English
The Grand Tour
Travelling the World with an Architect's Eye. Excerpt from the book 'The Grand Tour' by Harry Seidler. Edited by Peter Gössel.
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Japan
The architecture of Japan was influenced historically by Chinese building practice, although many differences developed. Japan's humid and warm summer climate, as well as frequent earthquakes resulted in lightweight timber buildings raised off the ground that are resistant to earth tremors. The visual simplicity of important palace structures has had an influence on western architecture in the 20th Century.
Elegant refinement and minimalist austere open interconnected spaces have influenced the modern architecture in much of the world, exemplified by the work of Mies Van der Rohe. Some of Frank Lloyd Wright's work has been influenced by Japan and conversely his multi-level entrance spaces in the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo has had an effect on modern Japanese architecture. Some parts of the lobby space has been reconstructed elsewhere in Japan after the Hotel's demolition in 1960.
After World War II great strides were made in modern Japanese architecture, not only in advanced technology, allowing earthquake resistant tall buildings, but expressing and infusing characteristics of traditional Japanese architecture in modern buildings.
The relationship between the restrained formal geometries of Japanese interiors is brought into a particular refined fusion with its landscape and garden architecture. A romantically peaceful serenity results.
USA
From the early days of European migration to America, in the 17th Century, the prototype of buildings was based on English precedent, even if mostly translated into the locally available material in abundance: timber. The European cultural background continued and reached a high point under President Thomas Jefferson who was influenced by European classic architecture during his term as America's Ambassador to France. He was a naturally gifted amateur architect, evidenced in his exemplary design for the Campus of the University of Virginia in 1819-26.
American architects in the 19th Century followed the English and French prevalent stylisms until the Industrial Revolution when dramatic advances were made technically and aesthetically. The use of iron enabled buildings to rise higher, aided by the development of the Otis elevator. Economic expansion and consequent wealth allowed architects like Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright to unfold their inventive genius of structural daring and a new spaciousness in their buildings. It helped skyscrapers reach unprecedented heights in the early 20th Century.
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Page [1] [2] [3] [4]
Japan
The architecture of Japan was influenced historically by Chinese building practice, although many differences developed. Japan's humid and warm summer climate, as well as frequent earthquakes resulted in lightweight timber buildings raised off the ground that are resistant to earth tremors. The visual simplicity of important palace structures has had an influence on western architecture in the 20th Century.
Elegant refinement and minimalist austere open interconnected spaces have influenced the modern architecture in much of the world, exemplified by the work of Mies Van der Rohe. Some of Frank Lloyd Wright's work has been influenced by Japan and conversely his multi-level entrance spaces in the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo has had an effect on modern Japanese architecture. Some parts of the lobby space has been reconstructed elsewhere in Japan after the Hotel's demolition in 1960.
After World War II great strides were made in modern Japanese architecture, not only in advanced technology, allowing earthquake resistant tall buildings, but expressing and infusing characteristics of traditional Japanese architecture in modern buildings.
The relationship between the restrained formal geometries of Japanese interiors is brought into a particular refined fusion with its landscape and garden architecture. A romantically peaceful serenity results.
USA
From the early days of European migration to America, in the 17th Century, the prototype of buildings was based on English precedent, even if mostly translated into the locally available material in abundance: timber. The European cultural background continued and reached a high point under President Thomas Jefferson who was influenced by European classic architecture during his term as America's Ambassador to France. He was a naturally gifted amateur architect, evidenced in his exemplary design for the Campus of the University of Virginia in 1819-26.
American architects in the 19th Century followed the English and French prevalent stylisms until the Industrial Revolution when dramatic advances were made technically and aesthetically. The use of iron enabled buildings to rise higher, aided by the development of the Otis elevator. Economic expansion and consequent wealth allowed architects like Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright to unfold their inventive genius of structural daring and a new spaciousness in their buildings. It helped skyscrapers reach unprecedented heights in the early 20th Century.
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Kyoto, The Golden Pavilion, 1397, rebuilt 1950's
Charlottesville, University of Virginia, 1819-26