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1A CULTURAL STUDIES
PRESENTATION AND JURIES
Each student assembles materials pertaining to an architectural project and present the project in a jury format to a group of fellow students.
Philip Lovell Beach House (1925-1926) Newport Beach, CA.
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1 Sectional plan of the Lovell beach house 2 The back of the house, emphasising that the building is elevated above ground 3 Ground plan of the building - showing how the rooms and spaces are distributed
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4 A picture of the Lovell Beach house under construction 5 Interior view looking out to the beach.
The Lovell Beach house in Newport Beach is Schindler’s second most important project next to the Kings Road House. The building addressed many complex issues, dealing with space, form, and structure. The Lovell Beach House clearly demonstrated Schindler’s architectural philosophy and is considered the greatest contribution he made to modernism in America. Schindler was inspired by the pile structures at the ocean and as a result lifted the two-story house off the ground, also giving it privacy from the public walkways of the beach. None of the spaces, however, are sheltered from the view of the Pacific Ocean. A large room with a glass façade penetrates the core of the house and looks out toward the ocean. The second floor cantilevers out from the main volume of the building and creates a balcony for sleeping porches. The roof terrace is used as a private outdoor space for sunbathing. Schindler’s use of interlocking levels and double story heights illustrate a remarkable continuity in both section and plan. The structure of the beach house added to its dramatic appearance. Five cast-in-place concrete frames extend out from below the raised building. Non-load bearing walls were made of cement plaster and metal. This was perhaps the first time Schindler distinguished structure from enclosed space. The expressive design of the Lovell Beach House reminds us of Schindler’s belief in a good architecture and environment that can improve lives.
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