Tod Williams Billie Tsien

8

Four years after De Pree established Herman Miller, Charles Eames opened an architectural office in St. Louis, Missouri. Almost ten years later Eliel Saarinen , who became Director of the Cranbrook Art Academy after teaching at the University of Michiga n, offered Eames a fellowship to study architecture at Cranbrook.

Michigan was rewarding for Charles Eames.

After taking up the fellow ship, he became head of the Departmen t of Industrial Design and, in 194 1, Charl es Eames and Ray Kai ser we re married. Together they li ved to become a formidable partnership designing furnitu re, exhibi tions, books, interiors, numerous film s, and the influential Case Study House # 8.

Ch arles and Ray Eames worked for Herman Miller for almost 40 years During that ti me they em braced industry and sought to advance it through their own often pri miti ve, yet ingenious experiments in the use of materials - especially wood , plastics and alumin um - and through their studies of transfer technology and innovations in construction. Flushed with optimism, Charles and Ray Eames transformed the territory of design.

Inviting Tod Willi ams and Billie Ts ien to give this first Charles & Ray Eames Lecture is an obvious choice, for th eir work demon strates the same optimism and preoccupation with materials and fabricati on Will iams and Tsi en have produced some of the most sign ifica nt architectu ral work in America today an d, following th eir recent appointm en t to design the new Museum of American Fol k Art, The New York Times recogni zed them as ou tstanding makers. Th e edi tor of Th e Architectural Review, com menting on thei r com pleted project at th e Ph oenix Art Museum, noted their profound sensibi lity fo r the use of appropriate materials in vo lumes and light. They have recei ved numerou s AlA awards and , in 1996, Williams and Tsien were award ed the Arnold Brunner prize for distinguis hed architecture from the Am erican Academy of Arts and Lette rs. It is an honor for the Un iversity of Michigan to host thi s inaugural lecture which brings togeth er sign ifica nt strands of architecture, design and industry.

Brian Carter Professor and Chair of Architecture

12

former office studio . It is a sm all op en space with a tiny refrigerator and two big skylights which create an ever-changi ng play o f light.

O ne of the things that we en joy abo ut our apartment is tha t it is n o t conventio nal.

Fo r us , a life in architecture is a w:ln.dering path that has no clear go al in sight. Tt is abou t a struggle to bring toge th er art and life. It is a juggling act with cwo very different b all s in the air - family and wo rk. We try to make a balance betwee n th e desire to communicate and the desi re to shield, the desire to absrract and the des ire to live li fe . \'</ e must be bo th leaders of our own selve s and continuo usly communicate and sh are in o rd er tha t ideas can actually be built. If w e are to build a h umane and co nnec tive arc hitecture which has resonance as a wo rk o f art, th en we must all co nfront thi s d ilemma o f linking art with li fe . \Xie try in o ur wo rk , JUSt as in our li ves, to fi nd a kind of balance. It so metimes seems \路ery difficult. O ne migh t perhaps asso ciate iss ues o f engineering m o re with the male fig ure and decorative issues ,-vith the fem ale. To so m e extent, that m ay be true, b ut we o ften reverse roles in ord er to appreciate th e shadow side of one another. Likewise , architecture can be better intct,'Iated b y beginning to think of the buildi ng in a whole way - not strictly as a matter of functi o n fo llowing form, or of form following function . A rchi tecture is richer whcn building system s and the pro cess of making the building arc integra ted into desig n and specifically atruned to place. JU St as the path serves as an analog to o ur life and work, man y of our proj ec ts focus upo n m ovement as a

13

means of defining space. In this arch itecture of promenade, the building becomes less of an object and more a means of drawi ng o ut the inherent qualities of its particular place .

Arc hitecture is the comi ng together of art and use. Architecture must be seen as the act of deepes t optimism. Cynicism is an easy Out because one need only be witty. O pumism, however, asks for belief and belief asks for committed action. Leonardo da Vi nci wrote in his journal that th ings are older th an words.

H e was talking about the pre-eminence of experience over theory. While important theories are written about architecture, architecture is itself about the experience of the physical artifac t. It is nor about the ex perience o f an idea.

Isamu Noguchi, the fa mo us Japanese Ame ri can sculptor, was asked by the mayor of a town in Japan to come and help revive the lantern making industry in the town. Every year, N oguchi would visi t the town of Gifu to design a new lam p which he called Akari.

That lamp would the n be put into production and sold commercially. He designed Akari s annually from the 1950s until his death in 1988.

N oguchi, who had been an apprentice to Brancusi, was known primarily as a sculptor, but with these lamps and a number of other works, he began to transgres s the limits of sculpture by mixing sculpture and usc. In his mind, one of the great things about the Akari lamps was that they enabled every person to have an objec t o f sculpture which was also useful. Altho ugh Noguchi was criticized at th e

time for making hi s art very commercial, he believed that thi s was a way in whi ch people who were not wea lthy could buy a piece of sculpture and light their ho mes at the same time .

A fe w yea rs ago, we \ve re asked to design a traveling exhibition of Akaris. Thinking about the kind o f place in whic h we wanted the lamps to be viewed, we determined that it should be a place of serenity. Because there was a very modest budget for the project and because we could not be certain o f the exact places where the exhibition wo uld be sited, \ve developed a series of inexpensive and Aexible translucent fiberglass screens which we tho ught combined art and use. T hey defined the spaces o f the c:hibition and enabled us to both withhold and reveal the Akaris as p eople m oved from one space to the nex t. The screens were cast fiberglass in two colors - one predominantly blue with a little bit of peac h and the o the r mostl y peach with a hint of blu e. There were fi ve panel sizes, each with a slig htl y curved pro fi le form ed over a single sheet o f bent steel to create a rigid , sel f-suppo rting form.

The detail for connecting the screens - a dowel with an o-ring - 'was simple so that they could be assembled within minutes.

Even though the screens were less th an l /S inch thick, the fi berglass held an enormous amount of light and life .

The first installation of the exhibition was 111 Takashirnaya D epartment Store in N ew York City. We made a series of spaces with the amber and blue screens and drew people into the spaces \vith a stream of obsidian in which the lamps were displa yed . The obsidia n

15

also combined art and use; as well as being evocati ve, it was ve ry rational and prac tical.

The lamps had black cords that needed to be plugged in and concealed, so we decided to hide them in this mass of black volcanic glass. Earlier, in the course of doing research on aggregate fo r the precast concrete at the Ph oenix Art Museum, we had requested samples from numerous quarries in the Southwest.

One of the samples received was a beautiful black obsidian. Although the sample was shin y blac k, wh en the obsiclian arrived fo r the exhi bitio n, it was increclibly d usty. We had to wash it to make it black and abstract as intended. In fac t, the aggregate was fi nally hand rubbed with Wesso n Oil becaus e this was the o nl y way we could get the stones to be shin y enough. Having been rubbed with cooking oil, th e stones fi nally looked like those in the sample packet. When we were fi ni shed, the joke was that we had in fact created one of the wo rld's longest hibachis.

On another project fo r the Museum of the Chi nese in the Americas, we had a very different problem. In this most modest of museum s on Mulberry Street in Chinatown, the task was to take objects of common use and organize them into a coherent whole.

Using orclinary private possessions rescued from dumpsters, the mus eum was trying to represent the hi story of Chinese immigrants in N ew York City. W e made a cylindrical enclosure which, when entered, imparted a sense of being in an attic or a closet. Because we were still thinking abo ut lanterns, the outside of the enclosure was wrapped with T yve k, th e same material as a Federal Ex press envelope.

16

Tyvek is translucent and very strong. Th e enclosu re was ligh ted from the outside, ma ki ng a room -sized lamern. The obj ects within th e enclosure incl ud ed old letters, costu m es from th e Chinese opera, and a photog raph of a woman together with a shoe which sh e wore when she fi rst came to the U nited States.

H er fee t were bo und, so the shoe is tin y - only three inches lo ng. A lso exhibi ted is th e las t, a wooden fo rm that was used to m ake her shoes after she had been in this country for many yea rs and her feet had, by that time, been unbound and un folde d. Like these shoes, many of the ordinary o bJccts on display convey th e very perso nal deta ils of individual Li ves. In a similar way, pro jects like the A karis and the museum instal latio n in Chinatown offer a wal' for us to di scover who we arc. W/ e contin ue [() learn , grow and change through th e work itself.

We subsec1uenti y d es igned a traveling ex hib iti on for the same tiny m useum abo ut a g roup of Ch inese m en who we re p risoners in Yurk, Pennsylvania at the time because th ey we re illegal immigrants who had Jumped ship. Some had d rowned and oth ers we re ta ken to prison where the y starred making tradi tional fold ed paper sculptures . /\ 5 ti me passed , the sculptures became le ss traditional and morc related to th eir im prisonment. In the fi rst room of our insta llatio n, the enclosure was a lamern .

The spectato r passed through an opening in a wall to a seco nd enclosure w hich was a small prison, a detentio n cage . Paper sculptures were placed just o utside of the cage so th at th e spectator was encased b y fo lded paper eagles, symbols of the Un ited States, and pineapples, symbols of hospitality. PhotOgraphs of th e

17

people who mad e them were h ung o n the walls of the room. T heir eyes were blacked out because they did no t want to be identified fo r fear of political repercussions against their famili es in China.

On another project, we wo rked collaboratiyely wi th the E lisa Monte D ance Company and composer Glenn Branca on the sets and costumes for a performance called "The \Vorld Upside Down." The theme of Monte's piece was the idea of rejuvena tio n through social reversal. \Xfhen a social o rder is trans fo rmed, the outcome is fa r from certain. That which is normallv in the fo reground retreats and its shadow emerges .

'vie designed cos tumes whi ch were androgynous and could be turned inside out during the performance. On e of the things that we saw on our son's sneakers - th e same m aterial is used for glow-in-the-dark sta rs - is material that acquires luminescence when exposed to light. When the lights are turned out, the ma terial glows . The costumes were black with white linings silk- screened with the glow足 in-the-dark material. The dancers periodically went backstage to expose th e inside of their costumes to light. Returning to stage in the dark, they were able to o pen up and glow.

The set was a pair of screens 15 fee t tall connected with a piano hinge which , when opened, made a translucent screen 60 fee t wide.

A single piece of fa bric scrim stretched ove r a pajnter's fram e mounted on casters enabled the dancers themselves to change both the site and the setting as the dance progressed.

At some mo ments, the dancers were behind the screen and a t o thers they appeared in front. The screen could eve n be configured to fully enclose the da ncers. The screen was a surface that could receive light, so it too became a lantern. \\'e we re not awa re of the law which prohibits any projection pas t the proscenium. The ,creen \vas designed to cantilever out dramaticallr beyond the apron with onl y a small part supported on th e stage. On the day of the first performance at City Center in N ew Yo rk, the dancers rolled the screen out over the orchestra du n ng the course of the da nce, and everyone was terflfied beca us e thev tho ught the screen wo uld topple into the audience.

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It was far too dramatic. This is an important point: Although it is essential for architects to take pleasure in the wonder of making something, it is also important to make sure that whatever we design is in balance with its context. The sets got a much better re view than the dance itself. Frankly, that is no t the way it should be. I t is much more important that we see ourselves in balance with the world around us, even as we endeavor to be outstanding.

As part of the project for the Phoenix Art Muse um, the client asked us to create a so-called " star" of Phoenix, a centeri ng device for the city wh ich m igh t also be the focu s o f the activity of the museum. Accordingly, the museum is orga nized around a courtyard, and the focal point of the courtyard is the sculpture pavilion. The pavilion becomes on the one hand a lantern - like the Akari - and on the other hand, a practi cal and ve ry simple way to air condition outdoor space in this desert city.

The pavilion sits on three legs whi ch suppo rt a concrete ri ng beam seven feet above the ground. Passing under the beam, people can enter from any di rection. T hree hundred people can sit within the canopy, a thin me mbrane of fi berglass anchored to the concrete base.

The membrane is perforated with some three tho usand tiny holes . The pavilion is open at the top. A small amount of water pressurized at 1,000 pounds per sg uare inch is vapo ri zed and, condensing, is rumed into cool air that drops thro ugh the bottom , making the courtyard comfortable. The warm air escapes through the top of the pavilion.

20

Thi s sc ulpture paviLion will be ninety feet talL f\lthough the structural engineers originally envi saged a frame to sup p ort the membrane, we have jointly developed the concept to the po int that the membrane wi ll be on l), 1/2 inch thick and will reqUIre n o additional structural frame. The fiberglass skin works like the shell of an egg.

In our work, we always make an effort to talk to the p eople who will actually fabricate components in order to learn from th eir skill and experience. One o f the big indu stries in the Southwest - beca use o f the great weather and th e empty space - is the fabrication of fib erglass structures for theme p arks. Magic Mou ntai n, th e Pirates of th e Caribbean, and countless o ther fantasies arc made locall y using fib erglass which is d esigned to support the weight of hundreds of p eopl e and stand up to very heavy use. These fibe rglass fabr icators full y und ers tand th e capability of their material and their technolog\' . The), knew through experience tha t o ur pay ili o n did not require a heavy stru cture. Lik ewise, we origin ally thought that the panel jOlOts wou ld be screwed, but now we understand that they can be scaled together bv di ssolving the fib erglass resi n itself In o rd er ro und erstand the fab ri cation process more fully, we had a tw enty foot hig h fiberglass mock-up of the pavilion made LA a manufacturer 'who no rmally uses hi s factory to make tanks which hold aci d. In addition to stu dying thc

23

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27

The house addresses the coolness of the wash. The parti of the scheme is two simple rectangles placed on either sid e of the ravine, connected by an outdoor bridge and an enclosed bridge. The house is entered by crossing the outdoor bridge to the pa rents' side of th e house, The route continues back across the wash again via an interior bridge to the fami ly and children's spaces.

Moving through the house, the floor follows the grade as it steps down the gully, The floor is terrazzo-ground concrete inside and water-wa shed concrete outside. From the exterior bridge, it is possible to descend and walk beneath the bridge alon g the ravine.

The walls facing into the wash are primarily glass shad ed by cantilevered sunscreens of corrugated perforated galvanized steel. The enclosing walls of the house facing east and west are almost completely solid to prov ide protection against the desert sun, A narrow opening in the west wall leads to a small shaded entrance court, a preamble to entering th e cool interior of the house, The east wall is punctuated by a small recess in whi ch a

28

pencil cactus creates a filtered light well for the master and guest bathrooms. To the north, a view of Squaw Peak is fram ed by a large window set high in the wall. A north faci ng corne r window opens to a terrace and a pool. The swimmin g pool creates a small waterfall as it appears to spill wa ter into the wash. A walled vegetable garden and simple carport complete the compos ition A small model of the house is cast into the foundation wa ll . Th e house is built of single wythe loadbearing concrete block 12 inches thick and filled with insulation. The block, made with local black volcanic ash aggregate, is exposed both in side and out. Th e lower portion of the walls is ground-faced, and the upper part of the walls is the same block sa nd-bla sted At low level, the wal l is sensuous - able to be touched and felt 足 while above it is tougher and more defensive

32

The band of glass iso lates and abstracts the stone, while bringing filtered light to rooms with in. I n contrast with the street fac ade , the rea r of the hou se is very open and transparent, giving views of birch and ailanthu s trees in the smal l 30' x 30' back ga rden. A glass bridge crosses over a vo id to connect the hou se to the garden.

The organization of spaces is clear and logica l, with the poo l , exercise and mechanica l rooms at th e lowest level; a fami ly room, kitchen and dining on the gro und fl oo r; and living, stud y and library in a doubl e height space at seco nd fl oo r level The guest room is on a mezzan ine; fam ily bedrooms are on the third leve l; and staff rooms are on the top floor.

The interi or of th e house is defined by movement and light. From the pool at ba se ment leve l, a crevice of light extends up 80 feet to the roof. Within th e crevice, a skyli ghted stai r is ever-c hanging as it ascends. It is possibl e to see from th e pool up to th e sky. Likewi se, wh en the staff step out of their private rooms on the top floor,

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39

The addition contains a 350-seat lecture hall and two large flexible gallery spaces, a gallery for changing exhibitions and a great hall which hosts gala events as well as art exhibitions .

The white-painted display walls in the gal leries are 17 feet high. Above that datum, mechani ca l systems and structu re are exposed in a matter-of-fact and direct way The stru cture in the new galleries spans the length of the building w ith three deep open trusses bearing on the end wa lls.

In the great hall and perman ent collection ga lleries, mechan ical plant is housed in the depth of the trusses. In the changing exhibi tions gallery, the ceiling and lighting grid can be raised and lowe red so that varying scales of artworks can be show n in appropriately scaled spaces.

Because mu se ums are often confusing and disorienting, the path of movement is explained by revealing views both of where the path has co me from and where it is going.

Two monum enta l stairs, one of limestone and the other cast in place concrete , give a sense of dignity and ceremony to movement within the building.

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The panels are the maximum size that can be carried on a flatbed truck. The physical presence, size and weight of the panels reflects the desire to make a building that feels grounded. The choice of precast concrete - a wi dely used and inexpensive local building technique - also reflects th e budget constra i nts of the project In a similar manner, interior finishes are simple and common. Blackened concrete, maple and a limestone which is generally discarded becau se of variable coloration are used as flooring. Tectum, a wood fiber prod uct generally found in gyms, is painted wi th meta llic paint and used for ceilings and wa ll s Balustrades are of glass and aluminum Funded by a city bond, the project took eight years to compl ete and weathered three ch anges of mayor and city government. It was constru cted for $100 per squa re foot As a reflection of the direct and ma veri ck personality of this desert city, th e building has a tough and som ew hat raw clarity.

It stands as a cool oasis, a refuge from the western sun.

46

As in the Guggenheim, visitors ascend directly to the top of th e museum and then descend th rough the ga Ileries back to ground level.

Because the site is so small, there is room for just one elevator for both service and public use. Instead of accepting thi s as an inevitable liability, the elevator is enlarged and, with the addition of a slit window and casework, is transformed into a sm all moving gallery. For descent by foot, two stairs are added - from the sixth to the fifth floor, and from the fifth to the fourth floor - to provide a number of paths through the building.

This choice enriches the visitor's experience and emphasizes the characte r of thi s vertical museum.

The experience of the museum visitor is a journ ey, one that both draws people into galleries and allows novel encounters with new and familiar objects Art is integrated into public spaces , utili zing a series of nooks and niches through out the building that offer further interaction with a changing series of folk art objects. By presenting the museum's collection and exhi biti ons through both straightforward and non-traditional display spaces, the building creates a comfortable environment for adults and children, frequ en t and first-tim e visitors alike.

It is important that the facade of the building has a powerful presence because it will be surrounded by the much larger Museum of Modern Art. The facade is sol id with very

little glass and com posed of 1/ 2 inch thick white bron ze panel s cast on concrete and arran ged to ach ieve a folded surface and rough texture. The elevation is designed so th at the cornice is parall el to the street and the city's ma ndate for a facade which matches th at of the Museum of Modern Art is satisfied. Th e fol d gives th e bu iId ing greater presence on the narrow street. This inflection wil l expose the western side of the facade to Fifth Avenu e and the cool of the eastern morning light and, similarly, the eastern face to Sixth Avenue and the reddened western afternoon light. In thi s way, the very narrow frontage will refl ect the dynamism of changing light throughout the day.

50

The ambition of the scheme is to make the buildings less object-like by integrating them with the land. Because the buildings are suppressed into the ground, the institute is without a front door and without a clear sense of facade. The intention is to make a monastery for science. In that respect, the project is primarily about open space, about unbuilt space shaped by d¡lscreet buildings.

One ca n walk through the in stitute without the sense of opening a door. While always conveying an atmosphere of seren ity, the Neurosciences Institute provides a dynamic spatial experience; indeed, it is impossible to compre hend the entire project at once or from a single vantage point.

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The client, Or. Edelman, is a neu roscientist and Nobel Laureate who considers science ­ like architecture and indeed many other disciplines - to be divided into two distinct groups: theorists and practitioners. The theorists are placed on one side of thi s new campus and those who work in the laboratories are on the other side. They come to understand on e another, not through work, but through other kinds of activities - having a conversation , sitting in the light , watching water move, listening to music , or enjoying a meal.

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The theory center is a three story building which contains a library and reading room , a refectory, conference rooms, administrative offices, fellows' offices, and computer rooms.

The laboratories, organized on a single level, are designed for biological experiments.

The window wall of the labs which frames the plaza is made of sandblasted glass to eliminate Jarring reflections, thus enhancing the serenity of this central outdoor space.

The 352-seat auditorium is designed to accommodate both scientific lectures and chamber music concerts and acts as a focal point not only for the scientific community, but also for the public at large The auditorium interior is enveloped in an origami-like faceted shell of three-coat plaster - an age old technology which provides an acoustic environment for the maximum dispersion of unamplifi ed sound.

State-of-the-art mechanical systems that are structurally and acoustically isolated result in a virtually noise-free environment giving stunning presence to the most subtl e musical passages.

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In La Jolla, being outside is as comfortable as being inside, so it is possible to be freer in thinking about boundari es between interior and exterior space and how natural li ght can be used. Because of the gentle climate, the auditorium building has a cove red open air lobby. With the aid of a light scoop, the convex profi le of the foyer ce iling is bathed by the light of the setting sun. When the big redwood doors of the theater are opened, the auditorium vestibule extends itself to the open loggia.

56

Concrete is the natu ral choice for a proj ect whi ch is so deeply wedded to the la nd.

The buildings are of poured in place concrete wit h 12 inch thick walls which require no insulation. The cri sp, precise form s of the buildings and the solidity of the concrete itself are softened by hea vy sa ndbla sting to expose th e hand som e dark gra y-green aggregate. Walls are faced on th e exterior with Texas fossi I stone; the auditorium is also faced on th e insid e with fossil stone. Two different kinds of material s - sto ne and concrete, warm and cool - are draped around the buildings like a shaw l. Because these materials are not tota lly melded together, further ambiguity is created between interior and exterio r space. Brilliant green serpentine stone , bead -b lasted stainl ess steel, and sa ndblasted glass further contribute to the complex texture and se nsuality of the project

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The design of the institute is a complex exercise in which considerations of landscape, civi l engineering, architecture and art are integrated from broad concept to the finest detail. Dr. Edelman's office looks out onto a garden terrace which is designed for viewing A fence of ru sted reinforcement bars with a screen of black fountain gra ss keeps people from walking out onto the terrace. During most of th e year, the grass exceeds the height of the fence. When the grass is cut back in the spri ng, the ru sted steel becomes an analog, an expression of the loss of vitality.

Within a few months, the grass rea ppea rs.

59

A handrail becomes a 158 foot long drain; when it rain s, water pours down the ra il and shoots out the end. What appears to be a rock in the garden is actually a skyligh t to spaces below. In the laboratory area, there are small 'creases'; a conference room is planned within one and a small water gard en in another. Filling the plaza with the soothing so und and vision of water, this ga rden provides a quiet place for con templation and brin gs light into a long double-loaded corridor below w hich connects the laboratories to the ir back-up spaces.

An extended ramp and open staircases lead up to the offices of the theoretician s on the top floor of the building, providing a peripatos which enables scientists to go for long walks to di scuss work and talk through disagreeme nts. In the cour tyard at the base of the ramp are places to sit both under the sky and under cover. During one short moment during th e day, the she ltered seating is il luminated by sunlight washing down the adjacent wa ll.

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In the early stages of design , it appeared that these large scale facilities could fit within the restricted site only by building on the existing playing fields. To avoid such a radical and disruptive move , it initially seemed more sensible to locate th e new facilities away from the historic heart of the campus.

Having considered the problem in greater depth , it was concluded that the academic and athletic aspects of life at Cranbrook should remain integrated. Instead of building on the playing fields or at a distance, the fields are preserved and the new buildings are sited to strengthen connections with existing academic buildings on the campu s In a si m ilar way, the established system of footpaths is reinforced and extend ed

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The new multifunctional gymnasium is to be used for athletic contests, recreational purposes and for convocations . It must be capable of seating an audience of 1500 for all-school meetings, graduation and social events such as films. In order to minimize the impact of such a large footprint and volume, the three story structure is set within the ground In this arrangement, the building itself becomes a gateway to the original campus, and levels within the new building connect to existing levels. The large and expressive roof structure, which brings natural light to the volumes w ithin, remains below the heights of Saarinen's roofs but relates to them so as to reinforce the texture, scale and characte r at th is western edge of the campus.

Team rooms, offices and an equipment dispensa ry are wrapped around two existing structures to form an entry courtyard with a reflecting pool A bookstore has been added to further solidify connections between academic and athletic life. Parking and the road structure are reorganized to connect with Cranbrook's new entrance road. The parking area - an important place for social gathering after school or during athletic events - is sunken in order to both establish a sense of place and to remove automobiles from the visual foreground.

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Site Plan 1 eXisting Kepple gymnasium 2 existing Performing Arts Center 3 parking 4 inclined walk 5 plaza 6 reflecting pool 7 plaza level lobby 8 bookstore 9 gymnasium 10 office / training 11 exi sting lobby 12 locker rooms 13 future dance / aerobic room 14 natatorium locker rooms 15 swimming pool

The first stage, which is under construction at present, is the coeducational natatorium.

Water plays an important sensate role at Cranbrook. Within the community there are several lakes which have been enhanced by a number of water courses, some natural and others designed. With th is scheme, Saarinen's long east-west axis from Cranbrook House past Orpheus Fountain is terminated at its west end, not with a building, but with a new formal la wn embraced by a wa ll.

The wall leads to the new natatorium which is tucked into the woods.

66

The wall is part of an improved circulation system which threads through the Saarinen buildings, across a bridge, and up an inclined walk into the natatorium itself. Students will be able to come from the academic portion of the campus into the natatorium, and they will also be able to move through a new landscape which connects beneath a bridge to the lower playing fields. The building in the woods will be made of brick, both common and hand-glazed. Much like the Neurosciences Institute, these new buildings are not intended to be seen as obj ects but rather as discreet walls wh ich form exterior spaces in th e landscape The wa ll s becom e even more abstract at Cranbrook. vVithin, the pool is designed both for highly competitive swim meets and fo r recreational use. The conditioning of the building has been tho ught about as someth ing that can change depending on the seasons. The pool is enclosed, heated and temperature controlled in the winter, fall and spring when the weather is co ld. On a summer day, large doors open to the woods , breezes pass through, and swimming is out-of-doors

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These generous openings enable the building to be comfortable without being air-conditioned.

In the wintertime, the skylights are closed and opaque; the ceiling has cut out voids but no visible sky. Then, in order to completely change the experience, the roof is opened in summertime to suddenly reveal the sky

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The pool is conceptuali zed both as a physical world and as an intellectual and sensual world. Wh ile the pool itself has lane markers and a scoreboard for competiti ve swimming, it is more than merely a useful facility The sensual, the physical, and the intellectual are combined to make a richer experience. Students will be able to appreciate the rich mi xture of possibil ities which the scheme offe rs- a place for reflection , for socializing, and for academic exploration as well as for physical expression. In this way, the new athletic complex strengthens the principles established by Saarinen and Booth. Academic and athletic life, mind and body, develop in concert Art, architecture and landscape are critically and inexorably related. The past is integrated even as the campus looks to the future.

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NEUROSCIENCE INSTITUT CRANBROOK ATHLETIC

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Charles Eames was born in St. Louis, Missou ri in 1907 and, after studying architecture for two yea rs at Washington Uni versity and tra ve ling in Europe, returned to St. Louis in 1930 to open an architectural practi ce of his own. Seven years before, the famous Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen had arrived at the University of Michigan. While in Ann Arbor, Saarinen became acquainted wi th the Booth family who offered him design responsibilities for the new Cranbrook Academy of Art. After moving to Cranbrook, Saa rinen saw Eames' work published and, in 1938, offered him a Fellowship. Two years later, Charl es Eames became the Head of the Industrial Design Department.

Charles met Ray Kaiser at Cranbrook.

Five years younger than Charles, Ray was an accomplished artist and a founding member of the American Abstract Artists group who had studied painting with Han s Hofmann in New York prior to coming to Michigan. When Charles and Eero Saarinen were working on their 100 studies to initiate the designs for the Museum of Modern Art Organic Furniture Competition in 1940, Ray worked with them to develop the proposa ls that were subsequently awarded first prize in each of the two main categories.

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sole manufacturer of all Eames furniture in the United States. The collaboration led to the development of a series of plastic molded chairs immed iately after the war, the wire chairs , storage units, the aluminum group and a wide range of executive seatin g.

Alongside their designs for furniture, Charles and Ray Eames developed an office which promoted design in many ways. Through programs of design research, materials investiga tion and technological innovation, they worked in the fields of arc hitecture and interior design, exhibition and graphic design, product development and film making.

They encouraged collaborations across the disciplines and designed new ways of work ing that connected industry and design.

Charles Eames died shortly before the Roya l Gold Medal for Arc hitecture wa s awarded to the Office of Charles and Ray Eames in 1979.

The Medal was presented to Ray Eames in London by the President of the Royal Institute of British Architects on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen Ray died in 1988 - ten years to the day after Charles.

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In 1962 Hugh De Pree assumed the leadership of Herman Miller as President and Chief Executive Officer, with D.J. De Pree taking up the position of Chairman of the Board.

In 1968 the company introduced Action Office, the world's first panel system for office furniture, designed by Robert Propst and a team of designers. By the time DJ. De Pree died in 1990, the company had a series of manufacturing centers in America and abroad, a new Corporate Center in Zeeland, and the Design Yard in Holland, Michigan. Continuing to act as an inspired patron and working with designers from England, Germany and the USA, their design studies in work seating led to the introduction of ergonomic chairs in 1972 and the recyclable no-foam Aeron chair in 1994. Three years later, and with sales of $1.5 billion, Herman Miller was ranked

by Fortune Magazine as one of the top twenty-five most admired companies in the United States.

" Why does this factory concentrate on modern furniture? It is honest in design. Everything looks like what it is.

No camouflage as in period design.

Woods are used where wood is best and metal where there is structural advantage. The result of this approach is simple functional furniture."

DJ De Pree,

1947 Herman Miller Company Newsletter

With Tod Williams, she has been the recipient of several grants from the New York State Council of the Arts and th e Nati on al Endowment for the Arts which have funded collaborations with artists Jackie Ferrara, Mary Miss, Dan Graham and Elyn Zimmerman. She is on the Board of the Public Arts Fund, the Arch itectu ral League, and is a vice presid ent of the Mu nicipal Arts Society Th e work of the office has recei ved numerous AlA awards, the 1996 Bru nner Award fro m the American Academy of Arts and Lette rs, and the New York City AlA Firm Award in 1997.

The Michigan Architecture Papers MAP 5 Tod Williams Billie TSlen MAP 4 Thom pson and Rose Architects MAP 3 TEN Arquitectos MAP 2 Allies and MOfflson MAP I RoTQBook

The John Dinkeloo Memorial Lectures Studio Granda Dreams and Other Realities Rafael Viiioly The Making of PUbllL Space Richard Harden Light Architecture Patkau Architects InvesligatlOns Into the Partlcu:ar

The Raoul Wallenberg Lectures Richard Sennett The Spaces of Demorracy Michael Sorkin Traffic In Democracy Vincent Scully The kMecture of Community Daniel Llbesklnd Traces of the Unborn