Louis Kahn: Essential Texts [Paperback]

Louis I. Kahn (Author), Robert Twombly (Editor), Louis Kahn (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0393731138 | ISBN-13: 978-0393731132 | Publication Date: October 15, 2003

A thoughtful selection of the celebrated architect's speeches and writings.

This unique anthology draws from Louis Kahn's speeches, essays, and interviews, some never previously published, to capture the evolution and central tenets of the influential American architect's thinking from his early work of the 1940s to his death in 1974. Professor Twombly's introduction and headnotes offer incisive commentary on the texts. 20 photographs

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert Twombly teaches at the Spitzer School of Architecture, The City College, New York City. He lives in West Nyack, New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (October 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393731138
• ISBN-13: 978-0393731132
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #351,424 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Essential, April 13, 2006

By 

Paper Dreamer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Louis Kahn: Essential Texts (Paperback)

I was required to purchase this book for a class on Louis Kahn, and have found it to be an indespensible source of inspiration in everything that I do. I took the class as an art history major who has an intense fascination with architecture, and a love of all things Kahn. The book is a serries of lectures and conversations between Kahn and his students. Some of the questions posed are questions that as creators we all face, and Kahn's answers which may not always offer a perfect solution, make the reader aware that the questions we cannot answer are the source of passion in design. Kahn has an amazing ability to enliven the art of architecture. Because of several events in my life I have chosen the path of design for my future, and one day that road should include architecture. I keep this book close at hand, for days I feel overwhelmed. Kahn's simple words sooth the soul and sometimes make a heart skip a beat.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars more poet than architect, March 20, 2007

By 

Joong Won Lee "Joongwon" (Cambridge, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Louis Kahn: Essential Texts (Paperback)

When one reads Kahn, one finds a hope. This hope is a hope that promises
growth. His last and best philosophical claims, "Silence" and "Light"
invites reader to the "unmeasurable" dimension. It's the dimension of
vertical sublimity and archaic gravity that he saw during his travels in
Egypt and residency in Rome.

Reader is surprised by the fact that Kahn composed Kimbell and Dakka
by poetry long before actual buildings were built. His individual rooms
form a community ,,, his material reveals the story of construction ,,,
his light brings life to every corner of the building.

Just like the image on the cover page, Kahn was capable of drawing a palm
tree with both hands. His left brain enlarges his right brain, and vice versa.
Ambidexterity proves his unusual combination of imagination and calculation
that exponentially bring about immense "A"-rchitectural experience.

Steven Holl used to say that he wanted to work for Kahn right after
schooling because he was the only architect (except one landscape
architect) who has a thought. In Holl's words, "Kahn had an idea
that brought about phenomena."

I sometimes wonder what makes me come back to Kahn. For long, I thought
I was under the spell of Vincent Scully. Then, I thought Exeter/ British
Art Gallery/ Kimbell mesmerized me. Few years ago, I was thrilled to
see Kent Larson's unbuilt projects' renderings. Recenltly,
Nathaniel's "My Architect" shocked me.

Reading this book, now I know why I stick to Kahn.
It's his words. Words that can only be spoken by a person who dares
to pick up burning charcoal. Words that can only be charged by a
person who lives solely on proselytizing architecture.
I hope Kahn's powerful words wet your thirst and silence your
worries as well.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Essential Reading On Louis Kahn, January 13, 2009

By 

Chinmay Satbhai (Pune, India) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Louis Kahn: Essential Texts (Paperback)

A really good and essential reading on Louis Kahn.
The book is a collection of wonderful essays, speeches delivered by one of the great practitioner of modern architecture.
These texts are truly inspirational.
An addition of few more illustrations would have made this compilation more profound.

Thanks a lot for this collection.