Publisher Description

Organic Design in Twentieth-Century Nordic Architecture presents a communicable and useful definition of organic architecture that reaches beyond constraints. The book focuses on the works and writings of architects in Nordic countries, such as Sigurd Lewerentz, Jørn Utzon, Sverre Fehn and the Aaltos (Aino, Elissa and Alvar), among others. It is structured around the ideas of organic design principles that influenced them and allowed their work to evolve from one building to another. Erik Champion argues organic architecture can be viewed as a concerted attempt to thematically unify the built environment through the allegorical expression of ongoing interaction between designer, architectural brief and building-as-process. With over 140 black and white images, this book is an intriguing read for architecture students and professionals alike.

Author Biography

Erik Champion is Professor of Cultural Visualisation at Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia.

Table of Contents

i. Table of Contentsii. Table of Figuresiii. Table of Tablesiv. Preface v. Acknowledgementsvi. Foreword by Professor Adrian Carter1 INTRODUCING THEORIES OF THE ORGANIC 11.1 Definitions: 21.2 Parameters 251.3 References 272 SWEDEN 302.1 Sweden: Background 312.2 Isak Gustav Clason and the Klara School 362.3 Carl Westman (1866-1936) 382.4 Ivar Tengbom (1878-1968) 392.5 Carl Bergsten (1879- 1935) 392.6 Ragnar Östberg (1886-1945) 402.7 Klara School Ideas 452.7.a The Dissolution of Mass into Surface and Ripples 462.7.b Decoration, Containment and Direction 472.7.c Missing Clues and Burled Enigmas 492.7.d Nordic Light 512.8 The Klara School: Summary 522.9 SIGURD LEWERENTZ 542.10 Lewerentz' Ideas 562.10.a Ripples, Eddies and the Trace of the Line 562.10.b The Upturned Boat 602.10.c The Hidden and the Seen; Slits Rents and Washes of Light 612.11 Lewerentz: Summary 642.12 Erik Gunnar Asplund 652.13 Asplund: Ideas 702.13.a Human Sculpture & the Use of Symbolism 712.13.b Lightness, Lighting and Light: On the City Library curtains 822.13.c Path and Centre 862.14 Asplund: Summary 1002.15 References 1053 FINLAND 1103.1 Finland: Background 1113.2 Lars Eliel Sonck 1143.3 Sonck's Ideas 1183.3.a "Character" Building with the Accretive and the Aedicular 1193.3.b The Billowing Roof, the Protrusile Wall, the Wobble of Corner 1223.3.c Plays of Light 1253.4 Sonck: Summary 1273.5 Armas Lindgren, Herman Gesellius & Eliel Saarinen 1283.6 L-G-S Ideas 1313.6.a The fall of Land, the Walking Column and Epoch-Stratified Skin 1323.6.b Crenelated floors, fissures, and fortresses 1333.7 Summary 1343.8 Alvar Aalto 1363.9 Aalto Ideas 1423.9.a Ruined suggestion and the Devolution towards "Humane" Architecture 1423.9.b Heterotopia versus Cytogenesis and the Pull of Focus 1463.9.c Typology and "Stylistic Metaphor" 1543.9.d Spatial Flexibility 1573.9.e Fighting Hermetic Enclosure-The Floating Ceiling, the Stave, Lattice and Arboreal Space 1603.10 Summary 1633.11 Reima & Raili Pietilä 1663.12 Pietiläs' Ideas 1683.12.a Mythological Morphology and the Expression of Force 1693.12.b Fragmented Light and the Suspension of Mass 1713.12.c Surrealism and Symbolism 1723.12.d Climatic Denudation 1733.13 Pietiläs: Summary 1733.14 Reference 1764 DENMARK 1784.1 Denmark: Background 1794.2 Hack J. Kampmann 1884.3 Kampmann's Ideas 1894.3.a Thematic Detail of the Exotic, the Eroded and the Rather Well-Used 1904.3.b Dissipation of Mass and spatial seepage 1954.4 Kampmann: Summary 1964.5 Arne Jacobsen 1974.6 Jacobsen's Ideas 1984.6.a Pilotis, Cantilevers and Space Frames with Knee-High Fragility 1984.6.b Visual Privacy 2024.7 Jacobsen: Summary 2034.8 Jørn Utzon 2064.9 Utzon's Ideas 2104.9.a The Fifth Facade 2104.9.b The Erosion of Mass into Light 2124.9.c The Wall and the Spine 2144.9.d Focus 2164.9.e Simplicity of elements but complexity of relationships 2184.9.f Servant and Served -Platform and Pagoda 2224.10 Utzon: Summary 2234.11 References 2265 NORWAY 2295.1 Norway: Background 2295.2 Knut Knutsen 2345.3 Knutsen's Ideas 2365.3.a The Spatial Bubble and the Spilt-Vista of Capillary Architecture 2365.3.b The Rough and the Exposed of the Ready-Made Detail 2425.4 Knutsen: Summary 2435.5 Sverre Fehn 2455.6 Fehn's Ideas 2505.6.a Horizons, Vistas and Agrarian Space 2505.6.b Territorial Psychology of the Curved, the Straight, and the Hilltop 2565.6.c Suspense and the Sublime 2575.6.d Textual Relationship as Theme 2605.7 Fehn: Summary 2615.8 References 2636 CONCLUSION 2686.1 References 276

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