Rudolph Schindler falls under the category of a modernist architect. He attended the Royal Technical Institute and the Academy of Art after being born in Vienna in 1887 and earning degrees from both. In 1914, Schindler moved to Los Angeles, where he would go on to construct the vast bulk of his landmark structures. The idea that “design may liberate contemporary life, bringing the outdoors in and helping to enhance the mind” was central to Schindler’s work. The Lovell Beach house, therefore, is his principal effort, and it features prominently in discussions about sustainable design and space architecture.
Rudolph Schindler’s analysis of one of the most significant buildings of the modern American movement provides a useful case study for examining the principles of sustainable design in structures. Anyone may get a sense of the philosophy underlying the home’s layout by considering its intended use: as a private sanctuary for a way of life rooted in a reverence for athletics, physical fitness, and the outdoors (van den Heuvel, 2008). The idea of a “healing house” was conceptualized by Schindler, who took into account the unique desire of a family for a holiday home (Sarnitz, 1986). There are three different sides to this house: the north (entry) side, which faces the street; the west (ocean) side; and the south (backyard) side. Large windows, fitting for the home’s two-story living areas, were also included. Concrete frameworks support the floors and walls of the home, and the walls are held together by wood joints that run lengthwise (van den Heuvel, 2008). The house’s frames were likewise cast from concrete; those on the interior were given an architectural finish, while those on the outside were left unfinished.
Studying the dwelling’s components requires The papers by Schindler to be utilized since they illustrate his primary concepts for space building. There are many ways in which the design and location of a building may be compared to sustainable architecture, but the fundamental parallels have to do with the topic of how a pleasant physical environment affects one’s quality of life (van den Heuvel, 2008). The house’s intended usage as a weekend getaway suggests a desire to get away from the city’s pollution and other health hazards (Sarnitz, 1986). The natural setting is where the sun, dirt, and sky are all close to one another. The architect indicated that the boundaries between inside and outdoors would blur and that individual rooms would merge into one larger organic whole.
A strong connection to the outdoors is an important component of this sustainable design as one of the driving ideologies underlying the design of the home. Improving human well-being is the overarching goal of any approach that seeks to forge links between individuals and their environments (Sarnitz, 1986). Schindler and Lovell working together is the beginning of the popularization of the idea of healthy living. Lovell was known for the Care and Health of the Body, a Los Angeles Times column by Philip Lovell that advocated for a home environment that supported healthy lifestyle choices (Sarnitz, 1986). Therefore, an emphasis on health was to be expected and desirable outcome.
The idea of a beach house is also more closely associated with the idea of a home. It is possible to regard the Lovell beach house, and beach homes in general, as paradigmatic of the dwelling notion given by Heidegger, despite the fact that they are modernist examples of architecture. According to Heidegger, the residence is a manner of being that has to do with a careful and guarded attitude… [where] the essential element of dwelling is to protect and care for, enable things to remain in their essence (Kim, 2006, p. 337). This is so in many ways; for example, the positioning of the house’s elevations may give a good idea of how important the building’s location is. However, “dwelling is in the first instance linked with tradition, stability, and harmony, with a living condition that assures connectivity and meaningfulness” therefore the place’s relationship to its surroundings is crucial.
The key takeaway from Schindler is the way in which his unique understanding of architectural activity relates to the physical manifestation of his ideas. He saw himself as an artist and the building as the pinnacle of aesthetic expression (Sarnitz, 1986). In spite of this, he had deep roots in the mundane realities of construction, the “low art” world in which he worked. In order to understand how he accomplished this, it is helpful to examine a few of the structures. They all have the spirit of the do-it-yourself handyman, which is an essential element. Because of this, even the smallest of homes may seem like a home, and the unexpected and joyful combination of the artist’s eye and the builder’s hand can make even the most basic structure feel like a haven.
To sum up, Schindler was an early advocate of eco-friendly practices in modernist building design. The Lovell Beach home is aesthetically representative of prioritizing both individual and environmental health. He stressed that space architecture was meant to produce safe and harmonious living, which was evident from the house’s elevated location, its deliberate merging with its surroundings, and the attention paid to its façade.
References
Kim, K. H. (2006). The Study on the meaning of Heidegger’s Dwelling; Focused on the interpretations of C. Norberg-Schulz and M. Cacciari. In Proceeding of Spring/Autumn Annual Conference of KHA (pp. 337-340). The Korean Housing Association.
Sarnitz, A. E. (1986). Proportion and Beauty: The Lovell Beach House by Rudolph Michael Schindler, Newport Beach, 1922-1926. The Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, 45(4), 374-388, Web.
van den Heuvel, D., Mesman, M., Quist, W. & Lemmens, B. (2008). The challenge of change: Dealing with the legacy of the Modern Movement. IOS Press.