ARC423 Advanced Building Systems LECTURE: PIERRE CHAREAU and the MAISON DE VERRE (the House of Glass) |
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| The Maison de Verre was designed by Pierre Chareau in collaboration with Louis Dalbet and Bernard Bijvoet. The first plans were produced in 1927 and construction was begun the following year. |  |
| Chareau
was born in 1883 in Bordeaux. He was primarily an interior designer and furniture designer
at the time. Dalbet was the master craftsman and Bijvoet the licensed architect. The clients, Dr. Dalsace, a gynecologist, and his wife lived a few blocks from the site. Chareau had designed some furniture and decorated some interiors for them. They were deeply engaged in the design and construction process. Dr. Dalsace maintained his practice on the ground floor of the house. Annie Dalsace spotted Le Corbusier on several occasions observing the construction of the house. Chareau moved to America in October of 1940 and died in New York City in 1950. |
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| Quotations
of Chareau: "Only new images excite our emotions!" "Architecture is a social art. The architect can only create if he listens and understands the voices of millions of men, if he suffers as they do, if he struggles along with them to save them. He employs iron that they have forged, he guides them towards the future because he knows what belongs to the past." |
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| Condition before construction. The building is located on the Rue de Guillaume in Paris and is a masonry load-bearing structure, typical of the 18th century during which it was built. |
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| During
construction. Steel columns and concrete floor slabs inserted into the existing masonry
structure. The construction techniques developed for subway construction were borrowed. Individual steel columns were inserted in slots in the existing masonry allowing the masonry to continue in its structural capacity while the skeletal steel frame is assembled. Short lengths of horizontal steel beams are then inserted and later spliced to produce continuity. Once the steel columns and beams are in place, the masonry walls can be removed. The floor slabs are then installed. |
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| After
completion. Construction was completed in 1932 (four years). The total cost was some 4
million French francs. Although every component in the building was custom made, and although none was ever reproduced, the building illustrates the principle of prototype in two ways:
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| Links to Chareau and Maison de Verre web sites: | |
| Reference: Taylor, Brian Brace, Pierre Chareau, Designer and Architect, Taschen, 1998. |
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