Paul Rudolph
Paul Marvin Rudolph (October 23, 1918 in Elkton, Kentucky – August 8, 1997 in New York, New York) was an American architect and the dean of the Yale School of Architecture for six years, known for use of concrete and highly complex floor plans. His most famous work is the Yale Art and Architecture Building (A&A Building), a spatially complex Brutalist concrete structure.
| Born | October 23, 1918 Elkton, Kentucky |
|---|---|
| Died | August 8, 1997 (aged 78) New York |
| Nationality | United States |
| Influenced | Muzharul Islam |
| Buildings | Yale Art and Architecture Building |
INTRODUCTION
He moved to Sarasota, Florida and partnered with Ralph Twitchell for four years until he started his own practice in 1951. Rudolph's Sarasota time is now part of the period labeled Sarasota Modern in his career.
Other Sarasota landmarks by Rudolph include the Sarasota County Riverview High School, built in 1957 as his first large scale project. There was a great deal of controversy in Sarasota, where many members of the community appealed for the retention of the historic building after the decision reached in 2006 by the county school board to demolish the structure.
Paul Rudolph's Florida houses attracted attention in the architectural community and he started receiving commissions for larger works such as the Jewett Art Center at Wellesley College. He took over the helm of the Yale School of Architecture as its dean in 1958, shortly after designing the Yale Art and Architecture Building. That building often is considered his masterpiece. He stayed on at Yale for six years until he returned to private practice. He designed the Temple Street Parking Garage, also in New Haven, in 1962.
One of his most iconic houses, the Milam Residence, was designed and constructed between 1959 and 1961. It still stands today on Florida's eastern coast, outside Jacksonville. Instead of modular construction, Rudolph used concrete blocks to construct this two-storied home for the Milam family. These large blocks provide shade for the windows, allowing the Florida home to be easily cooled. This house's iconic seaside facade of stacked rectangles exemplifies the sculptural nature of Rudolph's work during this period. From inside the structure, Rudolf wanted the inhabitants to locate themselves according to mood, so the large 2-story window in the living room contrasts other areas of the home which feel more cave-like and secluded
Whilst Dean of Yale Architecture School Rudolph taught Muzharul Islam, Norman Foster and Richard Rogers, all attending the Masters course as scholarship students.
He later designed the Government Service Center in Boston, First Church in Boston, the main campus of University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (originally known as Southeastern Massachusetts Technological Institute, and later as the Southeastern Massachusetts University), the Jewett Arts Center at Wellesley College, the Endo Pharmaceuticals Building, the Dana Arts Center at Colgate University, and the Burroughs Wellcome headquarters in North Carolina.
HIS WORKS
MILAM RESIDENCE,florida
- Using concrete to yield a front facade that is readable even from a distance, Rudolph explores the separation of interior and exterior spaces as the framework exhibited is independent of the structure behind it.
- Although detached from the program of the house, the rectangles and squares of the orthogonal facade occasionally relate interior rooms at various levels by the formation of sun screens, making the design both visually stimulating and functional.
- Paul Rudolph is known for his intensity and his consistent use of complex floor plans which is evident in this residence as much as in his other buildings.
- The planning of this house beckoned a new design methodology for Rudolph, one about a rigid modular organizational system.
- The spatial variety and satiation of vertical and horizontal spaces are differentiated by frames, walls and floors which are extended to create varying volumes according to program.
- In this example, spatial organization has overpowered structural organization, and the design is thoughtfully considered first by the uses of space.
- The walls and floors are elongated to create elaborate forms which extend south towards a seaside view of the Atlantic Ocean. One of the very few structural purposes served ny these patterns is to block the rays of the blazing Florida sun in high temperatures.
-On the east and west sides of the residence, the dramatic sculptural extrusions were designed as counterparts to reinforce the sectional design and strategy which so wonderfully defines the characteristics of the Milam Residence.
planning
-The floor plan is designed around a central and long double-height living room space, which is lowered two steps below an overlooking dining area to one side and a study area to the other, creating a sitting well.
- The stairs also translate into functional seating, which makes movable furniture superfluous. The shifting of a floor platform and changes of elevation conform to specific spatial characteristics.
- Rudolph aimed to create a variety of moods with a consideration of the programmatic needs of the occupants, “the reading area with its low ceiling and corresponding wall of books, the high ceiling of the main living area with its recessed seating, or the nestlike inglenook set on a level between the living room and the overlook.
- The dining room has a perennial view of the beach and the sea out of a large framed window. Rudolph must have viewed this centralized layout as being successful as many of the subsequent projects he completed had a similar system.- Rudolph was consistently pushing towards “a renewed concern for visual delight. This is indeed the architect’s prime responsibility, for other specialists can do everything else that he does and, quite often, much better.”
side elevation
front elevation
section
interior
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