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 Michigan, offered Eames a fellowship to study architecture at Cranbrook. Michigan was rewarding for Charles Eames. After taking up the fellowship, he became head of the Department of Industrial Design and, in 194 1, Charles Eames and Ray Kaiser were married. Together they lived 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 mitive, 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 their work demonstrates the same optimism and preoccupation with materials and fabrication Will iams and Tsien have produced some of the most sign ifica nt architectu ral work in America today and, following thei r recent appointment to design the new Museum of American Folk Art, The New York Times recogni zed them as ou tstanding makers. The edi tor of The Architectural Review, com menting on thei r com pleted project at the Phoenix Art Museum, noted their profound sensibi lity fo r the use of appropriate materials in volumes and light. They have received numerous AlA awards and , in 1996, Williams and Tsien were awarded the Arnold Brunner prize for distinguished 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 together sign ificant strands of architecture, design and industry.

Brian Carter Professor and Chair of Architecture

12

former office studio . It is a small op en space with a tiny refrigerator and two big skylights which create an ever-changing 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. T t is abou t a struggle to bring together art and life. It is a juggling act with cwo very different ball s in the air - family and wo rk. We try to make a balance between the 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 selves and continuo usly communicate and share in o rder tha t ideas can actually be built. If we are to build a humane and connec tive arc hitecture which has resonance as a wo rk o f art, th en we must all confront thi s d ilemma o f linking art with li fe .

\Xie try in our wo rk , JUSt as in our li ves, to

fi nd a kind of balance. It so metimes seems \·ery difficult. O ne might perhaps associate iss ues o f engineering more with the male figure and decorative issues ,-vith the female. To so me extent, that may be true, but we o ften reverse roles in order to appreciate th e shadow side of one another. Likewise , architecture can be better intct,'Iated by beginning to think of the building in a whole way - not strictly as a matter of functio n fo llowing form, or of form following function . Archi tecture is richer whcn building systems and the process of making the building arc integra ted into design and specifically atruned to place. JUSt as the path serves as an analog to our life and work, many of our projec ts focus upo n movement 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 out the inherent quali ties of its particular place .

Architecture is the coming 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 Vinci wrote in his journal that th ings are older than words. He 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 experience o f an idea.

Isamu Noguchi, the fa mous 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 lamp 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.

Noguchi, 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 transgress 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. Although 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 few years ago, we \ve re asked to design a traveling exhibition of Akaris. Thinking about the kind o f place in which 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 thought 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 people moved from one space to the nex t. The screens were cast fiberglass in two colors - one predominantly blue with a little bit of peach and the o ther mostly peach with a hint of blue. There were five panel sizes, each with a slightly 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 than 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 New 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 displayed . The obsidian

15

also combined art and use; as well as being evocative, it was very rational and practical. 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 Phoenix 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 shiny black, when the obsiclian arrived for the exhibition, it was increclibly dusty. We had to wash it to make it black and abstract as intended. In fac t, the aggregate was finally hand rubbed with Wesson Oil because this was the o nly way we could get the stones to

be shiny 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 world's longest hibachis.

On another project for the Museum of the Chinese in the Americas, we had a very different problem. In this most modest of museums 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 museum was trying to

represent the hi story of Chinese immigrants in N ew York City. We made a cylindrical enclosure which, when entered, imparted a sense of being in an attic or a closet. Because we were still thinking about lanterns, the outside of the enclosure was wrapped with Tyvek, the same material as a Federal Express envelope.

16

Tyvek is translucent and very strong. The enclosu re was ligh ted from the outside, making a room-sized lamern. The objects within the enclosure included old letters, costumes from th e Chinese opera, and a photograph of a woman together with a shoe which she wore when she fi rst came to the United States. Her fee t were bound, so the shoe is tiny - only three inches lo ng. A lso exhibi ted is the las t, a wooden fo rm that was used to make 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 obJccts on display convey th e very perso nal details of individual Li ves. In a similar way, pro jects like the Akaris and the museum instal latio n in Chinatown offer a wal' for us to di scover who we arc. W/ e continue [() learn , grow and change through the work itself.

We subsec1uentiy des igned a traveling ex hib iti on for the same tiny m useum abo ut a g roup of Chinese men who were p risoners in Yurk, Pennsylvania at the time because they were illegal immigrants who had Jumped ship. Some had d rowned and others we re ta ken to prison where they starred making tradi tional fold ed paper sculptures . /\ 5 ti me passed , the sculptures became le ss traditional and morc related to

their imprisonment. In the fi rst room of our insta llation, 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 detention cage. Paper sculptures were placed just outside of the cage so that the spectator was encased by fo lded paper eagles, symbols of the Un ited States, and pineapples, symbols of hospitality. PhotOgraphs of the

17

people who made them were hung on the walls of the room. T heir eyes were blacked out because they did no t want to be identified for fear of political repercussions against their famili es in China.

On another project, we worked 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 tion through social reversal. \Xfhen a social order is trans formed, 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. One of the things that we saw on our son's sneakers - the same material 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 material glows. The costumes were black with white linings silk-screened with the glow­in-the-dark material. The dancers periodically went backstage to expose the inside of their costumes to light. Returning to stage in the dark, they were able to open 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 over 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 even be configured to fully enclose the dancers. The screen was a surface that could receive light, so it too became a lantern.

\\'e were not aware of the law which prohibits any projection pas t the proscenium. The ,creen \vas designed to canti lever out dramaticallr beyond the apron with only a small part supported on the 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 dance, and everyone was terflfied becaus e thev tho ught the screen wo uld topple into the audience.

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19

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 review than the dance itself. Frankly, that is not 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 Museum, the client asked us to create a so-called " star" of Phoenix, a centering device for the city wh ich migh t also be the focus o f the activity of the museum. Accordingly, the museum is organized 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 very simple way to air condition outdoor space in this desert ci ty.

The pavilion sits on three legs which support a concrete ring 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 membrane of fi berglass anchored to the concrete base. The membrane is perforated with some three thousand tiny holes . The pavilion is open at the top. A small amount of water pressurized at 1,000 pounds per sguare inch is vaporized and, condensing, is rumed into cool air that drops through 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 support 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 no 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 people who will actually fabricate components in order to learn from th eir skill and experience. One o f the big industries in the Southwest - beca use o f the great weather and the empty space - is the fabrication of fib erglass structures for theme parks. Magic Mou ntai n, the Pirates of the Caribbean, and countless o ther fantasies arc made locally using fiberglass which is designed to support the weight of hundreds of people and stand up to very heavy use. These fibe rglass fabr icators fully unders tand the capability of their material and their technolog\' . The), knew through experience that o ur pay ili o n did not require a heavy structure. Likewise, we originally 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 resin itself

In o rd er ro understand the fab rication process more fully, we had a twenty foot high 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 studying thc

23

To be of use

The people I 1000f the best )lImp inlo IIJork bead first IIJitboll1 dalIYilig in Ihe shallollJs and sllJim of! IIJilh Slm! strokes alII/os! 0111 if sight. Joe)' seelll to becolI/e lIalilleJ' if that elelllelJl, tbe black .fleck heads if seals bOllncing like hal/submerged balk

1 100Ie people 114)0 hameSJ tbe/JIselt'e.f, all ox 10 a heal?, carl, IlJho pllil like IIJaler bllialo, IIJith massille paliet1te, JlJho slraill ill tbe IJIlld alld Ibe lJIuck !o /JIo/le Ibings fOlJllard, IIJho do IIJha! has to be dom, again and again.

I IIJanl to be wi!h people lI ,bo sllb/JIerge

in tbe lask, lJ1bo go into Ibe fields 10 !;amesl and IIJork in a rol1) and pass Ibe bags along, who slalld in tlJe li/lf alld halll in their places, IIJho a1l! not pal/or <~enerals and field demiers but mOl!e ill a cOIJIlJlon rlD'lbm J)Jhen Ihe food mlfst cOllie ill or tbe .fire be pilI out.

Tile IIJoik if Ibe }]Jodd is as COllllJlon as 1JI1ld.

Botched, il smeal)" Ibe hands, clflmbles 10 dllsl. Btil Ibe Ibing IIJ00th doing JIJe// done has a sbape Ibat satisfies, clean and el)idenl.

Greek ampboras fo r Il!im or oi/, H opi I'ases that held COI7I, are put il1 I1IUSell1JlS bill )'01/ knOll! tbat Ibry IIJere made 10 be IIsed The pitcher cries for }]Jater 10 carl)'

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Site plan 1 entrance

2 living / dining 3 kitchen 4 den

5 bedroom

6 master bedroom 7 office 8 pool

9 vegetable garden 10 carport

27

The house addresses the coolness of the wash. The parti of the scheme is two simple rectangles placed on either side 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 the 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-washed concrete outside. From the exterior bridge, it is possible to descend and walk beneath the bridge along the ravine.

The walls facing into the wash are primarily glass shaded 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 the cool interior of the house, The east wall is punctuated by a small recess in which a

28

pencil cactus creates a filtered light well for

the master and guest bathrooms. To the

north, a view of Squaw Peak is framed by

a large window set high in the wall. A north

faci ng corner window opens to a terrace

and a pool. The swimming pool creates a

small waterfall as it appears to spill water

into the wash. A walled vegetable garden

and simple carport complete the composition

A small model of the house is cast into the

foundation wa ll . The 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-blasted At low level, the wal l

is sensuous - able to be touched and felt ­

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

facade , the rea r of the hou se is very open

and transparent, giving views of birch and

ailanthus trees in the smal l 30' x 30' back

garden. A glass bridge crosses over a vo id

to connect the house to the garden.

The organization of spaces is clear and logica l,

with the pool , exercise and mechanica l rooms

at th e lowest level; a fami ly room, kitchen and

dining on the ground floor; and living, study

and library in a double height space at second

fl oo r level The guest room is on a mezzan ine;

fam ily bedrooms are on the third level; and

staff rooms are on the top floor.

The interi or of the house is defined by

movement and light. From the pool at

basement level, a crevice of light extends

up 80 feet to the roof. Within the crevice,

a skylighted stai r is ever-changing as it

ascends. It is possible to see from the pool

up to the sky. Likewi se, when the staff step

out of their private rooms on the top floor,

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3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11 12

13

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15

Floor plans

pool

excercise area

play area

laundry

mechanical

entry vestibule

gallery

dining room

kitchen

family room

library

study

living room

bedroom

master bedroom

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 permanent collection

ga lleries, mechan ical plant is housed in

the depth of the trusses. In the changing

exhibi t ions gallery, the ceiling and lighting

grid can be raised and lowered so that

varying scales of artworks can be shown

in appropriately scaled spaces.

Because mu seums are often confusing

and disorienting, the path of movement is

explained by revealing views both of where

the path has come from and where it is going.

Two monumental 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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rifrr~~ :§f~?N1F~

42

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 the 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 complete 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 maverick personality of this desert city, th e building has a tough and somewhat 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 the 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 this 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 character 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 throughout the building that offer further interaction with a changing series of folk art objects. By presenting the museum's collection and exhibitions through both straightforward and non-traditional display spaces, the building creates a comfortable environment for adults and children, frequent and first-time 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

li tt le glass and composed of 1/2 inch thick white bronze panels cast on concrete and arranged to ach ieve a folded surface and rough texture. The elevation is designed so that the cornice is parallel to the street and the city's ma ndate for a facade wh ich matches that of the Museum of Modern Art is satisfied. The fold gives the 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 this 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 institute 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 comprehend the entire project at once or from a single vantage point.

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 this

new campus and those who work in the

laboratories are on the other side. They come to understand one 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.

~

52

\-. ~ ~

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 unamplified 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 subtle

musical passages.

fo I

e-+illi~~==d~~:Jr::~: ------

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55

In La Jolla, being outside is as comfortable

as being inside, so it is possible to be freer

in thinking about boundaries between interior

and exterior space and how natural light 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 project

which is so deeply wedded to the la nd.

The buildings are of poured in place

concrete with 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 ndblasting to expose the handsome dark

gra y-green aggregate. Walls are faced on

th e exterior with Texas fossi I stone; the

auditorium is also faced on the inside

with fossil stone. Two different kinds of

material s - sto ne and concrete, warm

and cool - are draped around the buildings

like a shawl. Because these materials

are not tota lly melded together, further

ambiguity is created between interior and

exterior 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 grass 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 rusted steel becomes an analog, an expression of the loss of vitality.

Within a few months, the grass reappea 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 garden

in another. Filling the plaza with the soothing

sound 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 theoreticians

on the top floor of the building, providing

a peripatos which enables scientists to go

for long walks to discuss work and talk

through disagreements. In the courtyard at

the base of the ramp are places to sit both

under the sky and under cover. During one

short moment during the day, the sheltered

seating is il luminated by sunlight washing

down the adjacent wa ll.

62

f~:'

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J

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 the 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 similar way, the established system of

footpaths is reinforced and extended

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63

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

character 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

eXisting Kepple gymnasium

existing Performing Arts Center

parking

inclined walk

plaza

reflecting pool

plaza level lobby

bookstore

gymnasium

office / training

existing lobby

locker rooms

future dance / aerobic room

natatorium locker rooms

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 lawn 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 lls become 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

67

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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

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 mixture 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.

I I I ~ s e 9"1 l 1

CHARLES AND RAY EAMES

HERMAN MILL~~ INC TOD \VILLIA

BIL INTRODUCII

THE P HOUSE IN PHOENI

HOUSE IN NE PHOENIX A.R

MUSEU MUSEU

AMERIC OL~( AR

NEUROSCIENCE INSTITUT

CRANBROOK ATHLETIC

70

Charles Eames was born in St. Louis, Missou ri

in 1907 and, after studying architecture for

two yea rs at Washington University and

trave ling in Europe, returned to St. Louis

in 1930 to open an architectural practice

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 Hans

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.

73

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 seating.

Alongside their designs for furniture, Charles and Ray Eames developed an office which promoted design in many ways. Through programs of design research, materials investigation and technological innovation, they worked in the fields of architecture 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 Architecture was 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.

77

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 the Nati onal 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 president of the Municipal Arts Society

The work of the office has recei ved numerous AlA awards, the 1996 Bru nner Award from 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 Bi llie TS len

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 Scu lly The kMecture of Community

Daniel Llbesklnd Traces of the Unborn