Richard Neutra, Lovell House, Los Angeles, USA, 1927-1929
Richard Neutra, Lovell House, Los Angeles, USA, 1927-1929 (4616 Dundee Drive in Los Angeles, California) (view google maps)
The Lovell House or Lovell Health House is an International style modernist residence designed and built by Richard Neutra between 1927 and 1929. The home was built for the physician and naturopath Philip Lovell. It is considered a major monument in architectural history. It is often described as the first steel frame house in the United States, and also an early example of the use of gunite (sprayed-on concrete). Aesthetically, the house follows many of the principles of the International Style. In essence the house reflects Neutra’s interest in industrial production, and this is most evident in the repetitive use of factory-made window assemblies. Neutra’s believes house should not only provide a good environment for dwelling, but also should make people psychologically released. The way to achieve the goal is to integrate the building into the natural surroundings. In the third floor of the building, the bedroom is placed at the end of non-loop flow line, which ensures the privacy of bedroom. The windows of the Lovell House interweave together and keep the whole building complete and transparent. The whole building is a integration of concrete and transparent, which creates a beauty of unity and unbalanced.
Bibliography:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovell_House
- http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_5b07f4dd0100aquo.html
- http://www.archdaily.com/104713/ad-classics-lovell-house-richard-neutra
- Edgeworth, Richard Lovell, and Edgeworth, Maria. 2011. Memoires of Richard Lovell Edgeworth, Esq. London: Cambridge University Press.
Reviewed by:
Rémi Farwati, Elena Giannitsopoulos, Nadir Bouchene, Adela Plasilova, March 2017