Reconstructing the Modern Legacy

Image details

Day Four Early Afternoon Sessions
Reconstructing the Modern Legacy

Session 1
Getting Closer Every Day: Renewing Late Modernism in the Public Realm

Session 2
Ralph Rapson Renewed

Session 3
The New Harmony Atheneum: Reversing the Incremental Degradation of an Idea

Getting Closer Every Day: Renewing Late Modernism in the Public Realm

In the early 1970s, triggered by the 1973 energy crisis, shifts in theory and a mixed public reception to the Brutalist aesthetic, architecture underwent a fundamental material and philosophical change, detaching itself from expression of structure, material and function to focus instead on representation. As structures from both sides of this divide come up for renewal, to what degree should the way in which the overlay of contemporary social and environmental concerns reflect the ethos of the original work, in the pursuit of balanced, vital renewals? This talk will introduce and illustrate this idea while providing context for the subsequent talks that address two buildings that represent rehabilitation approaches to extending these respective legacies.


Ralph Rapson Renewed

The Arvonne Fraser Library renovation illustrates how Brutalist buildings can be reprogrammed, updated, sensitively modernized, and preserved successfully.  This project focuses on the importance of understanding modern materials and how conservation solutions must parallel successful reuse programing.  Of note is how methodical and careful analysis of original design, rigorous testing of the existing construction, and expertise in the stylistic form can guide and inspire the design of strategic interventions. 

The project transformed an underutilized Ralph Rapson-design into a 21st century library. Originally built in 1963 as a credit union, the building was converted into a library in 1967.  The current project began after a multi-year study proposed its demolition because condition issues, development pressures, and programming inefficiencies that pointed to technical and functional obsolescence.  However, the community was adamant that this architectural landmark, a cornerstone within the rapidly evolving neighborhood, be renovated.


The New Harmony Atheneum: Reversing the Incremental Degradation of an Idea

Completed in 1979, Richard Meier’s New Harmony Atheneum is recognized as a hinge between Modernism and our own era. Designed as a Visitor Center, the building acts as a ‘scientific instrument’ to reinterpret the history of New Harmony through visceral engagement. A walk is taken up, over, though, and down, via different staircase forms, while seeing a full spectrum of models, dioramas, films, and interpretive maps inside. Having just celebrated its 40 year anniversary, the building is commencing an ambitious reconsideration, both of a physical and programmatic nature. To this end, the talk dissects the slow changes made to The Atheneum over four decades, analyzing how the initial concept for the building is incrementally degrading through imperceptible changes from one year to the next.