Abstract
The Yale Center for British Art was designed by acclaimed American architect Louis I. Kahn to house a collection of British art on the campus of Yale University. The Center, Kahn’s third and final museum building, was designed between 1970 and 1974 and opened its doors to the public in 1977. By 2002 it was evident that the building was fast approaching a crossroads: finishes had reached the end of their lives, program space was in desperate demand, patron amenities and life safety measures no longer met contemporary standards and, worst of all, infrastructural systems strained to sustain the environments demanded to protect the collections. The integrity of Kahn’s architecture was in jeopardy. What follows is the story of what came next: how the building was painstakingly researched and analyzed, and how a series of projects ensued to re-equip the Center to present and protect its collection for decades to come.

Keywords
Modern Movement, Modern architecture, Louis Kahn, Modern monumentality, Conservation of modern architecture, Yale Center for British Art, Modern museums, USA modern architecture.

Issue 58
Year 2018
Pages 50-59
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.52200/58.A.8AH55ZAI

Abstract
Louis I. Kahn's attitude toward materials was expressed in his documented preference to allow exterior wood siding to be left unfinished and weather to a silver grey. Influenced by vernacular architecture of the American rural landscape, this natural treatment has proved a challenge for stewards, as exposure to the elements is gradually destructive. Like many works of the Modern Movement that retain their original siding, Kahn’s wood-clad structures stand at a critical crossroads where the architect’s intent and retention of fabric converge. A selected group of Kahn’s residential works are examined with respect to the architect’s employment of wood, the inherent conditions of each and the conservation efforts that are evolving in response.

Keywords
Modern Movement, Modern architecture, Louis Kahn, Modern monumentality, Conservation of modern architecture, Wood architecture, Clever House, Fisher House, Korman House.

Issue 58
Year 2018
Pages 40-49
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.52200/58.A.AQIJA0OI

Abstract
In 2013 the Salk Institute for Biological Studies partnered with the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) to commence development of a conservation program for the long-term care of the teak window walls. Phase 1 of the program included preliminary historic research and an assessment of significance, surveys and investigative inspection openings, wood and fungus identification, and analyses of past surface treatments. Guidelines were then developed based on three treatment approaches, ranging from in situ cleaning and treatment, to selective repairs, and finally in-kind replacement of teak wood. In Phase 2 of the work, the GCI and Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. (WJE) developed a trial mock-up program to assess the protocols of the three treatments. This article will review the overarching goal of the treatment approaches, integrating conservation and repair needs with select modifications to the window detailing to improve long-term performance, including surface treatments to protect the teak wood and retard fungal growth and weathering over time.

Keywords
Modern Movement, Modern architecture, Louis Kahn, Modern monumentality, Conservation of modern architecture, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Teak Window Wall Assemblies, USA modern architecture.

Issue 58
Year 2018
Pages 30-39
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.52200/58.A.W7HVPUSH

Abstract
Louis I. Kahn’s Richards Laboratories at the University of Pennsylvania are a paradoxical building. At the same time that they perhaps represent the epitome of Kahn's literal expression of structure and material hierarchy, servant and served spaces and the role of mechanical systems in determining architectural form, these powerful ideas never came together programmatically to enable a fully functional, complete work of architecture. This paper describes the quest to solve the functional conundrum and technical shortcomings of Richards, to bring the architecture and program closer together. Through a synthesis combining transformation — a significant change in use that allowed the opening of the laboratory floors to the unique light and views that were always latent in the promise of Kahn’s essential architectural idea — and rehabilitation, where the best aspects of Richards — the glazed, vitrine-like facades and the beautiful logic of the building services distribution, were renovated for enhanced performance, Kahn’s original architectural vision and present function were able to be successfully reconciled.

Keywords
Modern Movement, Modern architecture, Louis Kahn, Modern monumentality, Conservation of modern architecture, Rehabilitation of modern architecture, Richards Laboratories, USA modern architecture.

Issue 58
Year 2018
Pages 20-29
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.52200/58.A.UTPZYRHZ