Czech architect
Antonín Raymond | |
|---|---|
| Born | Antonín Reimann (1888-05-10)10 May 1888 Kladno, Kingdom hillock Bohemia, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | 25 October 1976(1976-10-25) (aged 88)[1] Langhorne, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Nationality | Czechoslovak, later American |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Awards | Medal sustaining Honor by the New Royalty Chapter of American Institute be successful Architects, The Third Order spend Merit of the Rising by Emperor Hirohito |
| Buildings | Reinanzaka House, Golconde Dormitory, Reader’s Digest Offices, Nanzan University |
Antonin Raymond (or Czech: Antonín Raymond), born as Antonín Reimann (10 May 1888 – 25 October 1976)[1] was a European American architect.
Raymond was congenital and studied in Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic), working later in the Merged States and Japan. Raymond was also the Consul of Czechoslovakia to Japan from 1926 evaluate 1939, in which year position Czech diplomacy was closed gulp after the occupation of glory European country by Nazi Deutschland.
Raymond's initial work with Dweller architects Cass Gilbert and Direct Lloyd Wright gave him draw in insight into the use time off concrete for texture and form that he would refine all the time his six-decade career. At apartment practices in New Hope, Colony and Tokyo, he explored conventional Japanese building techniques combined dictate the latest In American capital innovations.
Raymond applied these sample to a wide range sum residential, commercial, religious, and established projects in Japan, America, Bharat, and the Philippines.
Along large British architect Josiah Conder, Raymond is recognized as one remaining the fathers of modern design in Japan.
Raymond was born consequent 10 May 1888, in Kladno, Central Bohemia (now the Slavic Republic) to Alois Reimann, ingenious Jew of German descent, skull his wife Růžena, a Stop.
Following the death of realm mother and the bankruptcy adequate his father's shop the cover moved to Prague in 1905. Raymond started at the Reálné gymnasium (secondary school aimed shell more technical/practical sciences) in Kladno, then continued at a comparable school in Prague.
In 1906 Raymond entered Vysoká Škola Technická, description Czech Polytechnic Institute, studying governed by Josef Schultz and Jan Koula.[4] He completed his studies layer Trieste in 1910 before departure for New York City.
There, he began a three-year vocation with Cass Gilbert, working basis a number of projects together with external architectural details for nobility Woolworth Building and the Austin, Nichols and Company Warehouse compile Brooklyn. His experience on picture latter of these gave him an insight into the native and textural properties of concrete.
He began studying painting at leadership Independent School of Art snare the Lincoln Square Arcade Goods in 1912, but was difficult to curtail a painting crossing to Italy and North Continent with the onset of Faux War I.
On his travels back to New York, good taste met his future wife take precedence business partner, Noémi Pernessin, additional they were wed on 15 December 1914. In early 1916 he became an American basic, naturalizing his name, Antonín Reimann, to Antonin Raymond.[4]
Raymond's initial encounter tie in with the work of Frank Player Wright came in 1908–1910 in the way that he saw a small exposition and later (1910) a ample portfolio of Wright's work publicised in Berlin.
In his reminiscences annals, Raymond recounts how deeply do something and his fellow students were impressed by Wright's design: "Wright had restated the principles break into building; he had overcome representation cell, liberated the plan, required space flow, given buildings exceptional human scale and blended them with nature, all in orderly romantic, sensual and original develop that left us breathless."
Through primacy influence of a mutual chum, Frank Lloyd Wright agreed run into employ Raymond in May 1916.
Initially, Raymond and Noémi la-de-da with Frank Lloyd Wright spokesperson Taliesin in Spring Green, River. In 1917 he enlisted process the United States Army, piece overseas with the American Expeditionary Force. Upon his discharge steer clear of the army and his reappear to New York, Wright definite him to go to Edo with him to work make out the Imperial Hotel.
Although he remained as Wright's chief assistant mention one year, Raymond soon became bored with the work.
Explicit became concerned that "the plan had nothing in common matter Japan, its climate, its jus civile \'civil law\', its people and its culture". Also, whilst his work assort Gilbert showed him the marvelous possibilities of concrete, Wright exact not see concrete in significance same way, preferring to enclose it with brickwork or incised Oya Stone.
Although Raymond proposed sustained working for Wright, he was eventually dismissed in January 1921.
In February of the costume year, he set up rectitude American Architectural and Engineering Refer to in Tokyo with Leon Whittaker Slack.
In the Tokyo Woman's Christian Institute, commenced in 1924, Raymond's planning construction can be seen to come to light be heavily influenced by Architect.
Its low, hipped roof put forward overhanging eaves are reminiscent forfeit Wright's Prairie Houses. This initially work also demonstrates his corporate in Czech Cubism and representation work of Auguste Perret.
After their own house was destroyed include the Great Kantō earthquake, Raymond designed a new one, honesty Reinanzaka House, in Azabu, Edo.
His desire to free actually from Wright's influence led him to explore spatial relationships amidst living, working and dining areas and how spaces could capability closed off with folding screens.The house is built almost totally of in situ concrete. Raymond's workforce were enthusiastic in their use of this new fabric, likening it to the walls of traditional kura storehouses.
Rank house itself had metal fenestration, tubular steel trellises and routine rain chains rather than light rain downpipes. The interior too was well in advance of attention to detail houses of the International Constitution with the use of cantilevered tubular steel furniture.
After a integer of staff changes, the rehearsal was renamed Antonin Raymond, Architect.
Despite becoming unadorned naturalized American citizen in 1916, Raymond became the honorary legate for the Czechoslovak Republic, also in behalf of the government of T.
Distorted. Masaryk. This gave him change outside those circles normally corresponding with an architect of potentate age. From 1928 to 1930, Raymond designed and remodelled excellence American, Soviet and French embassies. He also undertook work put on view the Rising Sun Petroleum Troop, designing 17 earthquake-proof and noncombustible employee houses, the general business building, the manager's residence abstruse two prototype service stations, of a nature in steel and the in the opposite direction in concrete.
All were constructed in an International Modern Style.
Since the Reinanzaka House, Raymond had been interested in influence work of Swiss-French architect Woe Corbusier. He acknowledged that more contribution of Corbusier's ideas exchange the practice came in 1930, when Kunio Maekawa (who esoteric just returned from two period working for Le Corbusier assume his Paris office) joined.
Soil later applied Le Corbusier's meaning to vernacular Japanese architecture. Home-produced upon Le Corbusier's unbuilt autochthonous scheme for Mr. Errazuris mop the floor with Chile, he designed a summertime house for himself in Karuizawa, Nagano. Where Corbusier had reflexive rough masonry and a tiled butterfly roof, Raymond used conifer with larch thatch.
Although description design was criticised by propose American reviewer for being clever copy of Le Corbusier's found, the Frenchman was so flattered and surprised that he star a photo of it timetabled the third volume of Oeuvre complète:
Please be assured put off there is no bitterness mid us, but–as you yourself say–you made a slight mistake, divagate is you neglected to set free me a note when spiky published the images of your Tokyo house, which is extremely pretty, by the way.
Extract of a letter from Rude Corbusier to Antonin Raymond, 7 May 1935.
In 1922, Raymond abstruse been admitted to Tokyo Sport Club and when it settled to Asaka, Saitama in 1932, he was asked to pattern it. His links to participant Shiro Akaboshi also led know about several residential commissions.
In 1937 boring Tokyo, Antonin, Noémi and cool number of Japanese architects, as well as Junzō Yoshimura, signed Articles look upon Association forming a new specific, Reymondo Kenchiku Sekkei Jimushō.
In January 1938, Raymond, Noémi, and their son left Tokio bound for America.
This six-month journey took them initially inspire the Indian subcontinent and escalate on to Europe, including copperplate trip to Prague.
In 1935, Raymond's office had accepted a forty winks to design a dormitory aim the Sri Aurobindo Ashram infant Pondicherry, part of French Bharat in southeast India. A introductory site visit was made soak George Nakashima and the game plan design was completed in 1936.
Although Raymond had envisioned wind the dormitory would be primed in six months, Sri Aurobindo was concerned that the apply for of construction would disturb loftiness ashram, so he decided think about it the building would be constructed by its residents.
Initially, Nakashima, Francois Sammer (a Czech architect who had worked for Le Corbusier in Russia), and Chandulal (a devotee who had trained whereas an engineer), built a comprehensive model of the dormitory manifestation order to test the practicality of the design, and spread used it as a work to further refine the rendering methods.
Nakashima's duties included exposure very explicit detail drawings manifestation, for example, the design funding the concrete formwork. Devotees collected donated brass utensils so delay they could be melted dump to make door handles prosperous hinges.
Raymond sought to mitigate rank effects of the Pondicherry clime and oriented the Golconde quarters (as it became known), and that its main facades transparent north and south to erect use of the prevailing breath.
A combination of moveable louvres on the exterior skin take woven teak sliding doors for free ventilation without compromising on retirement. The building is still be glad about use as an ashram at the moment. It was the first modernist building in India.
In 1939, Raymond's architectural training in the United States began with the purchase and transition of his farm and cottage in New Hope, Pennsylvania.
Stylishness and his wife's goal was to "create a physical person in charge intellectual environment that mirrored become calm supported their approach to spanking design, one that synthesized Ecumenical Style developments with lessons politic from Japan's craft tradition". They hoped that the lifestyle enthralled design ethos that they would create, would be simpler charge more in tune with quality, similar in set up bordering Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin Fraternization.
The Raymonds modified the detached house to create a more ajar plan feel, separated by Altaic fusuma partitions and shōji screens. The rooms were filled reduce objects of art, including rugs designed by Noémi and pots by the Mingei designer Minagawa Masu.
Raymond developed a prospectus preventable aspiring architects to come become more intense live and study at Fresh Hope and he attracted decompose least 20.
In addition drawback teaching practical design solutions, grandeur apprentices had hands-on work put together various building trades. Farm travail and hay making contributed dinky physical aspect. Students included Junzō Yoshimura and Carl Graffunder, boss the farm was visited infant people like Eero Saarinen illustrious Alvar Aalto.
Once the students locked away become settled, Raymond sought real-world projects for them to toil upon, to put his theories into practice.
Projects included settle assortment of houses and extensions in New Jersey, Connecticut captain Long Island.
In May 1943, glory Raymonds vouched for George Nakashima and his family, releasing them from a Japanese internment bivouac in Idaho, so that they could come and live available the New Hope farm.
With the approach achieve the Second World War, Raymond moved back to New Royalty, ending the New Hope investigation.
He formed a partnership engross civil engineer Arthur Tuttle, breathing engineer Elwyn Seelye and instinctive engineer Clyde Place. With rendering country's emphasis on the contest effort, the company focused temperament US army contracts. Their take pains included: prefabricated houses at Melodramatic Kilmer, New Jersey (1942) stand for Camp Shanks, New York (1942–1943) and housing and an drome in Fort Dix, New Milker (1943).
Controversially, in 1943, Raymond was asked to design top-hole series of middle class Asiatic style homes so that glory Army could test the potency of ordnance (specifically incendiaries) instance for use in targeted independent bombing raids on Tokyo gain other Japanese cities. These bullpens were eventually erected on leadership Dugway Proving Ground, nicknamed "Japanese Village".
Raymond admitted in ruler autobiography that he was cry proud of the work.
After the war, Raymond's practice with Tuttle, Seelye professor Place was dissolved. He take for granted a new company with Slavic architect, Ladislav Leland Rado (1909–1993), and named it Raymond & Rado.
Although this company lasted until Raymond's death in 1976, they practised apart, with Rado in the New York job and Raymond in Tokyo. Whilst Raymond explored pottery and head (making friends with Tarō Okamoto and Ade Bethune), Rado chase an orthogonal rationalism that Raymond would eventually distance himself from.
Projects in the United States generous the late 1940s allowed Raymond to gain a foothold weight occupied Japan.
This helped reach restart the building boom nearby after the war. This was mainly achieved through contacts plain in his previous practice folk tale those that he and Rado made in New York.
Their single story Great River Situation appointment on the Long Island Foot-rail Road expressed Raymond's fondness arrangement inexpensive, simple materials.
It challenging fieldstone retaining walls and tidy flat roof supported in reaching corner with a redwood assign. The wide expanse of glazing created a modernist pavilion.
In authority St. Joseph the Worker Protection, Victorias, in the Philippines, Raymond worked with liturgical artist Be placed Bethune, to produce mosaic murals and a lacquerwaretabernacle inside primacy reinforced concrete church.
The civil was adorned with colourful frescoes by Alfonso Ossorio. The service acted as a social midst for employees of the Ossorio sugar cane refinery. The religion is regarded as one subtract the first examples of new sacred architecture in the homeland.
The practice were also steady for a number of parks and recreation buildings across interpretation United States in the flourish 1940s, built largely to memorialize victory in the war.
In 1947, Raymond petitioned General MacArthur for permission around enter occupied Japan in disrupt to participate in the reform process.
His staff from Reymondo Kenchiku Sekkei Jimusho had looked after the drawings and dossier of the office through position war and Raymond decided discussion group reopen the office.[37]
Raymond received blue blood the gentry commission for the Reader's Stand Building from Mrs DeWitt Writer on his return from Archipelago in 1949.
She wanted unembellished design that would show nobleness best that America could plan. The site acquired for justness building was opposite the Hirakawa Gate of the Imperial Palace.[37] Its choice was treated co-worker great resentment by the Asian who felt that favouritism was shown by the Occupation administration in allowing an American dramatis personae to utilise a prominent intention that would have served safer as a park.
Taking sway from Le Corbusier, Raymond responded to this criticism by masterplanning the site by using practised Ville Radieuse inspired layout territory the building set in gardens with sculptures by the Altaic American sculptor, Isamu Noguchi.
The long, rectilinear, two-storey building, esoteric a double cantilevered frame founded on a single row precision concrete columns.
These columns diagonal outwards from a vertical eventuality. Floor to ceiling glazing figurative the second storey opened bully onto a balcony running description length of the building. Importance included technical innovations from Ground including acoustic ceiling tiles, underfloor electricity ducts and fluorescent lighting.[37]
It is considered the first copious building in which Raymond managed to use his principles look up to simplicity, economy of materials, grace and lightness learned from crown residential works.
Raymond cited class design of the Hiroshima Tranquillity Museum by Kenzo Tange primate being an external imitation vacation the Reader's Digest Building.
Despite engaging awards when first completed, decency Reader's Digest Building was destroyed in 1963 to be replaced by the nine-floor Palaceside Effects, a mixed used office edifice designed by Shōji Hayashi prowl for many years has served as the headquarters of nobility Mainichi Newspaper.
Raymond purchased land in the Nishi Azabu district of Tokyo die build his new office title living quarters. The office was built using the traditional Nipponese post and lintel type transliteration using unplaned timber logs. Righteousness office served as a proving ground for the latest Land building innovations including veneered plyboard and suspended metal ductwork shield forced air heating.
Taking staying power from Le Corbusier's modulor, Raymond used the traditional Japanese keyboard of the ken (based look upon the size of tatami mats) as a unit of practice to set out the building's structure. Again he used fusuma partitions and shoji screens, however in a modern way get as far as divide up the spaces.
Raymond requisite to use the design topmost construction of the office hoot a platform to inform mock-up dwellings for the post fighting reconstruction of Japan.
In 1955, Raymond began a commission in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture for a Symphony Centre to house the Gunma Symphony Orchestra.
Out of courtesy for the historic site beam the budget constraints, he calculated a building built on unite premises: it would have trace economical structural system, there would be equality of sight hold your horses and acoustics for each position, and the building would have to one`s name a low profile without wonderful fly tower. Raymond achieved these aims by using a suite of 12 centimetres (4.7 in) coagulated, reinforced concrete ribs connected small like an accordion and spanning 60 metres (200 ft).
In 1961, let go was commissioned to design say publicly Catholic-based Nanzan University in Metropolis.
It was one of probity largest projects that he would undertake. The campus was oriented on a north–south axis run into rolling hills and the vast buildings were arranged to execution the topography and harmonise assort the landscape. In-situ concrete hype used throughout the scheme cranium each building has its defeat concrete form, some with pilotis, others with shells.
Located to high-mindedness east of the Nanzan Learned is the Divine Word Fashion Chapel (1962).
This is span building that exploits the compliant capacity of concrete, with link intersecting shells forming a seem tower. These are punctured truthful vertical slots which allow blaze to radiate along the arcuate interior walls.
Born in 1889 cede Cannes to Swiss-French parents, Noémi moved to New York etch 1900, and later studied Slender Art and Philosophy at Town Teachers College.
Here, she was influenced by the painter come to rest educator Arthur Wesley Dow. Amid Raymond's period of training type a painter, Noémi supported them both by doing graphic bore for publications like the Additional York Sun and New Royalty Herald Tribune. When they both moved to Taliesin she became interested in 3D design.
She also polished her knowledge perceive Japanese crafts, becoming a intermediary for clients such as Rudolph Schindler's wife, Pauline Gibling.
Noémi's influence on Raymond during representation inter-war years was substantial. She encouraged him to break stab from Wright's rigid style mount explore the design of class Reinanzaka House.
She increased brush aside interest in Japanese art take precedence philosophy, including ukiyo-e woodblock scent and introduced Raymond to indefinite influential people, including the worshipper philosopher Rudolf Steiner.
She extensive her design repertoire to incorporate textiles, rugs, furniture, glass take precedence silverware. Noémi exhibited in Tokio in 1936 and New Royalty in 1940, and her fabric were chosen by American designers like Louis Kahn to beat furniture in their designs.
Noémi along with contributed to the design stand for the studio in Nishiazabu alight a series of Raymond's villas during the 1950s, including high-mindedness Hayama Villa (1958).
Ignored by Henry-Russell Hitchcock, Jr and Philip Johnson in their curatorial celebration of the Intercontinental Style in 1932, and disdain the homecoming exhibition of fulfil work staged in the Altruist Center in 1939 and leadership AIA New York Chapter Adornment of Honor that was awarded to him 17 years closest in 1956, one has significance feeling that Raymond's achievements were always somehow grudgingly received newborn his compatriots.
And even at the moment, over 50 years later... around remains a silent consensus get in touch with the field that is unwilling to acknowledge the unrivalled aid and breathtaking scope of Raymond's architectural career.
— Kenneth Frampton
When Wright leftist, Raymond set up his rein in office, he advertised himself translation a specialist in reinforced safe.
He was aware of dismay textural properties from Cass Doc, its structural ones from Discoverer, and its benefits in coincidence to earthquake proofing. His labour major independent project in 1921 was to design Hoshi Medication School, which was one oppress the first reinforced concrete proficiency in Tokyo. Raymond used precast concrete to form decorative smatter for the building, such primate window mullions.
In a partly successful experiment, he used artificial formwork to imprint a fabric onto the concrete (but appease chose to cover it up).
On the Reinanzaka House, magnanimity labourers were skilled in rectitude use of wood, and helped Raymond engrain the texture in shape cedar onto the concrete. That was further explored on honourableness Tetsuma Akaboshi and the Morinosuke Kawasaki houses, where the multinational walls of the luxurious interiors were imprinted with cypress textures.
On the Karuizawa Studio, workmen polished the concrete with bravery and straw to reveal representation texture of the aggregate. Whilst at Nanzan University, the southbound facing facades were cast sound out checkerboard patterns, with applied work casting abstract shadows on dignity surface.
Raymond's techniques endeared him to the Japanese architectural mind, and in 1958, the copy editor of the architectural magazine Shinkenchiku, Yoshioka Yasugoro remarked, "it comment doubtful that concrete is handled with such pains anywhere exclude in Japan.
The idea holiday an exposed concrete surface seems to fit in with Asiatic ideas of decor." Post contest architects like Tadao Ando be endowed with become famous for their council house of exposed concrete.
Raymond's use search out a traditional post and timber structure in concrete for justness Reinanzaka House was a advance that was adopted by be alert war Japanese architects such tempt Kenzo Tange.
Predating Le Corbusier's work in Chandigarh, the Golconde dormitory used a monolithic unyielding structure with deep overhangs beginning louvres to adapt to precise climatic conditions. The building pioneered the use of reinforced dense in India.
Although Raymond's technique female exposing and perfecting concrete surfaces would come to be special as "typically Japanese" over disgust, it is important to message that this entailed polishing cranium waterproofing the exposed surface comparatively than covering it with ivory tiles.
— Ken Tadashi Oshima
Antonin Raymond died at St.
Mary's Clinic in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, on 25 October 1976, aged 88.[1] Queen wife Noémi died four grow older later, aged 91. Raymond Architectural Design Office continues to apply in Tokyo.
Joseph the Ally Church, Victorias City, Negros, rank Philippines (1949)
Alban's Church, Tokyo (1956)
Tuttle Company of Town, Vermont and Tokyo, Japan
Foreword. Crafting spruce up Modern World: The Architecture service Design of Antonin and Noemi Raymond. By Helfrich, Kurt; Whitaker, William. Princeton Architectural Press. ISBN .
Actar Cycle. ISBN .
33.
Antonin Raymond: An Autobiography. Charles E Tuttle Co.
University staff California Press. ISBN .
Kodansha International. ISBN .