Sam Jacob Studio, a London-based architecture firm, recently built a mausoleum based on a design that was never constructed by famous Austrian modernist architect Adolf Loos. Loos designed the mausoleum for Max Dvorak in 1921, but his design was never put into use and has been haunting the annals of architectural culture since then.
Sam Jacob Studio's reinterpretation of the Loos design is entitled 'A Very Small Part of Architecture' after a quotation from Loos' essay 'Architecture,' written in 1910. The mausoleum is a 1:1 scale recreation of the original design. However, it is made from timber and scaffolding nets, whereas the original was meant to be of heavy brick. This elision of materials is not a matter of paucity of resources -- rather, Sam Jacob Studio used those materials as a "ghostly reenactment of an unrealized architectural idea."
Historic Modernist Mausoleums
Sam Jacob Studio Built a Concept from Modernist Icon Adolf Loos
Trend Themes
1. Reinterpreting Historic Designs - There is an opportunity for architects and designers to reinterpret historic designs and bring them to life using modern materials and techniques.
2. Exploring Unbuilt Architecture - There is a growing interest in exploring unbuilt architectural designs and the potential of bringing them into reality.
3. Material Elision in Architecture - Architects can experiment with using different materials than originally intended to create unique and ghostly architectural experiences.
Industry Implications
1. Architecture - The architecture industry can explore opportunities to reinterpret historic designs and create new experiences for clients.
2. Design - The design industry can contribute by reimagining unbuilt architectural designs and incorporating them into their creative projects.
3. Materials and Construction - The materials and construction industry can offer innovative solutions for bringing unrealized architectural ideas to life using different materials and techniques.