Bruce Goffs Bavinger House
Bruce Goff's working career spanned sixty-six years, from 1916, when he began working in an architect's office, until his death in 1982. During that time he received more than 450 commissions for buildings and related designs, resulting in more than 500 proposals of which at least 147 were realized. Bruce Goff occupied a unique place in American architecture. His buildings looked like those of no other architect. His idiosyncratic designs juxtaposed shapes in unexpected but delightful combinations. His reliance on unusual materials resulted in strange, sometimes futuristic combinations of colors and textures. His interior designs were resolutely unconventional and were intended to provide both physical comfort and spiritual sustenance. His goal was to design for the „continuous present' without referring specifically to the past, present, or future. Working on this ideal plane, Goff continually found new and surprising ways to satisfy the functional demands of a project. The distinctiveness of Goff's designs could be ascribed in large part to his determination not to be bound by previous approaches to architecture, to his total commitment to his clients' desires, and to his ceaseless search for inspiration in
Bavinger House demonstrated the flexibility of architectural change as life-style change. Goff attempted to think of his clients as continuing the design of the building; the actual life that went on in it complemented the design. Its form had resulted from this growing process and it was in perfect harmony with its environments and the lives within. This architectural growth, carefully disciplined by Goff, was truly organic. In describing Bavinger house, he said: " Mr. Wright, you honor me ... therefore I feel I should tell you the real reason why I believe I should not accept your offerK.I have known people who have worked with you in the Oak Park days and since, and they all seem to fall into two categories; one group thinks you have ruined their lives ... that you have stolen their ideas and that you are a devil. The other believes that you are a God who can do no wrong and that their lives are useless unless sacrificed for you. I don't want to think of you in either of these ways ... nor can I ever be a disciple. I need to be away from you far enough so that I can get the proper perspective." Bavinger house was Goff's most forceful exploration of the indeterminate manner, clearly differentiating the general, loosely defined volume from the geometric units it contained. Describing the house, Goff stressed that from no single vantage point could its interior be seen completely, nor its spatial system immediately comprehended. He believed that one of the most significant changes in the concept of space was due to people's increased desire to have the space inside and outside more continuous, more flexible, more dynamic, and more active. He said:
Some common words found in the essay are:
Bruce Goff, According Goff, Goff Buildings, Bavinger House, Oak Park, Louis Sullivan, Lloyd Wright, Goff Simplicity, Gertrude Stein, England Vol, bruce goff, bavinger house, architectural design, organic architecture, architectural design england, design england, 10 1978, 48 10, england vol, england vol 48, vol 48, 48 10 1978, design england vol, vol 48 10, 1978 pp,
Approximate Word count = 6208
Approximate Pages = 25 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
