LE CORBUSIER: HEIDI WEBER MUSEUM, ZURICH

ESPAÑOL

 The Le Corbusier or Heidi Weber Museum in Zurich, Switzerland, is the latest work of the famous Swiss-French architect, and that is precisely dedicated to his work, housing some of his paintings sculptures, furniture, documents and models of some of his work.

The building was commissioned in 1960 and after many changes and it was inaugurated in 1967, two years after the death of its creator. 

The building is located in a small park not far from Lake Zurich, .It is remarkable that the orientation of the building is set diagonally, unlike all the buildings in the area which are placed parallel to the direction of the lake.

The museum Le Corbusier materializes the spirit of his architectural theories, establishing a dialogue between art and architecture. I was conducted thanks to the enthusiasm of her friend Heidi Weber, who owned an art gallery in Zurich.

The museum clearly highlights two elements: the cover and the body of the building.
Le Corbusier devised coverage pavilion originally reinforced concrete but was later convinced realize in metal. This metal structure composed of metal plates, 5 mm thick, was designed on the basis of two squares of 12 x 12 meters square and is supported by pillars of 9 meters high, found in the middle of the sides of the building leaving the corners free.

This characteristic as well as the form of the roof, folded like an origami, give it a light and dynamic character.

Under the roof, the body of the museum is organized in cubic modules of 2.26 meters per side, corresponding to the measurements of the Modulor. Its arrangement reflects the theory of infinite growth something that had been proposed in museums in Tokyo and Chandigarh.

The roof was prefabricated in the steel manufactory and thereafter, in the biggest possible units, transported to the building site, where it was assembled on the ground. The two finally welded pans of the roof were then lifted to their final height (9 m) by a crane and fixed on the pillars.With the frame thus completed the construction process benefited from the independent roof protection which was at that time already in its proper place. It consists of cubes of 2.26 x 2.26 m [edged steel pieces - 3mm thick). which were are assembled on the site..

Walls. windows, openings and floors were then screwed on to the steel frame. The walls consist of enamelled panels measuring 1.13 x 2.26 m.

The placing of these enamel panels was planned according to a particular rhythmic system. a system which could be adapted for any other composition preferred. Afterwards, the entire building complex was placed on a concrete ground floor.

The building has two floors - five single-storied and one double-stored rooms.

When constructing the building complex. more than 20,000 bolts were used.

Inside the building is organized on two levels and a basement. The program, in addition to the exhibition rooms, including an auditorium, a dining room and terraces

SEE ALSO:

- OTHER works of Le Corbusier. 

• House Curutchet. La Plata.
• Chandigarh, urban approach.
• Chandigarh, Capitol.
• National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, Japan. (1956-1959)
• Unité d'Habitation, Berlin, Germany. (1956-1959)

DIALOGUES: LANDSCAPES OF THE WORLD

LOOK UP!

1. Detail of a National Concert Hall, Taipei, Taiwan.
2. Detail of the mosaics at the Church of Our Savior of the Spilled Blood, Saint Petersburg, Russia

ESPAÑOL

The personal photo exhibition entitled "Dialogues: Landscapes of the World" is being shown at the ARTETAGE Museum of Contemporary Art in Vladivostok, Russia.

BEYOND THE FRACTURE

1. Angkor Wat, Cambodia

2. The monumental Treasury in Petra, Jordan , as seen from the winding passage called  the Siq.

The exhibition consists of a series of pairs of view, representing diverse landscapes, separated in time and space but united by a common idea, whether formal or symbolic, subtly suggested by a title.

However, the viewer is invited to make this connection, and thus he or she becomes the agent of the dialogue between these two places.

TANGLED

1) Ruins of the temple of Ta Prohm, Cambodia, reclaimed by the jungle.
 2) Detail of the modern Olympic Stadium in Beijing, China, evoking a "Bird's Nest"

This exhibition is a selection of places featured on this blog.

SEE ALSO

• EXPO Shanghai 2010: Intensive Glances

THE GREAT MOSQUE OF DAMASCUS

The Great Mosque of Damascus, also known as the Umayyad Mosque is the holiest building of the Muslim world after Mecca and Medina. I had the chance of visit it some years ago because this is one of the few mosques that allow access to non-Muslims. It is so important that in 2001 John Paul II became the first pope to visit a mosque. The reason is that it is said that this temple keeps the head of John the Baptist, a prophet revered by both Christians and Muslims.

But the religious significance of the mosque goes hand in hand with its cultural and architectural importance. It is the oldest monumental structure of Islam and its architectural characteristics are very different from the Christian churches at the time. This mosque became a milestone in terms of architectural layout and composition and had a huge influence on subsequent mosques such as those of Cordoba , Kairouan, etc.. .

It was considered one of the wonders of his time and has been declared, needless to say, a World Heritage Site by UNESCO , like the rest of the historical area of the city of Damascus.

 DAMASCUS, THE WORLD'S OLDEST CITY

Founded in the third millennium BC, Damascus is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, with remains dating from the Copper Age, between 10,000 to 8,000 BC. Throughout its long history Damascus  has been influenced or conquered by Egyptians, Assyrians, Greeks, Romans (it was also one of the first sites of spread of Christianity ), Byzantines, Arabs, Mongols, Mamelukes and Ottomans. Its labyrinthine streets, filled with the scent of spices and fragrances and dotted with hundreds of monuments, are a melting pot of history, a showcase of architectural and artistic styles, a feast for the senses. Various denominations of Catholics, Orthodox and Muslims creeds find refuge in its many impressive temples. But undoubtedly, Damascus most spectacular monument is the Great Mosque.



BACKGROUND

Like other mosques that were built on top of ancient shrines, that of Damascus was developed in an area where once was located a temple dedicated to Hadad Aramaic, built about 1000 BC, of which a basalt monolith  was found.
Following the Roman era, there was a temple dedicated  to Jupiter in the first century AD, which rested upon a rectangular base (temenos) and measured 385 x 305 meters, complemented with towers on the corners.

Wall of old roman temple used by the mosque. Photo courtesy of LIFE

 Then, in the fourth century a Christian basilica dedicated to St. John the Baptist was built in Byzantine style. After its conquest by the Muslims in 638 Damascus was consecrated as the capital of Islam in 660 and -as in the case of the Great Mosque of Cordoba -, initially Muslims and Christians shared the same building for praying. Subsequently, the caliph al-Walid bought the church to the Christians and ordered its demolition to expands the mosque.

CONCEPT

The impact of the mosque over the organic and messy urban layoutof Damascus is huge. The rectangular complex measures 157 x 100 m longer and it faces Mecca (this direction is called qibla), which in this case is to the south.

See location on Google Maps

To the west, which the main entrance is located, there is a square that is rather a retreat from the surrounding buildings, and that in itself has no urban treatment. But you do not need, because the courtyard serves as square.

Join the mosque. Photo courtesy of Hans Mast .

Outside there are three minarets that were used to call to prayer: the square base Minaret of the Bride, is the oldest minaret in the history of Islam (s. VIII-XII), the so called Minaret of Jesus,  because is believed that Jesus will return there on doomsday (XIII) and the Minaret of Quait Bey, which layout has a  polygonal form (s. XV).




The complex is based on the layout of the house of the Prophet Muhammad in Medina: a large courtyard and a covered area.


The Patio

The large patio is a square (122.5 x 50 m), surrounded on three sides by a double arcade. The upper arches are double and much smaller than the lower ones.

Panoramas of the courtyard of the mosque. Photo courtesy of Hans Mast .

The courtyard surrounding walls are decorated with mosaics, to which we will refer later. In the center of the courtyard there are three small pavilions:

• The Pavilion of the Treasury, of polygonal shape, decorated with beautiful mosaics and supported on Corinthian columns. It was built to the east of the courtyard by the Caliph Al-Mahdi in 778, and it kept the Muslim state treasury.

• Fountains Pavilion, used for ablutions, located at the center of the space. It is covered with a wooden roof that is supported on arches.

• Clocks Pavilion, covered by a dome, located west of the courtyard.

Despite being a religious building, I was pleasantly surprised to see several children playing and running around this space. It is obvious that the solemnity of prayers goes hand in hand with many aspects of daily life.

The interior

The internal space is predominantly wide (136 x 38 m), unlike the Christian temples that at that time were oriented longitudinally to a focal point -the altar- (you  can check, by way of comparison, the Byzantine chapel of the monastery of St. Sergius in Maalula , about 50 km from Damascus).

The room is divided into three naves parallel from south to north, the wooden ceiling rests on a double arches.

Panorama of the ship mosque. Photo courtesy of Hans Mast .

As in the courtyard outside the upper arches are smaller than the lower ones. The latter have Corinthian columns, probably from the ancient Roman temple. There are 20 columns on each side of the nave.


Towards the south is the mihrab, a sacred space oriented towards Mecca, before which the Eagle Dome  it is placed, a circular cupola which rests on an octagon located exactly in the center of the space.




In the center of the room there is a small green glass pavilion, which contains an urn where the remains of St. John the Baptist are said to be kept.


Two striking aspects regarding its use: first, the gender segregation, thus men and women enter to different areas. Secondly, that in addition to praying the faithful will talk, relax or even sleep in the mosque, escaping the summer heat.

CONSTRUCTION

The construction of the mosque was carried out between 706 and 715, with the help of thousands of Coptic, Persian, Indian and Byzantine artisans. Some of the old Roman temple remains were reused in the process. Some of the materials used for coating were marble and mosaic mixed with crystals and silver and gold foils.


Because Islam forbids animal or human representations, the colorful mosaics that cover the walls of the courtyard represent geometric and plant motifs. The mosque used to have the largest gold mosaic in the world, covering about 4000 square meters, but unfortunately it was damaged after a fire in 1893.


LEGACY

The conception of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus influenced several subsequent mosques in the Islamic world. Many of the elements used for the first time here became typical of Muslim architecture as the minarets, the mascura (a special place for the caliphs and imams during public prayers) and the horseshoe arch (although some authors report that the origin of the horseshoe arches used in the Great Mosque of Cordoba were of Visigothic influence)

Mascura (a kind of pulpit) beside the mihrab, the Mecca-oriented point.

The following video includes more views of the Great Mosque of Damascus



SEE ALSO
- ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE

• Great Mosque of Cordoba, Spain,