Megaron (Mar 2018)
Early Houses Designed By Farkas Molnár and Semih Rüstem: An Examination Based on Bauhaus and KURI Principles
Abstract
This study focuses on early works of Semih Rüstem and Farkas Molnár, who were both members of a group called KURI (an acronym for constructive, utilitarian, rational, international), which was established at Bauhaus in Weimar, Germany, in 1922. Two house projects of each architect, built between 1930 and 1932, were selected and evaluated according to Bauhaus and KURI principles. The assessment comprised two stages: first, the spatial organization of the house was analyzed, and second, a shape grammar examination of the ground floor and the mass of the buildings was performed to comprehensively reveal the design principles of the architects. It was evident that Semih Rüstem and Farkas Molnár had common priorities in terms of house design, and that their designs were creative, harmonious in terms of elements, and expressionist, which is consistent with Bauhaus principles. Furthermore, the functional and rational planning of the houses, as well as the exterior and interior designs with a deliberate lack of ornamentation, and the use of geometric shapes, demonstrate that both architects produced work that observed the principles stated in the KURI manifesto. The study further revealed that Semih Rüstem was arguably also inspired by the spatial organization and facades of traditional Turkish houses.
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