House as a main character

The Landauer family was very much devoted to modernity and why is it so? There are many aspects which contributed to the desire for building innovative and modernist house. In the interwar period, Viktor and Liesel were living in a new country - Czechoslovakia. 'We, the newly created political beings, the Czechoslovaks, have a new direction to take, a new world to make. We can choose our history. It's up to us.' - he said (Mawer, S. (2009), p.20). He, as a Jewish didn't want to be pinned down by race or creed. He also wanted to speak both Czech and German. He wanted the world to move on. He believed in innovation and progress. What's more, he shared Adolf Loos's theory that ornament is a crime and for him modern equaled with modernist. His house must have been a reflection of his thoughts and dreams.

Architect who decided to design it was Rainor von Abt. He was unlike any other and had a completely new way of thinking. He had a sense of pure uncluttered form. For him, building should not remind of anything. It should just be, a shape without any references, defined only by the material it is built of and the concept of architect. 'I wish to create a work of art. I wish to enclose the space.' - he said (2009, p.21). While building the house, he insisted on buying very expensive onyx wall and he didn't accept the refusal. He was very ambitious. When he had a clear vision, he did everything to achieve his goal. He didn't especially care about the family's financial burden. A good thing is that he was very passionate about his ideas.

The house was extraordinary. It was made out of concrete which was quite unusual material then. Its flat roof, big windows, chrome pillars, surfaces that reflected light and onyx walls were also something new. It was sort of turned upside down. People were entering it on the upper floor and going to the living room downstairs. It was also very functional - like a machine for living in. Outside and inside were meant to penetrate, to be one and the same thing. This glass house had a spirit of openess.

Of course, apart from being just a private house, it turned out to be a place to show off, not only for partying but also for business meetings and discussions. Some people even behavied in it as if it was a museum or a piece of art. They were impressed with every single detail.

Author of this book - Simon Mawer, took his inspiration from a building that really existed - Villa Tugendhat in Brno, designed ny Ludwig Mies de Rohe. Buildings had many things in common. Massive, plate glass windows, wonderful feeling of space and light. The minimalist interior and onyx walls.

Despite the house was very modernist for those times and the main aim was to create a house of the future, from my point of view, it doesn't reflect it anymore. It was an architect's project from cover to cover. Today, people are much more into free choices, want to feel comfortable and safe in their own houses, they want to have an influence on how their house look like.

References

1. Simon Mawer, S.M. (2009) The Glass Room. 100 Victoria Embankment London EC4Y 0DY: Little, Brown Book Group. 

2. © 2018 Reddit, Inc. All rights reserved; Available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/ArchitecturePorn/comments/8qdinl/villa_tugendhat_in_brno_czechia_ludwig_mies_van/

3. LE CORBUSIER ET LA PHOTOGRAPHIE (2012); Available at: https://lecorbusierinpar.wordpress.com/2012/07/17/la-disolucion-del-pilar-en-la-arquitectura-moderna-un-proemio-siete-mecanismos-y-un-epilogo-alfonso-diaz-segura/