![]() An open fireplace - another feature borrowed from New England architecture - is the focal point of the room. It has large windows on two sides and in addition borrows light from the office through the glass block wall separating it from the office. The living room is combined with the dining room, forming an L-shape. Those lights did double duty as decoration and visual guides towards the entrance to the living room at the far end of the office. Those plants were illuminated by tiny lights when it was dark outside. Ise Gropius liked to put potted plants along the glass wall. The wall adds both light and movement to the space. On the opposite side of the window, the office features a curved glass block wall that separates it from the dining area behind. It was here that the couple worked side by side, looking out onto the countryside through a large single pane window. Marcel Breuer designed the double desk to Gropius specifications. On the ground floor to the right, we find Gropius’ office, which he shared with his wife. In fact, Gropius managed to stay way under budget, spending only 18000 of the 20000 dollars given to him by Mrs Storrow. This was not only in line with the best of Bauhaus tradition, but also helped keep construction costs down. Almost all materials, appliances, and light fixtures were ordered from an industrial catalogue. the open fire place) typical of New England, the house is known for its generous use of industrial materials such as glass bock, concrete and steel. Gropius further brought in ample daylight using large windows, rendered the floor plan to be as compact and economic as possible (he avoided corridors), and managed to effectively protect the privacy of its occupants while simultaneously maintaining a well-lit environment by using glass block and ribbed glass instead of clear glass wherever necessary.Īside from incorporating materials (e.g. Observing the position of the sun during the day helped him make the house energy efficient, with passive solar gain in winter and natural cooling in the summer. While this is now obscured by trees, in Gropius’ time the house commanded a view over acres of fields and orchards. The house sits on a rise and thus offers beautiful views of the surrounding landscape. The result of these studies are clearly reflected in the design. Picnicking with his wife, he watched the light change over the site. Prior to building the house, Gropius had, over the course of months, spent many days on the property to study the site. as well as a 20,000 dollars of financial support to build his own. After many months of futile RE hunting, he was eventually offered a beautiful piece of land by Mrs James Storrow, a philanthropist, for free. As he had very particular ideas about how his house should look and work, it does not come as a surprise that the available housing did not meet the master’s needs. ![]() ![]() In 1937, Walter Gropius, the founder and first director of the Bauhaus, moved to Lincoln, Massachusetts, to teach at Harvard University. ![]() We took one of those tours and were certainly not disappointed. Since Ise Gropius’ passing, the Gropius house has been turned into a museum and is open to the public six days a week. Since it is located in Lincoln, very close by the lake, we reckoned it would be worthwhile to visit. In the end, however, it was something entirely different that made this excursion so memorable: a visit to the Gropius house. The lake recently featured in AD’s list of “ most beautiful lakes in every state” and the pictures looked promising. Initially, the idea was to see the colourful foliage around Walden pond. On a recent visit to Boston, we took the opportunity to explore the countryside.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |