Glance at a StArchitect: Daniel Libeskind
- ozasikselin
- Jan 2, 2021
- 9 min read
Updated: Feb 22, 2021
The Architect of Emotions
Daniel Libeskind is a Polish American architect, artist, virtuoso musician and academician. Libeskind, began his professional music carrier by studying at the Łódź Conservatory. Then he moved to NYC for a music scholarship which leads his life to a completely different path. He derivates his direction to a different creative discipline: Architecture. He studied architecture in the Copper Union and he received master’s degree in the history and theory of architecture from the University of Essex. Then he tried to work for some architectural offices like Peter Eisenmann but he quit after a few days because he could not follow his own interpretation of architecture in that circumstance. He continued his career as an academician. He had chance to actualize his design via an architectural competition so He jumped into middle of architecture field. Originally, he was not trained to be an architect, he even did not aim for it. He is already an accomplished musician. But river of life brought him to a different route and he achieved to let himself to the flow. In his interviews he always states that he just lets himself to go where the path takes. I think it was a really successful methodology of life for him.
By entering the field of architecture, Libeskind states that he did not give up from music, he just changed his instrument from musical instrument to architectural instrument. He thinks that architecture and music is corelated. Both speaks to our soul. Music is not just a mellifluous voice but something which reaches us with an emotional manner. So, the architecture is. It based on the emotional connection through human and space. Architecture does not consist of stone, glass or concrete. It is a narrative which approaches to the perceivers through the architectural elements. Libeskind defines architecture as a “humanistic art not just a mechanical art.” His definition brings along that architecture needs to have a direct relationship with people. It should enhance the experience and illuminate how we see the world by telling a story. Consequently, we can understand that He doesn’t believe the purification process in architecture because they neglect nature and emotions. And without emotions, the building has no purpose of storytelling so he disclaims high abstraction of architecture and neutralized spaces.
Daniel Libeskind’s design process always starts with a drawing because he believes that the essence of architecture is drawing. Because drawing is the stage where you can see the output of the fog of illusions. Of course, he doesn’t deny that computational programs help to expedite the design process. But in the first phases of the design process in the land of pure imagination, he really believes the direct connection between brain and hand. Via this connection, the outcome is spiritual and divine which derive from his memory.
Libeskind supports the importance of freedom in creative disciplines. He encourages people by saying “Follow the line of freedom.” The key to success is not following success or what people imposes you. If people follow what they love, they will never be a loser. He is conscious of being free is not easy in architecture because it is the most regulated form of art. In other branches of art, you can almost do anything you want.
Libeskind comprehends all forms of art as a whole. He is really into philosophy, history, music, science and politics. He articulates the world like a contemporary Renaissance man.
The milestone of his life in 1987, he won the competition which German government organized for the renovation of original Baroque museum in Berlin. The request of the competition was building an adjacent building to the original Baroque museum. But what Libeskind designed was completely different from the other contestants. He integrated two buildings by linking the old and new buildings with an underground walkway. He also designed a glass courtyard. First the visitors enter the Baroque museum, then they approach to the new one from the underground. By this way he tells people to remember the history for opening a new window to life. He always depicts stories over buildings by saying “We don’t have to tell a story with just words, the buildings can be a master storyteller.” Libeskind dismantled the Star of David to create its dynamic zigzag form. Thus, he expressed that history is tumultuous. In history and even today nothing occurs after a long process, everything happens suddenly. With the sharp edges of his design it was articulated really well.
Fig1: Aerial View of the Jewish Museum (Berin,2001)
There are three main axes in the design of Jewish Museum. The Axis of Continuity circulates you through the exhibition. In the exhibition historically significant events of Jewish people is presented. The Axis of Emigration directs you to the garden of exile. 49 columns are placed -7 times 7- in the garden. Using the number 49 is not by coincidence. In 1949 Jewish people had a bloody war. We can always find a referment to history in his designs. By doing this he also refers to a historical architectural act too. In ancient times the architects opened 12 windows to make reference to 12 apostles. Or in other cases they used the number of 3 to refer the elements of the holy trinity. So Libeskind is not just referring the historical context of the location of the building, he also cites the historical architectural traditions emblematically. The central column in the Garden of Exile is filled with the earth from Israel. These concrete blocks have greenery on top of them. They represent the uprooted families on the war. The trees don’t have any connection to the earth. They look like they are deracinated and placed on top of the concrete blocks. The third axis which is the most ravishing one brings you to the holocaust which is an empty concrete void which leads you a dead end. First, Libeskind did not put any lightning in that corner because the need of light is unobliging for a dead end. But then he wanted to add a spiritual use rather than a functional use to the light. He placed an artificial lightning to the dead end to represent hope. When you first enter the holocaust drives you to a despair so that you can understand the adversity and misery that people had suffered from, then suddenly you see a light beam that hits your eye as a symbol of hope.
Fig 2: Three Axis of Jewish Museum
Daniel Libeskind’s first privately commissioned design is a house for an artist couple which is located in Connecticut. The clients wanted it to be a piece of art which they do not need to place any art objects so he built a sculptural art. It is a really unconventional house with anomalous plan and re-interpretation of architectural elements. It is located on a large green field. He used bronze stainless steel on the façade. By using this element, he adds the fourth dimension -the time- because the color of the facade changes constantly. It reflects the color of the environment. He states that he has seen the façade black, brown or even light blue. I think with this application he makes a reference to philosophy. We as human beings, comprise of our environment. As John Locke says, all humans born with ‘Tabula Rasa’. Our mind is a clean slate, concomitantly our experiences and the things we gained from the environment shapes us.
Fig 3 : 18.36.54 House (Connecitut,2010)
The house has a folded form and in the plan the building almost have no partitions. It is hard to say where a space start or end because the overall plan is designed fluidly. Spaces are defined by the light, material and angles which derive from its form, that makes it an idiosyncratic house design. Libeskind frees his concept and mind to detach from the imposed ‘rules’ and ‘formulas’ of architecture. In this way he reaches abstraction of form but realization of feelings. He designed everything in the house even the furniture. With this approach, he cites another tradition: Gesamkunstwerk. Which has a really intimate relationship with his perception of design.
After ten years from the opening of Jewish Museum, Military History Museum has opened. In this design Libeskind followed a similar approached with the Jewish Museum. The historic museum was originally an arsenal which is located in Dresden, Germany. The aim of the new building was to change the identity of the old one so Libeskind tried to make the visitors imagine the brutal days of history. After the war in 1945, nothing remained after the bombing. The form of the building is triangular and one of the edges of triangle, Libeskind points the first location which is bombed. Also, from this point, the vista of the bombing position can be observed. So, the building provides a panorama to Dresden to make people experience the vista of perpetrators. He does not design a separate building from the old one. The new building penetrates the existing one both physically and spiritually. He interlocked two buildings and he not just did it in a formal way, he also interlace the history and newness. He achieves to build new memories under favor of old memory. The building does not have any orthogonal walls. So, it is a challenge to display the things in the museum. But Libeskind used these angular walls wisely. The war equipment like helicopters and bullets displayed in an unconventional way because he wants people to imagine how people felt, and how they perceived at the moment of attack. With the help of the angle of the wall, he achieved to give the impression that the helicopter is actually coming to you.
Fig4: Military History Museum (Dresden,2011)
Libeskind also designed some high-rise buildings. Occitanie Towers, New York Trade Center and Reflections of Kepple Bay are some of them. The common features of all these projects is incorporation of greenery and creating a neighborhood. He also thinks that high rise buildings should not be the copy of low-rise ones. It should have a different character and complexion.
Libeskind recently designed a project in Nice, France which is not implemented yet. It is a mixed-use commercial center with its spectacular metal and glass façade. When I look to the project by distinguishing it from the location. It is breathtaking but whenever I take the location into consideration, It doesn’t fit the soul of Nice because Nice has a really congenial, cozy atmosphere with its azure sea shore. It is a typical Mediterranean city. With the large glazed metal façade, the building kills the existing atmosphere. He states that this building is going to change the nature of the city. At this point, he is right. But who demands the change the atmosphere of this city? It has already a beautiful character. Maybe because the narrative concept of this project is not explained, it looked really prosaic and faraway from poetry. It is just a pure good-looking building lack of spirituality. I think one of the reasons that Libeskind won this project is, all the other competitors have designed conventional buildings with arches so Libeskind’s design was the most outstanding of them. The building itself acts like sculpture.
Fig 5: East Thriers Station (Nice,France)
To conclude, Libeskind has a compact articulation of architecture. He comprehends architecture as a whole with location, topography, nature, history philosophy and most important; human. In his design approach. He thinks architecture as an unattainable dream in his misty mind. That’s why he starts with an ambiguous sketch as an output of his reverie. He never considers how is it going to be constructed. To make an inference about his design methodology, it is based on pure experience and memory. He does not think about the rules of architecture. Also his life experience is a good lesson for all of us. We sometimes concentrate on too much about being successful and we try to reach our goal with a blinder that we miss the beautiful things around us so, we could not see the flowers in the path. Or sometimes we try to deviate the path that time orients us. But how can we be sure that the consequence of path is not going to satisfy us. Sometimes the best decision is going with the flow. What I inferred from his life and design philosophy is the’flow’.
According to my interpretation, Libeskind is neither a musician, nor an architect. He is a philosopher. He has a deep perspicacity of life and art. He has unfathomable inferences of history, memory, experiences and their connection with other elements of life. Architecture and music are other disciplines that he is interested in under the umbrella of philosophy. While I was watching to his interviews, he is full of life and cheerful and I can link his positive attribute to his perspective through architecture. He states that if you are an architect you have to be an optimist. Optimism is a crucial necessity for architects. I think he owes his success to his approach to life. Because every line in a drawing projects to future and you cannot keep going without hope.
REFERENCES
· John Zukowsky (Dec 17, 2019), Daniel Libeskind, American Architect
· Evan Pavka (25 Nov 2010), AD Classics: Jewish Museum, Berlin / Studio Libeskind
· Riccardo Bianchini (2019), The Jewish Museum Berlin by Daniel Libeskind – Part 1
· Lee F. Mindel (April 30, 2015), A Tour of Daniel Libeskind’s Jewish Museum Berlin
· Danny Hudson (May 03, 2013), Daniel Libeskind: 18.36.54 house, Connecticut
· Seamus Payne, Daniel Libeskind 18.36.54 House: a Sculptural Architecture Masterpiece
· Riccardo Bianchini (2019), Military History Museum Dresden
· Patrick Lynch (22 Mar 2017), Studio Libeskind Wins Competitions for 2 New Projects in France
· Philip Stevens (21 Mar 2017) Daniel Libeskind Reveals Two Competition-Winning Projects Planned for France
· Nick Myall (24 Mar 2017), Getting on the Right Track in Nice
· Connor Walker (12 May 2018), Spotlight: Daniel Libeskind
· Yiling Shen (15 Apr 2018), Daniel Libeskind On the Poetics of Memory and Time in Architecture
· Josh Mollman (Autumn,2014), Architectural Theories + Concepts
· Eric Allen (July 25, 2016), 14 Forward Thinking Buildings by Daniel Libeskind
VIDEO REFERENCES
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