LUIS BARRAGAN: CHAPEL OF THE CAPUCHINAS

LUIS BARRAGÁN: CAPILLA DE LAS CAPUCHINAS.
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"...the words beauty, inspiration, enchantment, magic, sorcery, charm and also serenity, silence, intimacy and amazement have disappeared at an alarming rate in publications devoted to architecture. All of them have found a loving welcome in my soul, and even if I am far from claiming to have made them complete justice in my work, they have never ceased to be my beacon. "

Luis Barragan, acceptance speech for the Pritzker Prize

My kind hosts, the Perez family, drove through the treed, pretty cobbled streets which, away from noise of the Mexican metropolis, form the Colonia Tlalpan.
"We're going to a chapel which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and where I made my First Communion," says the eldest child. Intrigued, I figured we'd go to one of the magnificent colonial churches that form the outstanding Mexican cultural heritage. I was very surprised when we stopped at a gate set in a modest wall that constituted a very simple and anonymous facade.

Behind this austere facade an architectural gem hidden inside. Photo courtesy of peaks.

To my surprise, after the wall I discovered the famous Chapel and Convent of the Capuchinas Sacramentarias, a masterpiece by the most renowned Mexican architect Luis Barragán . Barragán along with Oscar Niemeyer, is the only architect to have won the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in Latin America. In fact, when Jay A. Pritzker awarded the architect, he considered that Barragán had dedicated himself to architecture "as a sublime act of poetic imagination."

Details of the pool and the reflection of the lattice. Photo C. Zeballos

Deeply religious, the master filled his works with peacefulness and serenity, using a clearly Mexican formal vocabulary, the expressive tectonic nature of the materials, the sublime use of light and an elaborated yet simple treatment of space.
However, the production of Barragán is not very prolific, mainly because for a good period of his life the architect was very selective in accepting his commissions. However in 1953, he gladly accepted the project for the expansion of the cloister and the chapel of the Capuchin sisters.

"We wanted Barragán to do the project, but we had no money, so we went to his office and talked to him." tells us the sister who is guiding us. "He not only willingly agreed to do the project, but also to finance part of its construction."

Layout of the complex, courtesy of Pete Lackey

To carry out the work, which lasted 7 years to complete, the architect dedicated much enthusiasm and passion to define the many details that compose the building.

"We did not know what he was doing, but we trusted him completely, until one spring morning in April 24, 1960 the chapel was opened. To us, it looked amazing, beautiful, austere, almost without images, ahead of the Second Vatican Council " recalls the sister.

3D plant and the chapel, courtesy of Pete Lackey

Upon entering, we get to a small semi sunken courtyard, with white walls, in one of which a monumental cross is embedded.


As a counterpart, a serene pool, in whose waters white flowers float, gives human scale to the space. To the right, a yellow frame lattice accompanies a stairway leading to a secondary chapel that we will mention later. The simple but powerful detail and color of the yellow grid reflecting on the black-stone pond is simply overwhelming.


At the other end of the pool is the entrance to the chapel, which we accessed after a short climb up stone steps. A long single wooden bench seems to float perpendicularly to the wall, but is actually held by invisible metal brackets.

Details of the "floating" bench adjacent to the wooden wall. Note the austere character of the floor.

Once in the room, the nun opened the doors (one of which, curiously, revolves around 30 cm from its end) to let us note one detail: the use of a pink glass, rare at the time, that illuminates the environment with a special tone of light. On one side are the private areas of the convent, arranged on a long plot. Towards the other side, we entered the chapel.

3D representation of the interior lighting of the chapel, which illustrates the interplay of light and shade but does not reproduce the colors of the windows, walls and wood. Image courtesy of Pete Lackey

The light passing through a yellow glass located on the extreme of the choir floods the space turning it of a caramel-color and reveals an austere chapel with hardwood floors and with rough textured walls of vivid ocher tones. The altar is a sculptural work, the golden rectangles by Mathias Goeritz.


I am filled with deep sense of spirituality that conveys in this simple but warm space. Just the color of the wall causes the light to produce shades that suggest feelings of peacefulness and serenity.


To the side, a freestanding cross receives lateral illumination. The effect is dramatic, due to a triangular wedge that is embedded in space (see the plant layout).

Effect of lateral illumination of the cross. Pink hue changes according to time of day. Photos courtesy of the Barragan Foundation

"Tadao Ando was here" he says the sister proudly "and he was amazed by this effect of the light." Tadao Ando, Frank Gehry and Rem Koolhaas among other famous architects have been fascinated and influenced by the mastery of Barragán’s works.

To the right, separated by a white wooden lattice-shaped grid, is a side chapel that is often used by families of the nuns.

View of the side chapel. Photo courtesy of the Barragan Foundation

From above, a hidden slit bathes the ambient with generous, warm light, while discovering the enormous height of the walls, a triple height that gives monumentality to the chapel.

Quick Sketch showing the detail of the light slit on the side chapel.

Exquisite details featured in the small corridor adjacent to the chapel, such as a window whose yellow light is drawn on the wooden wall (the picture shown is taken from outside the window), the confessionary, furniture and doors, demonstrate the thoroughness that the Mexican master put in this work.

Detail of a wall, whose layout has been intentionally distorted. The illumination inside produces on a dramatic character.

The tour ends back in the small courtyard, in the hallway next to the pool, separated by the yellow lattice and with the bench that seems to be levitating.

Religion and Myth
How to understand art and the glory of history without religious spirituality and without the mythical background that leads to the very roots of the artistic phenomenon? Without any of those we would not have the Egyptian and our own Mexican pyramids, there would be no Gothic cathedrals or Greek temples or the amazement that the Renaissance and the Baroque left, not the ritual dances of the so-called primitive peoples and the inexhaustible treasure of popular artistic sensitivity of all nations on earth.

Luis Barragán

I would like thank the fine courtesy of architect Francisco Perez, his wife Carla and their children Erika, Diego and Ximena, without whose generous help my visit through Mexico and its architectural gems, and in particular building, would probably not have been more than an unaccomplished dream.

LE CORBUSIER: CURUTCHET HOUSE

Façade of Curutchet. House. Photo by C. Zeballos..

SPANISH VERSION

The Curutchet House is the only work of Le Corbusier built in Argentina and the Americas (although Le Corbusier designed projects in the U.S. and Chile ). More importantly, this house is a masterpiece of Corbusian architecture, a superb example of the so-called “machine á habiter”, where the experienced Swiss architect superbly solved its form, function, space and lighting, using the elements and paraphernalia which are typical of its prolific theoretical and practical architectural background.. The Curutchet House is open to the public due to its preservation by the Institute of Architects of the Province of Buenos Aires, an institution that uses the house as its headquarters.

SOMETHING ABOUT LA PLATA.

La Plata is a unique city in South America and one of the best examples of Hygienism of the late nineteenth century on the continent (in this blog were have reviewed other cases of Hygienism in South America: the Plaza de Armas and the Chili River in Arequipa, Peru) .
La Plata’s urban layout, based on a gridiron designed by Pedro Benoit in 1880, differs from a typical Latin American colonial checkerboard in its size, the inclusion of several diagonals that cross the urban space and several landscaped tree-lined paths, which in summer cover the streets like green tunnels and in autumn turn the sidewalks into colorful carpets. The beauty of its monumental axis and the imposing size of the Moreno Square dialogue with the stature of its neo-Gothic cathedral, made of brick and completed only in 1999.

View from the Plaza Moreno, showing the City Hall and the Cathedral. Photo by C. Zeballos .

The Curutchet House is located in a residential area of La Plata, in a lot across a small trapezoidal triangular green area, a prelude to a huge park called El Bosque (the Forest). This closeness to nature and the adjacent building volumetric proportions, influenced Le Corbusier, who would consider these aspects to integrate the house to its surroundings.

Location of the house facing the small park and close to El Bosque park
See location on Google Maps

Curutchet house across the street from El Bosque. Photo courtesy of Patricia Yarleque

LE CORBUSIER AND DR. CURUTCHET

The renowned Argentinian surgeon Pedro Domingo Curutchet wrote to Le Corbusier in 1948 requesting him to make a design for his new house. Curutchet never met Le Corbusier nor the latter visited the site, but the doctor kept a "close affinity” with the architect, whom he considered an innovative intellectual.

Sculpture inside the house. Photo courtesy of Patricia Yarleque

The program included an office, a house for the doctor, his wife and two daughters, a guest room and facilities.
For the construction of the house (1949-53) it was important to involve the renowned Argentinian architect Amancio Williams, who not only proposed changes to the draft of house (which Le Corbusier accepted) but also he was responsible for directing and executing the works. After the death of the doctor, the daughters gave their home in custody to the Colegio de Arquitectos de La Plata.

Le Corbusier with model of the Curutchet House. Photo courtesy of Patricia Yarleque

LAYOUT OF THE HOUSE

The building is organized around a central space that highlights the presence of a tree, which serves as a virtual boundary between public and private area of the house, differentiating two volumes that allow the function to be clearly distributed and the spaces to be organized under special characteristics.

The tree is integrated with the architecture and it also divides the public and private areas. Photo courtesy of Patricia Yarleque

First level

The visitor is welcomed by a small portico which, in addition to symbolically mark the entrance to the house, it provides a human scale suitable for the reception area. The interior space is separated from the street by a fine boundary defined by a thin fence. In addition to the pedestrian entrance there is also a vehicular access. The first floor is a forest of columns, which are organized in a grid layout, regardless of the location of the walls, allowing light to enter while giving a feeling of wide space. The services are locatedat the back of the house

In Argentina the first level is called Ground Floor. The first level is measured from the top to the ground floor. In this blog we have always called "first floor" to the street level, but differences can be found in the available literature.

First level. 3D image by C. Zeballos

Mezzanine

The ramp (which is independent from the stairs leading to residential area) leads to the mezzanine, which is the office. This is basically formed by a waiting area and consultation (the one that has better visuals). The area of internship, located in the back of the consultation, has independent toilets.

Mezzanine. 3D image by C. Zeballos

The ramp leads to the office. Photo courtesy of Patricia Yarleque

Second Floor

This is the social area of the house, from which you can access to a wide terrace running the entire width of the lot and from which magnificent views to the park can be enjoyed . To avoid too much solar incidence on the terrace, which would be unbearable in the summer, Le Corbusier suggested the use of a parasol and bris soleil, which, coupled with the tree, provide shade to the space.

Integrated into the terrace there are a double-height lounge and a dining room. The functionality of the kitchen, equipped with a service entrance, is unusual for the time in which it was designed.

"In the level of the house (...) the hall opens to the lounge (library to the right of the door, after the piano). The lounge opens to a double height room, to the north continues with the "patio" or "hanging garden" designed to create the most important part of the house, where one lays under the sun, the shade and the green. "LeCorbusier in a letter to Dr. Peter Curutchet on May 24, 1949. Vía EMOL

Second Floor. 3D image by C. Zeballos

Third Floor

Consists of two bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, the first for the doctor and his wife and the other one for their daughters. Opposite to the master bedroom there is a spatially integrated double-height studio. In the daughters bedroom it is possible to use a system of wooden blinds that controls the entry of light and brings privacy to the room.

Third Floor. 3D image by C. Zeballos

Detail of the wooden blinds in the bedroom. Photo courtesy of Patricia Yarleque

An analysis of the section allows to appreciate the rich visual and spatial relationships in the house, the way the space is modeled and the use of transparency in order to maximize the feeling of spaciousness in a small plot.

Schematic section. 3D image by C. Zeballos

THE FIVE ARCHITECTURAL PRINCIPLES.

Since the publication of his book Towards an architecture and his writings in L'Esprit Nouveau, Le Corbusier had proposed 5 key principles, characteristic of the new architecture, which were reflected in his most famous house, the Villa Savoye .The Curutchet House is also a good example to understand these five principles of Corbusian architecture.

a) The pilotis.

The house is arranged in a grid of columns, independent of the location of the walls, which raise the building from the ground, allowing the use of gardens and patios.

The pilotis allow light to enter inside while enhancing the feeling of space. Photo courtesy of Patricia Yarleque

b) The free plan

While freeing the walls from the structure, it eliminates the typical bearing walls of old houses, providing great flexibility in layout and interconnection of the spaces.

The structural layout is independent of the building's walls. Photo courtesy of Patricia Yarleque

c) Free Facade

Also a consequence of the independence of the structure, the façade becomes transparent as it is not composed of walls.

The facade becomes transparent. The bris soleil are also used as aesthetic elements. Photo courtesy of Patricia Yarleque

d) Ribbon windows.

The use of large windows and ventilation provides natural light to the space.

The ribbon window allows magnificent views and generous natural light. Photo courtesy of Patricia Yarleque

e) Terrace garden

Utilization of the terraces for domestic purposes, among which may include garden areas.

Use of the terrace as an extension of space. Photo courtesy of Patricia Yarleque

OTHER PRINCIPLES APPLIED IN THE HOUSE Corbusian

The Modulor

As mentioned in previous post , the modulor is a proportional system created by Le Corbusier, based on anthropometric measures and the golden ratio , because he believed that the proportion of the buildings was necessary to express beauty. The architect used this system to design the house elements, distances and the height of the ceiling (Williams had to ask special permission in the city of La Plata to build rooms with a height lower than the regulation).

Promenade Architecturale

The visual sequence along the route is always offering a new experience of space. At each step, we appreciate the harmonious succession of spaces and the fine use of the light. This spatial arrangement can be perceived, for example, in the course of the ramp, an element created primarily for the exaltation of the internal space. In the words of Dr. Claudio Conenna, "with these elements, Le Corbusier creates dynamic spatial situations, varied perceptions of visuals and perspectives, aside of a consistent transition of scale and lighting in the whole space, with the intention to move (both kinetic and emotionally) to the man who lives the building. "

Click here to see a video tour of the house.

Bris SoleilBris Soleil

"The arrangement of the pots of plants and shrubs and some small stones (east) will help to maintain the necessary green. "(Ibid)

Not only the front facade, but the internal one use bris soleil. Photo courtesy of 86 partner

Le Corbusier has had enormous influence on twentieth-century architectural practice. Notable disciples who worked with him are Oscar Niemeyer and Mario Botta , and his ideas have exerted significant influence on the work of Richard Meier and Tadao Ando . In fact, many aspects of the Corbusian vocabulary are still being used nowadays. He is a master of whom we continue learning today.

*Special thanks to Architect Patricia Yarleque

SEE ALSO:

- HOUSING.

• Fallingwater. Frank Lloyd Wright

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT: FALLINGWATER

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When I think about the conjunction of landscape, water and architecture, I definitely evoke Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, the house that he designed in 1935 for the merchant and philanthropist Edgar J. Kaufmann and his wife Liliane in Pennsylvania, USA. More than 70 years after it was built, Fallingwater is undoubtedly the best example of American architecture and continues to impress by its spatial composition, the innovative use of materials and especially by its perfect integration into the surrounding landscape. Fallingwater, the most famous private residence of the twentieth century, harmonizes with its natural environment by proposing a series of boxes that give the impression to levitate over the water. As stated by Franklin Toker in his fascinating Fallingwater Rising, "Visiting Fallingwater has little to do with architecture or engineering: the quality we perceive here is essentially spiritual."

Photo courtesy of Western Pennsylvania Conservatory (WPC)

The house, built between 1935 to 1937, world-renowned not only give back world fame to a nearly forgotten Wright (at that time he was 67 years old and he had had no major commission for about a decade), but at the same time it enabled the Jewish merchant EJ Kaufmann to earn respect from the biased and anti-Semitic society of Pittsburgh in the 30s. Edgar Kaufmann Jr. would also have an important role in promoting his father's working relationship with the architect, although its role has been questioned by researchers such as Toker. But what cannot be denied is his generosity, since it was due to Edgar Kaufmann Jr. that Fallingwater was able to keep intact its architecture, its furniture and upholstery (also designed by Wright specially for the home), its fine art collection and the natural environment that he managed to recover and protect. Thanks to him, the house is now open to the public.

EJ Kaufmann and Wright at the Taliesin (Photo courtesy of WPC)

The house is located over the Bear Run, a stream that in its short length describes a U-shape before joining the Youghiogheny River, in a wooded area near Ohiopyle, previously damaged by mining. After being acquired by the Kaufmanns, the area was ecologically recovered and scenically enhanced.

See location on Google Maps

Left down, Fallingwater. Above, Youghiogheny River (Photo courtesy of WPC Thomas Heinz)

Analyzing the site Wright noted that not one but two waterfalls cut through the stream in diagonal, in the direction of the flow. Consequently he placed the volumes by rotating the direction of the overhangs 90 degrees and therefore achieving a gradual terracing of the horizontal volumes, which appear to be floating freely, only supported by the rigid purity of the vertical box that holds them.


Nine months passed since the first time that Wright saw the site up to the moment in which the project was drawn on paper. During that time, at least three visits of Wright to the Bear Run have documented, in which the architect conceived the building in his head. Not one line was drawn at that time, as Wright would say "the building is conceived in the imagination, not on paper but in the mind... Let him live there, gradually taking definitive shape before committing to the drawing board . When that thing is alive in you, start to plan it with drawing tools. ... Not before. " So, nine months was Fallingwater in Wright's head, and then it was drawn in just 140 minutes. During those months, many factors had to converge in Wright’s mind to produce such a peculiar result: from his previous work at the Robie House until the very influence of European architects. From the smooth and earthy shape of San Ildefonso Pueblo that fascinated him, until the Japanese drawings of waterfalls collected during his trip to Japan.

View of the Ono falls, by Hokusai. Source F. Toker

FOUNDATIONS
Wright based his composition on the dynamic arrangement of horizontal and vertical volumes dynamically prepared. To achieve a sense of lightness he used cantilevered terraces, locating them over solid but hidden trapezoidal supports, embedded in the rock. Wright associated this structural concept to the way a waiter carries a tray on his fingers.

View of the foundations. Image by Carlos Zeballos

Image of the supports and the stairs to the Bear Run (Photo courtesy of WPC)

Then, reinforced concrete beams were placed over these supports, together with smaller transverse beams, arranged in a grid layout of about a meter wide and supporting the cantilever terrace. EJ Kaufmann was apparently suspicious of the efficiency of Wright’s structural calculation and he secretly ordered to increase the amount of steel in the structure; this caused the anger of the architect who berated his lack of confidence. However, Wright was wrong in his structural calculation. It was due to the extra steel that cantilevers did not collapse, even if in the 90s they already suffered a deflection of up to 20 cm. Post-tensioning works carried out in 2001 succeeded in stabilizing the structure, but they costed $ 11.5 million, about 100 times the original cost of the house.

Structural Grid. Image by Carlos Zeballos

FIRST LEVEL

The first thing that catches the attention of the house is its lack of a "great entrance", as it was customary at the homes of the time. By contrast, the front door is hidden at the back of the house. Upon entering, the low ceilings, the large windows and the lack of walls inside the hall lead the view to the landscape. The sound of the waterfall is ubiquitous, but it is invisible inside the house. The stone floor and the fireplace also covered in stone is fused with the rock on which construction is embedded. The interior design seems be a part of the house and the art collection, mostly composed of Asian and Latin American art, helps to give an air of mystery to the space.

First level (courtesy of WPC)

First level. Image by Carlos Zeballos

Interior of the living room (courtesy of WPC)

SECOND LEVEL

A large terrace extends in front of the Kaufmanns’ bedroom, visually integrated to the landscape. Something that caught my attention is that the toilet has also large windows to the outside, unlike the typical W.C. which is a closed cubicle. Nobody can deny that EJ had style even while going to the toilet... Unlike the W.C., the bathroom is located in an inner part. The dressing room is a more opaque volume, where Wright implemented a vertical window that runs through all three levels.

Second level (courtesy of WPC)

Second level. Image by Carlos Zeballos
Master bedroom. Photo courtesy R. Bean

THIRD LEVEL

Much smaller is the third level, which houses the room of Edgar Kaufmann Jr. These are basically a small space for the bed next to the terrace, also widely lit by windows (the windows have no frame in the corner, which gives a remarkable transparency and were an innovation at the time) and the study, where eventually Edgar moved because his "bedroom" was very small. There is also a connection between the two terraces, although it has probably been little used.

Third level (courtesy of WPC) Third level. Image by Carlos Zeballos
E. Kauffman Jr.’s bedroom. Photo courtesy R. Bean

GUEST HOUSE

After Fallingwater was finished, it became clear that the guest room on the second level would be insufficient for its frequent visitors, so Wright was commissioned to design a separated guest house, a little higher than the main house. Both are connected by a semicircular staircase whose ceiling (supported by metal tubes on just one side to strengthen its ethereal character) folds following the slope on the ground.

Access to the guesthouse. Photo courtesy R. Bean

The guest house retains the layout of the main house and it also enjoys magnificent views and a swimming pool.

Guest house (courtesy of WPC)

More than 2 million visitors have made the pilgrimage to Fallingwater in this hidden American forest. The famous actor and architecture aficionado Brad Pitt recently said: "I had a visual sense of the Fallingwater, but experience it in person, hearing the sound of the waterfall running under the house and the aroma of the wood in the fireplace, was better than anything I could have imagined .... ".Well, computers still cannot reproduce the smell of wood in the fireplace, but this movie made by people from Digital Urban, gives a very impressive approximation of the house and its surroundings.

The contextualism of the house with the landscape, using a modernist architectural language, the rich articulation of the interior surfaces in accordance with the dramatic exterior volumes, the subtle integration of its furniture and its valuable artistic heritage make Fallingwater the most outstanding piece of architecture in the United States, which influence continue today. As Toker wrote "There was never a house like Fallingwater. There will never be again."

Thank you so much Dr. Ernie and Sandra Manders for your kind hospitality!