Sidney Smith Hall Examined as Modern Architecture

Paper Summary:

This paper approaches three examples of modern architecture that seem dissimilar at first, Sidney Smith Hall at the University of Toronto, the Villa Savoye near Paris, and what is known as the Barcelona Pavilion. The paper holds that despite their different purposes, they are similar structures according to principles of the modern movement. To conclude, it states that Sidney Smith Hall is significant in a Toronto environment much given to the preservation of architectural heritage, but that has often failed to appreciate its examples of the modern style.

Outline:
Introduction
Sidney Smith Hall, University of Toronto, 100 St. George Street
Villa Savoye, Poissy, nr. Paris 1920-1930 (Le Corbusier)
German Pavilion, Barcelona Exposition, (Mies van der Rohe)
Concluding Remarks

From the Paper:

"As an example of the International Style much pursued by the modern movement, one realizes that the same structure with minimal adjustment could be placed anywhere. (See Khan 1998) Erected in any country in the world, Sidney Smith Hall would offer the same economy of line combined with a feeling of spaciousness and accessibility, its terrace areas suited to the climate of a central Canadian city as much as entirely different settings. This theme of universality was a favourite of both Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier as discussed below. (Padovan 45-48) As a contribution to the international style, Sidney Smith Hall may have shown its ongoing adaptability in the 2003 enclosure of one terrace that was opposed by some but does not seem to have altered greatly the sense of access the architect intended."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Drexler, Arthur. Ed. The Mies van der Rohe Archive. NY: Garland Publishing, 1986-1992.
• Khan, H. International Style - Modernist Architecture, 1925-1965. Cologne: Taschen, 1998.
• Padovan, R. Towards Universality - Le Corbusier, Mies and De Stijl. NY: Routledge.

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