Adolf Loos and Modern Architecture in Vienna: Kobi Ben-Meir

page 5 | may 2008 | issue no.
european forum at the hebrew university
Adolf Loos
and Modern Architecture in Vienna
Kobi Ben-Meir
Until the end of the 19th century, the dominant architectural
style in central Vienna was Neoism: Neo-Classical, Neo-Gothic,
Neo-Renaissance, Neo-Baroque,
and so on. However, the late
1800s saw the emergence of a
new style generally referred to
as modern architecture. This
new architecture developed in
response to the immense social
change experienced in most
European cities: middle- and
lower-class citizens from the
agricultural suburbs flocked into
the industrialized cities, generating the need for cheap, fast-built
housing.
The new approach to architecture - simple buildings designed
according to a specific function
- suited the new social climbers. The upper-middle class and
the bourgeoisie openly aimed to
express their rising social status.
New architectural forms were
developed in order to distinguish
these groups from the older oligarchies. Modern architecture
put much more emphasis on
functional interior design to suit
the specific owner. Functionality,
rather than decoration, became
the motto; and the form was designed according to its function.
The new International Style
was a mixture of several modern
approaches: German Bauhaus,
the architecture of the Swiss-born
Le Corbusier, Italian Futurism,
and Russian Constructivism.
Tel Aviv and Brasilia, for example, were new cities designed
according to modern demographic structures, but older cities such
as London, Paris, and Vienna had
to develop new urban planning
to meet the demands of urban
change and growth.
Vienna is a fascinating example. By the end of 1857, Emperor
Franz Joseph I embarked on the
extension of Vienna beyond its

antiquated walls. The crumbling
walls of the city were torn down
and replaced by huge boulevardsthe Ringstrae. This new
open ring became the hub of
the bourgeois struggle for social recognition and, therefore,
developed into the ideal site for
with small stucco sculptures but,

most important, is covered by
a copula made of gilded laurel
leaves.
The Austrian architect Adolf
Loos (1870-1933) was not only
one of the great architects of the
late 19th and early 20th centuries, but he also defined archi-
Adolf Loos, Moller House, Starkfriedgasse 19, Vienna,

1927-1928; at upper right: the Sezession Building,
Karlsplatz,Vienna, 1898; at lower left: Loos House in
Michaelerplatz, Vienna, 1909-1911; at lower right: Entrance
to Alte Hofburg, Michaelerplatz, Vienna.
modern Austrian architecture.

It is no coincidence that next
to Karlsplatz, on the Ringstrae,
Josef Maria Olbrich built in 1898
the Sezession Building. It was
identified with the Sezession, a
new Viennese artistic and architectural movement comprised of
artists, graphic designers, and
architects who, in a highly publicized manner, resigned from the
Academy of Fine Arts, which
they regarded as old-fashioned
and restrictive. The Sezession
movement maintained the idea
of Gesamtkunstwerk an overall
art-piece in which the architect not only plans and builds
the house but also designs and
decorates it in a homogeneous
style. The
Sezession
Building
was erected
in defiance
of the NeoClassical
building of
the Academy of Fine
Arts, located close by
on the inner
side of the
Ring. It is
decorated
tectural modernity. His place in

the architectural topography of
fin-de-sicle Vienna was difficult
because he contended with both
architectural styles: the historic
Baroque buildings of the Imperial capital on the one hand and
the Sezession movement on the
other.
Looss architectural philosophy and his attack on the ornamental style of the Sezessions
are textually expressed in his
1908 article Ornament und
Verbrechen (Ornament and
Crime) in which he describes
architectural ornamentation as a
barbaric act. He maintained that
cultural progress coincides with
the removal of decorations from
their environment. In a deliberate contrast to the Sezession
approach, Loos separated his
building from the dwelling and
concentrated on the plan itself.
For him the plan of the building is formed by its function,
and its function comprises the
interior dwelling area, which is
to be decorated according to the
dwellers own taste. Therefore,
because they serve no function,
exterior ornaments should be
banished from the faade.
Looss encounter with both
traditions - the historic and the
modern - is found in Michaelerplatz in the heart of Imperial

Habsburg Vienna. Looss House
was commissioned by a firm of
tailors, Goldmann & Salatsch,
and was constructed according
to his plan from 1909 to 1911.
It stands in direct contrast to its
architectural surroundings: to
the southwest the grand semicircular entrance to the Hofburg,
the imperial palace of Vienna,
and to the southeast the 18thcentury faade of the medieval
church of St. Michael. Looss
House is characterized by strict
geometry. The simple faade,
naked of ornamentation, first
appeared as a strange creature
in the heart of the traditional
Viennese square.
Looss architectural philosophy the importance of
plan over interior design,
geometric form, and the
simplicity and lack of
ornamentation of the
exterior is even better presented and further
articulated in his Moller
House, which manifests
his mature style.
The Moller House is
composed of a series
of intertwining cubical
and rectangular structures existing in complementary balance.
The constant rhythm of
forms is echoed by the
windows, portals, and interior
staircases. The exterior is naked
of any criminal ornamentation, making the harmony of
the shapes and the equilibrium
of the mass its only decoration.
Looss approach focuses on the
functionality and simplicity of
the building and anticipates the
great architectural movements of
the 20th century such as Italian
Futurism, German Bauhaus, and
the architecture of Le Corbusier,

and helps to define what highmodern architecture is.
The Moller House was built
from 1927 to 1928 at Starkfriedgasse 19 for the Jewish textile
industrialist Hans Moller. Moller
and his family lived in this unique
house until Hitler came to power.
Like many other Austrian Jews,
they fled and found refuge in
Palestine. Moller bought a share
in the Ata textile factory in the
lower Galilee and became its
general manager. After the war
he made a claim for his house in
Vienna and, not without a long
legal struggle, regained it and
decided to donate it to the Israeli
government. Ever since, it serves
as the residence of the Israeli
ambassador to Austria. Some
weeks ago a group of students

from the European Forum visited this house on a study trip to
Vienna, organized by the Center
for Austrian Studies. The interior
of the house is impressive and
looks as if little had changed
since Adolf Loos created it some
80 years ago.
The author is an MA student in
the European Forum, specializing in
modern and contemporary art.

Adolf Loos and Modern Architecture in Vienna: Kobi Ben-Meir

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Adolf Loos and Modern Architecture in Vienna: Kobi Ben-Meir

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Adolf Loos and Modern Architecture in Vienna: Kobi Ben-Meir

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

page 5 | may 2008 | issue no.

european forum at the hebrew university

extension of Vienna beyond its

with small stucco sculptures but,

Adolf Loos, Moller House, Starkfriedgasse 19, Vienna,

modern Austrian architecture.

tectural modernity. His place in

modern - is found in Michaelerplatz in the heart of Imperial

the architecture of Le Corbusier,

weeks ago a group of students

You might also like