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An Architectural Vision

American architect Louis Kahn is regarded as one of the great master builders of the Twentieth Century.  The exhibition ‘Louis Kahn — The Power of Architecture’, is the first major retrospective of Kahn’s work in two decades.

The exhibition encompasses an unprecedented and diverse range of architectural models, original drawings, photographs and films. Six thematic areas illustrate the development of Kahn’s work over time along with a biographical introduction to Kahn:

– ‘City’ explores Kahn’s close connection with his home city, Philadelphia. Philadelphia became a kind of laboratory for the development of his own urban and architectural principles.

– Science: Heavily influenced by science, Kahn studied the structural laws inherent in nature and applied them to architecture. He created a new architectural vocabulary with geometric structures that corresponded to the forms identified in microbiological research.

– Landscape: Nature was not only a source of inspiration for Kahn, but it became increasingly important as a context for his buildings. Kahn’s work also considered the location of the buildings by taking local environmental conditions into account, such as the position of the sun and wind patterns.

– House: Kahn’s desire to create a stronger connection between architecture and the surrounding environment also formed the basis of his residential designs. Kahn regarded the ‘House’ as an archetype and starting point for his understanding of architecture and community.

– Eternal Present: Kahn’s architecture was closely linked to the timeless foundations of traditional building, yet radically innovative and future-oriented in terms of technology and construction.

– Community: The final section marks how essential the social significance of architecture was to Kahn.   

‘Louis Kahn — The Power of Architecture’ is on display at the Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany until Sunday 11 August 2013.

www.design-museum.de

Mon 15 Jul 13

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Architecture – Exhibition – Germany – Louis Kahn – Philadelphia – Retrospective – United States – Vitra Design Museum

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Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy, Louis Kahn, c. 1930. © Private Collection, photo: Paul Takeuchi 2012.
Louis Kahn working on Fisher House design, 1961 © Louis I. Kahn Collection, University of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Com-mission.
View of St. Peter’s in Rome, Italy, Louis Kahn, 1928/29. © Sue Ann Kahn, Courtesy Lori Bookstein Fine Art, photo: Paul Takeuchi 2012.
Launch gallery
Louis Kahn, c. 1972. © Robert C. Lautman Photography Collection, National Building Museum. Alfred Newton Richards Medical Research and Biology Building, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Lousi Kahn, 1957–65. © The Architectural Archives, University of Pennsylvania, photo: Malcolm Smith. Louis Kahn in front of a model of the City Tower Project in an exhibition at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, February 1958 © Sue Ann Kahn. National Assembly Building in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Louis Kahn, 1962–83. Steven and Toby Korman House, Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, Louis Kahn, 1971–73. © Barry Halkin. Living-room of the Norman and Doris Fisher House, Hatboro, Pennsylvania, Louis Kahn, 1960–67. © Grant Mudford. Salk Institute in La Jolla, California, Louis Kahn, 1959–65. © The Architectural Archives, University of Pennsylvania, photo: John Nicolais.
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