modernism at home

last friday i attended a lecture given by patrick lucas on modernism at home. he has been researching (with the help of others, too) the legacy and innovation of edward lowenstein, one of greensboro's most prominent architects. having started his work solo in the 40s, lowenstein did much of his work during controversial times. he was the first to incorporate race relations and design and hired african americans to work at his firm.
patrick talked a lot about how lowenstein "worked things out" in his designs. his buildings just..work. they answer questions you never even realized you had. he also noted that building appearances can reflect the cultural issues of the time.

he talked about modernism and how, at first we don't really get it. but when we live with it for a while we start to understand. I thought that was very interesting and it kind of spoke to lowenstein'is "working things out".

lowenstein layered buildings according to light, needs, and experience. he was also very interested in highlighting the bones of the structure and often did so with lighting.

i'm definitely glad that i attended the lecture and wish i could've done the walking tour and saw the houses in person. when thinking about greensboro it's easy to think of it as old and beaten down, outdated. but now i have a new appreciation for our city. i think that the more that people start to build up parts of it, our city will really come together. whether modernist, traditional, or something in between, greensboro is a mix of creative minds just waiting to be showcased!




side note: lowenstein's "working things out" reminds me a lot of something that jerry told our class the other day while filling in for jo. he said to, "answer the questions first and the design will unfold." this has stuck with me ever since. i think that it's really easy to get caught up in design and keep designing forever without ever really finishing anything. answering the main questions helps set up the foundation for the rest of the design to transpire. and for me, that is unbelievably helpful to hear.