Lately a lot of my focus has been on learning about and exploring the architecture of Louis Kahn. In my last post I wrote about how I visited Rosevelt Island and the memorial that he had designed. Since then I have had the opportunity to visit a few more of his buildings around the US.
I think so far my favorite is the one that is furthest away – The Salk Institute in San Diego, that I had the opportunity to visit over the Memorial Day weekend. It is – as many of his architectural work mostly done in concrete, however the combination with the teak and the stone in the central courtyard I feel is a great success. The building looks quite enclosed from the outside while the interior courtyard is beautiful and sunny. The surroundings also help as the building opens up to a spectacular view of the pacific ocean.
A bit closer to New York are a couple of buildings on the Yale campus up in New Heaven. I specifically enjoyed the Yale Center for British Art that in a similar way to The Salk Institute is a successful mix of concrete and wood. The skylights also add to the character of the building, creating a very recognizable space. The Yale University Art Gallery is also worth a visit.
One of the main buildings of his I have yet to visit is the Kimbell Art museum in Forth Worth, Dallas. And after these last visits I am truly looking forward to booking a weekend to go down and explore the museum as well. The Kimbell Art museum has always been an inspiration for me in architecture and I am sure it will not disapoint.
Combining traveling and architecture is one of the things I enjoy most. So I feel very lucky also to be able to visit some of these big architectural master pieces as I am living in the US. It makes it all much more accessible, and it is really great to return to work refreshed and motivated after an inspirational weekend away.
