Maison de Verre and Its Contribution to Modern Architecture

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Maison de Verre and Its Contribution to Modern Architecture “Form follows function.” Every great Modern architect thought, designed by and breathed these very words. Or at least, their design principles evolved from them. Modern architects Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright, Pierre Chareau, and Rudolf Schindler to name a few believed that the function determined the space whether the space was solely for a particular purpose or they overlapped to allow for multiple uses. Form didn’t just follow function, function defined the space. By focusing on the relationship between the architecture and the interior elements, Chareau’s Maison de Verre expanded the idea of functionalism to include not only the architecture but also the space it creates and how people function within that space. First and foremost are the architectural elements. These encompass the structural components that Chareau uses to emphasize the current site’s condition, the regularity of the grid used, the characteristics of the materials, the spatial alignment of the program, and so forth. The Maison de Verre would not have been designed the same way if it had been erected elsewhere. The same design principles would have been apparent, but there were extenuating circumstances that the client and the architect encountered at the site. The clients, Dr. and Mrs. Dalsace, inherited the building and the surrounding property from her father, and had the sole intention of tearing down the existing building and resurrecting a new, modern structure that would showcase Chareau’s furniture designs. (Vellay 63). The only thing stopping them was an elderly woman who lived on the second floor of the existing building who refused to leave her apartment (Frampto... ... middle of paper ... ...hey have entered the house, and then keeps it as you pass through the disappearing walls, pivoting doors, retractable stairs, and floating floors. It incorporates architecture, interior architecture and furniture design to create a total design that can be modified for different occupants. It truly is functional space. WORKS CITED Frampton, Kenneth. “Maison de Verre.” Perspecta: The Yale Architectural Journal n.12 (1969) p.77-126. Print. Futagawa, Yukio. Pierre Chareau with Bernard Bijvoet: Maison Dalsace (“Maison de Verre”) Paris, France 1928-1932. (Tokyo: A.D.A. Edita). 1988. Print. “Maison de Verre, Paris 7e arrondissement.” Web. 26 April 2014. Segura, Alfonso Diaz. “La Maison de Verre : La Sensualidad de lo Velado.” Web. 10 April 2014. Vellay, Marc. Pierre Chareau: Architect and Craftsman. (New York: Rizzoli). 1985. Print.

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