Analysis Of The Essay 'Monumentality' By Louis Kahn
How can Modernism, which is hailed because of its minimalism, rationalism, and functionalism, produce anything that can remotely be considered a monument? This is a question scholars and architects pondered during the 1940s. Moreover, monuments were not actually required until the post-war era. With the war came totalitarian regimes well acquainted with monumental architecture and unprecedented global causalities, which resulted in a push for memorial projects. One architect that becomes interested in this faltering was Louis Kahn. In his aptly titled essay “Monumentality,” Kahn tackles this question of monumentality. Firstly, he believes “monumentality is enigmatic” and “it cannot be intentionally created.” However, he does believe that all …show more content…
The Kimbell Art Museum consists of 16 parallel vaults made of concrete. These cycloidal barrel vaults are visible from the upper floor plan, where the art is located. With the Kimbell Art Gallery, Kahn wanted to create a system of bringing in natural light with which to view the art, align with the requirements of the commissioners. Previously, at the Yale Art Gallery, Kahn was unable to bring in natural light into all the space as the street facades have no fenestration. Coinciding with his thoughts on monumentality, Kahn also believed structure is the answer to issues of lighting, describing structure as “the giver of light.” Kahn’s cycloid barrel vault is the structural solution to the many issues with trying to bring in natural light. Natural light can often be too pointed and unevenly distributed. This uneven distribution of high intensity of light can cause a glare. To avoid this beam effect natural light has when uncontrolled, the concrete cycloid vault comes with an attached aluminum piece as well. This metal piece spans the opening at the top of the vault with curving wings. Light is reflected of the aluminum to the interior walls of the vaults and softly illuminated the gallery space in a soft glow. While the building catches the eye with elements like white travertine walls and heavy concrete vaults, there is no doubt that the natural light illuminating the gallery is the aspect most likely to be considered monumental. This light effect would not be possible without the attention to structure given by Kahn and, therefore, gives merit to Kahn’s claim that monumentality is achieved through
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