Curved House

Starting in the early 20^th century, various sectors – among them architecture – underwent accelerated industrialization. The Modernist Movement embraced new technology, which not only radically changed the way buildings were built but also the form of the places to be lived in. In fact, the most difficult challenge for architects today is to use technology as a support tool in order to preserve, not relinquish, authorship and so ensure that architecture remain a craft skill and not fall into the mass-production trap. The theologian Romano Guardini reflects on this in his Letters from Lake Como in which he analyzes the growing influence of technology in modern society and the need for a balance between technical progress and human, spiritual and cultural values. The whole process depends on the availability of new building materials that can be industrialized yet also guarantee solidity, weather-resistance, and insulation. A supreme example of how these technological materials and methods were transformed into the expressive language of architecture is the work of Mies van der Rohe. His Farnsworth House is emblematic of the use of advanced industrialization processes. The structural steel skeleton allows ample freedom and flexibility as to the interior layout.

To paraphrase Mies, architecture is a child of its times, the crystallization of its inner structure that gradually unfolds. This, he says, is why “technology” and “architecture” are so closely linked. He then added: “Our real hope is that they grow together, that someday the one be the expression of the other”. His words seem to consider time as cyclical, a factor that appears once again relevant to our times. In fact, we seem to be at a moment in time when building elements are being reduced to their essence. The structural skeleton is now in the spotlight, displaying the very essence of how we live.

This vision is...

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