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Ar Eero Saarinen
(August 20, 1910 – September 1, 1961)
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• Eero Saarinen was born in 1910 , in Finland . He was a Finnish American architect
and Industrial designer of the 20th century.
•Famous for varying his style according to the demands of the projects: simple ,
sweeping , arching structural curves.
•In 1923 Saarinen’s emigrated to U.S.A , where he he took courses in sculpture and
furniture design . He studied sculpture at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in
Paris, France.
• Joined his father’s architecture firm in 1941. After working with his father on a
number of projects .He had a chance to express his own philosophy . When he
entered 1947 architectural competition for jennefer national expansion memorial.
This was his first opportunity to establish himself as an independent architect.
• After his father's death in 1950, Saarinen founded his own architect's office, "Eero
Saarinen and Associates". 3
• Saarinen was recruited by his friend, who was also an architect, to join the
military service in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Saarinen was assigned to
draw illustrations for bomb disassembly manuals and to provide designs for the
Situation Room in the White House. Saarinen worked full time for the OSS until
1944.
• In 1941 he won 2 prizes in the New York museum of modern art competition for
functional furniture design for pieces on which he and Charles had collaborated.
• Died: Saarinen died of a brain tumor in September 1, 1961 at the age of 51 ,USA .
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He did not hesitate to push the boundaries of what was technologically possible
with existing building materials; if a building component didn’t exist, he would
invent it.
His humanistic approach to design and his philosophy of building in “the style
for the job” set him apart from his more dogmatically Modernist contemporaries.
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•Location: John F. Kennedy International Airport,
Queens, Newyk
The concrete shell's evocative shape which inspired Saarinen to develop special, curved edge ceramic
tile to conform to the curvilinear shapes— places the design into the categories of Futurist, Googie,
and Fantastic architecture.
Saarinen's architectural masterpiece is the signature TWA-Terminal at J.F. Kennedy Airport in New
York (1956-52). The completed terminal was dedicated May 28, 1962 — a year after the architect's
death. Saarinen also winning the AIA Gold Medal in 1962 for this design.
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Kresge Auditorium is an auditorium building for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology located
at 48 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was designed by the noted architect Eero
Saarinen, with ground-breaking in 1953 and dedication in 1955. The building was named for its
principal funder, Sebastian S. Kresge founder of S. S. Kresge Stores (corporate predecessor of Kmart
and the Kresge Foundation) 11
thin-shell structure of reinforced concrete, one-eighth of
a sphere rising to a height of 50 feet and sliced away by
sheer glass curtain walls so that it comes to earth on only
three points. The dome weighs only 1200 tons and is
currently clad with copper.
It was originally covered with smooth, bright, orastone which
was then replaced with lead sheeting attached with stainless
steel wires
In 1980, cracks were found in the supporting structure and the
auditorium was closed immediately for repairs. Copper
replaced the lead at that time.
•The building was constructed for $1.5 million, which was double its original cost estimate. It seats 3500
people and has a maximum ceiling height of 23 meters.
•The building was included on the America's Favourite Architecture list created in 2007 by the
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American Institute of Architects
Structural system :
The rink employs an innovative structural system in which a 90 meter reinforced concrete arch, from
which a cable net is hung, supports a timber roof. This causes a stable, double curvature form.
Exterior cables linking the arch directly to the outer edges of the roof were added during structural
design development. These cables address forces caused by asymmetrical wind loads.
Renovations :
• the rink's construction all renovations have been carried out by the firm Roche Dinkeloo.
• In 1991, a new concrete refrigerant slab was added at a cost of $1.5 million. 15
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The church building of 1964 was designed by Finnish-American
ELEV. architect Eero Saarinen (1910–1961) and completed in 1964. The
church was the last building designed by Saarinen before his
death.
PLAN
Rows of pews surround the altar in a
hexagon, reflecting the idea that worship
should be a central aspect of the life of the
congregation.
Construction Syste
concrete
m
Climate temperate
Context suburban
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The design included a
landscaped man-made lake to
collect rainwater, a low-rise
hotel, and a row of office
buildings along the north side
of the main parking lot
•The centre is on three sites, with the main laboratory in Yorktown Heights, New York, 38 miles north
of New York City, a building in Hawthorne, New York, and offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
•Yorktown Heights designed by architect Eero Saarinen completed in 1961, with the 115th Street site
closing in 1970.
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Buildings:
Yorktown heights :
•Is a large crescent-shaped
•structure consisting of three level by 40 aisles.
• The lowest level is partially underground in some areas toward the shorter side of the crescent, which
also leads to the employee parking lots.
•A large overhang protrudes from the front entryway of the building, and faces the visitor parking lot.
Hawthorne :
•The Hawthorne building (located at 19 Skyline Drive) is easily recognizable by its mirrored facade and
large blue pole. Located approximately 25 miles north of New York City, the Hawthorne site is smaller
than its sister site at Yorktown Heights
•The building also contains a cafeteria, presentation centre and library. The site, opened in 1984, was
designed by Michael Harris Spector.
Cambridge:
The Cambridge facility can be found at 1 Rogers Street, Cambridge, MA; it is located in one of IBM's
Lotus Software development locations. 22
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Concordia College, U.S. Embassy, London World Headquarters,
Fort Wayne, IN John Deere & Company, IL
Samuel F.B. Morse and Bell Laboratories, Holmdel Vivian Beaumont Theater,
Ezra Stiles Colleges, Yale New j Lincoln Center, New York
University
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