Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/26757

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Title
Timely timelessness: traditional proportions and modern practice in Kahn's Kimbell Museum
Author/Creator
Fleming, Steven;  Reynolds, Mark
Description
The twentieth century witnessed declining interest in architectural proportioning systems, which were virtually eclipsed by technical, social and fiscal agendas. Louis Kahn is a seminal architect, whose most acclaimed building, the Kimbell Art Museum (1966–72), represents a compelling case-study in the use proportions by twentieth-century architects. In spite of a raft of peculiarly modern restrictions (both technological and programmatic), Kahn appears – despite his espoused ambivalence concerning proportion – to have intentionally produced a building with an array of approximate geometrical as well as precise harmonic proportions. This two-part paper presents the findings of a multifaceted research project that examined the Kimbell’s proportions from numerous standpoints. Part 1 presents a textural analysis of Kahn’s statements regarding proportion, as well as the findings of an archival study of correspondence between the architect and his client and consultants. Part 2 presents a prima facie geometrical analysis of the construction drawings for the project. The division into parts reflects an apparent discrepancy between Kahn’s buildings and what he had to say about them.
Relation
Nexus Network Journal Vol. 8, Issue 1, p. 33-52
Publisher Link
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00004-006-0003-0
Date
2006
Publisher
Birkhauser Basel - Springer Verlag
Keyword(s)
Louis Kahn;  Kimball Art Museum;  proportion;  Modernism;  geometric analysis;  textural analysis
Resource Type
journal article
Identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/26757
Identifier
ISSN:1522-4600
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Subject
"Nexus Network Journal"
 
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