Louis Kahn. On the thoughtful making of spaces : the Dominican Motherhouse and a modern culture of space

An in-depth study of Louis Kahn's unbuilt masterpiece as an introduction to an evolving paradigm of architectural space. It was not by chance that Louis Kahn's move into his profession's spotlight coincided with the crisis of modern architecture: representing, as his work increasingly did, those aspects of space which modernism had so ambitiously removed from its program. Kahn's rethinking of modern architecture's paradigm of space belongs to his most important contributions to the metier. In tracing the genesis of the unbuilt project for the Dominican Motherhouse (1965-69), we are given a close-up view of Kahn at work on a few fundamental questions of architectural space: seeking the sources of its meaning in its social, morphological, landscape and contextual dimensions. This rich and multivalent project opens the way to a second section, which sheds new light on several major works in a timely reappraisal of Kahn's work. The result of extensive research, illustrated with unpublished archival material and new analytic drawings, this affordable volume is an indispensible companion to 'Louis Kahn: Drawing to Find Out.' It was not by chance that Louis Kahn's move into his profession's spotlight coincided with the crisis of modern architecture: representing, as his work increasingly did, those aspects of space which modernism had so ambitiously removed from its program. Kahn's rethinking of modern architecture's paradigm of space belongs to his most important contributions to the métier. In tracing the genesis of the unbuilt project for the Dominican Motherhouse (1965-69), we are given a close-up view of Kahn at work on a few fundamental questions of architectural space: seeking the sources of its meaning in its social, morphological, landscape and contextual dimensions. This rich and multivalent project opens the way to a second section, which sheds new light on several of major works in a timely reappraisal of Kahn's work. The result of extensive research, illustrated with unpublished archival material and new analytic drawings, this affordable volume is an indispensible companion to Louis Kahn: Drawing to Find Out Louis Kahn And The Dominican Motherhouse, 1965-1969 -- Prelude To A Project : Congregation, Program, And Architect -- Architecturing : The Designs, April 1966-december 1968 -- On The Nature Of Space, 1940-1974 -- Prelude To A Paradigm: Kahn, The Room, And The Beginning Of Architecture -- Configuration, Movement, And Space : From Circulation To An Architecture Of Connection -- The Twin Phenomena Of Inside And Outisde : Dichotomous Things Or The Theme Of Reciprocity -- From Space To Place : From Establishing The General To Revealing The Specific. Michael Merrill. Published In Conjunction With The Companion Volume, Louis Kahn: Drawing To Find Out, Lars Müller Publishers, 2010--colophon. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Introduction: On the Value of Uncompleted Things SECTION I: LOUIS KAHN AND THE DOMINICAN MOTHERHOUSE, 1965-1969 Prelude to a Project: Congregation, Program, and Architect "Architecturing": The Designs, April 1966-December 1968 SECTION II ON THE NATURE OF SPACE, 1940-1974 Prelude to a Paradigm: Kahn, the Room, and the Beginning of Architecture Configuration, Movement, and Space: From " Circulation" to an "Arch itecture of Connection" The Twin Phenomena of Inside and Outside: "Dichotomous Things" or the Theme of Reciprocity From Space to Place: From Establishing the General to Revealing the Specific Epilogue: On Good Questions Appendix