THE EAMES HOUSE c a s e s t u d y h o u s e # 8 Patricia Villafane
ABOUT case study house program + the Eames CASE STUDY PROGRAM FORMAL APPEARANCE SPATIAL QUALITIES HOW ITS MADE Structural + materials + sustainability DESIGN ANALYSIS CONCLUSION TABLE OF CONTENTS
Post World War II, the US was facing a housing crisis. John Entenza, editor of Art s and Architecture, created the Case Study House Program. Designers were invited to design prefabricated, modern homes able to be reproduced. CASE STUDY 23 case study houses were developed. Case Study House 8, the Eames House, is considered to be the most innovated of these design
THE EAMES Charles and Ray married in 1941 and began their career as innovators in toys, films, furniture design, industrial design, and architecture. In 1949, they designed and built the Eames House. Their design was embraces their ideas of playful discipline. It is a modern design brought to life through photographs and films, disclosing the Eames s private life and how they lived in the space.
Case Study The Eames designed this house for a couple working in graphic arts and to be a backdrop for life in work. The Eames House design merges with the landscape, preserving its natural site and creating spaces where nature coexists with the interior space. Isometric Plan: Ground Floor Front Elevation Plan: Second Floor
Upon entering the residential building, a narrow hallway leads to 3 spaces. The kitchen, the upstairs bedroom, and the living room. The kitchen and bedroom are smaller rooms with sliding doors that designate spaces. The living room is the focal point of the residence, the large area extending from the floor to the roof. PROGRAM The Eames House is divided so the larger building makes up the residential space and the smaller building makes the studio space Separating the two buildings is a courtyard. It is an exterior continuation of the living room. Mirroring the living space is the studio in the adjacent building. The studio is two stories high as well and the glass walls allow an uninterrupted view of the meadow
FORMAL The Eames house is a long, rectangular form broken down into two large volumes De Stijl is an abstract art movement separated by an exterior void. envisioning harmony and order by The repetition within the grid using basic visual elements of like, steel beam structure geometric form and primary colors. breaks up the form rhythmically and brings a sense of unity to both volumes. The black steel beam is contrasted by primary colored panels, wired, translucent, and transparent glass. These different materials interrupt the rhythm of the structure. APPEARENCE
In this project spaces are meant to be flexible. This is achieved through the use of material and altering the definition of spaces. In the interior spaces, sliding doors are used to designated specific programs. the kitchen can be separated into three utility spaces. Similarly, sliding doors are used in the bedroom. The bedroom overlooks the living room, becoming a part of this public space. Sliding doors can define a more private space. The Eames house is a continuation of spaces, through private and public or exterior and interior. Large windows and the wood interior bring the quality of the natural site into the interior space. The thin steel frame does not interrupt the site and colored glass allows different lights to filter through along with natural light These qualities allow the space to flow from the living space, to the exterior courtyard and through the studio. SPATIAL QUALITIES
HOW ITS STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS MATERIALS MADE SUSTAINABILITY
The structure is a prefabricated, exposed steel structure including h columns and web joists. The thin black steel bars contrast the natural site, yet allows for a light quality of the spaces A 200 feet concrete retaining wall extends on either side of the masses and is visible from the patio. STRUCTURAL systems
The Eames house is one of the few case study houses which uses only prefabricated material. Charles and Ray Eames had an interest in materials with low cost and high quality. MATERIALS Exposed steel frame and glass Wired glass, translucent glass Corrugated decking, colored panels, sliding glass doors,
Originally the Bridge house, the house was elevated above the meadow and faced the ocean. The Eames rotated the house because they realized the bridge house would impose on the site and require many trees to be removed. The Eames house instead runs parallel to the hill, resting on and being integrated into the site. The residence utilizes prefabricated standardized materials, making it more economical. The wood interior and glass panels allows the interior space to be naturally lighted and flow into the exterior space. is it
SOURCES Eames Foundation: Eames House Eames Foundation Photo Gallery Google Maps Inhabit Charles and Ray History Case Study House Announcement Construction Magazine: The Eames House The Art Story: De Stijl https:// socalarchhistory.blogspot.com/2010/02/ publications-of-esther-mccoypatron.html http://www.stltoday.com/news/ local/metro/a-look-back-housingtight-in-st-louis-area-as/ IMAGES