ARCHITECT: PETER EISENMAN

NATIONALITY : GERMAN
LIFE AND TIME

BORN : NEWARK , NEW JERSEY ,U.S.A / AUGUST 11,1932

EDUCATION : HE RECEIVED HIS BACHELOR OF ARCH. DEGREE

FROM CORNELL UNIVERSITY , 1955.

A MASTER OF ARCH. DEGREE FROM COLUMBIA

UNIVERSITY’S GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARCH. ,
PLANNING AND PRESERVATION.

PURSUED HIS M.A AND Ph.d DEGREES FROM THE

UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

HE ALSO GOT AN HONORARY DOCTOR OF FINE ARTS

DEGREE FROM THE UNIV. OF ILLINOIS, CHICAGO.

PROFESSION : IN 1980, HE ESTABLISHED HIS
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE IN NEW YORK,
KNOWN AS “ EISENMAN ARCHITECTS ” TO
FOCUS EXCLUSIVELY ON BUILDING. HE
IS AN ARCHITECT AND ANEDUCATOR.

INFLUENCES : HE ALWAYS HAD STRONG CULTURAL

RELATIONSHIPS WITH EUROPEAN INTELLECTUALS
LIKE HIS MENTOR COLIN ROWE THE ITALIAN
HISTORIAN MANFREDO TAFURI. THE WORK OF
PHILOSOPHER JACQUES DERRIDA IS A KEY
INFLUENCE IN EISENMAN’S ARCH. HE IS ALSO
INFLUENCED BY PALLIDIO, PIRANESI AND
LE CORBUSIER.-
PHILOSOPHY
PETER EISENMAN IS ONE OF THE FOREMOST PRACTITIONERS
OF DECONSTRUCTIVISM IN AMERICAN ARCH. HIS FRAGMENTED
FORMS ARE IDENTIFIED WITH AN ECLECTIC GROUP OF
ARCHITECTS THAT HAVE BEEN, AT TIMES UNWILLINGLY,
LABELLED DECONSTRUCTIVISTS.

HIS THEORIES ON ARCH. PURSUE THE EMANCIPATION AND

AUTONOMY OF THE DISCIPLINE AND HIS WORK REPRESENTS A
CONTINUED ATTEMPT TO LIBERATE FORM FROM ALL
MEANING

EISENMAN WAS THE LEADER OF A LOOSELY KNIT GROUP OF

NEW YORK ARCHITECTS, CALLED THE ‘NEW YORK FIVE’
(EISENMAN, CHARLES GWATHMEY, JOHN HEIDUK, RICHARD
MEIR AND MICHAEL GRAVES) WHO MADE AN EFFORT TO
INTRODUCE A THEORY AND ARTISTRY OF ARCH. AS RIGOROUS
AS THAT OF EUROPEAN AVANT-GARDE.
HE PRACTISES ‘ SCALING ’ – A STAGE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF
TRANSCENDING THE BRIEF. ADOPTED FOR AN ARCH. OF
‘ABSENCE… A SERIES OF VOIDS… HOLES IN THE GROUND’ TO
ACT AS ‘METAPHORS’ FOR HIS ‘DISPLACEMENT’ OF MAN’S
POSITION AS THE ‘CENTRED INSTRUMENT OF MEASURE.’

HE USES ANOTHER ASPECT OF SCALING – ‘SELF SIMILARITY’

WHICH IS AN ANALOGIC REPITITION NOT THE GEOMETRIC
MIMSELS USUALLY FOUND IN AESTHETIC OBJECT.
FAMOUS QUOTES

“FOR FIVE CENTURIES THE HUMAN BODY’S

PROPORTIONS HAVE BEEN A DATUM FOR ARCH. BUT DUE
TO DEVELOPMENTS AND CHANGES IN MODERN
TECHNOLOGY, PHILOSOPHY AND PSYCHOANALYSIS, THE
GRAND ABSTRACTION OF MAN AS A MEASURE OF ALL
THINGS, AS AN ORIGINARY PRESENCE, CAN NO LONGER
BE SUSTAINED, EVEN AS IT PERSISTS IN THE ARCH. OF
TODAY.”

“ARCH. SHOULD CHALLENGE ART AND THIS NOTION

THAT IT SHOLD BE A BACKGROUND.”
WORKS
MAJOR ARCHITECTURAL WORKS

1. HOUSE VI (FRANK RESIDENCE), CORNWALL, CONNECTICUT

DESIGN : 1972
2000 Sq FEET
DESIGNED FOR CLIENTS RICHARD AND SUSANNE FRANK.

ROOF PLAN VIEW FROM EAST

EXTERIOR:
USE OF AN EXTERIOR COLUMN THAT DOES NOT REACH THE
GROUND.
PAINTED WOOD PANELS.

INTERIORS:
PAITED WALL BOARD
A LINEAR NOTCH IN THE BEDROOM FLOOR THAT PREVENTED
THE FRANKS FROM SLEEPING IN THE SAME BED AND
ANTAGONISTIC SPACE PLANNING.

FIRST LEVEL PLAN SECOND LEVEL PLAN

 SECTION CC

SECTION BB
 WEST ELEVATION

SOUTH ELEVATION
 LIVING ROOM VIEW LIVING ROOM VIEW
FROM WEST FROM SOUTH-EAST

ENTRY VIEW FROM NORTH INTERIOR STAIR VIEW

FROM SOUTH
2. WEXNER CENTER FOR THE ARTS, OHIO STATE UNIV.,
COLUMBUS, OHIO

DESIGN/COMPLETION:1983/89
FIRST MAJOR PUBLIC DECONSTRUCTIVIST BUILDING.
HAS REQUIRED EXTENSIVE AND EXPENSIVE
RETROFITTING BECAUSE OF ELEMENTARY DESIGN
FLAWS (SUCH AS INCOMPETENT MATERIAL
SPECIFICATIONS, AND FINE ART EXHIBITION SPACE
EXPOSED TO DIRECT SUNLIGHT).

VIEW FROM SOUTH

SPATIAL GRAMMAR OF COLLIDING PLANES TENDS TO
MAKE USERS DISORIENTED TO THE POINT OF NAUSEA.

THE SCAFFOLDING CONSIST OF TWO INTERSECTING

THREE DIMENSIONAL GRIDDED COORRIDORS WHICH LINK
EXISTING BUILDINGS WITH THE NEW GALLERIES AND ARTS
FACILITIES.

SCAFFOLDING,DETAIL
VIEW FROM THE
SOUTH

VIEW FROM SOUTH-EAST.

 SECTION THROUGH
LOBBY AND OFFICES

SECTION THROUGH UPPER

LOBBY AND MOAT
SECTION THROUGH GALLERY RAMP,FROM EAST

SECTION THROUGH GALLEREY RAMP,FROM WEST

 GALLERY VIEW FROM NORTH.

BLACK BOX THEATER

3. BIOCENTRUM, FRANKFURT AM MAIN,GERMANY

DESIGN:1987
J.W.GOETHE UNIVERSITY
350,000 Sq Ft.
THIS EXPASION OF EXISTING BIOTECNOLOGY RESEARCH
LABORATORIES AND SUPPORT SPACES WAS APPROACHED BY
CONSIDERING THE FOUNDATIONS OF BIOLOGY AS AN ANOLOGY
FOR DEVLOPMENT SCHEME
DNA IS USED AS MODEL OF A LOGICAL SEQUENCE WITH
INFINITE POSIBILITES FOR EXPANSION,CHANGE,AND
FLEXIBILITY.

PRESENTATION MODEL,VIEW
FROM SOUTH EAST
 GROUND LEVEL PLAN

FIRST LEVEL PLAN

 SECOND LEVEL PLAN

THIRD LEVEL PLAN

SECTIONS.
SOUTH AND NORTH ELEVATIONS
4. NYOUMI OFFICE BUILDING, JAPAN
DESIGN/COMPLETION:1990/92
NUNOTANI COMPANY Ltd
4000 Sq Ft.
NUNOTANI BUILDING IS SEEN AS A METAPHORIC
RECORD OF THESE CONTINOUS WAVES OF
MOVEMENT

EXTERIOR VIEW FROM

NORTH EAST
BUILDING CONSISTS OF STUDIO AND OFFICE SPACES,A
MULTI MEDIA PRESENTATION
ROOM,LIBRARY,CAFETERIA,CAD WORKROOMS
TRADIONAL JAPANESE RESTING ROOMS.

SITE PLAN

THIRD LEVEL PLAN

 INTERIOR,ENTRY LEVEL GALLERY

INTERIOR,VIEW LOBBY
 CHRONOLOGY

Atocha 123 Hotel La Villette

1990-1993 1987
Madrid, Spain Paris, France
Sociedad Belga de Los Establissement Public
Pinares De el Paular du Parc de la Vilette

Groningen Music- Cooper Union Student

Video Pavilion 1990 Housing 1989
Groningen, The New York, New York
Netherlands The Cooper Union
Groningen City
Festival
Nunotani Office Siena Bank Master
Building 1990-1992 Plan 1988
Tokyo,Japan Siena, Italy
Nunotani Siena Chamber of
Corporation Commerce
CONTRIBUTIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

 FOUNDED NEW YORK’S INST. FOR ARCH AND URBAN

STUDIES.
 FOUNDING DIRECTOR OF THE SAME INSTITUTE.
 HELD TEACHING POSITIONS AT YALE, CAMBRIDGE,
PRINCETON, HARVARD, OHIO STATE UNIVERSITIES.
 CURRENTLY A DISTINGUISHED VISITING PROFESSOR AT
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY.
 HAS DESIGNED A WIDE RANGE OF PROJECTS, INCLUDING
LARGE SCALE HOUSING AND URBAN DESIGN SCHEMES,
INNOVATIVE FACILITIES FOR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS,
AND A SERIES OF INVENTIVE PRIVATE HOUSES.

.
 EISENMAN’S WEXNER CENTRE FOR THE VISUAL
ARTS AND FINE ARTS LIBRARY AT OHIO STATE UNIV. RECEIVED A 1993
NATIONAL HONOUR AWARD
FROM THE AMERICAN INST. OF ARCHITECTS.

HIS SOCIAL HOUSING AT CHECKPOINT CHARLIE,

BERLIN HONOURED BY GERMAN GOVT.

PUBLICATIONS / WRITINGS
AUTHORED SEVERAL BOOKS LIKE

‘ HOUSE X ’
‘ FIN DIOU T HOUS ’
MOVING ARROWS, EROS AND OTHER ERRORS.
‘ HOUSE OF CARDS ’ CO-AUTHOR WITH JACQUES DERRIDA.

PUBLISHED MANY ESSAYS AND ARTICLES ON HIS ARCHITECTURAL

THEORIES IN INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINES AND JOURNALS.

EDITOR OF ‘ OPPOSITIONS ’
BIBLIOGRAPHY / WEBLIOGRAPHY

FREE SPIRITS IN ARCHITECTURE – GEOFFREY

BROADBENT
EISENMAN ARCHITECTS – PETER EISENMAN
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