Le Corbusier and the horizon. Regardless of the pedagogy surrounding how history and theory is taught in architecture schools, Le Corbusier’s (1886-1965) oeuvre can rarely be avoided because it is central to the experience of modernity; especially when talking about the innovative and revolutionary architectural ideas conceived by him during the early part of the 20th century.
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John Hejduk and Jose Oubrerie. During my studies at Cooper Union, I remember Dean John Hejduk (1929-2000) claiming that he had read and digested the entire Oeuvre Complete of Le Corbusier, thus suggesting that he no longer needed to refer to this seminal set of books. This blunt statement suggested that Hejduk fully understood the master’s work. And yet, I was a student, Hejduk’s proclamation perplexed me because I wasn’t sure if he was serious, or simply posturing in front of students.
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Le Baron Tavernier: a cafe. There is a myth that Switzerland is one of the most beautiful countries on earth. Indeed, its picturesque landscape, pristine cities, orderly society, and unconditional belief in a constitution that engages each citizen through direct representation—often to a fault—are all accurate descriptions of the place and culture. While the country of my youth is truly magnificent, there is a mundane reality that mitigates the perfection. Throughout the project that I will describe of Le Baron Tavernier Hotel Restaurant, there is a sense of craftsmanship that accompanies the entire design.
Question of Pedagogy, Part 6. During my over thirty years in architectural education, I have taught at every undergraduate level, always with a specific focus on design studios, and with punctual forays into graduate instruction both in Switzerland and in the US.
Unbuilt projects and competitions. Years ago, when I had the occasion to teach in Venice, Italy, I became aware of the famous 18th century vedute (view paintings) and capricci (imaginary view paintings); specifically those of Italian painters Guardi and Canaletto.
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At the age of five I moved to Vienna, Austria—the heart of the Austro-Hungarian political, economic, and cultural Empire—and ever since then, I have been fascinated by urban environments. Simply stated, the bigger the better, although that doesn’t capture the complexities that I have come to enjoy when living in or visiting metropolises around the world.
Questions of Pedagogy, Part 5. My early years teaching architecture focused on imparting students with a design process; a methodology that would provide my second-year students with solid conceptual thinking. This approach was inspired by my own experience of Raimund Abraham’s teaching. Now that I was becoming an educator, many of my studio briefs espoused design strategies that existed outside of conventional notions of function (Question of Pedagogy. Part 2). In particular, I favored one where site conditions became a leitmotif to engage design thinking (Question of Pedagogy. Part 3).
First steps in a student’s design process. As I matured as an architecture student, I didn’t lack ideas in response to design studio prompts. Ideas seemed to come naturally to me and were triggered by the process in which I was trained to think of a thesis, a program, or a BIG idea (owning a theoretical position on the act of projecting). I believed my métier was in making architecture through the act of building, especially that in Switzerland a culture of construction is integral to design. Most often, this process used functional requirements and explored my interest in an organization of spatial narratives. Retrospectively, this attitude was predictably based in relationships to human occupations (functions).
Prior to talking about Raimund Abraham, let me set the context. During my year abroad at the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies (I.A.U.S) in New York City—an inspirational time studying under Diana Agrest, Peter Eisenman, Mario Gandelsonas, George Ranalli, and Anthony Vidler—the city became a natural extension of my academic interests and, of course, a palimpsest to discover and experience first-hand what it meant to be at the center of the world. During the 1980s, the Big Apple was a city in deep transition, and living there was nothing less than crazy, particularly relative to the tameness of my home country Switzerland.
Robert Slutzky. Prior to introducing Robert Slutzky, let me set the context. In my second year at the EPFL, the idea of learning architecture through precedents filtered from the appreciation of vernacular buildings to an immersion with visiting guest professors.
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