#5

L'Institut du Monde Arabe

Jean Nouvel 1981-1987,France

The Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA) functions devoted to the relationship of Arab culture with France.  Nouvel produces a wonderfully minimal composition of forms: a gently curving wall to the north facing the Seine comes to a sharp and deep cleft as it meets a rectilinear block which faces a large open plaza and the university buildings to the south.

    

Jean Nouvel, who is widely known for his particular surface treatment with “smart” materials, and with this kinetic facade for the Arab World Institute, he designed a facade who responds to changing environments. To achieve this, the south facade of the building consists of high-tech photosensitive mechanical devices which control the light levels and transparency. It interprets traditional wooden Arab latticework screens into a glass and steel construction with 30,000 light-sensitive diaphragms on 1600 elements, which operate like a lens of a camera. The changes to the irises are revealed internally far more than what can be observed from the exterior.

#4

Zentrum Paul Klee

Renzo Piano 2005,Switzerland

 The Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern, Switzerland, was designed to pay true homage to the artist. The idea was to capture the "spirit of the sculptor", working on earth and typography. Thus the museum will take the exact shape of the hills, while integrating with the countryside as closely as possible so that the sense of beauty and boundlessness evoked by the mountains is not disturbed. The museum will be in tune with Klee's work, fundamentally peaceful and silent.

Visitors will gradually walk inside "hills" as they move to the inner sanctum of the "exhibition" section before finally arriving at a research and study center on Klee and his works. The various wings will be connected by a path.

Unlike other museums, this one will not benefit from the zenithal light because Klee's works must be protected from sunlight to preserve them. Constructed from steel, but inspired by boat construction in olden days, the museum will be illuminated by a the west facade through which light will pour in and be spread through the rooms by a system of translucent screens, creating softer light.

The glass for the glazed facades, steel gray and oak interior floors are all that the architect needed to realize their project.This only adds the use of umbrellas in the main facade, used to control the entry of natural light, as many of the works of Klee are very likely to be affected by it. From the inside, the steel structure remains visible, and are accompanied by large arched ceilings birch with its natural color or painted white. This use of few materials must Piano wanted to emphasize the fact that the exterior landscape provide the necessary color into the museum. Another aspect to highlight is that Piano wanted the building would be sustainable and have the lowest energy consumption possible. Therefore, environmental impact studies were conducted on each material. In this way the steel beams that were studied as a whole, the deck having a good insulation, as well as the use of double glass guarantee the lowest energy loss in winter and air conditioning in summer. To this we add the hardwood floor that has thousands of small and almost imperceptible grooves, which allow the cool air passes through them, and warming up as they go up, only to be expelled to the outside and thus promote proper ventilation.

#3

#2

"Objects are made to be completed by the human mind."      Alvar Aalto

 

Alvar Henrik Aalto is one of the greatest names in modern architecture and design. Born Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto (February 3, 1898 - May 11, 1976) in Kuortane, Finland, studied architecture at the Helsinki University of Technology from 1916 to 1921. Although his early work borrowed from the neoclassic movement, he eventually adapted the symbolism and functionalism of the Modern Movement to generate his plans and forms. Aalto's mature work embodies a unique functionalist/expressionist and humane style, successfully applied to libraries, civic centers, churches, housing, etc.

 

Aalto won a competition to be the Architect, Interior Designer and Furniture Designer for the Paimio Tuberculosis Sanatorium in 1928.  The chair's framework consists of two closed loops of laminated wood, between which rides the seat—a thin sheet of plywood tightly bent at both top and bottom into sinuous scrolls, giving it greater resiliency.  Inspired by Marcel Breuer's tubular-steel Wassily Chair of 1927—28, Aalto chose, instead, native birch for its natural feel and insulating properties, and developed a more organic form. His chairs were the result of great study and investigation into, posture, laminated wood, aesthetic considerations and efficient mechanical methods of mass production. His Paimio Chair, 1930, is said to have been influenced by the curved contours of the Finnish lakes, it is one of the most elegant modern chairs.

 

His buildings and chairs were first prompted by the user. Of all architectural furniture, his is the closest to humanity. He felt that the human body should only come into contact with organic materials. Wood was for him a "form-inspiring, profoundly human material". Alvar Aalto's organic formal language inspired many designers after him.Aalto's designs were innovative and radical and became known for his experimental approach to bending wood, which greatly influenced American designers Charles & Ray Eames and Finnish-born Eero Saarinen. His style became known as humanist modernism. Alvar Aalto's dialogue with nature, architecture, design and the human being has become a living legacy.

#1