Margaret Helfand Architects Evolution of an Elemental Style Work in Progress

by Helfand, Margaret; Cowan, Marti; Antonelli, Paola

• ISBN13: 9781885254931
• ISBN10: 1885254938
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-04-01
• Publisher: The Monacelli Press

Summary

In a collection of projects developed during the 1990s, Margaret Helfand Architects argues for an architecture of logic, simplicity, and sensuality. Presented chronologically, nineteen projects ranging from showrooms, residences, academic buildings, parks, and functional objects are examined in photographs and texts along the three axes fundamental to the firm's work: geometry, structure, and materials. Basic materials such as steel, wood, glass, and stone are used with a minimum of transformation, allowing their inherent colors, textures, and structural properties to create visual stimulation. Seen are such diverse works as Vertical House on a Trapezoidal Site, Octagon: Structure and Landscape, and Apartment for Art and Music, as well as the Time Out New York offices, Williamsburg Community Center, and a child development center. This architecture points to a future in which buildings will rely on their own function, materiality, and craftsmanship to express their time in history. A theoretical context for the work is provided in an essay by Paola Antonelli, associate curator of architecture and design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, along with photographs by the acclaimed architectural photographer Paul Warchol.

Author Biography

Margaret Helfand studied art history at Swarthmore College, then received a masters degree in architecture in 1973 following studies at the Architectural Association in London and the University of California at Berkeley. Prior to establishing her own New York-based firm in 1981, she was an associate with Marcel Breuer. She serves as a guest critic at many institutions, including Columbia University, Pratt Institute, Yale, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Southern California Institute of Architecture.

Paola Antonelli

Table of Contents

Modern Realism	6	(6)
Paola Antonelli
This Book	12	(4)
Margaret Helfand
1987 Garment Showroom	16	(12)
1988 Workspace for Architects	28	(12)
1988 X, Y, Z, W Chairs	40	(4)
1989 Apartment in Five Quadrants	44	(16)
1990 Industrial Building	60	(12)
1991 Art Museum	72	(4)
1992 Apparel Shop	76	(10)
1992 Folded Corner Sconce	86	(2)
1992 10 Vessels	88	(2)
1993 Preassembled School	90	(4)
1993 Vertical House on a Trapezoidal Site	94	(8)
1993 Segmented Table	102	(2)
1993 Folded Handle	104	(2)
1994 Apartment for Art and Music	106	(12)
1995 Workplace for Publishing	118	(14)
1996 Urban Park	132	(4)
1996 Cloister for Learning	136	(32)
1997 Center for Arts and Athletics	168	(4)
1997 Temporary Workplace	172	(10)
1998 Workspace for Film Production	182	(10)
Project Teams	192