Louis Kahn
Standing alone against the endless blue
sea, the Salk
Institute by Louis I. Kahn is one of a kind. "Louis Kahn's
Salk Institute
for Biological Studies on the Pacific coast near La Jolla
aspires within its own
spirit to an order achieved through clarity,
definition, and consistency of
application"(Heyer 195). To many, this
magnificent structure may seem out
of place, but it works well with the
surrounding environment because of the
spatial continuity that it possesses.
The relation to the site, the tectonic
characteristics, and the ideas of
servant versus served, combine to achieve a
great sense of order in the Salk
Institute. Many of the ideas that went into the
construction of this design
are still utilized in architecture today. Kahn's
modern design takes full
advantage of the atmosphere by opening up a broad plaza
between two research
and lab wings providing a view of the beautiful Pacific
Ocean and the
coastline (Ghirardo 227). The laboratories are separated from the
study
areas, and each study has a view of the magnificent blue Pacific
with
horizontal light pouring in. This allows scientists to take a break from
their
frantic studies and clear their minds with a breath-taking view. In
relation to
this idea Kahn stated, "I separated the studies from the
laboratory and
placed them over the gardens. Now one need not spend all the
time in the
laboratories" (Ronner 158). The two lab wings are symmetrical
about a small
stream that runs through the middle of the courtyard and feeds
into the ocean.
This steady ban of water flowing towards the sea
symbolizes the success that
human can accomplish. I thought this idea had a
worthy presence, considering the
Salk Institute is one that promotes
research and study. Thus, the courtyard is
considered the fa?ade to the sky.
Kahn didn't need to dress up the land around the plan
because the Salk
Institute is the landscape. It is one with the site. Kahn
incorporates the
use of tectonic characteristics within this design in a number
of ways. The
materials used included wood, concrete, marble, water, and glass,
and they
all contributed to the Brutalist notions and simplistic plan. He
believed
that concrete was the stone of modern man, and therefore it was to be
left
with exposed joints and formwork markings (Ronner 164). Weathered wood
and
glass combined with the concrete to construct the outside surface. Kahn
also
integrated mechanical and electrical services into this architecture,
which gave
laboratories a new concept. These technologies were hidden in the
design to
continue Kahn's search for order in the plan. Ceiling and column
ideas were also
combined to separate the air that you breathe from the air
that you throw away.
Interlocking volumes are present throughout the
structure, all the way down to
the details on the furniture (Ghirardo 227).
The servant and served spaces in
the Salk Institute create a consistent
order, which is evident throughout the
design. The laboratories act as the
served spaces, while the servant spaces are
represented by the studies. All
of the ideas are initiated in the studies or
offices, and the research is
carried out in the labs. Therefore, the servant
spaces serve the served
spaces. These are not the only ways that the served and
servant concepts are
involved in the institute. An idea that is still used to
this day in all
forms of architecture is the way the Kahn guides the utilities
through the
building in an unnoticeable manner. "Served spaces and servant
spaces are
entirely integrated" (Scully 36). Kahn also made a service floor
under each
laboratory which established a very flexible space, and this concept
is still
used today (Frampton 245). Overlooking the great Pacific, this is no
ordinary
office building. Louis Kahn used a combination of modern architecture
with
much simplicity to produce arguably his greatest feat as an architect. A
lot
of concepts that he initiated in this plan are still in use all over
the
world today. The relation to the site, the tectonic characteristics, and
the
ideas of servant versus served, all work together to achieve a great
sense of
order in the Salk
Institute.
Bibliography
Frampton,
Kenneth. Modern
Architecture: A Critical History. New York: Thames and Hudson,
1992.
Ghirardo, Diane. Architecture After Modernism. New York: Thames
and
Hudson, 1996. Heyer, Paul. American Architecture: Ideas and
Ideologies in the
Late Twentieth Century. New York: Van Nostrand
Reinhold, 1993. Pg. 195. Ronner,
Heinz. Louis I. Kahn: Complete Works
1935-1974. Boulder, Colorado: Westview
Press, 1997. Pg.158-165. Scully,
Vincent Jr. Louis I. Kahn. Pg.
36-37