We Will Rock U--Part One

Having worked at Rockefeller Center (John, Jr.) and Lincoln Center (John III), studying the architecture of both, I've come to think of Wallace Harrison and Max Abramovitz almost like old friends. Last Tuesday, on the recommendation of a friend, I decided to go see another project they had a major hand in shaping, The Rockefeller University.

Click images for larger.

--All photos ©2009, Ryan Witte, except where otherwise noted.

What I found, though, was so much more, which is why I've decided to break this up into a series of posts, beginning with the original campus from the early decades of the 20th century. It is a closed, private campus, but the folks in their public relations department were exceedingly hospitable, providing me with all kinds of helpful information.

The architecture is beautiful, but it's somewhat diverse. It's the landscaping that most ties the entire complex together. It's the work of Dan Kiley (1912-2004) one of the greatest landscape architects of the Modern Age. Kiley also designed the landscaping for Lincoln Center and worked extensively with Eero Saarinen. One of the magical things about the campus now is that the plantings are so mature, but this also makes it difficult to get any impression of the layout from a bird's eye view. Here's the satellite image from Google Maps, in any case:

Kiley's scheme is strictly ordered, geometrically precise and symmetrical, and yet around every corner are these moments of discovery that make wandering around the campus utterly delightful. In a way, it's analogous to the scientific research that the students and faculty undertake inside the buildings, where strict, rigorous methodology leads to discoveries of the previously unknown.

The planning started in 1901 by John D. Rockefeller, Sr. in response to the fact that the United States had no institution of this kind. It would be known as the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research. Ground was broken in 1904, and the first building to be completed was the Central Laboratories, later renamed Founder's Hall, by Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge (SRC) in 1906:

It was designated a historic landmark in 1975. SRC was descended from the Office of H. H. Richardson (1838-1886), best known perhaps for his Trinity Church in Boston. They became Coolidge & Shattuck in 1915, and Coolidge, Shepley, Bulfinch & Abbot (CSBA) in 1924. They're now known as Shepley Bulfinch and are still going strong.

Next completed were the Nurses Residence and the Hospital by York & Sawyer in 1910.

The Nurses Residence from the east:

York & Sawyer were known mostly for their bank architecture in a correctly studied Classicism, but they also built the Republican Club on the south side of Bryant Park (now Daytop Village, 1904), and some municipal buildings, as well. They designed the lower stories. The upper stories were added by CSBA in 1926. Here's the Hospital:

The path under the portico leading to some lower-level entrances is particularly charming:

The two buildings are separate, but connected by interestingly interwoven bridges:

In 1915 the powerhouse was built by SRC underneath what is now the hospital extension. These entrances obviously can't be used, being right on top of the FDR Drive, but they have a rustic, industrial beauty to them anyway:

Flexner Hall by Coolidge & Shattuck went up in 1917:

And Welch Hall by CSBA, sort of an eastern annex to Founder's Hall that contains the library, was built in 1929:

CSBA, incidentally, also designed the New York Hospital Cornell Medical Center across 68th Street from the university. It's a sort of Modern Gothic tower in white brick that looks shockingly contemporary despite being built in 1933:

--Photo courtesy E+E.

Stay tuned for Part Two.

©2009, Ryan Witte

Raising the Bar

Here's a couple clever things from Seattle's Urbancase.

I spoke briefly with designer Darin Montgomery about this very cool bar/ liquor cabinet:

I love the "medicinal purposes" look of it and think that's pretty funny. I mean, that's the only reason I ever imbibe. Promise.

But much more than that, I have no idea why it's not more common to see bars that can be hung from the wall. It seems like that's just way too obvious, and yet, I can't remember the last time I saw one. This would be absolutely perfect in my kitchen, which isn't tiny, but I'm still somewhat limited for space and definitely couldn't have a big cabinet sitting on the floor. I think I really do want one of these.

I also liked these blankets a lot:

They're surplus gray wool blankets they salvaged and then embroidered onto them the image of a Berlin subway train in yellow or turquoise. Living on a subway line where the stations are above ground and pummeled by icy arctic winds, there were a few times this past winter when I wish I'd had one of these. Definitely cool for your couch, too, of course.

©2009, Ryan Witte

Renaissance Fare

One of the more inspiring booths at the show this year was for Material Connexion. They're a resource for designers and corporations to find new and extremely high-tech material solutions for their projects. They maintain an entire library of these materials and their properties. With a subscription to their services, you can get sent out a package four times a year with sort of like swatches of all the brand new stuff that's been discovered or invented. Their experts can match up a problem with a solution, and if there isn't one, they have material scientists who can explore coming up with something new.

Some of this stuff is pretty astounding and if this is any indication of where we're headed, my mind boggles at the things we'll be able to accomplish in the next century. Here's a small sampling of things they introduce. This is Ciba XYMARA Electra:

It's a printer ink for screen printing that has silver particles suspended in it so it conducts electricity. It can be used on paper, dries at room temperature, and it's flexible, so whatever media it's printed on can still bend without it cracking.

It occurred to me that by printing on both sides of the paper, and with some kind of tab connecting one side to the other, one could create far more complex circuitry. I've been saying for years now that not too long from now, laptop computers will literally be the size and thickness of a single sheet of paper. This is clearly bringing us one step closer. It's also one step closer to Desktop Manufacturing, where basically, you just print yourself a portable electronic device onto a piece of paper and go.

This is called IQ-TEX:

It's air-permeable when it's dry, but when it gets wet, it has superabsorbers that expand explosively to make it watertight. Of course I'm often thinking in architectural terms, but one thing that occurred to me is how hot attics get in the summertime, from the blazing sun beating down on the roof. And say you had another layer of breathable film that was tuned to react to a constant interior temperature of 72°F. I think you can figure out where I'm going with that.

Here's another crazy shoe, the Adidas Lone Star designed for Jeremy Wariner:

They make me wish either they weren't spiked or that I was a runner, because they're ridiculously cool. I'd totally wear silver sneakers. The textiles have only ever been used in the automotive or aerospace industries before this, on the bottom are carbon nanotube plates, and if you look closely, they're actually asymmetrical:

It's because on the curves, each foot performs a different function in the run. Adidas spent two years developing them.

Here's a fishing pole:

It's made of a nanofiber composite called Curran that's derived from--ready for this?--carrots, Doc. Not only is it about as Green as you can get, but it's also stronger, lighter, and more sensitive than graphite or fiberglass.

And I never would have expected to show a car in my coverage of the ICFF, but my mouth was hanging open the entire time I was looking at this. It's the BMW Gina concept by Chris Bangle:

Now, that's a real hot looking machine anyway, but...wait for it...

Its body is made out of fabric.

Click that.

Seriously?

Oh.

My.

God.

It's a polyurethane coated Lycra, which is extremely strong and tear-resistant, stretched over a wire aluminum frame.

Unbelievable. This is another reason why I was looking so seriously into tent architecture some years ago--the project was for a fashion design studio, so it seemed totally appropriate--some of those designs for basic camping are pretty complex and stunning in their geometry, but also awning structures, kite design, pneumatics of course. If this is any indication, I think it shan't be long before high-tech fabrics come along that can be stretched over a tent frame, are as thin and lightweight as silk, as clear as glass, impervious to tearing, totally waterproof, and as insulating as fur.

Yes, I said "shan't."

They certainly are exciting, these times in which we live. It almost seems like a new Renaissance.

©2009, Ryan Witte