RICHARD NEUTRA MICHELLE REGNA TYPOGRAPHY 2011
Born in Vienna April 8, 1892 display medium 48 pt.
RICHARD NEUTRA display bold 80pt.
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Aspired to be an architect from an early age. A skilled draftsman in his youth, the ambitious Austrian began formally studying his craft in 1911.
By 1923, Neutra had emigrated to the U.S and later worked with his mentor, Frank Lloyd Wright. After collaborating with friend and partner Rudolph Schindler for several years, Neutra established his own practice in Los Angeles in 1926.
The Neutra Institute for Survival Through Design is a non-profit California corporation, established in 1962. Its name is derived from the prophetic book by Richard J. Neutra, one of the architectural greats of the Twentieth Century. The Institute’s activities depend on grants and donations, which are tax deductible. Its work is the expansion, implementation, and memorialization of the basic Neutra theme. The Neutra’s sounded the environmental alarm in the 1950s many years before ecology, Green architecture, and Sustainable Design became buzz words for politicians and
recently concerned organizations. The Institute is fortunate to have the interest and talents of Dion Neutra, son and partner of the late Richard J. Neutra, to act as Executive Consultant and Project Director for the Institute. As far back as he can remember, his father was warning that, “today’s man-made environment has become an irritating, increasing threat to the vitality and soundness of mind and body.” The Neutras have observed that planners are frequently unaware of the advances made by science and researchers in diverse fields in areas that could affect “healthy environment,” and therefore “they
continue to house man without fully understanding or fully respecting his biological necessities.” “Today’s man-made environment has become an irritating, increasing threat to the vitality and soundness of mind and body.” Survival Through Design is not a “catchy” title. It is literal truth, using the word “Design” in its broadest sense. Man must re-discover the relationship he once had with nature. He must honor a new generation of priorities. “Otherwise, we are headed for ecological and personal disaster,” warns Dion Neutra. Biorealism is the Neutra term
chosen by the Institute to represent the firm’s ideal of the “personcentered” approach to the planning of the environment and the managing of ecology in ways that will be of lasting benefit to individuals comprising mankind. The projects of the Institute are all conceived with a biorealistic approach to serve or activate people. It may be that Dion’s “secondgeneration” effort using the computer -- as anticipated by Richard Neutra in Survival Through Design -- will finally allow application of these design concepts enunciated so long ago. Hopefully we will now begin to see concrete examples of them.
Bringing the Outside, Inside
Built between 1928 and 1929, The Lovell Health House was one of Neutra’s earliest projects that would become an iconic representation of 20th century modern architecture.
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upper-level reflecting pools
scenic panorma floor to ceiling sliding glass walls
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The Neutra Legacy
In 1954, Neutra made another contribution to architectural history with his book text book italic 30, 46pt.
Survival Through Design Neutra formally partenered with his son in 1965, establishing Richard and Dion Neutra and Associates. The firm developed many noteworthy projects such as,
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The Kaufmann House The Miller House The Clark House In 2002, House Industries Type Foundry introduced
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NEUTRAFACE a typeface completely based off the spirit of Richard Neutra’s design principles and architectural approach.
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Works Cited
Richard and Dion Neutra Architecture display bold 50pt.
http://www.neutra.org/Aims_Purposes.html text light 18pt.
House Industries
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http://www.houseind.com/fonts/neutraface/neutrahistory text light 18pt.