Case Study #8: The Eames House Melanie Olivera
Module 15 IND3306 Final
Table of Contents:
Pg.3: Designers Pg. 4-5: History & Background Pg.6: Social + Historical Context Pg.7: Location & Site Info Pg.8-10: Clients + Program Pg.11-13: Plans & Elevations Pg.14-15: Residence & Studio Renderings Pg.16-17: Materials Pg.18: Sustainability Pg.19: Sources
The Designers:
Ray and Charles Eames
The husband and wife team were pioneers of mid-century modernism. Together they made an impact in architecture, graphic design, fine art, film and furniture. Charles and Ray Kaiser Eames married in 1941. In 1949, Charles and Ray designed and built their own home in Pacific Palisades, California, as part of the Case Study House Program sponsored by Arts & Architecture magazine. Their design and innovative use of materials made the House a mecca for architects and designers from both near and far. Today, it is considered one of the most important post-war residences anywhere in the world.
History & Background In the late 1940s, The design of the house was proposed by Charles and Ray as part of the famous Case Study House program for John Entenza’s Arts & Architecture magazine. The idea of a Case Study house was to hypothesize a modern household, elaborate its functional requirements, have an esteemed architect develop a design that met those requirements using modern materials and construction processes, and then to actually build the home.
The first plan of the Eameses’ home, known as the Bridge House, was designed in 1945 by Charles and Eero Saarinen. The design was published in the December 1945 issue of the magazine, but due to a war-driven shortage, the steel did not arrive until late 1948. By then, according to Ray, she and Charles felt that the site required a different solution. Charles and Ray re-configured the House by integrating the new design into the landscape, rather than imposing the structure on it and built the new design.The houses were documented before, during and after construction for publication in Arts & Architecture. The Eames’ proposal for the Case Study House No. 8 reflected their own household and their own needs; a young married couple wanting a place to live, work and entertain in one undemanding setting in harmony with the site. By Christmas of 1949, the designers decided to move in.
Social & Historical Context Geographically, it was easy to purchase the uneven land because developers deemed them unbuildable and sold them for fractions of the actual price per acre. Modernists took advantage of this built house on steeped lands. The design was adjusted to preserve the trees that were naturally found on the site and work with the existing landscape.
Politically, post WWII they wanted to make use of the industrial age and use materials that could be massproduced. Modern artists free German rule also settled in this area of los Angeles – this could possibly be why the house was done in an unconventional and modern way, even using Mondrian’s (who was widely criticized) style as a façade.
Economically, One of the economic circumstances that affected the project was the shortage of materials. But in turn was a positive because it allowed the designers to redesign a section of the house. The home was designed to be easily replicated, affordable, and fuctional. The materials that were readily available and couuld be ordered from a catalog.
Location
+ Site Info The house is situated on a three-acre site on top of an 150-foot cliff in Los Angeles, California, that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. The house moved from on top of the hill the being fused with the hill. The intention was for the house to be made of prefabricated materials that would not interrupt the site, be easy to build, and exhibit a modern style. The site is a flat parcel on otherwise steep land that creates a retaining wall to the west. The response to this condition was a concrete retaining wall that ties together the two boxes separated by a courtyard that make up the parti of the residence.
Clients + Program Charles and Ray proposed that the home they designed would be for a married couple working in design and graphic arts, whose children were no longer living at home. They wanted a home that would make no demands for itself, and would serve as a background for, as Charles would say, “life in work” and with nature as a “shock absorber.” However, they moved into the House on Christmas Eve, 1949, and lived there for the rest of their lives.
The Eames House consists of two double-height buildings, one for residential living and the other for work. In the residential building, kitchen and dining areas are located in the lower story while more private spaces are on the second floor; which provides a view down at the double-height living area.
The studio portion of the Eames House features an open plan. Like the residential area, the studio is divided into two stories with the upper floor overlooking a double-height space.
Both provide double-height spaces at the corners and outer ends of both programs. This allows for a composition that breaks the space up rhythmetically, and is read on the exterior of the house with the exterior courtyard serving as a double-height space in between both “boxes�.
The circulation of the two buildings, the home and office/workshop are an example of an excellent use of space. The open structure allows the inhabitants to access the open spaces and commute back and fourth from studio to house with ease. There is a sense of symmetry and balance to the two buildings.
The house was set up to feel as if it were one with nature. The house overlooks the Pacific Ocean, giving it an amazing, natural view.
The Eameses placed the service spaces along the retaining wall on the north but also along the courtyard, in effect freeing up the ends for the double-height spaces. The courtyard separates the house and studio but it also gives some relief to what would have been a cluster of service spaces if this were one long building. The courtyard was designed to be covered but was built as an open space, enclosed on three sides.
East & West Elevations In these elevations, one can see how the two “boxes� appear separated but are still connected to one another through the courtyard. The exteriors resemble a Mondrian painting through the use of different materials and colors.
North & SouthElevations
Plans The Eames House by Ray and Charles Eames was set up on an amazing grid system which allowed the designers to play with the organization, continuity, and circulation of the house. The Eames house has an overall open interior space which flows from one room to the next in a playful manner. There is a beautiful contrast between the different materials used for these spaces, such as the white tiles for the home and parquet wood for the studio. The designers constructed the home out of prefabricated materials for an economical yet modern look, with respect to the grid system and surrounding landscape.
Residence Renderings
Studio Renderings
The foundation of the Eames house was made from concrete while asphalt and the frame made the roofing from steel. The walls were made with a wide variety of materials including stucco, glass, wood, asbestos, metal, and other synthetics. The structural systems consist of a steel frame and open web joists. A simple steel frame was used for the structure of the house. The steel frame used 4-inch H-columns for the walls and 12-inch deep web joists for the roof.
Materials
The materials allow you to feel closer to nature; the natural lighting is inspired by Japanese culture and synergy with nature. The simplicity of the design was also an ode to their appreciation for natural, simple colors and texture found in nature; in seashells, leaves etc. materials such as steel were viewed as “cold� and used predominately on the exterior whereas natural and standard materials felt warm and inviting – used mostly on the interior.
Structure defines the support of buildings. The structure of the Eames house is simple - it is supported by steel beams and pillars that create a strong rectangular structure. The structure allows for natural light to brighten the home. The home is steel and glass - lightweight and seemingly transparent. The house has many windows of clear glass, colored glass and frosted glass. These different lenses allow different types of emitted light.
Like the frames, the steel sashes and sub-dividers are also painted black, creating a horizontal grid pattern. Plaster panels are painted black, white, beige, red, or blue. The main entrance to the residence is located on the primary (east) fagade. The hinged door is off-set right of center in elevation and consists of five translucent glazed panels that echo the size and appearance of the panels that flank the door to the right and directly above. Two small panels located above and spanning the entire width of the entry bay frame are highlighted in gold.
Sustainability The goals for the home were mainly to be affordable and to not disturb the site by using prefabricated materials. They created a retaining wall that tied into the steep land to restrain to soil to the west. There was a great level of integrity and planning when it came to the prefabricated materials they chose. Much of the structures today are still intact and needed little restoration.
Nature was played with in order to feel like it was one with the construction. The two buildings were hidden behind the natural foliage. The side pedestrian walkways were covered with grasses. The house was built largely of standard components, such as the windows which measure a standard width of 3-feet 4-inches. Each rising 17 feet and framed by duel rows of 4 inch H-columns placed 20 feet apart.
Sources
http://quentingoinghome.blogspot.com/2011/10/eames-house-in-pacific-palisades.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eames_House http://www.eamesoffice.com/the-work/eames-house-case-study-house-8/ http://www.eamesoffice.com/eames-office/charles-and-ray/ http://w3eames.blogspot.com/2012/12/size-scale-and-construction.html
ttp://www.archdaily.com/66302/ad-classics-eames-house-charles-and-ray-eames https://digitaldesign3306.wordpress.com/ http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/8246043/list/must-know-modern-homeseames-house http://www.getty.edu/conservation/our_projects/field_projects/eameshouse/ EamesHouseNHL.pdf http://quentingoinghome.blogspot.com/2011/10/eames-house-in-pacific-palisades.html http://www.archdaily.com/620033/a-virtual-look-into-the-eames-case-studyhouse-8 http://inhabitat.com/the-eames-house-sparked-new-thinking-in-modern-living/2/ http://www.eamesfoundation.org/eames-house-history/