Swedenborgian Church

IEC COLLEGE OF ART & FASHION
Affiliated with Limkokwing University of Creative

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CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE
Introduction
Contemporary architecture is the movement where modern styles blend, sharing various
features. And these styles rely on fewer classicized building ideas. The term ‘contemporary’ may
have been misplaced. This is because it can still describe buildings that are almost eight decades
old. Your home or office may be contemporarily designed. It means you reside in one of the
pioneers of new building styles. Because there are many styles, it is difficult to come up with a
formal definition to describe the movement.
Classicized ideas thrived on specific design elements. The have flourishes that are predictable
and distinguishable while contemporary architecture is more flexible. Contemporary architects
thrive on sophisticated and innovative ideas. They deviate from traditions and norms. To achieve
this, they need contemporary materials to create these ideas. You will not only appreciate the
innovative and creative designs in these buildings. You will also understand the aesthetic feeling
through the unique design of structures.
Rakshya Dangol, Remant Pratap Shah, Samjhana Thapa, Shreya Parajuli, Smriti Karna
2022 batch (2nd sem)
B.A in Interior Architecture
ARCHITECTURE CULTURE AND HISTORY 142
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Moreover, contemporary architecture uses a vast range of building materials. These include
concrete, glass, wood, and aluminum screens. These materials add contrast and homogeneity.
For instance, you will notice they have oversized plate glass windows. These allow plenty of
natural light and create large open spaces. They engender a sense of airiness, hence minimizing
air conditioning costs. Moreover, the building frames follow symmetry and they often have
innovative shapes. To know that some of these materials are eco-friendly is a huge bonus for this
style.
Characteristics
 The Expressiveness of Form and Design
Contemporary architecture uses a vast range of building materials. These include concrete,
glass, wood, and aluminum screens. These materials add contrast and homogeneity. For
instance, you will notice they have oversized plate glass windows. These allow plenty of
natural light and create large open spaces. They engender a sense of airiness, hence
minimizing air conditioning costs. Moreover, the building frames follow symmetry and they
often have innovative shapes. To know that some of these materials are eco-friendly is a huge
bonus for this style.
 Reinforced Concrete Advances
Aside from materials, this form of art has made itself distinct in other ways. Also, contemporary
architecture takes advantage of curved lines and rounded spaces. These create a visually
appealing structure. It frequently uses these instead of straight lines. This explains why clean lines
are catchphrases of this form. Unambiguous elements of minimalism are often linked to modern
architecture. Contemporary designs also imitate minimalist movements. This means that we still
use classicized models in works of art. They are in both modern and contemporary structures.
 The Sense of Sustainability
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The present is an era where global warming is a real issue. It is now essential to take specific
measures to ensure nature is not compromised. For this reason, modern architects design
buildings that are energy efficient. This is in part thanks to recycled materials for the construction
process. This needs to include the use of solar panels for roofing purposes. Moreover, the
widespread use of reinforced concrete creates not only innovative ideas. It also enhances
aesthetic appeal to most buildings. These architects hope to achieve this idea. They’d want to do
this to ensure that the whole project is economical. They also want to focus on sustaining the
end user’s needs.
 Flat and Overhanging Roofs
The old form of roofing was also limited to pitched triangular designs at the top. It is most
associated with American buildings. But the new trend has invited the idea of flat overhanging
roofs. This creates more shade. It does this while protecting your building from unnecessary
elements. These roofs also project architecture into the outdoors, providing cohesiveness. You
will have more reasons to enjoy outdoor spaces. This is thanks to the overhang that presents an
awning experience.
 Nature-Compliant Designs
Contemporary architecture is also in harmony with nature and structure. Classic designs
positioned the windows in the center of walls and used them to view outside. In contrast,
contemporary designs use large panels of glass to allow in natural light. Moreover, passive solar
heating generated comfort and openness even during winter. It is hard to start imagining the
impact of clerestory windows and skylights. These elements are higher than head level. They
offer light from the outside world.
Development
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Contemporary architecture is the architecture of the 21st century. No single style is dominant.
Contemporary architects work in several different styles, from postmodernism, high-tech
architecture and new interpretations of traditional architecture to highly conceptual forms and
designs, resembling sculpture on an enormous scale. Some of these styles and approaches make
use of very advanced technology and modern building materials, such as tube structures which
allow construction of buildings that are taller, lighter and stronger than those in the 20th century,
while others prioritize the use of natural and ecological materials like stone, wood and lime. One
technology that is common to all forms of contemporary architecture is the use of new
techniques of computer-aided design, which allow buildings to be designed and modeled on
computers in three dimensions, and constructed with more precision and speed.
The major monuments of modern architecture in the 20th century were mostly concentrated in
the United States and western Europe, contemporary architecture is global; important new
buildings have been built in China, Russia, Latin America, and particularly in Arab states of the
Persian Gulf; the Burj Khalifa in Dubai was the tallest building in the world in 2019, and the
Shanghai Tower in China was the second-tallest.
Parallel to this, a counterculture to the modernist and post-modernist architecture that
dominated the second half of the 20th century developed during this period. The 21st century
saw the emergence of multiple organizations dedicated to the promotion of local and/or
traditional architecture. Examples include the International Network for Traditional Building,
Architecture & Urbanism (INTBAU), the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art (ICAA), the
Driehaus Architecture Prize, and the Complementary architecture movement. Prominent
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architects of the new traditional wave include Michael Graves, Léon Krier, Yasmeen Lari, Robert
Stern and Abdel-Wahed El-Wakil, among others.
Most of the landmarks of contemporary architecture are the works of a small group of architects
who work on an international scale. Many were designed by architects already famous in the late
20th century, including Mario Botta, Frank Gehry, Jean Nouvel, Norman Foster, Ieoh Ming Pei
and Renzo Piano, while others are the work of a new generation born during or after World War
II, including Zaha Hadid, Santiago Calatrava, Daniel Libeskind, Jacques Herzog, Pierre de Meuron,
Rem Koolhaas, and Shigeru Ban. Other projects are the work of collectives of several architects,
such as UNStudio and SANAA, or giant multinational agencies such as Skidmore, Owings & Merrill,
with thirty associate architects and large teams of engineers and designers, and Gensler, with
5,000 employees in 16 countries.
Design Influences
Most elements of contemporary architecture are borrowed from the modern architecture
movement of the early and mid-twentieth century. This includes clean lines and neatness.
However, contemporary architecture allows for free-flowing form, creativity, and extensive use
of curved lines. The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, is a classic example of contemporary
architecture form. This building was designed by contemporary architect, Frank Gehry, and
utilizes a lot of curvilinear styles to create the impression of moving. Limestone, glass, and
titanium are used to bring out the unusual form of the structure while including the essential
elements of a contemporary building such as natural light, recyclable material, and innovative
design.
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INTRODUCTION
Swedenborgian Church
The Swedenborgian Church in North California .The Administrative Offices of the denomination
are located at 50 Quincy St., Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Swedenborgian Church is located at
the northwest corner of Lyon and Washington Streets in San Francisco's Pacific Heights
neighbourhood, on a lot that has been levelled by fill held by a stuccoed retaining wall. The
complex is basically rectangular, housing the church, parsonage, and parish house amid
landscaped gardens. Twenty “receivers” of Swedenborg's religious ideas, mostly relatives of local
enthusiast Daniel Lammot, established this New Church temple at Delaware Avenue and 11th
streets, from which location it was later moved by Lammot's great-grandson Pierre S. du Pont
when he widened the avenue. The original, Early English Gothic Revival building is attributed to
the Baltimore architect Lind, who had trained in London and immigrated in 1855. Potter, a
Philadelphia architect who had worked with Cope and Steward son in 1897–1903, rebuilt it in a
different form—the lancet windows were lowered, the doorway moved, and the conical, shingled
steeple replaced by a broach spire entirely of stone, matching the church walls of blue
Brandywine granite. The reredos and altar are of imported Caen stone, carved with grapevines
and oak leaves. An oak-and-leaded-glass screen at the north end recalls one that Potter installed
at Westminster Presbyterian (WL84). He also added a parish house, with an inglenook and a
cloister. (Several interesting buildings across Pennsylvania Avenue are discussed in
the Northwest Wilmington section.)
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ARCHITECTS INVOLVED
A.C. Schweinfurth
A.C. Schweinfurth (1864-1900) was an American Architect. He was born in Auburn, New York. He
was the son of a German woodcarver who had immigrated to the United States a decade before
Albert was born.
Schweinfurth began his career in 1879. For the next decade he worked as a draftsman for various
firms in Boston, Cleveland, New York, and Denver. In 1890, he moved to San Francisco and took
a position as Chief Draftsman in the offices of A. Page Brown. In 1894, Schweinfurth established
his own architectural practice under the patronage of William Randolf Hearst.
Schweinfurth designed the First Unitarian Church, a "landmark in the history of Bay Area
architecture"(1898), on the University of California, Berkeley campus which was listed in on the
National Register of Historic Places.
Page Brown
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Page Brown, born Arthur Page Brown (December 1859 – January 21, 1896), was an American
Architect known for buildings that incorporated classical styles in the Beaux-Arts manner.
Having first worked in the office of McKim, Mead and White in New York City in 1879, he
established his own firm in 1884 and hired a young Willis Polk as a draftsman. In 1889 Brown
moved his office to San Francisco, California to take advantage of the city's growth.
Brown is best known for designing the San Francisco Ferry Building, which opened in 1898, and
at the time was the largest project ever undertaken in San Francisco. He is credited with
introducing the Mission Revival style to Santa Barbara, with his designs for residences along
Garden Street. The style was widely adopted in Santa Barbara and has shaped its visual identity.
Bernard Maybeck
Bernard Ralph Maybeck (February 7, 1862 – October 3, 1957) was an American architect in the
Arts and Crafts Movement of the early 20th century. He was an instructor at University of
California, Berkeley. Most of his major buildings were in the San Francisco Bay Area. Maybeck
was born in New York City, the son of a German immigrant and studied at the Ecole des Beaux
Arts in Paris, France.
He moved to Berkeley, California, in 1892. He taught engineering drawing and architectural

design at University of California, Berkeley from 1894 to 1903, and acted as a mentor for a
number of other important California architects, including Julia Morgan and William Wurster. In
1951, he was awarded the Gold Medal of the American Institute of Architects.
William Keith
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William Keith (November 18, 1838 – April 13, 1911) was a Scottish-American painter famous for
his California landscapes. He is associated with Tonalism and the American Barbizon school.
Although most of his career was spent in California, he started out in New York, made two
extended study trips to Europe, and had a studio in Boston in 1871–72 and one in New York in
1880.
Keith was born in Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where he was raised at first by his
grandparents, his father having died months before he was born. He emigrated with his mother
and sisters to the United States in 1850. They settled in New York City, where he attended school
for several years.
He was hired to do illustrations for Harper's Magazine. In 1858 he visited Scotland and England
and briefly worked for the London Daily News. He was then offered an opportunity in San
Francisco and sailed there in May 1859.
Bruce Porter
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Bruce Porter (23 February 1865, San Francisco – 25 November 1953, San Francisco) was an
American painter, sculptor, stained-glass designer, writer, muralist, landscape designer, and art
critic.
Porter was raised in the East Bay town of Martinez, where his father was the editor of the local
newspaper. He later received education in San Francisco, Paris, London, and Venice. Some of
Porter's stained-glass designs can be found at St Mary's Episcopal Church in Pacific Grove,
California, and in San Francisco at the Swedenborgian Church (1895, Bernard Maybeck), and the
Le Petit Trianon mansion (1904). Other stained-glass windows he designed are at churches
in Monterey, Stockton, San Mateo and Coronado.
As a landscape designer, Porter created the gardens at the Filoli estate (1917) in Woodside,
California, designed the landscape of the Memorial Stadium at the University of California at
Berkeley (1923), and was the garden designer for several private residences.
JOSEPH WORCESTER (1836-1913)
The Reverend Joseph Worcester was a Swedenborgian minister who arrived in San Francisco
from Boston in 1869. Never fulfilling his desire to become an architect, he remained deeply
interested in architecture throughout his life, becoming a leader and mentor for many young
artists and professionals. His influence extended to a number of important Bay Area architects
including Ernest Coxhead, Willis Polk, A. Page Brown, Bernard Maybeck, and Albert Schweinfurth.
The Joseph Worcester collection consists of 14 bound volumes of scrapbooks containing
purchased photographs, clippings from the Architectural Review, and other magazines. Some
volumes contain photographs of Italian artwork, including one volume of Venice. Two of the
volumes are architectural monographs of the Ames Memorial Buildings in North Easton,
Massachusetts, and Trinity Church in Boston.
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LAYOUTS AND MATERIALS
WITH ITS EXPOSED WOODEN BEAMS, nature-themed decor, and a fireplace crackling with smoky
flames, this church feels more like a cozy backcountry cabin than an urban house of worship. The
church is one of the first examples of the Arts and Crafts architectural movement in North
America. The rustic interior was designed and built by a cadre of notable artisans and
craftspeople.
The church is also a magnificent example of the Arts and Crafts movement that blossomed within
Europe and North America. It uses a beautiful blend of rustic and folk architecture and design to
give the space a simple, more natural feel. The artisanal style and nature-themed decor seem to
further enhance the religion’s appreciation for the natural world.
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The Swedenborgian Church complex, consisting of the church, two residential buildings, a
retaining wall and two distinct gardens, was constructed between 1894 and 1900. The massive
retaining wall that elevates the complex, the large garden in the southeast corner of the lot, and
the smaller garden in the northwest section were all part of the original design. In 1959 a porch
on the east side of the parish house was enclosed and a stairway was added to the Washington
Street facade. Aside from these additions, there have been only minor exterior alterations to the
complex. The location of the buildings and gardens, and the use of the property as a church, have
remained constant since their construction. The complex has a remarkably high degree of
integrity from the period of significance.
The complex is located at the northwest corner of Washington and Lyon Streets in San Francisco,
California. The grouping is situated on an "L"-shaped lot, and despite their placement on a steep
hill in the Pacific Heights neighbourhood, portions of the complex occupy a relatively flat site.
The level lot is made possible by fill and a large stuccoed retaining wall that elevates the grounds
and church building well above Washington Street.
The main access to the complex is through a one-story portico on the Lyon Street hill, which
opens into a lush garden. The focus of the complex is the sanctuary located on the north side of
the garden with an ell (a small perpendicular wing) of the building wrapping around the
northwest corner. On the west side of the garden, stairs lead into the rooms of the parish house.
A smaller garden is nestled in the northwest corner of the property and is accessible from the
parish house and the church. The residence at 2121 Lyon Street (the parsonage) is the only
building in the group that does not currently open onto the garden; the house sits on a long,
narrow lot facing Lyon Street north of the portico and church.
Inside the complex, historic brick paths lead through the gardens, which are planted with trees,
shrubs, grass, and flowers as originally designed. The building materials of the complex are largely
original. Even the alterations, such as the porch and stair addition to the parish house and the
porch roof over the entrance of the church, have been constructed out of materials similar to
those of the original buildings. In addition, the few changes that have been made are additive
rather than subtractive in nature and could be removed. Because the First Bay Tradition stressed
craftsmanship and collaboration between architects, artists and craftsperson, the workmanship
of the complex is a very important consideration, and it has been retained to a remarkable
degree; architectural features, finishes, furnishings and artwork are all intact and in their original
locations. Since its dedication in 1895, the complex has always been used by the Swedenborgian
Church. The consistency of use and preservation of design features and setting has maintained
the historic feeling and association of the complex; a visitor to the church today would find the
quiet verdant garden, natural materials, simple structures, handcrafted wood furnishings, and
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artwork strikingly similar to the complex envisioned by Joseph Worcester and created by a group
of talented architects, artists and craftsmen over a hundred years ago. "This still-active Pacific
Heights church has been called California's earliest pure Arts and Crafts building.. .The
harmonious design affirms the collaborative ideal of the Arts and Crafts movement..."
The small ell, which extends from the southwest corner of the sanctuary, contains the entrance
hall, bride's room and a toilet room. The main doorway to the building leads into the small
entrance vestibule. Brick flooring in this room is laid in a herringbone pattern to match the
exterior walk and chimney hearth. The walls are a rough plaster similar to those in the sanctuary.
A historic metal and glass light fixture hangs from the ceiling.
The south entrance hall door leads into a room currently called the bride's room. In this small
narrow space, the walls are painted plaster composed of "lath, hair mortar and finished with pure
cement and sand" and the ceiling is dark stained wood with exposed beams.9 Two modern
sconces hang on the west wall. There is a small toilet room located at the south end of the bride's
room. The flooring in these rooms is currently covered with carpeting. The trim is dark-stained
fir, and the decking and ceiling beams are also stained a dark color. The church building, its
interior furnishings, artwork and decorative features were created as a comprehensive design.
The stained glass, paintings, and much of the furniture were designed specifically for the church
and are an integral part of the building's architectural expression.
The boundary between nature and the church was further blurred by the use of boughs of leaves
and natural objects as decoration inside the sanctuary, a practice that continues today. 13 In
addition to plantings, the garden features several significant design components. A small basin,
or birdbath, located at the northwest corner of the garden was finished soon after the building.
In the southeast corner of the garden, there is a simple iron cross, which was taken from Mission
San Miguel and given to Joseph Worcester for the church. A bronze locomotive bell used to call
worshippers to service was also a gift: it was given to Othmar Tobisch, pastor of the church from
1929 to 1970, by the Western Pacific Railroad. Ten small brass and stained glass lanterns, selected
by interior designer Ross Fish, were added to the garden in 2000. The fixtures are modern but in
the Craftsman style.
The main garden is connected to the rear garden by a door located between the sanctuary and
the bride's room at the northwest corner of the property. The rear garden is of a more intimate
scale but like the larger garden, it has red brick paths and a picturesque planting pattern.
Doorways from the parish house and entrance vestibule of the church open onto this smaller
garden.
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Conclusion
The Swedenborgian Church at the corner of Washington and lyon streets in pacific height is a
national historic landmark. Warm and wooded designed and constructed by prominent artists
and architects of the Arts and Craft movement and is regarded as one of the California’s earliest
building in that style. The characteristics are: The Expressiveness of Form and Design, Reinforced
Concrete Advances, Sense of Sustainability, Flat and Overhanging Roofs, Nature -Compliant
Designs. The original British creator of craftsman style, William Morris, was responding to the
dehumanizing utility of the industrial revolution, so the best craftsman homes are an homage to
nature–a sort of English garden fairyland nature–that produces a feeling both fanciful and secure.
Built in 1895 by a collaboration of architects, notably A. Page Brown (the Ferry Building), Bernard
Maybeck (Palace of Fine Arts) and Joseph Worcester (also the church’s pastor), the group paid
careful attention to every detail of the church and grounds, which was designated a National
Historic Landmark in 2004.
The building also has elements of Mediterranean and Mission Revival style, with covered
walkways, arched entryways, unadorned adobe surfaces and clay-tiled roof. And like many
mission structures. Swedenborianism’s principles of spirit and nature, the seen and unseen, and
also inspired by the era’s interest in all things Japan. The trees originally planted here were cedar,
olive, sequoia, elm, pine, myrtle, hawthorn, maple, plum, crab apple and Irish yew. The interior
of the small church is adorned by arched beams of Madrone tree trunks, bark included, from the
Santa Cruz Mountains. Instead of pews, there are 80 handmade maple chairs with seats woven
from tule reeds from the nearby Sacramento Delta. And on the walls are large paintings of
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California landscapes at different seasons, created explicitly for the church by notable artist of
the time William Keith (who was also a close friend of John Muir).
References
https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/b95c2d55-6cfc-4e3a-87f0-38fb4311bd3d
https://www.academia.edu/39278539/Swedenborgian_Church_of_North_America
https://developmentone.net/contemporary-architecture/

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IEC COLLEGE OF ART & FASHION

Affiliated with Limkokwing University of Creative

 Reinforced Concrete Advances

He moved to Berkeley, California, in 1892. He taught engineering drawing and architectural

JOSEPH WORCESTER (1836-1913)

LAYOUTS AND MATERIALS

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