A+U №474
Март 2010
Reinvigorating 20th Century Masterpieces
Cover: Photographs of projects in this issue, after renovation.
Photo: First column, from top: Fernando Guerra/FG+SG – Fotografia de Arquitectura, Elizabeth Felicella, Dennis
Gilbert/VIEW, Peter Aaron/Esto. Second column, from top: Peter Cook/VIEW, Roland Halbe, Iwan Baan, Hans Wulf
Kunze. Third column, from top: Elizabeth Felicella, Roland Halbe, David Heald (courtesy of the Solomon R.
Guggenheim Foundation), Todd Eberle. Fourth column, from top: Peter Cook/VIEW, David Heald (courtesy of the
Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation), Iwan Baan, Prakash Patel.
Currents:
SO-IL Wins MoMA/P.S.1 11th Annual Young Architects Program
OMA Wins Competition for New Chu Hai College Campus in Hong Kong
LAN Architecture Wins Two Competitions in France
Feature:
Reinvigorating 20th Century Masterpieces
Certain buildings constructed in the 20th century are presently faced with the crisis of demolition. There can be no
doubt that even the 20th century masterpieces, praised as symbols of architecture, are not to be demolished. It
seems that the development of new materials and new technology have made it possible to construct buildings to a
scale that was unimaginable 50 or 100 years ago, and that these buildings today have a larger degree of freedom in
their form. There might be various ideas about life expectancy of the building in the built environment while
considering factors such as the economy, convenience, and safety, among others.
This issue focuses on 20th century masterpieces that have recently experienced restoration, conservation,
renovation or extension. While Eero Saarinen’s TWA Terminal (1962) was restored and revived through its linkage to
the new extension, Paul Rudolph’s Art and Architecture Building in Yale University was also restored, but carefully
unified with its extension. After repeated repairs and additions, Louis I. Kahn’s Yale University Art Gallery (1953) and
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s IIT Crown Hall (1956) are now both restored to its original design. With the application of
modern technologies, Walter Gropius’s Bauhaus Building in Dessau (1926) and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Solomon R.
Guggenheim Museum (1959) have been restored to a state similar to that of their completion day, and will continue to
be conserved for the future. Jorn Utzon’s Sydney Opera House (1973) has incorporated Building Information
Modeling into its restoration process, and is currently researching its possibilities for use in future restorations.
The methods of conservation and renovation of buildings are unique as each building has an individual solution, from
strict adherence to the original design to a flexible expansion and rebuilding. While the methods of reinvigoration are
different, we will be able to see the original architect’s vision inherent within the buildings when we stand in front of
them. (a+u)
Gensler
TWA Terminal and JetBlue Airways’ Terminal 5
Diller Scofidio ＋ Renfro
Alice Tully Hall
Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects
Yale University Arts Complex
Polshek Partnership Architects
Yale University Art Gallery
Essay: Restoring Yale
Paul Needham
Brambach und Ebert Architekten and
Pfister Schiess Tropeano & Partner
Conservation of the Bauhaus Building in Dessau
Essay: The Bauhaus Revisited
Ulf Meyer
Wank Adams Slavin Associates
Conservation of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Exhibition review: Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward
John Gendall
Krueck ＋ Sexton Architects
Crown Hall IIT
Richter & Dahl Rocha
Nestlé WellNes Center
Allies and Morrison Architects
Royal Festival Hall
John McAslan ＋ Partners
De La Warr Pavilion
Álvaro Siza Vieira
Leça Landscaping Project and Swimming Pool
Utzon Architects and Johnson Pilton Walker
Sydney Opera House Renovation Projects
Le Corbusier and José Oubrerie
Firminy Church