David Ingalls Rink perspective study, c. 1953, Yale University Library Archives, #5081, 8.5 11 in., Dark pencil on yellow notebook paper
Although it is difficult to label his architectural style, Eero Saarinen approached modernism by consider- ing the design of each project from its unique context and program, some with dramatic sculptural and structural expression (Saarinen, 1962; Román, 2003). Most interesting about Saarinen was his dis- tinctive design process that involved the extensive use of sketches and models.
Saarinen was born in Finland where his father was the prominent architect Eliel Saarinen. The family emigrated to the United States in 1923, when the elder Saarinen accepted a position at the University of Michigan. Eero Saarinen studied sculpture at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris in 1929 and the Graduate Program of Fine Arts at Yale University to study architecture. In 1938, he worked briefly for the designer Norman Bel Geddes and then returned to Michigan to begin work with his father. They collaborated on many architectural projects until Eliel Saarinen’s death in 1950. With his own practice, Eero Saarinen designed projects such as the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis (1948–1964); Kresge Auditorium and Chapel on MIT campus (1953–1956); the United States Embassy, London (1955–1960); Trans World Airlines Terminal, New York (1956–1962); and Dulles International Airport in Virginia (1958–1962). Constantly exploring new materials and technologies for building, Saarinen experimented with shell structures and tension construction in such projects as TWA, Ingalls Hockey Rink, and Dulles Airport.
Such structurally innovative constructions were difficult to imagine, and also challenging to envi- sion through drawings. Using models, Saarinen and his office were able to comprehend and explore complex forms (Román, 2003). The projects were often first imagined as two-dimensional sketches. They were then modeled to analyze form, connections, and structural integrity. The final part of the process was to translate the project into construction drawings. This process allowed Saarinen to visually understand the form of the buildings and suggests that the use of models allowed him to eas- ily keep track of the progress of projects in his office. This page (Figure 7.6) shows a perspective sketch from the design phase of the Ingalls Hockey Rink in New Haven, Connecticut. On first observation, this sketch appears to have a definitive look that might imply it was rendered after the completion of the building. Comparison to the finished structure, however, indicates the sketch was employed earlier in the process.
Sketched on yellow notebook paper with soft graphite pencil, the image is fluid, as the smooth line of the arched spine has been sketched in a continuous stroke. Shadows, foliage, and texture enrich the three-dimensional illusion and contextual qualities. One aspect that feels unresolved is the connection of the spine to the ground in front of the entry doors. Here the graphite appears darker, possibly because Saarinen reworked the terminus, hoping to find a solution with the perspective.
It would be difficult to visualize the fluid deformation roof without first having studied the struc- ture of the arc. It is likely that Saarinen sketched this image as a reflection of a model. The ridge is dominant, but in the finished building, the ends have been turned up toward the sky and one end was finished with a sculptural piece. The entrances have also been altered from this early sketch. In the built version, the roof extends to become an overhang and the curve frames the doors. Saarinen’s design process assisted him to understand complex forms, as is evidenced by this beautiful and confident sketch.
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H5719-Ch07.qxd 7/15/05 3:46 PM Page 180Le Corbusier (1887–1965)
Plate #322, Sketchbook 18, Volume 2, sketch of Notre-Dame-du-Haut, Ronchamp, February 1951, Le Corbusier Foundation/ARS, Carnet E18, 15 10 cm, Ink on sketchbook paper
Charles-Edouard Jenneret, better known as Le Corbusier, needs little introduction. He was the prominent figure in modernist architecture and crucial in the development of the international style. Although sketches remain from specific projects he designed, recently four volumes of his sketchbooks have been published. These sketchbooks were specifically saved and numbered by him, and were found (after his death) carefully stacked in a closet (Le Corbusier, 1981). They include travel and con- ceptual sketches, distinct from sketches in his office for specific buildings.
Le Corbusier was born at La Chaux-de-Fonds, Neuchâtel, Switzerland, in 1887. His early education included vocational school at the Ecole d’Art. Encouraged by a teacher, Charles L’Eplattenier, he left to study architecture. In 1907, he embarked on an extended visit to Italy; upon his return, he found work with the architect Auguste Perret. In 1913 he opened his own firm and began experimenting with ideas for the Dom-ino House. Conceptually, this building system consisted of a rectangular ‘skeleton’ made of reinforced concrete (Tzonis, 2001). In 1917, Le Corbusier moved to Paris, further exploring the building technology of concrete.
Around the time he entered practice with his cousin Pierre Jeanneret in 1922, Le Corbusier began to combine the elements that defined his rational and functional approach to architecture. Le Corbusier’s large body of built work includes the Unité d’Habitation, Marseille (1949), and the Dominican Monastery of Sainte-Marie-de-la-Tourette (1952).
The published sketchbooks provide rich insight into Le Corbusier’s thought processes and sketching techniques. Undoubtedly, the travel sketches were used to remember visual information, as sights could be noted and retained for further use. Other types of notations occur in his sketch- books, such as codes for colors, train reservations, recordings of types of trees, hand and sun sym- bols, and written analysis and evaluation (Le Corbusier, 1981). Some of the sketches show a firm and definitive pencil technique, while others have a wavering, slow deliberation.
This sketch (Figure 7.7) shows early ideas for the non-rational Chapel Notre-Dame-du-Haut, Ronchamp (1955). Uneven and scratchy lines were used to explore the chapel in plan and elevation. A single line gestured the arc of the chapel on what appears to be a roof plan. The rounded light wells have been roughly shaded and appear lumpy. Le Corbusier is studying the relationship between the massing of the roof and the vertical towers. The two lower elevations, which resemble perspectives, show variations for the shape and volume of the roof. Indicating his concern for this roof /wall pro- portion, he minimized the window openings to simple parallel lines. The roof to the right has been identified with the letter ‘a.’ On the legend which describes his symbols, ‘a’ has been translated as
arrondi, ‘round.’
Given the abstract qualities of the sketch, Le Corbusier may not have trusted his memory. He needed a written note to remind him of that moment in the process when he was thinking about the curve of the eave. He also made notes of his personal dialogue, writing ‘attention’ to remind himself about fissuring. This may indicate something vital to the design and construction of the roof that required subsequent examination. Considering the briefness of the sketch, it is clear that Le Corbusier depended upon additional written messages to later recall his design intention. The sketchbooks were for him a discussion about design and also represented memory devices.