Richard Neutra, VDL Studio and Residences, Los Angeles, USA, 1932
Richard Neutra, VDL Studio and Residences, Silver Lake Boulevard, Los Angeles, USA, 1932
Richard Neutra born in 8 April 1892 in Vienna. He studied under Adolf Loos at the Vienna University of Technology. He taked job in the office Erich Mendelsohn. In 1923 he emigrated to America where he worked under next famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. After that he established himself as the West Coast architect by completing 1929’s Lovell House.
Originally built in 1932, the 2,000-square-foot (190 m2) house was built for Neutra and his family. In his design of the VDL Research House, Neutra sought to show that the innovations of his Lovell Health House could be incorporated into designs for less affluent clients. Through use of natural lighting, glass walls opening onto patio gardens and mirrors, Neutra designed a space that was not confining and which reflected the nearby lake. The small rooms in the house are arranged around an open staircase and have “austere, built-in furniture, all in neutral tones.” It has been said that the “house’s strength came from its temporal quality: Light, water and air were meant to induce a wholesome life.” The house was Neutra’s third commission in the United States. Neutra wrote the following about the VDL Research House:”I was convinced that high-density design could succeed in a fully human way, and I saw my new house as a concrete pilot project. I wanted to demonstrate that human beings, brought together in close proximity, can be accommodated in very satisfying circumstances, taking in that precious amenity called privacy. So armed with my memories and convictions, and in direct contrast to the sense-inimical mien of my boyhood surroundings, I planted three families on my ordinary 60-by-70-foot lot, next to Silver Lake. And I was able to arrange things in such a way as to embellish our lives with abundant plantings and bracing vistas. One felt a great sense of freedom in the VDL, as everything was carefully planned to avoid interference between the various zones of the house, and there were many options for getting off by oneself.”
References:
- Richard Neutra (1989-01-08). “Sneak Previews of Forthcoming Books Thoughts on Architecture (excerpts from “Nature Near, the late essays of Richard Neutra” published by Capra Press)”. Los Angeles Times
- Diane Kanner and Fred Chriss (1992-04-05). “Pioneer Architect Neutra to Be Honored”. Los Angeles times.
- Nicolai Ouroussoff (1997-01-30). “Reflecting on Neutra Genius; Commentary: Today’s architecture students can learn much from a 1930s experiment by Modernist Richard Neutra. More than a landmark, it is an inspiration”. Los Angeles Times.