From the Ground Up is a series on Archinect focused on discovering the early stages & signs of history's most prolific architects. Starting from the beginning allows us to understand the long journey architecture takes in even the formative of hands and often, surprising shifts that occur in its journey. These early projects grant us a glimpse into the early, naive, ambitious and at points rough edges of soon to be architectural masters.
Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects is a wife and husband duo whose firm, started in 1977, focuses on work for institutions: museums, schools, and not-for-profits. But, that is now where they started; their early work was not of the grandest of scales instead starting with a residence in NY.
Long before they were selected for the President Obama's presidential library, Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects began their path with the Eisenberg Residence located in Hampton Bays, NY and finished in 1985. The early residential building surprisingly though, stays close to the desires and energy which would pull through to the Obama Library.
The layout of the house is a composition of three main constructs which are held together with an exterior deck space. Tod Williams & Billie Tsien's desire to use a deconstructed compositional programmatic approach is a key element of their work and here, finds its roots already set as they use such breakage and in-between spaces as a means to construct a fluid interaction between form, space, implied space and framing of space.
Even with the descriptions of the buildings, Tod Williams & Billie Tsien use words such as room and space, not buildings or objects. Each of the traditionally viewed objects are described as part of a larger whole, one whose boundaries are not so clearly defined.
Each of the traditionally viewed objects are described as part of a larger whole, one whose boundaries are not so clearly defined.
Now, almost 40 years later, their work stands to present and represent an instrumental aspect of contemporary political commentary in the form of Obama's Presidential Library in Chicago. In a perfect setting and running parallel to the current political climate, a better match could not have been made with Tod Williams Billie Tsien's philosophy declaring the following:
1. We see architecture as an act of profound optimism.
2. Its foundation lies in believing that it is possible to make places on the earth that can give a sense of grace to life—and believing that this matters. It is what we have to give and it is what we leave behind.
To hear more from Tod Williams & Billie Tsien and their current modes of operation enjoy their recent lecture at Harvard University.
Anthony Morey is a Los Angeles based designer, curator, educator, and lecturer of experimental methods of art, design and architectural biases. Morey concentrates in the formulation and fostering of new modes of disciplinary engagement, public dissemination, and cultural cultivation. Morey is the ...
15 Comments
House in the Hamptons and no info on the client? Wouldn't happen to be connected with Williams' family's money would it?
It clearly states, in title and in the body, Eisenberg Residence.
edit: How did TWBT come to know the Eisenbergs and/or why did the Eisenbergs patron TWBT? Who are the Eisenbergs again? Maybe it's just Eisenberg?
Excluding capital from the discussion perpetuates the idea that architecture is open to those with prolific ideas, eclipsing the reality that access to capital is pivotal to becoming a prolific architect.
Wow! Next thing we'll read is more garbage like globalists. Your bullshit first comment was about Williams' family money, then I blow up that argument, you hustle on down the path, and look for the next "point".
“Excluding capital from the discussion perpetuates the idea that architecture is open to those with prolific ideas, eclipsing the reality that access to capital is pivotal to becoming a prolific architect.” “The silver spoon does give a person significant advantages, both economic and social.” - Miles Jaffe Financial capital is not an insignificant ground to build up from. If the series was really about discovering the early stages & signs of history’s most prolific architects, wouldn’t there be some student work present from said prolific architects? Or is this house literally the first time TWBT used “deconstructed compositional programmatic approach”? [edit] since the first comment posted early.
How did you blow up my first comment? You didn't mention money and you provided the title of the project, which gives no description of the client?
Wouldn't happen to be connected with Williams' family's money would it? Errrrrrrrrrr.......bzzzzzz.....wrong.
Errrrrrrrrrr.......So....."How did TWBT come to know the Eisenbergs and/or why did the Eisenbergs patron TWBT?"
Also, my reply about "excluding capital" wasn't a reply to yours, there was a comment which is now no longer here, which mentioned my comments on the zaha article, maybe that's why it appears i'm hustling down the path...
Again, I'll direct you to the body of text. The Eisenberg project, dated 1985, was created 8 years after the firm formed. Secondly, the author is perhaps the one you should direct your query, because as author of this work, he decided what to include, and exclude. Having said that, so you recall the work you did, 40 plus years ago, as a young student? I'll get into your arguments regarding capital, after I've consumed more than three scotch beverages.
donatello.(are you a turtle?) I do, and my boss has been doing for 35 years, homes for the very rich - they come to us because they know we know how to do it here, we don't have capital and never had the ambition to become capitalists. I know a lot of stories about family money though.
Amazing how radical these ideas sound in today’s politics!
^ the problem with socialism is the tinfoil hats that come with it. You are forgetting that in 1977 or 1985 or whenever it was much easier for many in the upper middle class to build. You could start an office in SoHo for little. Maybe now it requires a bit more, but you don’t have to build on Long Island to make a difference. The problem is more with the media that doesn’t highlight much great work in the other 48 and above in depth. Buy low sell high. Go to Des Moines or Arkansas or Boise.
You can start an office today even simpler, don't even need an office in SoHo...a website, smart phone and laptop are all you need :)
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