El desarrollo del sistema administrativo

Architect Halldor Gunnlögsson was, just like his contemporaries Jørn Utzon and Erik Christian Sørensen, preoccupied by the indoor-outdoor theme. In his private house from 1959 Gunnlögsson challenges the boundaries between interior and exterior in a way which, one could say, dissolves the wall. This achievement had, on the one hand, to do with the applied building method – a loadbearing structure of timber columns, beams a flat roof construction – and on the other hand, it was evoked by the omnipresence of large windows and sliding glass doors.

The house is situated between two large, enclosed blind brick walls towards the boundary lines. In between these walls the house unfolds. It is defined by two horizontal plates, by floor, a flat roof, and glazed walls towards north-west and south-east, respectively facing the sound and the garden.

Each of the glazed facades contains a large, square glass sliding door, positioned exactly opposite each other. This configuration establishes a movement across the house, connecting the front and the back, the garden and the sound both visually and physically with each other.

This particular gesture makes the house of Gunnlögsson different than the houses of Utzon and Sørensen, which both operated towards

Fig. 11: Rear facade. Entangled with nature.

Fig. 12: Window place.

one outward direction, with only one transparent glass facade at a time.

The design of the sliding glass doors is moreover stressing the interior-exterior relation by implying a top-hung sliding mechanism, which enables a seamless transition by having no floor bound rail.

The continuous flow between inside and outside is additionally emphasized by adjoining exterior verandas, which follow the same level as the interior floor.

According to Gunnlögsson’s wife and the critic Tobias Faber, Mies van der Rohe and traditional Japanese architecture had been important sources of inspiration for the design of this Rungsted house.¹⁵

And indeed, having this knowledge in mind, there are obvious links with Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion (Barcelona, Spain, 1929) and Farnsworth House (Illinois, USA, 1951) which demonstrate an alike approach: a structural modular based principle, the employment of few building components to attain a clearly defined space – and an orchestrated, somewhat distant physical relation with the surrounding landscape. This relation connotes the Japanese interior-exterior tradition which is determined by the Japanese building tradition in which houses stand on small foundation stones, one stone for each underpinning and are as a result lifted from the ground, hence detached. In the house of Gunnlögsson the construction is lifted as well, hovering above the sloping topography beneath it. Although the house keeps a sort of distance to the landscape, it also engages with it because of its seamless transition areas and its almost infinite views.¹⁶ Other resemblances with the Japanese building culture is furthermore visible in the adjoining verandas and overhanging eaves, in its modular structure, the customized, built-in furniture and the meticulous detailing and of course in the use of sliding doors in order

to entangle inside and outside.

Collectively these three examples mirror the architectural freedom that architects achieved during the 1950s. The war years, characte-rized by intellectual and physical immobility, economic inertia and lack of construction resources, were now replaced with a period in which knowledge of architectural tendencies and developments from abroad could nurture. True to tradition, the Danes absorbed external influences by attuning them to personal preferences and approaches.

Utzon, Sørensen and Gunnlögsson all alluded the modernist and Japanese interplay between inside and outside, but in different and personal ways. Utzon by emphasising the embeddedness of material matter, Sørensen by highlighting the aesthetic and cultivated connection between indoor and outdoor rooms, and Gunnlögsson through attention to transparency and permeability.

Despite these rather variegated outcomes of the same theme, all of them are characterized by a profound concern for customized details and high standards of crafts, an aspect which became explicit in the production of their sliding glass doors. Moreover, these examples demonstrate a search for what one could call the dematerialization of the wall.

Coda

Throughout the development of the Danish modern window, from the 1920s to the end of the 1950s, the quest of the inter-relation between interior and exterior, between domesticity and nature, has been a continuous architectural incitement. The corner window, the bay-balcony window and the sliding glass door were all different answers to the same concern, each the result of a (slightly) changed context and new possibilities due to technical

Fig. 13: Glazed facade seen from the ‘garden room’.

improvements in terms of thermal glass and building techniques.

While the history of the ribbon window is well-known and its feature became emblematic of modern architecture, the particularity of the Danish corner window and the balcony bay-window are examples that show the richness of other idioms. These examples are founded on both modern innovations, empirical research and traditional building cultures which continued to flourish due to political and economic conditions in Denmark.

Conditioned by imposed building regulations and the limited access to modern materials like concrete, iron and steel Danish architects searched for alternative modern expressions. In this sense, the Danish corner window and balcony bay-window can be seen as local answers to the concept of the ribbon window.

This appropriation of international modern ideas, approaches and idioms was moreover expressed in the discussed examples of the sliding glass door. Here as well, the interpretation of the modern flow between inside and outside became a particular Danish expression, alluding to both modern, Japanese and Danish building cultures.

After the 1950s, the building production in Denmark became incre-asingly industrialized, this also included the window. Since then, the character of the window changed. Plate glass was exchanged by float glass and the customized, handcrafted window frame was taken over by mass-produced frames. In this process, some inherent qualities were lost, which initially had made the Danish modern window distinct.

On the other hand, the industrialization of windows and the continuous search for the improvement of daylight and fresh air prompted another type of window: the roof window Velux^{TM 17}. From the 1940s, Velux windows gradually should become commonly used in Danish architecture. But that is yet another story.

Bibliograhpy

FABER, Tobias, "130 kvm", Utzons egne huse, København, Arkitektens Forlag, 2004, 28–30.

CARBONI, Maj, Halldor Gunnlögssons eget hus. Rungsted Strandvej 68, København, Realea A/S, 2007.

FABER, Tobias, Dansk arkitektur, København, Arkitektens Forlag, 1963.

FINSEN, Helge, Ung dansk arkitektur. 1930-1945, København, Det Schønbergske Forlag, 1947.

GELFER-JØRGENSEN, Mirjam Influences from Japan in Danish Art and Design 1870-2010, Copenhagen: The Danish Architectural Press, 2013.

HARADA, Jiro, The Lessons of Japanese Architecture, London, The Studio Ltd. 1936.

HARLANG, Christoffer and Finn Monies, Eget hus. Om danske arkitekters egne huse i 1950’erne, Vojens, Arkitektens Forlag, 2003.

MACHADO E MOURA, Carlos (ed.), Building views: Joefebar, PanoramAH!, Porto, Circo de Ideias, 2017.

MILLECH, Knud and Kay Fisker, Danske arkitekturstrømninger 1850—1950, København: Østifternes Kreditforening, 1951.

MONNIES, Finn, Træ og arkitektur, København, Arkitektens Forlag, 1958.

Notes

[1] About the change of fire figthing regulations, see: Knud Millech and Kay Fisker, Danske arkitekturstrømninger 1850—1950, København, Østifternes Kreditforening, 195, 332-37;

Helge Finsen. Ung dansk arkitektur. 1930-1945, København, Det Schønbergske Forlag, 1947,132

[2] In Danish: “altankarnappen.“

[3] Carlos Machado e Moura (ed.), Building views: Joefebar, PanoramAH!, Porto, Circo de Ideias, 2017, 35-41.

Fig. 14: Longitudinal section and (site) plan.

[4] See: Barbara Mac Lamprecht and Peter Gössel, Neutra: Complete Works, Köln, Taschen, 2010; Peter Gössel, Julius Shulman, Elizabeth A T Smith, Case Study Houses: The Complete CSH program 1945-1966, Köln, London, Taschen, 2013.

[5] Christoffer Harlang and Finn Monies, Eget hus. Om danske arkitekters egne huse i 1950’erne, Vojens, Arkitektens Forlag, 2003, 43; more about thermopane: Carlos Machado e Moura (ed.) Building views: Joefebar, PanoramAH!, Porto, Circo de Ideias, 2017, 27-91.

[6] Tobias Faber, Dansk arkitektur, København, Arkitektens Forlag, 1963, 230.

[7] Ibid. 232-234

[8] Christoffer Harlang and Finn Monies, Eget hus. Om danske arkitekters egne huse i 1950’erne, Vojens, Arkitektens Forlag, 2003, 46.

[9] Additional literature: Christoffer Harlang and Finn Monies, Eget hus. Om danske arkitekters egne huse i 1950’erne, Vojens, Arkitektens Forlag, 2003, 42-46; Tobias Faber, Dansk arkitektur, København, Arkitektens Forlag, 1963, 232-234; Tobias Faber, "130 kvm" in: Kim Dirckinck-Holmfeld and Martin Keiding, Utzons egne huse, København, Arkitektens Forlag, 2004, 28–30.

[10] Jørn Utzon, "Utzons egne huse", Arkitekten Månedshæfte No. 1, January 1953, 8-12.

[11] Jørn Utzon, "Utzons egne huse", Arkitekten Månedshæfte No. 1, January 1953, 8-12.

[12] Jiro Harada, The Lessons of Japanese Architecture, London, The Studio Ltd., 1936, 55.

[13] Ibid.

[14] This paragraph is based on: “Architektenhaus mit Atelier in Charlottenlund“, Bauen und Wohnen, no 3, 1957, 84-87; „Huset på Smutvej“, Arkitektur, no 2, 1957, 60-67; Christoffer Harlang and Finn Monies, Eget hus. Om danske arkitekters egne huse i 1950’erne, Vojens, Arkitektens Forlag, 2003, 59-62; Tobias Faber, Dansk arkitektur, København, Arkitektens Forlag, 1963, 232-234; Mirjam Gelfer-Jørgensen, Influences from Japan in Danish Art and Design 1870-2010, Copenhagen, The

Danish Architectural Press, 236.

[15] Maj Carboni, Halldor Gunnlögssons eget hus. Rungsted Strandvej 68, København, Realea A/S, 15.

[16] Additional literature on the house of Gunlögsson: Christoffer Harlang and Finn Monies, Eget hus. Om danske arkitekters egne huse i 1950’erne, Vojens, Arkitektens Forlag, 2003, 59-62; Tobias Faber, Dansk arkitektur, København, Arkitektens Forlag, 1963, 232-234; Mirjam Gelfer-Jørgensen, Influences from Japan in Danish Art and Design 1870-2010, Copenhagen, The Danish Architectural Press, 236.

[17] Abreviation of ventilation and lux (latin for light)

Image Credits

Fig. 1: © Danmarks Kunstbibliotek Fig. 2: © Danmarks Kunstbibliotek

Fig. 3: © The Lessons of Japanese Architecture. 1936 Fig. 4: © Sandra Gonon

Fig. 5: © unknown

Fig. 6: © Danmarks Kunstbibliotek Fig. 7: © Arkitektens Ugehæfte 1952.

Fig. 8: © Utzon Archives, Aalborg University & Utzon Center.

Fig. 9: © Tim Healy, 2007

Fig. 10: © Danmarks Kunstbibliotek

Fig. 11: © Utzon Archives Aalborg University & Utzon Center Fig. 12: © Utzon Archives Aalborg University & Utzon Center Fig. 13: © Danmarks Kunstbibliotek.

Fig. 14: © Keld Helmer Petersen.

Fig. 15: © Keld Helmer Petersen.

Fig. 16: © Danmarks Kunstbibliotek

Fig. 16: Interior views displaying the connection with the exterior.

Fig.15: a, b) Views related to the side of the sound. c) Sliding glass door when open. Physical and visual connection between the rear and the front.

Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), University of Lisbon Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), University of Lisbon

Alexandra Alegre is an architect and assistant professor at Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), University of Lisbon. Her research interest is in the field of Portuguese architecture, focused on the history of archi-tecture, construction and urban history, planning and design project process, and issues related to educational and recreational archi-tecture and childhood studies. Principal researcher of the research project Atlas of School Architecture in Portugal_ Education, Heritage and Challenges, funded by FCT (Portugal). Author of the book Arqui-tectura Escolar. O Edifício Liceu em Portugal (1882-1978), published by Gulbenkian Foundation in 2012. Member of Docomomo Interna-tional.

Patricia Lourenço is an architect and invited assistant professor at Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), University of Lisbon, lecturing Archi-tecture Project in the Integrated Master in ArchiArchi-tecture. In 2015, she concluded a PhD in Architecture, at IST, researching on enhancing buildings’ sustainability through user-oriented strategies and use data monitoring. The current primary areas of research include 1) Evidence-based sustainable architecture, 2) Post-occupancy evaluation & buildings in use monitoring 3) Users behavior data for modeling and simulating buildings’ energy performance. She is a licensed professional architect since 1999, maintaining a professio-nal practice since then.

Fig. 1: Corona Avenue Elementary School (1934-35). Richard Neutra.

In document Propuesta de implantación de un tablero de control para gasolineras Grupo Mexicano (página 95-100)