form - · pdf fileocean views study porticos the form of the meeting place which was also...

form

Salk InstituteLouis I. Kahn

Andrew PunEVDA 621

October 18, 2011

Form characterizes a harmony of spaces good for a certain activity of man.

LOUIS KAHN 1960

Form is an integral theme in architectural theory because it defines the spirit of the architectural work itself.

Louis Kahn was guided by a set of principles which influenced his architectural philosophy and manifested into

his works. His concept of ‘Form’ was free yet concise and he expressed this understanding in the Salk Institute

for Biological Research located in La Jolla, California. In analyzing this case study, it is evident how Kahn began

to search for form through a series of design iterations and the social and cultural factors that influenced the

form of the project. Finally, I will add my own thoughts on form in relation to Salk Institute.

Salk Institute is situated on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Since no formal programme was given, the

programme evolved throughout the course of the project. Kahn included three main programmatic functions

in his first scheme: housing, laboratories, and a common Meeting Place (Fig. 1).1 In Louis I. Kahn: Building Art,

Building Science Thomas Leslie notes that this scheme was almost “immediately abandoned after its presen-

tation to the city, and Kahn even apologized to Salk for its too rapid conception and lack of sensitivity towards

the site”.2 After establishing a general site layout, Kahn shifted his focus to the form of the building itself. In a

second iteration, he turned the vertical laboratories into four rectilinear two-story blocks. James Steele suggests

in Architectural in Detail: Salk Institute, while this approach began to respond to the expansiveness of the area

available to him, problems with access to pipe work led Kahn to think of another solution.3 In the final scheme,

Kahn revised the number of laboratories, reducing the four blocks to two. He also increased the number of

stories to three, but placed one storey below grade to give neighbouring developments clear views. Each block

contained five ‘porticos of studies’ with a 45˚ wall looking out to the Pacific Ocean (See figure 2).4 Through

meticulous design process, Kahn carefully considered the notion of ‘Form’ in relation to the site and for the

laboratories.

Scheme 1

Figure 1: Schematic Development of Site PlanFigure 1: Schematic Development of Site Plan

Scheme 2 Scheme 3 As- Built

Meeting Place

Laboratories

Housing

Main Circulation

ocean viewsStudy Porticos

The form of the Meeting place which was also carefully considered, changed significantly in all three schemes.

In the first proposal, the meeting place was configured as a rectilinear group, around closed courts and con-

nected by an ambulatory.5 In the second iteration, Kahn look towards Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli and grouped the

spaces around a covered hall which acted as the ambulatory. He also began conceiving interstitial spaces

between inner and outer surfaces and how to separate them.6 The final proposal shows the Meeting place as

“a balance between the rational and the organic in which each element occupies its appropriate place in a

thoughtful composition”.7 This suggests for Kahn, the search for form not only encompassed the site, or an

individual building, but in between the relationship of buildings.

Scheme 1 Scheme 2 Scheme 3

1

2

3

Figure 2: Development of ‘Form’ for LaboratoriesFigure 2: Development of ‘Form’ for Laboratories

Figure 3: Relationship of Buildings for ‘Meeting Place’Figure 3: Relationship of Buildings for ‘Meeting Place’

Kahn struggled in finding a form for what is now one of the most iconic spaces of the Salk institute –the central

court. In fact, early sketches reveal Kahn had envisioned the court to include some kind of natural vegetation,

but Steele notes, after collaborating with engineer and self-trained architect Luis Barragan, Kahn was advised

against the idea.8 The addition of trees would hinder the purity of Kahn’s idea which was to “unite the surface

of the façade to the sky as if everything had been hollowed out”.9 Indeed, had Kahn fulfilled the initial garden

concept, the same effect experienced today would have been lost.

Several social and cultural forces also influenced the form of Salk Institute. One major event that helped Kahn

gain the commission for the project was his speech entitled ‘Order for Science and Art’ related to the Richards

Medical Research Building at the University of Pennsylvania. Here Kahn spoke of form as “…a harmony of

spaces good for a certain activity of man” and making the ‘immeasurable measurable’.10 This sentiment aligned

with Salk’s own values who envisioned a space where even Picasso could come to visit and believed

“medical research does not belong entirely to medicine or the physical sciences. It belongs to Population”.11

Through a synthesis of these two ideas Kahn was able to devise a form that would test the limits of his

philosophies because his client shared similar values.

Figure 4: Iterations of ‘Form’ in Central CourtFigure 4: Iterations of ‘Form’ in Central Court Early Sketch by Louis. KahnEarly Sketch by Louis. Kahn

Another challenge of form based on social and cultural influences relate to problems with financial funding.

By 1965, the project had reached $14 million and the master-plan had not been fully realized. Today, only the

laboratories have been constructed. Steele proposes: “[w]hile the residential portion of the complex may argu-

ably have been omitted without serious damage to the form idea, the loss of the Meeting Place has seriously

compromised it, to the great detriment of the institution…”12 Steele explains that the Meeting Place represented

the antithesis of the laboratories and was an irreplaceable component to the project.13 Although the absence of

the Meeting Place may have compromised the project, In hindsight, it has served a higher purpose within the

history of architectural theory. The relevancy of ‘Form’ or lack of is constantly in contention in architectural

theory.

In examining the idea of ‘form’ in relation to the Salk Institute, it becomes clear how several determinates oper-

ated at various levels to reveal what the form should be. In an essay entitled Form and Design, Kahn writes that

‘Form’ is what, and ‘Design’ is how.14 What the site demanded was a form that could mediate between the sky

and Pacific Ocean and unify the expansiveness of the bluff. Kahn found this form at the macro scale, but also

explored the notion of form at many other levels; from grouping of buildings, to the individual building itself,

and finally to interstitial spaces around the central courtyard. At each level, there is a consistency and logical

thought process that can be followed in the quest for ‘form’ from one iteration to the next.

Kahn also wrote that “Design is a circumstantial act…form has nothing to do with circumstantial conditions”15,

however, there were several social, cultural, and economic factors of the time that influenced the form of the

Salk project. The lessons learned at the Richards Medical Centre allowed Kahn to make that essential depar-

ture from the first iteration to the second. Leslie also proposes for Kahn, form was another expression of type.16

Kahn was also very fortunate in having Salk share a similar vision with him. Without his commitment and trust,

he would never have been able to develop a form that embodied his architectural philosophy completely. The

absence of the living and communal aspects at Salk also raise important questions about the form of the proj-

ect itself: what would the project be like if it had been fully realized? And would we have the same discussion if

the master plan had been completed? Although we can only speculate, it serves as an important topic on the

synthesis of ‘Form’ and relevance in architectural theory today.

Political Factors

Cultural FactorsHistorical Factors

Social Factors

Figure 5: Social and Cultural Factors for Salk InstituteFigure 5: Social and Cultural Factors for Salk Institute

works cited

1. Steele, J. (1993). Architecture in Detail: Salk Institute. London, UK: Phaidon Press Limited. (p. 1)

2. Leslie, T. (2005). Louis I. Kahn: Building Art, Building Science. New York: George Braziller Inc. (p. 135)


4. Ibid.

5. Ibid.

6. Ibid.

7. Ibid.

8. Ibid.

9. Ibid.

10. Bell, N. a. (2005). Louis I. Kahn. New York: Phaidon Press Limited.


12. Ibid.

13. Ibid.


15. Ibid.

16. Leslie, T. (2005). Louis I. Kahn: Building Art, Building Science. New York: George Braziller Inc.

bod

ySalk InstituteLouis I. Kahn

Andrew PunEVDA 621

November 1, 2011

I believe that consciousness is in all life.

LOUIS KAHN 1969

The human body and architecture have always shared an intimate relationship with one another and this notion

is completely embodied in the Salk Institute. Dr. Salk was guided by the belief that “medical research does not

belong entirely to medicine or the physical sciences. It belongs to population” (Steele, 1). And what he meant

was anyone with a mind, with or without a scientific background, could discover new frontiers in biomedical

research. Grounded in this belief, Kahn was able to translate the theme of body into architecture at varying

degrees. These include the building as body, the building for bodies, and the type of bodies the building pro-

duces.

Perhaps the most direct connection between the body and architecture relates to Dr. Jonas Salk and nature

of his work itself. In 1955 Dr. Salk discovered a vaccine against polio and after successful tests he became an

instant public figure. This in turn helped him establish the Salk Institute as a place where young scientists could

focus on their careers and medical research.

However, the Salk project can also be considered as a body itself. In Vidler’s essay “The Building in Pain”, he

illustrates how architecture was understood as a projection of the body, especially in the Classical and Re-

naissance era. Vidler draws on Renaissance theorists like Francesco di Giorgio who writes: “the organs are

arranged in and around the body as a function of its needs and necessities; one should do likewise in cities

(Vidler, 4). This is also suggested by Steele who notes, “…if the laboratories may be referred to as the lungs of

the Salk Institute, the Meeting Place was to be its brains…” (Steele, 16). This analogy helps our understanding

of the organization of the Salk Institute. Like a brain that needs oxygen to operate, the Meeting Place was situ-

ated closest to the Pacific Ocean because it needed the ocean to draw inspiration from. The function of lungs

is to manage the flow of oxygen, and similarly in the laboratories this inspiration is processed into new medical

discoveries.

thinking

Pacific Ocean

Figure 1.0 Diagram showing the building as body and related functions

Oxygen

inspiration

originality

working

air exchange

carbon dioxide removal

processingrespitory system

exhaling

breathingair cycling

air managementflow

brilliance

ideas

discussion

brainstorming

intellectualizing

innovating

scholars

creating

new

collaborationanalyzing

knowledgeMeeting Place

Laboratories

Facial symmetry also has associations with physical attractiveness, beauty, and health. The formal configura-

tion of the laboratories shows a very symmetrical organization along the central axis in plan. One can speculate

that after several iterations to find a form for the laboratories one factor which helped Kahn establish the sym-

metry was the associative bodily qualities.

The Salk Institute may also be regarded as a building for bodies. In “The Medical Body in Modern Architecture,”

Comina writes: “Not only did modern architecture emphasize health and exercise...their architecture was under-

stood this way” (Comina, 1). While no formal program was given, Kahn envisioned the Salk Institute as a place

where researchers and scholars could live, work, and play, that is, a place where all functional and needs of the

body were cared for. The emphasis of health and exercise is supported by Steele who writes: “the far-sighted

theme of health as a unitary or holistic process is constantly stressed [in the Salk Institute], as is the study of

both the body and mind of ‘total person’ (Steele, 1). The initial concept that the Salk project would extend be-

yond a medical research centre lends itself to what Steele notes as the study of a totality of values integral to a

vision of total health (1). n of total health (1).

elf to what Steele notes as the study of a totality of values integral

SALK INSTITUTE

A PLACE TO WORKA PLACE TO LIVEHEALTHY MINDS

HEALTHY BODIES

HEALTHY SOULS

A PLACE OF PLAY

TOTAL HEALTH

RESEARCHLABORATORIES

MIND

BODY MINDLIVING PLACE

MEETING PLACE

Figure 2.0 Comparison between facial symmetry and plan Figure 3.0 Venn diagrams of the relationship between health and architecture

Comina also writes: “even more significant is the impact of medical thought on domestic architecture, the con-

stant preoccupation with ventilation, sunlight, hygiene, and white walls” (Comina, 1). Although this project is not

domestic architecture, the same principles apply. In Kahn’s essay “Form and Design” he describes the labora-

tories as “the architecture of air cleanliness and area adjustability” (Kahn, 470). Kahn was very interested in the

management of air. Since the nature of research work was ongoing throughout the day, Kahn had to devise a

heating ventilation and air conditioning system that would remain in operation constantly. Leslie notes the air

strategy was to make the air to breathe be away from the air to throw away (243). Kahn employed two strate-

gies to handle air which included a ‘dual duct system’ in the north building and a ‘reheat system’ in the South.

Proper air circulation of air and comparable to the human body’s circulation of blood. The implementation of

two strategies employed for air quality management highlight Kahn intentions to make a building functional to

the bodies that inhabit it.

North Building Dual Duct System

South Building Reheat System

Figure 4.0 Comparison between air ventilation system and blod circulation

Through the configuration of spaces, Kahn was also thoughtful about the human psyche and type of bodies

the building could produce. For example, Kahn deliberately separated the porticoes of studies by bridges to

maintain a sufficient physical and psychological distancing between private and collaborative thought (Steele,

4). The choice in materiality is also expressive of how the body should function. Kahn used teak wood in the pri-

vate studies, a symbol of reflection and growth, and concrete in the laboratories symbolic of work and produc-

ing results. Steele notes that both Kahn and Salk were involved in the colour and quality control of concrete and

that Kahn even researched the components used in Roman pozzolana in order to achieve a similar reddish hue

(Steele, 9). This attention to coloration in the walls speaks to Kahn’s attention to the human psyche and overall

concept of the building as a humanistic approach to medical research. It becomes clear that Kahn wanted the

building to produce ‘total bodies’ that were well nourished and cared for both physically and psychologically.

The human body has played a significant role in architectural form as a metaphor and physical presence. In the

Salk Institute, the importance of the theme of body was strongly felt from the onset of the project. This enabled

Kahn to see the building as a body in terms of organs and symmetrical configurations, the building for bodies

through ventilation and air quality control, and a place that promoted total health. Finally, the attention to the

human psyche by materiality changes and color hues show how Kahn thought the building could inform the

bodies it produced.

Passion

Creativity

Intellect

Safety

Stability

Wisdom

Figure 5.0 Color wheel and psychological associations and coloration of concrete

works cited

1. Steele, J. (1993). Architecture in Detail: Salk Institute. London, UK: Phaidon Press Limited.

2. Leslie, T. (2005). Louis I. Kahn: Building Art, Building Science. New York: George Braziller Inc.

3. Bell, N. A. (2005). Louis I. Kahn. New York: Phaidon Press Limited.

4. Colomina, B. (1997). “The Medical Body in Modern Architecture,” in Anybody. MIT Press

5. Vidler, Anthony. The Building in Pain: The Body and Architecture in Post-Modern Culture. AA Files 19.

6. Freud, S. “Creative Writers and Daydreaming” in P. Gay ed., The Freud Reader. W.W. Norton & Co.

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Andrew PunEVDA 621

October 18, 2011

...the assumption is of order as a rigorous delineation and within that the building as object. So the external boundary is set, and by grid and sub-grid a method of exact subdivisions begins...

Cecil Balmond in New Structure and the Informal"

“

After reading this article, I wanted to explore the Kahn’s technique of Order at the Salk Institute in plan view. I began with a regular grid 6.0 x 6.0 m grid and then began transforming it based on a hierarchy of spaces and Kahn’s notion of served and service spaces. The intention was to see whether or not an overall sense of Order could still be achieved based on an irregular grid system.

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Architecture is an art because it is in-terested not only in the original need for shelter but also in putting together, spaces and materials, in a meaningful manner. This occurs through formal and actual joints. The joint, that is the fertile detail, is the place where both the construction and the construing of architecture takes place...

The Tell-the-Tale Detail by Frascari in Kenneth Frampton’s

The Case for the Tectonic

"

“

Kahn was especially interested in the joint and paid careful attention in the details to reiterate broader concepts and ideas of his works. Steele notes that rather than trying to conceal the joint, Kahn chose to accentuate and that the holes left by the form ties were not patched so the spacing was care-fully considered. The intention of these diagrams is to see what the building may have looked like if the treatment of the form-ties and spacing wereconsidered differently.

no form-ties

spacing for 9 form ties

spacing for 5 form ties

This diagram illustrates how the building may have been constructed (based on a detail drawing found in The Details of Modern Architecture by Ford) As suggested by Tafuri, much of the modernism move-ment began exploring mass assembly and a “kit of parts” approach towards architecture. After doing this exercise, it is evident that Kahn was unlike most architects of his time and thought of buildings differently through methods of construction.

Formwork Materials List

• 3/4” x 3/4” tapered wood strip inserted at joint between pours

• two 2x6 beams to counteract pressure of wet concrete

• screw type form ties• 3/4” plywood formwork• 4x4 structural wood support

...the single building is no longer an “object” now. It is only the place in which the individual cells, through elementary assembly, assume physical form...

M. TafuriTowards a Critique of Architectural Ideology

"

“

How was the Salk Institute understood in the past and how is it un-derstood today? Various forms of media have given meaning to the building. The purpose of this diagram is to see what types of media and methods of communication have influenced our undertstanding of the building, and what methods of communication continue to give meaning to the building today.

Rapidly, we approach the final phase of the extensions of man – the tech-nological simulation of conscious-ness, when the creative process of knowing will be collectively and cor-porately extended to the whole of hu-man society, much as we have already extended our senses and our nerves by the various media.

M. MacLuhan Understandsing Media"

“

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works cited


2. Cecil Balmond, “New Structure and the Informal”, in Pierluigi Nicolin, ed. Lotus International 98, 1998,

pp. 70-83

3. Kenneth Frampton, “Rappel a L’ordre, the Case for the Tectonic”, in Kate Nesbitt, ed. Theorizing a

New Agenda for Architecture, 1996.

4. M. Tafuri, “Toward a Critique of Architectural Ideology, in K.M. Hays, ed., Architecture and Theory

since 1968, MIT Press, 2000.

5. Marshall McLuhan, “Understanding Media”, in E. McLuhan and F. Zingrone, eds., Essential McLu-

han, Anansi, 1995.

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Andrew PunEVDA 621

December 05 2011

I sense Light as the giver of all presences, and material as spent Light. What is made by Light casts a shadow, and the shadow belongs to Light.

Louis Kahn, Architecture: Silence and Light (1969)

The purpose of the diagram on the following page was to explore the daylight effects and spatial qualities of the central courtyard at various times of the day. The mass model was geo-located in La Jolla, CA for accuracy. What I learned in doing this exercise was that in the mid afternoon, the courtyard experiences more shade than I previously thought and the most tranquil experience occurs at the end of work day, around 5:00 pm.

"“

6:00 am 8:00 am 10:00 am

12:00 pm 2:00 pm 3:00 pm

4:00 pm 5:00 pm 6:00 pm

Materiality becomes important in understanding a character of the space. The intent of this diagram was to see how Kahn’s use of natural materials with concrete and wood informed the organization and formal logic of the space through a sectional perspective drawing. The notion of served and service space, public and private is clearly expressed through the proportions and consideration of different materials.

The materials are there to signal the passage of time and a bonding with place, with the authenticity of living.

Abalos, Heidegger in his refuge: the existensalist housey gy g

Title:Senior ResearcherActivites: Supervise lab experiments, lead teamsSpatial Requirements: Study Portico, Lab, Offices

Title:Int.ResearcherActivites:Carry out experi-ments, report to senior researchersSpatial Requirements: Lab, Offices

Title:Student ResearcherActivites:Assisting lab researchers, carrying out experimentsSpatial Requirements: Lab

Title:VisitingResearcherActivites:Offer critique of experiments, new insight, lab experimentsSpatial Requirements: Lab user

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The relationship between the space of flows and the space of places, between simultaneous globalization and localization are not predetermined in their outcome -Manuel Castells

The intent of this diagram is to represent the number and groups of people that would inhabit the build-ing by doing a sample character profile of one person from each of the group. Next, I wanted to show the flows of people and exchanges of information in the use of the institution in plan and section. The learning outcome for this diagram was Kahn’s deliberate use of the open plan allowed for maximum flexibility and constant flow of communications and ideas. This formal move allowed for non-predetermined outcomes to occur, an important concept for medical research.

works cited


2. M. Casterlls, “The Space of Flows,” in The Rise of the Network Society, John Wiley and Sons, 2009,

pp. 376-378 &410-428.

3. M. Heideggar, “Building, Dwelling, Thinking,” in D.F. Krell, ed., Martin Heidegger Basic Writings,

Harper, 1993, pp. 344-363.

4. I. Abalos, “Heidegger in his refuge: the existentialist house,” in The Good Life, Editorial Gustavo Gili,

2001, pp. 37-59.

5. Tom McDonough, “Situationist Space”, in T. McDonough, ed., Guy Debord and the Situationist Inter-

national, 2004, pp. 241-265.


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