Kimbell Art Museum, 1966-1972
Architect: Louis Kahn
Client: Commissioned in 1966 by the Board of Directors of Kimbell Art Foundation.(1)
Location: Fort Worth, Texas, United States of America.(1)
Figure 1 Kimbell Art Museum(1)
About the Project: The Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas was designed by Louis Kahn in 1972. This building was created and designed around natural light, ‘’light is the theme.’’ The plexiglass skylights along the top of the cycloid barrel vaults allows for natural light to enter the building. The natural daylight is then diffused by the wing-shaped pierced-aluminum reflectors that hand below them. This gives the smooth concrete that constructs the vaults surfaces a silvery glow, this in turn provides a subtly fluctuating illumination for the works of art.(1)
Kahn is known for first asking ‘’What does this building want to be?’’ As an architect Kahn was under the belief that the essence of the building’s structure started with a room and wondering about how that space would be used, the rooms function, and how the space should feel.(1) From those first questions, the building then developed as a ‘’family of rooms,’’ with a simple plan based on classical proportions, repetition, and variation.(1)
In order to generate ideas for the structure the director of the project, Richard Brown, created a list of important considerations. He called it the ‘’Pre-Architectural Program,’’ and in that program he stated that ‘’natural should play a vital part in illumination.’’ The statement combined with Kahn’s own interest in the use of ambient light resulted in his early concept of a vaulted ceiling that would contain openings to allow natural light into the space.(1) Kahn was also greatly inspired by ancient structures so, the vault appealed to this admiration. The vault can be compared to Roman arches and storage warehouses to Egyptian granaries.(1)
Figure 2: Original section drawing, Louis Kahn(1)
The structure of the vault was determined by Kahn along with the structural engineer, Dr. August E. Komendant. The cycloid vault has gently raised sides as opposed to semi-circular vaults. This geometric form is able to support its weight and has also been compared to an eggshell for the structures ability to withstand heavy pressure.(1) The weight of each vault is directed down through four cornered columns that measure two square feet. Sky lights at the top of the vaults mean that it requires concrete struts that connect the shells at ten foot intervals.(1) On top of this, long steel cables were placed inside along the length of each vault. The concrete was left harden for a week, then hydraulic jacks were used to tighten the cables to create a post-tensioning system that distributes and supports the weight of the roof.(3)
Figure 3: Site plan(1)
The structure is composed of unadorned, repeated forms however, Kahn developed variations on those fundamental forms and ‘’themes.’’ On the west side entrance of the Kimbell museum the porticos are the first to introduce the vault to the user and demonstrates the form’s versatility.(1) The vaults also cover the galleries, an auditorium and the Buffet Restaurant, which can be seen by the user as they enter the building. The sizes of the courtyards are also varied; the north courtyard is forty square feet, while the south patio is twenty square feet.(1)
In order to enhance the visitors’ experience of the art pieces on display the spaces were designed to relate to them on an intimate level. The space was designed to be as flexible and adaptable as possible. Movable walls can also be attached to the soffits in various ways in order to best suit the museum’s display needs.(1)
Figure 4: Floor Plan(1)
The materials chosen by Kahn for the construction of the museum reflected his admiration for simple forms and natural materials. He selected materials that would complement each other in tone and texture: travertine, concrete, white oak, metal, and glass.(1) Each of these materials are straightforward and unembellished, they each show their character through variation of texture.
About the architect: Louis Isadore Kahn was an American architect, based in Philadelphia. After working for various firms, he founded his own practice in 1935. While working in his own private practice he simultaneously served as a design critic and professor of architecture at Yale School of Architecture from 1947 to 1957. Following that, from 1957 until his death, he was a professor of architecture at the School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania.
Kahn was founder of a style that was monumental and monolithic. He designed heavy buildings that do little to hide their weight, materials, or the way in which they were constructed. Kahn is known for his methodically built works and his teaching. He is probably one of the most influential architects of the twentieth century. He was also awarded the AIA Gold Medal and the RIBA Gold Medal.
About the location: Fort Worth is the fifth largest city in the United States state of Texas. The area itself has a humid subtropical climate according to the Koppen climate classification system.
Figure 5: Site (screengrab from Google Maps)
The city experiences very hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters. The hottest month is July, with an average temperature of thirty-five degrees Celsius, and an overnight low temperature average of twenty-two degrees Celsius. The coldest month of the year is January, the average high temperature is 12.8 degrees Celsius and the average low temperature is -0.6 degrees Celsius. Fort Worth is located in North Texas, because of this the area is susceptible to thunderstorms, which produce large hail and can also produce tornados.
Critique of the project from the perspective of light: The main façade of the building that faces west is composed of one hundred foot bays, each of these are then fronted by an open, barrel-vaulted portico. The entrance bay is located in the centre of the façade, it is also recessed and glazed. On the exterior, the porches help to communicate the light flooded vaulted spaces that define the interior. Furthermore, there are three courtyards that punctuate the interior spaces. Even though the space is typically modern in its lack of ornament, the building itself brings the grand arches and vaults of Roman architecture to mine, this inspiration was also acknowledged by Kahn himself.(1)
Bibliography
1. Kimbell Art Museum by Louis Kahn in Texas | ArchEyes. ArchEyes. 2020.
