

Electrical distribution

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 49

Reflected ceiling plan

Electrical distributiown
Ventidation.

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 51

But what would the slabs be like? Would they be

vaulted? The idea did not leave Mr. Kahn's mind that, some-
how, the slabs should be hollow, with air-conditioning ducts
running inside. At that time, Buckminster Fuller was lectur-
ing at Yale on his triangulated spherical structures. Sud-
denly, it occurred to Louis Kahn: the slabs could be
triangulated "space frames!" He built a model in which, as
Henry A. Pfisterer, the consulting engineer points out, " ...
a continuous plane element was fastened to the apices of
open-base, hollow, equilateral tetrahedrons, joined at the
vertices of the triangles in the lower plane". Structurally,
this defined a "parallel chord, multi-planar system of equila-
teral triangles with the top surface providing the floor, and
with alternate inclined triangles, in each of the three direc-
tions also mqde solid". Electric bus bars and air conditioning
ducts would run in the cavities of the floor system, making it
into one huge lung, which would supply the space below
with air, light and power. The busy pattern of deep, open
tetrahedrons would help to break up the sound and cut
down the noise in the large exhibition spaces.
The structural model could not be literally translated
into reinforced concrete, for the small crossections at the
points of contact between tetrahedrons would not transmit
shear forces. For the final design, a modified system was
accepted by Mr. Pfisterer. This system "consists of concrete
T-beams, with deep inclined stems spanning 40 feet between
centers of supporting girders, combined with triangular in-
clined bridging elements", which have the visual effect of
the original concept, and provide accessibility for electrical
and mechanical distribution.
The complicated job of pouring the intricate rib system
was facilitated by an ingenious system of re-usable metal
forms, developed by the Contractor, the George B. H.
Macomber Co. The metal forms of the ribs were securely
screwed to a plywood deck to avoid uplift and broken edges;
then the ribs were poured with stirrups protruding, to provide
anchorage with the top slab, which was poured after re-
moval of outer rib forms and supported, during placement,
by acoustical material which forms the ceiling of the cavities
between tetrahedrons. The air conditioning ducts and elec-
trical conduits were put into the rib system before the top
slab was poured. Such an integrated sequence of work-
processes required precise coordination of all trades and
tight schedules, yet resulted in an overall time saving.
It is the conviction of Mr. Kahn that if a new tradition
of ornament is to be born in our age, that ornament will
stem from the methods of construction. Mr. Kahn loves the
construction joint, the form imprint; he hates patch-up work.
Thus he left the tetrahedral rib structure raw, without clean-
ing or painting, to keep the freshness of surface which
derived from its forms. The day the first forms were stripped
and the tetrahedrons appeared in daylight was an event
anticipated weeks in advance.
Photograph on opposite page by John Ebstel.

PERSPECTA: The Yale Architectural Journal

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 52

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Photo by John Ebstd. Left: Cylindrical enclosure of the

triangular stairway, shown on page 50.

Right: Gallery floor, demonstrating

flexibility of lighting and "pogo-stick"
panels.

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The workmen, realizing that materials will be left ex-
posed and that whatever is done in the beginning will remain
visible, showed conscientious care. Several left conventional
jobs which were under way in the city at the same time, to
work on a project that stimulated their interest and pride.
Notable results of their efforts are: the high quality of wood
formwork on the concrete columns; the precision of brick-
work on the South facade and of the exposed interior
concrete-block walls. Kenneth Froberg, the superintendent
on the job, should be credited with maintaining high stand-
ards of workmanship throughout. The working drawings
were prepared by the office of Douglas Orr, Architect, from
drawings furnished by Mr. Kahn.
By a sensitive use of joints, textures and form imprints,
Mr. Kahn lovingly expresses the potentially noble character
of his materials: concrete, wood, glazed brick, small concrete
block and the steel of the window wall. One might feel that
only persons, who are in flight from themselves, who need
plaster and wallpaper for their emotional security, can be
uncomfortable in this building. Its planes speak of Being
and Truth. In its spaces there is no room for the interior
decorator.
The building is also a striking lesson in the utilization
of light in architecture. Practically all the illumination is
provided by two types of lighting fixture, which are mounted
within the tetrahedral cavities on trolley duct fittings, per-
mitting instantaneous removal or attachment of any unit at
any point on the ceiling. Both fixtures were designed and
manufactured for the Gallery by Edison Price Inc., of New
York.* The lighting consultant was Richard Kelly. The over-
all ceiling impression is an exciting pattern of triangles of
light.
Acoustically, the ceiling system catches much of the
excessive noise in the tetrahedral pattern, where it is broken
up and absorbed by the soft material at the soffit. The air
distribution through the round ducts, visible if one looks
straight up into the ceiling, is also efficient. Display back-
ground in exhibit areas is provided by instantly removable
plywood panels, suggested by George Howe. They stand on
rubber-tipped feet and have similar spring-mounted "pogo-
stick" projections at the top, which press against the ceiling.
Conceptually, visually and functionally, Mr. Kahn's
tetrahedral slab, which is really THE feature of the Gallery,
must be termed a major success. The price for it was
paid, first, in terms of money: the forming and placing
costs of concrete were high. However, this expense was
* The "Elipsol", used to illuminate non-exhibit areas, has a focusing
mechanism to control illumination and distribution. Making use of
the natural shielding of the tetrahedron the fixture's silverbowl lamp
and reflector have no brightness at direct glare angles; the semi-
specular reflector finish creates a relatively large source area, which
reduces reflected glare. The beam distribution is calculated to reduce
spill on the tetrahedron surface to a minimum.-The "Parlite" is a
fixture to light specific objects in exhibit areas. Surface brightness
of the lamp and the Spredlens are shielded, and an external handle
allows the exhibitor to rotate the fixture and to swivel it in vertical
angle.

PERSPECTA: The Yale Architectural Journal

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56
offset by lack of plaster and acoustical tile-the only finish
in the building is paint on metal and plywood. Thus the
total cost stayed within the budget. Second, the price was
payed in terms of structural efficiency: with a design live
load of 100 lb. per sq. ft., the weight of the floor system
amounts to 155 lb. per sq. ft., and its overall depth is 2' 4".
Naturally, such a system is very rigid - the maximum
center deflection on the 40' span under double live load (a
test, required by the building code) was merely .211 inches.
The excessive weight could have been, theoretically, cut down
by using lighter cross-sections of the concrete ribs (these
are at present '" for main ribs and 31/2" for stiffening mem-
bers, based on 11/2" fireproofing). However, the concrete
placing experience indicated that the thicknesses used are a
reasonable minimum for cast-in-place work of this type.
Mr. Kahn acknowledges that, while formulating his de-
sign concept, he was not fully aware of the potentialities of
multi-planar truss systems. If he were building the Gallery
today, he most probably would have followed the geometry
of the ceiling through in the spacing of the columns, and
thus come closer to the translation of forces. A hexagonal
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Text by Boris Pushkarev. Photographs
not otherwise noted by Sanford Meech.
module, for in3tance, would have enabled him to transmit
direct loads in all six directions, instead of only in two, and
thus would make the system a genuine "space frame". Such
a system would make possible cantilevers along the edges
of the building, which would eliminate some awkward in-
tersections and the basic inconsistency of a triangular order
inscribed into a rectangular one; the number of columns
would be reduced. A non-rectangular column module could
also have stimulated a rich expression of the inside on the
outside. Today, the north wall (mostly of glass) has very
elegant proportions and a strong play of mass and shadow,
while the south wall (all brick) has a quiet, dignified seren-
ity of its own, which respects the adjacent old Gallery. Both
walls are expressed as screens applied from the outside, and
are not intimately related to the inside nor to each other.
Mr. Kahn would be the last to claim that his building
is without faults. Still, to stand in Weir Court on a calm
evening and to look through the transparent walls to the
layer upon layer of tetrahedrons, permeated by their inner
glow, is to feel that this building has a vitality of its own:
permanent and worthy of endurance.
 57

Detail of stairway to sculpture court.

Granite slabs rest on inclined
reinforced concrete beams; the two
lower slabs rest on the ground.

Skillful use of standard steel sections

gives richness and plasticity to glass
curtain wall.

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 ! 47

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 59

Order is
Design is form-making in order
Form emerges out of a system of construction
Growth is a construction
In order is creative force
In design is the means--where with what when with how much
The nature of space reflects what it wants to be
Is the auditorium a Stradavarius
or is it an ear
Is the auditorium a creative instrument
keyed to Bach or Bartok
played by the conductor
or is it a convention hall
In the nature of space is the spirit and the will to exist a certain way
Design must closely follow that will
Therefore a stripe painted horse is not a zebra.
Before a railroad station is a building
it wants to be a street
it grows out of the needs of street
out of the order of movement
A meeting of contours englazed.
Thru the nature-why
Thru the order-what
Thru design-how
A Form emerges from the structural elements inherent in the form.
A dome is not conceived when questions arise how to build it.
Nervi grows an arch
Fuller grows a dome
Mozart's compositions are designs
They are exercises of order-intuitive
Design encourages more designs
Designs derive their imagery from order
Imagery is the memory--the Form
Style is an adopted order
The same order created the elephant and created man
They are different designs
Begun from different aspirations
Shaped from different circumstances
Order does not imply Beauty
The same order created the dwarf and Adonis
Design is not making Beauty
Beauty emerges from selection
affinities
integration
love
Art is a form making life in order-psychic
Order is intangible
It is a level of creative consciousness
forever becoming higher in level
The higher the order the more diversity in design
Order supports integration
From what the space wants to be the unfamiliar may be revealed to the architect.
From order he will derive creative force and power of self criticism
to give form to this unfamiliar.
Beauty will evolve
Louis 1. Kahn

Night photo by Lionel Freedman.

Color photo by John Ebstel.

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 de Vore The Kitchen wants to be the Living Room.
The Bed Room wants to be a little house by itself.
. 0
The car is the room on wheels.
*
* *
In searching for the nature of the spaces of house
might they not be separated a distance from each other
I I~~~~~~~~I
I I I I k theoretically before they are brought together.
r I
A predetermined total form might inhibit what the
?It. various spaces want to be. Architectural interpretations

: : * \~~~i
*
accepted without reflection could obscure the
Parrrl~~~~~~~~~l~~~ q I~~~~~~ I I Jr ~~~~~~~~~~~~~JPP- g~~~~~~~B~~~ ~~~~--~~~~ c~~~lruy~~~~~~k~~~Ri~ 7 search for signs of a true nature and a higher order.
The order of construction should suggest an even
greater variety or design in the interpretations
of what space aspires to become and more versatility
I in expression of the ever present problems of
levels, services, the sun, the wind and the rain.
.

Adler

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 two houses
Each house is a cluster of square areas 26' on a side. They grow out of the same order. The designs are different.

Adler

Stone piers 3'6" square in the four corners oj each square area. Each square is a whole structure. Criss-cross timber roof rests
on the inner edges of the piers. Each square roof area is supported independently, drained independently and seen as an entity
from the ground and from above. Piers gathered to form space for closets, bath rooms, fire places, vertical shafts, for ducts and
a well for a stairway. The system of criss-cross joists inherently makes possible the construction for well and also the cantilever
to complete the roof or the floor. To satisfy the order the design purposely created the piers heavier than necessary for sup-
port.

DeVore

Six 18" square brick piers to the square. Roof joists are pairs of 2 x 12's inclined to each other at 60?. Spaces between piers
enclosed by brick cavity wall and by glass. Brick of cavity walls laid in non supporting manner to distinguish from the brick
supporting piers. Hollow lead "little houses" are inserted in the unprotected spaces left on the piers. One of these is open at
the top in each square roof area acting as a roof drain and has a tongue for spouting.

The intention in these 2 houses is an order of construction which provides the avenues to harbor today's complex mechanical
requirements including complete air conditioning.

In the Adler House the ducts are visible. In the De Vore house, round black ducts are tucked in the "V" areas of the roof
system and are not visible. Both systems express their purpose though the circumstances lead to the use of different materials
and different devices. Design is not a product, it is a means.

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PERSPECTA: The Yale Architectural Journal

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9^90

- ~~~a synagogue
(adath jeshurun of philadelphia)
The assembly building rests on a circular plaza cut into the
slope of a 5 acre estate.
The retaining wall following the rise in the land casts a half
moon shadow on the plaza.
The car dock is inclined with the land and designed for
slow movement.
Parking is separted from movement by posts as tall as a
man about 20' apart which also serves to light the cobbled
paving of the dock.
The circular sidewalk follows the 6% slope of the dock at
and above the plaza level and continues on to dip below the
plaza level for the circulation needs toward east.
The rest of the site will be developed as places for relaxa-
tion and the enjoyment of nature's designs.
Beth Knesset or House of Assembly is on two levels each
for a different purpose. On the lower or plaza level is the
auditorium and its needs for social and cultural purposes.
The higher level is the Synagogue.
Beth Sefer or House of Books (school) adjoins the lower ,
level of the Knesseth. The classrooms communicate with a /> \
long interior open court for study and contemplation. / ,
Three major column clusters of 9 colums each in the form
of an open triangle 26' on the side support a tetrahedral space
slab. These three areas of support unfold loosely to form / gppn 5i illy- , ,c,e .. . .-
entrance porticoes and porches on the north and south and / 5 Mi I!i^! ' ! g I .--
unfold and again unfold to form Beth Midrash or Stud y I Mlviti|s : Biil'5, - ,J ?
Chapel on the east behind the Bimah. i 'iii
Each column cluster harbors a stairway as though captured \ |i 3E'3111 1^ X -
in a great hollow trunk. The columns thus spread grips the \ a~ ||EI ::..i X -
floor and roof structure like outspread fingers. - -, . >. /
It is what the space wants to be. A place to assemble under \ " "> < " /
a tree. ' "
Louis 1. Kahn /

This page: second level

Opposite page: ground level

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 63

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PERSPECTA: The Yale Architectural Journal

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