Louis Kahn- A brief study on the architect

This presentation covers Louis Kahn, the architect at a glance, his biography, his design principles and iconic works.

1. LOUIS
KAHN
“A great building must begin
with the immeasurable, must
go through measurable means
when it is being designed and
in the end, must be
unmeasured”

2. Table of contents
01 03
BIOGRAPHY02
ICONIC WORKS04
ARCHITECT AT A
GLANCE
Design principles

3. ARCHITECT
AT A GLANCE
01

4. Name : Louis Isadore Kahn, 1901-1974

Design philosophy : Kahn was interested in community
life and the social responsibility of architecture.

Distinctive style : Heavy brick and concrete against
more refined surfaces, such as glass.

Major works : Yale University Art Gallery, Connecticut,
USA (1951-53); Salk Institute, California, USA
(1959-1965); Kimbell Art Museum, Texas, USA
(1967-72); The National Assembly Building, Dhaka,
Bangladesh (1961-1983); Franklin D Roosevelt Four
Freedoms Park, New York, USA (1972-2012).

Honours : Awarded the AIA Gold Medal in 1971 and the
Royal Gold Medal by RIBA in 1972.

5. BIOGRAPHY
02

6. Louis Kahn (February 20th 1901 –
March 17th 1974) was one of the
United States' greatest 20th century
architects, known for combining
Modernism with the weight and
dignity of ancient monuments. Though
he did not arrive at his distinctive style
until his early 50s, and despite his
death at the age of just 73, in a span of
just two decades Kahn came to be
considered by many as part of the
pantheon of modernist architects.

Kahn was born in Estonia. His family
emigrated to Philadelphia when he
was just a child, where Kahn would
remain for the rest of his life,
completing many of his later works
there.


Kahn might be categorized as a
late Modernist, and a hugely
influential one at that. His
architecture resonates with the
brick edifices of Alvar Aalto and
the brutalist late works of Le
Corbusier.

The impression he left as an
individual is equally as mythical.
His sometimes esoteric but
always insightful understanding
of architecture led to him to
being often described as a
"mystic" or a "guru," and a
complex private life inspired his
son to film the Academy Award
Nominated documentary "My
Architect" in 2003.

7. Career :

1924- After completing his Bachelor of Architecture ,
Kahn worked as senior draftsman in the office of the
city architect, John Molitor.
1929- Kahn worked in the offices of Paul Philippe
Cret, his former studio critic at the University of
Pennsylvania, and then with Zantzinger, Borie and
Medary in Philadelphia.
1932– Kahn and Dominique Berninger founded the
Architectural Research Group, whose members were
interested in the populist social agenda and new
aesthetics of the European avant-gardes.
1947 - Kahn's teaching career began at Yale
University
1950 - marked as a turning point in his career.
After visiting the ruins of ancient buildings in Italy,
Greece, and Egypt, he adopted a
back-to-the-basics approach.He developed his
own architectural style.
1957 - Kahn then returned to Philadelphia to teach at
the University of Pennsylvania until his death

8. DESIGN
PRINCIPLES
03

9. ●In his personal philosophy, form is
conceived as formless and unmeasurable, a
spiritual power common to all mankind. It
transcends individual thoughts, feelings and
conventions.
●Form characterizes the conceptual essence
of one project from another and thus, is the
initial step in the creative process.
●He defined space by means of masonry
masses and a lucid structure laid out in
geometric, formal schemes and axial
layouts with a strong processional
character of space and images.
●Beaux-arts tradition – Neoclassical
architecture style with sculptural
decoration along conservative modern
lines.
●Sought to show in his works that natural
light brings architecture to life.
●Extensive use of brick and concrete with
glass and geometrical shapes.

10. ICONIC
WORKS
04

11. Yale university art gallery
●The Art Gallery of Yale University was the first major commission
for Louis Kahn and is considered his first masterpiece.
●With the Yale Art Gallery, Louis Kahn sets new concepts such as
Symmetry, Clear separation between space and space, A new
vocabulary based on the triangle and the circle, The triangle as a
figure appears on the stairs and as structural concept in the
construction forged rosettes
●The building is constructed of brick, concrete, glass and steel
became a significant departure from neo-gothic style.
●From the street, the building is perceived as a facade of brick,
windowless, monolithic, is the southwest facade.
●It was the extension of an existing building in an empty corner is
connected with the old building through the alignment of
facades.
●The glass front entrance and make a style utterly opposed to the
existing architecture. It is in the walls facing the northeast and
northwest where several pieces are rectangular glass curtain
wall.

12. ●The building's interior is characterized
by a system of precast concrete roof
that houses the gallery lighting and
ventilation.
●The roof, at the time, was an innovative
structural engineering hollow concrete
tetrahedrons, which combine a number
of functions and give the interior a rich
and changing quality
●The staircase is a triangle of three
stages involved in a cylinder and that is
not reflected to the outside

13. ●Modulated rectangular structure of
concrete that is not only supporting
but also contributes to the image of
the building
●The Art Gallery of Yale University,
was first used concrete roof
structure consists of a tetrahedron
with special armor that exposes the
light fixtures and duct air
conditioning. It also reduces the
height of the floor-to-floor,
channeling the air through the
structure.

14. KIMBELL ART MUSEUM
Kimbell art museum is one of the greatest works of louis kahn
It is located in Fort Worth, Texas. It has become a most
important structure in modern architecture. The element of
natural light is the main focus of the design, and creates
elegant spaces that are perfectly suited for the art that it
houses. The form of the structure is cycloid barrel vaults ,
rimmed with narrow plexiglass skylights, To diffuse the light,
pierced-aluminum reflectors shaped like wings hang below,
illuminating the smooth surfaces of the concrete vault while
providing elegant and enchanting light conditions for the
works of art.
Completely modern in it's revivalist detail and lack of
ornament, the hints of Roman architecture include the grand
arches and vaults. Materials used are concrete, travertine
and white oak. The three 100-foot bays, each fronted by an
open, barrel-vaulted portico, are a testament to the building’s
focus on natural light.the building evolved as a “family of
rooms” with a simple plan based on classical proportions,
repetition, and variation.

15. Most of the galleries are located on the upper floor, to allow for
most natural lighting. Air ducts and mechanical services are
located in the spaces where edges of vaults come close to
meeting.
Designed to embody the idea that “light is the theme,” the
central (west) facade of the Museum is a stunning display of
architectural excellence.

16. Interior of the art Museum

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