eero saarinen 1

8/6/2019 eero saarinen 1

1/12


2/12

90

C 2329 HISTORY OF MODERN ARCHITECTURE ( SEJARAH SENIBINA MODEN) 2009

The auditorium is defined by an elegant thin-shell structure,

one-eighth of a sphere rising to a height of 50 feet, and sliced

away by sheer glass walls so that it comes to earth on only three

points. Thin shelled concrete technology was innovative for the

times. The dome weighs only 1200 tons and is clad with copper.

Sitting on a circular brick platform, the dome contains a concert

hall (with seating for 1226 people), with a lower level that

houses a small theater (seating 204), two rehearsal rooms,

dressing rooms, offices, bathrooms, and lounges. The concert

hall also contains a Holtkamp organ. The opening ceremony in

1955, that featured the organ, included a pice of music that was

commissioned for the event, Aaron Copland's "Canticle of

Freedom."

Every seat in concert hall has an unobstructed view since there

are no interior supports for the overarching dome. Working with

renowned acoustical architects Bolt, Beranek and Newman,

Saarinen employed free-hanging acoustic "clouds" that absorb

and direct sound, instead of a traditional plaster ceiling. These

clouds also contained lights, loudspeakers, and ventilation.

While standing on either side of the entry lobby, one can

distinctly hear people on the other side speaking in as low avoice as a whisper.

Kresge Auditorium


3/12

91


TWA Flight Center

The TWA Flight Center Building - thin-shell structure by Eero

Saarinen

JetBlue Flight Center formerly TWA Flight Center was the

original name for the Eero Saarinen designed Terminal 5 at Idle

wild Airport later called John F. Kennedy International

Airport forTrans World Airlines. The terminal had a

futuristic air; The interior had wide glass windows that opened

onto parked TWA jets; departing passengers would walk to

planes through round, red-carpeted tubes. It was a far differentstructure and form than Saarinen's design for the current main

terminal ofWashington Dulles International Airport, which

utilized mobile lounges to take passengers to airplanes.

Design of the terminal was awarded to Detroit-based Eero

Saarinen and Associates. It was completed in 1962 and is the

airport's most famous landmark (as well as being a National

Historic Landmark). Gates in the terminal were close to the

street and this made it difficult to create centralized ticketing

and security checkpoints. This building was the first airline

terminal to have closed circuit television, a central p/a system,

baggage carousels, an electronic schedule board and precursors

to the now ubiquitous baggage weigh-in scales. JFK was rare in

the airport industry for having company owned and designed

terminals; other airline terminals were built by Eastern Airlines

and American Airlines. Individually branded terminals included

the Worldport ofPan American World Airways and the

Syndrome ofNational Airlines.

Following American Airlines' buyout of TWA in 2001,

Terminal 5 went out of service. The Port Authority of New

York and New Jersey had proposed converting the main portion

of the building into a restaurant and conference center, but some

architectural critics opposed this move.

In December 2005, JetBlue, which occupies the adjacent

Terminal 6, began construction of an expanded terminal facility,

which will utilize the front portion of Saarinen's Terminal 5 as

an entry point. The peripheral air-side parts of Terminal 5 have

been demolished to make space for a mostly new terminal,

which will have 26 gates and is expected to be complete by2008. The building is under restoration and expansion by

JetBlue.


4/12

92


The flowing, curvilinear forms which define this airport terminal align

this work with expressionist architecture. The forms symbolically

suggest flight. Interior spaces are also open and flowing.

Reinforced concrete makes these wing-like "sails" possible.

The TWA terminal at John F. Kennedy Airport was designed to

express movement and transition. Its designer, architect Eero

Saarinen aimed at creating dynamic space, a dramatic

environment with associations to the excitement of travel.

The structure consists of four interacting vaulted domes

supported on four Y-shaped columns. Together, the domes form

a vast, umbrella-like shell curving over the passenger areas, fifty

feet high and 315 feet long. In spite of being made of concrete,

the construction gives a sense of lightness and airiness. This

results from the consistent use of upward-soaring curves in the

vaults and columns and also from the bands of skylights at the

junctures of the vaults. Seen from a distance, the curves of the

vault structure take the shape of a bird extending its wings.

The building and all its spaces and elements, make up a total

environment where every detail belongs to the same family of

forms, consistently repeated in passenger counters, information

boards, railings etc. It is one instance of Saarinen's idea of the

necessity of extending architecture to the total of physical

Views of the entrance


5/12

93


surroundings and to design every object taking into account the

way it relates to its neighboring objects, small and large.


6/12

94


TheMIT

Chapel(dedicated1955) is a non-

denominational chapel

designed by noted architect

Eero Saarinen. It is located

on the campus of the

Massachusetts Institute of

Technology, next to Kresge

Auditorium and Kresge

Oval, which Saarinen also

designed, in Cambridge,

Massachusetts. Though a

small building, it is often

noted as a successful

example ofmid-Century

modern architecture in the US. Saarinen also designed the

landscaping surrounding all three.

Leland M. Roth included the building in his History of

American Architecture, using it to illustrate the contrast betweenSaarinen's approach and that ofMies (who designed a chapel for

IIT). Roth said that "through the sheer manipulation of light and

the its focus on a blazingly white marble altar block, Saarinen

created a place of mystic quiet."

From the outside the chapel is a simple, windowless brick

cylinder set inside a very shallow concrete moat. It is 50 feet in

diameter and 30 feet high, and topped by an aluminum spire.The brick is supported by a series of low arches. Saarinen chose

bricks that were rough and imperfect to create a textured effect.

The whole is set in two groves of birch trees, with a long wall to

the east, all designed by Saarinen. The wall and trees provides a

uniform background for the Chapel, and isolates the site from

the noise and bustle of adjacent buildings.


7/12

95


Within is a remarkably intimate space, stunning in its immediate

visual impact. Windowless interior walls are undulating brick.

Like a cascade of light, a full-height metal sculpture by HarryBertoia glitters from the circular skylight down to a small,

unadorned marble altar. Natural light filters upward from

shallow slits in the walls catching reflected light from the moat;

this dim ambient light is complemented by artificial

lighting.The chapel's curving spire and bell tower was designed

by the sculptorTheodore Roszakand was added in 1956.

The chapel has an excellent organ that was custom-designed for

the space by Walter Holtkamp of the Holtkamp Organ

Company, located in Cleveland, Ohio. Holtkamp was

instrumental in the 1950s, in the revival of the classic school of

organ-building.

Dulles International Airport

Terminal

Chantilly,

Virginia. USA

Eero

Saarinen &Associates,

architects

History

The Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Virginia, is

considered as one of Eero Saarinen's most expressive edifices.

Built in the 1960's, the Dulles Airport is unique in that it was

planned for the jet airplane from the start. Extensive research d

etermined its compact layout and circulation. One interesting

innovation is the mobile lounge, one that brings the passenger to

the plane rather than vice versa; an attempt to cut down on the

extensive cost of taxiing the planes. The concept of the mobile

lounge made it possible for the terminal to be a single, compact

building. Saarinen decided that the terminal should have a

monumental scale (not to mention form) in the landscape and in

the vastness of the airfield.


8/12


9/12

97


left out because they were non-structural, as was the glass. We

also noticed that the columns flange out on the surface to give

the effect of lateral support, but this does not follow through inthe footing. This lead us to believe that the lateral support must

be taken up in the rigidity of the roof.

Structural Description/Aspects

The suspended roof structure is made

up of lightweight suspension bridgecables in between which are placed

concrete roof tiles. The cables are

suspended on each end by massive

reinforced concrete piers. These piers

slant outward to resist the tension i n

the cable, thus giving the roof it's

catenaries shape. A distributed load

that finds itself atop this structure is

transferred horizontally to the piers.

The shallow roof curve means that

the horizontal force is greater than the vertical force at the pier

connections. Therefore, the piers lean out to counteract this

horizontal force. The vertical component is then transferred

down the pier, staying within the middle third of the section.

The pier gets progressively wider at the base to incorporate this

line of action, as well as to resist the greatest moment force on

the structure. These piers can be seen as cantilevers jutting out

vertically into space, their profiles decrease the further out they

span.

At the ground, the load is then dispersed out into the soil viamassive foundations. These splay outward similar to the roots of

trees to resist the moment force implied by the load at this base

point. Curiously, the foundations do not take on the same profile

as the splaying columns, this might indicate the lateral load

implied by the columns is taken up possibly in the roof. The

long axis of the piers are in line with the horizontal force, this

orientation maximizes the pier's resistance to any bending force

that might be acting on it. This system of cantilevers and

catenaries leaves the inside space free of columns or any other

forms of barriers. A space that can change with the expansion of

the airport. Our hypotheses about how the reinforced concrete

piers function are, as well as being a esthetic, adds weight and

helps to maintain the force vector within the middle third of the

pier.


10/12

98


The low profile of the Dulles airport helps to resist any lateral

loading as well as the leaning piers that support the roof. A

lateral wind force acting onthe structure will be directed

downward through the piers

since the windows are at the

same angle as the supports.

The wind load will be broken

up into a horizontal

component that is

counteracted by the force of

the leaning piers, and the

remaining vertical component will be directed to the ground. A

lateral load acting perpendicular to the strong axis of the

columns will be resisted in part by their large foundations, but

also by the concrete panels of the roof. This is apparent by the

pseudo splaying of the columns. The panels together form a

massive horizontal plane that resists any lateral force.

The North Christian Church

The North Christian Church is a church in Columbus,

Indiana. Founded in 1955, it is part of the Christian Church

(Disciples of Christ). The church building of1964 was designed

by Finnish architect Eero Saarinen (19101961) and completed

in 1964. The church was the last building designed by Saarinen

before his death. Saarinen's father, Eliel Saarinen had designed

the First Christian Church in Columbus.

The building is hexagonal in shape, with a central spire which is

192 feet (59 m) high. Below the spire, there is an oculus that

admits light into the main level. The sanctuary is located at the

center of the building, with the altar located in the center of the

sanctuary. Rows of pews surround the altar in a circle pattern,

reflecting the idea that worship should be a "central" aspect of

the life of the congregation. The lower level contains

classrooms, an auditorium, a kitchen and an act ivities area.


11/12

99


About Deere & Company

World Headquarters

The Deere & Company World Headquarters is located on 1,400

acres of beautifully kept land and is home to a variety of

wildlife including white tail deer, ducks, geese and swans.

The display floor of the World Headquarters is open to visitors

365 days a year, from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Visitors can look at

displays of antique John Deere equipment, and get up close and

personal with a variety of the company's new equipment

offerings. They'll also find a selection of product literature.

The display floor also features a three-dimensional mural by

Alexander Girard. The mural contains 2200 authentic pieces of

memorabilia dating from 1837-1918, spanning the company's

first 75 years of operation.

The Deere & Company World Headquarters is located at One

John Deere Place in Moline, Illinois, just off IL-5/John Deere

Road. It's approximately 3.5 miles east of the intersection of I-74 and IL-5.

History of

Deere & Company's World

Headquarters

In the mid-1950s, William Hewitt, then President ofDeere & Company, was under pressure to move his company's

headquarters from Moline, Ill., to New York or San Francisco.

Hewitt resisted the idea, but agreed that if the firm were to

remain in Moline, it needed a distinctive new building for its

head office.


12/12

100


In 1956, Hewitt selected Eero Saarinen to design this new

headquarters, a choice Hewitt made after careful consideration.

Hewitt first visited two buildings that Saarinen had designed,the new auditorium at the Massachusetts Institute of

Technology and the General Motors Technical Center near

Detroit, Michigan, before settling on the architect to design his

company's new building.

Hewitt emphasized that, while he wanted a headquarters that

was unique, it must reflect the character of the company and itsemployees. "The several buildings should be thoroughly modern

in concept but should not give the effect of being especially

sophisticated or glossy. Instead, they should be more 'down to

earth' and rugged," he wrote.

What Saarinen designed was a complex of three buildings. The

main office building, which is seven stories high, rises from the

floor of a wooded ravine and faces two ponds. A glass-enclosed

bridge connects the main building to a product-display building

and a 400-seat auditorium.

Saarinen satisfied Hewitt's instruction that the buildings look

down to earth by using Cor-ten steel for the exterior structure of

the building. Cor-ten, a material that resists corrosion by

forming a protective coating of iron oxide, develops an earthy

color as it ages, much like newly plowed soil. Developed for

railroad track construction and other uses, this marked the first

use of Cor-ten in an architectural application.

Tragically, Saarinen never saw his vision become a reality. He

died in 1961, just four days after the contracts for the new

building were signed. Kevin Roche, one of his associates,completed the project.

The new building, which initially housed about 900 employees,

opened its doors for business on April 20, 1964.

Building MaterialDeveloped for railroad track construction

and other structural applications like

bridges, Deere & Company's World

Headquarters was the first use of Cor-ten

in an architectural application.

Cor-ten is U.S. Steel's trade name for a

corrosion-resistant, or weathering, steel that forms a protective

coating of iron oxide when exposed to the atmosphere. This rust

layer becomes protective when fine crystals of early rust

recrystalize to form a dense barrier that retards further

corrosion. In contrast,

other steels tend to forma layer of oxidation that

is porous, flaky and

penetrable by the

elements.

eero saarinen 1

Documents