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FAMOUS ARCHITEC
taken from: Irish-architecture.com,tourism board and many source |
Who Is Peter Eisenman
b Newark, NJ, 12 Aug 1932). American architect, theorist, writer and teacher. He graduated from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (BArch 1955), and worked for Percival Goodman in New York (1957-8) and the Architects' Collaborative in Cambridge, MA (1959). He then went to Columbia University, New York (March 1960), and the University of Cambridge, England, where he completed his PhD in the theory of design (1963) and also taught (1960-63). Back in the USA, he was involved in several unexecuted competition entries and projects (1963-5) with Michael Graves and began to teach (1963-7) at Princeton University, NJ, moving to Cooper Union, New York, in 1967. In that year he became the founding director of the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies, New York, which became a major centre for exhibition and debate in the architectural profession; he also established and edited its influential journal Oppositions (1973-82), to which he contributed many writings.
The American architect Peter D. Eisenman (born 1932) studied and made formal use of concepts from other fields - linguistics, philosophy, and mathematics - in his imaginative designs.
Peter Eisenman was born in 1932 into a middle-class setting in Newark, New Jersey. Although his grandfather had been a builder, Eisenman claimed that his decision to become an architect was not made until he discovered the world of architecture as an undergraduate at Cornell University. At Cornell (B.Arch., 1955) he studied under theorist/critic Colin Rowe, receiving the Charles G. Sands Memorial Medal awarded for exceptional merit in his senior thesis. Under the tutelage of Rowe, Eisenman was encouraged to re-examine the origins of modern architecture, particularly the early works of the French architect Le Corbusier (1887-1965), and thus was exposed to a set of ideas that were to form the core of his early practice and architectural philosophy. Following Cornell and a brief apprenticeship he matriculated first to Columbia University (M.S. Arch., 1960; William Kinne fellowship, 1960-1961) and finally to Cambridge University, England, where he received an M.A. (1962) and Ph.D. (1963) in theory of design.
Early Career
Eisenman returned to the United States in 1963 to practice from an office in New York City and to teach as an assistant professor in the School of Architecture at Princeton University. Eisenman also returned to a lively debate among young professionals concerning the future of architecture, a debate in which he played a critical role. In 1964 he was a founding member of CASE (Conference of Architects for the Study of the Environment) and in 1967 he founded and served as the director of the IAUS (Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies). The critical issues of the time were those revolving around the nature of the modern city and housing. In 1967 Eisenman, in collaboration with Michael Graves and Daniel Perry, proposed an urban megastructure for the renewal of Harlem. This project was the centerpiece of the Museum of Modern Art's exhibit The New City: Architecture and Urban Renewal. This was but one of innumerable exhibitions Eisenman participated in during this period, with this work seeming to clearly identify him as a third generation modernist, a perception he was soon to prove misleading.
"The New York Five"
In 1969 Eisenman, through an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art sponsored by CASE, became associated with a group of architects who quickly gained fame and notoriety as the New York Five. This group, with Eisenman generally acknowledged as the leader, included Charles Gwathmey (born 1938), Michael Graves (born 1934), Richard Meier (born 1934), and John Hejduk (born 1929). They sought a return to the origins of 20th-century modernism, as seen in the early works of Le Corbusier, the Italian Rationalist Giuseppe Terragni (1904-1943), and the Dutch De Stijl movement architect Gerrit Rietveld (1888-1964). It was the more abstract and theoretical aspects of this architecture that drove the work of the New York Five. The resulting work was perceived, at its best, as powerful, inwardly directed, critical exercises which produced wonderful architecture for architects; at its worst it was derided for its penchant for ignoring client needs, functional requirements, and even architectural technology in its seemingly entirely self-referential pursuit of ideas. The New York Five's presence was most notable through their many exhibitions and the publicity generated by Five Architects, edited by Kenneth Frampton (1972). Eisenman's principal role was as intellectual provocateur with his newly proposed cardboard architecture at the center of the ensuing critical debate.
Cardboard Architecture
In 1967 Eisenman had begun the first of a series of residential designs, labeled cardboard architecture in reference to their thin white walls and model-like qualities, through which he explored the implications of his theories in built form. This practical application was a corollary to his intellectual investigations. These buildings embodied what Eisenman referred to as deep structure, through which he attempted to explore the notion of visual syntax. The complex nature of this work stemmed from Eisenman's interest in language and semiotics, gained through his study of noted linguist/philosopher Noam Chomsky (born 1928). His designs consisted, in essence, of a floor plan ordered by a grid of lines and a structural framework of thin round columns. These were projected in three dimensions as a cubical spatial volume on which and throughout were placed a series of layered planes. In early designs these planes were placed perpendicular to each other within the cube; in later designs some planes were dislocated by rotational shifts in the plane grid and overlaid on the original grids.
A critical component of the design process for these buildings, which are referred to by numbers rather than client name as is typical - i.e., House I (1967) through House X (1982) - was the production of a text following each design effort through which Eisenman sought to explain his work. That an observer needed to read a text to fully understand his architecture was a point of considerable debate. Eisenman's literary efforts resulted in a steady stream of articles, eventually coalescing into two books: House X (1982) and Houses of Cards (1987), the latter dealing with House I through House VI.
Post Modern Architecture
By the late 1970s Eisenman had emerged as a leader in the Post Modern movement in architecture. The terms Post Modern and Post Modernism are somewhat problematic. Having originated in reference to literary theory, they were appropriated by critic Charles Jencks (The Language of Post Modern Architecture, 1977) to characterize the architecture that seemed to be supplanting that of the Modernist era. Although some observers question whether current architecture constitutes a truly new era or is the logical next phase of Modernism, what is clear is Eisenman's continued presence on the cutting edge of contemporary events. His work in the early 1980s was in part an elaboration of the theories embodied in the House projects. However, now he moved beyond pure geometry to examine scalar geometry, which is used in mapping complex structures such as weather formations; he was especially interested in these ideas as discussed by scientist/mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot. From these investigations Eisenman derived what he referred to as traces: lines or echoes from other sources that could be perceived within any aspect of a design problem. One of the first works to demonstrate these ideas, and his first large-scale project, was the Wexner Center for the Visual Arts at Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio (1983-1989). Two trace features are a central walkway that slices through the building, with the angle of the walkway matching that of an airport runway located miles from the site, and abstract architectural elements which recall an armory that once stood on the site. His achievements during the 1980s were recognized by the Academy of Arts and Letters, which awarded Eisenman with the Arnold W. Brunner memorial award in 1984.
Deconstruction
Eisenman's later work sprang from an even more complex set of theoretical origins. In a project for the Biology Center for J.W. Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, he proposed a scheme derived from the structure of a DNA molecule interpolated through fractal geometry. However, the primary impetus of his efforts in the late 1980s was the philosophical/critical movement known as Deconstruction, which was developed in large part by French philosopher Jacques Derrida (born 1930) as a response to Structuralism. In Deconstruction Eisenman was seeking a new basis for architecture. While architects have traditionally relied on man as the foundation which informed and governed their work, Eisenman considered this position untenable in modern society. Instead he proposed three destabilizing concepts to guide his architecture: discontinuity, recursibility, and self-similarity. His project for the University Museum at Long Beach, California (begun in 1986), embodies these new ideas. Here past, present, and future collide, with the 1849 Gold Rush, the 1949 founding of the university, and the 2049 rediscovery of the museum informing the design process. Eisenman's commitment to linking past and present were also visible in a 1994 exhibit at the Canadian Center for Architecture in Montreal called "Cities of Artificial Excavation," which featured eleven of his projects from 1978 to 1988.
What's Next?
Eisenman's work in the 1990s included a city plan for Rebstockpark in Frankfurt, Germany in which he concentrated heavily on a "fold technique." He also designed the Aronoff Center for Design and Art at the University of Cincinnati as part of that university's project to redesign the entire campus. Future projects include a San Francisco Jewish Museum and a new museum and ferry terminal for New York City's Staten Island. Eisenman's search for new architectural origins and his continued presence at the forefront of architectural criticism and debate prompt one often repeated question: What's next?
Further Reading
The two principal books by Eisenman on his work are House X (1982) and Houses of Cards (1987). Books on his architecture include Five Architects, edited by Kenneth Frampton (1972), A.D. Wexner Center for the Visual Arts, Eisenman and Trott (1990), and Eisenman: Recent Projects 1983-1989 (1989). Charles Jencks' The Language of Post Modern Architecture (1977) effectively sets the stage for Eisenman's work in the 1970s and 1980s, and Geoffrey Broadbent's Deconstruction: A Student Guide (1991) furnishes the most accessible entry into the complex world of Eisenman's Deconstruction-based architecture.
Additional Sources
"Bunshaft, Eisenman Honored by Academy of Arts and Letters." Architecture (June 1984): 88, 91.
Cembarest, Robin. "The Featherman File of Noteworthy Items in the Press." Ethnic Newswatch, 20 December 1996. Stamford: Soft Line Information, Inc.
Dawson, Layla. "Eisenman's New Trick." The Architectural Review 191 (September 1992): 9.
Giovannini, Joseph. "Excavating Eisenman." Architecture (June 1994): 57-62.
Jacobs, Karrie. "The Ferry Godfather." The New York Times, 31 March 1997.
Muschamp, Herbert. "Making a Rush-Hour Battleground High Art." The New York Times, 6 April 1997.
- . "Eisenman's Spatial Extravaganza in Cincinnati." The New York Times, 21 July 1996.
- . "Repulsion is the Attraction." The New York Times, 24 April 1994.
Zimmerman, David. "Cincinnati: A Plan for Unity." USA Today, 2 April 1997.
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American architect. He founded the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies, NYC (1967), co-edited the architectural journal Oppositions (197382), and was associated with the New York Five from 1972. His work derived partially from the Rationalism of Terragni and others, while some of his earlier designs for family houses (Barenholtz House, Princeton, NJ (19678), and Falk House, Hardwick, VT (196970)) perhaps had aspirations towards cardboard architecture. With his Miller House, Lakeville, CT (196970), he created a plan grid with walls placed at an angle to it, thus creating tensions in the geometries, and his superimposition or layering theme was developed further in his designs for the Biocentrum, J. W. Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany (19878). Eisenman demonstrated his contempt for function in the Frank House, Cornwall, CT (19723), with its stair too low to descend without stooping, extremely narrow door, and column to the side of the dining-room table, and his name has been closely associated with Deconstructivism. His flexible, sculptural approach created a dramatic castle-like composition at the Wexner Center for the Visual Arts, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (1989). Other works include Kolzumi Sangyo Corporation Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan (1990), the Aronoff Center for Design and Art, Cincinnati, OH (198896), a hotel and office-development, Madrid, Spain (1990), the Arts Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA (1990) and the Holocaust Memorial, Berlin (opened 2005). He published House of Cards (1978), The Formal Basis of Modern Architecture (1996), and the aptly titled Blurred Zones: Investigations of the Interstitial (2003) in which perhaps there is a gap between texts (somewhat overloaded with references to tropes, trendy philosophers, and generalizations) and illustrations of projects.
Bibliography
* Bιdard (ed.) (1994)
* Ciorra (1995)
* C. Davidson (ed.) (1996)
* Eisenman (1998, 2003)
* Eisenman Architects (1995)
* Eisenman (ed.) (1996)
* Frampton et al. (1975)
* Jencks (1988)
* Johnson & Wigley (1988)
* Klotz (1988)
* Weissenberger & Levey (1986)
Peter Eisenman
Installation art by Peter Eisenman in the courtyard of Castelvecchio Museum in Verona, Italy, Entitled: "Il giardino dei passi perduti", ("The garden of the lost steps")
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Installation art by Peter Eisenman in the courtyard of Castelvecchio Museum in Verona, Italy, Entitled: "Il giardino dei passi perduti", ("The garden of the lost steps")
Peter Eisenman (born August 11, 1932 in Newark, New Jersey) is one of the foremost practitioners of deconstructivism in American architecture. Eisenman's fragmented forms are identified with an eclectic group of architects that have been, at times unwillingly, labelled deconstructivists. Although Eisenman shuns the label, he has had a history of controversy aimed at keeping him in the public (academic) eye. His theories on architecture pursue the emancipation and autonomy of the discipline and his work represents a continued attempt to liberate form from all meaning, a struggle that most find difficult to understand. He always had strong cultural relationships with European intellectuals like his English mentor Colin Rowe and the Italian historian Manfredo Tafuri. The work of philosopher Jacques Derrida is a key influence in Eisenman's architecture. He is often seen in a bowtie and a black sweater with a small hole.
Eisenman discovered architecture as an undergraduate at Cornell University and had to give up his position on the swimming team in order to immerse himself in the architecture program there. Eisenman received a Bachelor of Architecture Degree from Cornell, a Master of Architecture Degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Cambridge.
Eisenman first rose to prominence as a member of the New York Five, five architects (Eisenman, Charles Gwathmey, John Hejduk, Richard Meier, and Michael Graves) some of whose work appeared in an exhibition at MoMA in 1967. Eisenman received a number of grants from the Graham Foundation for work done in this period. These architects' work at the time was often considered a reworking of the ideas of Le Corbusier. Subsequently, the five architects each developed unique styles and ideologies, with Eisenman becoming more affiliated with the Deconstructivist movement.
Eisenman's focus on "liberating" architectural form was successful from an academic and theoretical standpoint but resulted in structures that were badly built and hostile to users. The Wexner Center, hotly anticipated as the first major public deconstructivist building, has required extensive and expensive retrofitting because of elementary design flaws (such as incompetent material specifications, and fine art exhibition space exposed to direct sunlight). Its spatial grammar of colliding planes also tends to make users disoriented to the point of nausea, and Eisenman has been known to chuckle in lectures about making people vomit.
Eisenman's "House VI", designed for clients Richard and Suzanne Frank in the mid 1970's, confounds user expectations with such fun-house stunts as an exterior column that does not reach the ground, a linear notch in the bedroom floor that prevented the Franks from sleeping in the same bed, and antagonistic space planning. Suzanne Frank was initially sympathetic and patient with Eisenman's theories and demands. But after years of fixes to the badly-specified and misbegotten House VI (which had first broken the Franks' budget then consumed their life savings), Suzanne Frank was prompted to strike back with Peter Eisenman's House VI: The Client's Response, a fascinating bit of black humor and one of the most revealing documents in 20th Century architecture.
Eisenman currently teaches architecture at Yale University and has also embarked on a larger series of building projects than ever before in his career, including the recently completed Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin and the new University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Buildings and works
USGS satellite image of the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
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USGS satellite image of the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
* House VI (Frank residence), Cornwall, Connecticut, Design: 1972.
* Wexner Center for the Arts, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 1989
* Greater Columbus Convention Center, Columbus, Ohio, 1993 [1]
* Aronoff Center for Design and Art, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1996
* City of Culture of Galicia, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain, 1999
* Il giardino dei passi perduti, Castelvecchio Museum, Verona, 2004
* Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Berlin, 2005
* University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona, 2006
Bibliography
* Peter Eisenman, Houses of Cards. New York: Oxford University Press, 1987.
* Peter Eisenman, Diagram Diaries (Universe Architecture Series), Thames and Hudson, 1999.
* Blurred Zones: Investigations of the Interstitial : Eisenman Architects 1988-1998
* Peter Eisenman, Giuseppe Terragni: Transformations, Decompositions, Critiques, New York, The Monacelli Press 2003
* Peter Eisenman, Eisenman Inside Out. Selected Writings 1963-1988, New Haven-London, Yale University Press 2004
Interviews
* Kari Jormakka, Interview with Peter Eisenman, Datutop 14, 1991.
* Interview: Peter Eisenman, Threshold, Rizzoli, 1983.
External links
* Eisenman Architects official website
* Video interview with Eisenman from 1996
* Spiegel magazine interview
* Archinect.com interview
* designboom.com interview
* Berlin Holocaust memorial
* Wexner Center for the Arts official website
* Eisenman's politics an interview with Robert Locke
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