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E-book Brokers of Modernity : East Central Europe and the Rise of Modernist Architects, 1910-1950

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Penilaian

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In 1925 a rare type of building made its appearance in the literary world: a house entirely constructed of glass, prefabricated yet individualized, light but stable, flat-roofed but with walls which changed colour according to the surrounding land-scape. The cavity walls allowed for the movement of water – warm in winter-time and cold in summer-time – which generated a comfortable indoor temperature while the presence of vents ensured the movement of fresh air. The circulating water also guaranteed continuous cleansing of walls and floors. Even the furniture, also made out of glass, underwent this continuous cleansing ritual: These houses of glass “spread like the plague once people found out about it. Who would want to live in a decaying, mouldy wooden sty eaten away by dry rot, or in a hovel that’s a breeding ground for rheumatism, tuberculosis and scarlet fever [...]?”1This rhetorical question is asked by one of the protagonists in Stefan ?eromski’s 1925 novel Przedwio?nie (The Coming Spring ). ?eromski was one of the most influ-ential Polish writers of that era. Although this was his last novel, it was the first novel of significance to use the new Polish state as its central theme. In the first chapter the protagonist’s father tells his son – both returning from civil-war Russia to Poland – the fantastic story of a relative. This cousin allegedly started constructing houses Introduction of glass immediately after the First World War, using sand from coastal dunes and electrical energ y generated by the sea in ingenious factories. The glass houses then set off a deep social transformation. Urban standards became the norm in rural areas as a result of the cleanliness of the glass walls and water enforced on the inhabitants who were former farmers. Further still, “the old cities, those fearful banes of the old civilization”, will start to disappear, supplanted by a new kind of garden city along “the tracks of electrified trains”. This vision culminated in workers’ apartment build-ings in Warsaw becoming “more comfortable, healthier, cleaner, and more beautiful than the most fanciful palaces of the aristocracy”.2Inspired by the architect Jan Koszczyc-Witkiewicz, the image of the glass house served ?eromski in a twofold way. On the one hand the houses of glass symbolized raising workers and farmers to a higher standard of hygiene, culture and education. On the other hand this ‘invention’ served as an antidote to communist tendencies represented in the novel by the son. Wise reform based on science and technol-og y is contrasted against crude revolt and the power of innovative architecture is presented as the key to building a better society. “Engineer” Baryka, the cousin and master brain behind the comprehensive project, creates a social environment which helps end class differences and facilitates moving on from the ills of the 19th century: social deprivation, illnesses and germ-infested dwellings. Unsurprisingly, his factories, where the houses are produced, are organized as co-operatives and in-formed by scientific principles.

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Ketersediaan

Informasi Detail

Judul Seri

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No. Panggil

722 KOH b

Penerbit

London : Leuven University Press., 2019

Deskripsi Fisik

401 hlm

Bahasa

English

ISBN/ISSN

9789461662545

Klasifikasi

722

Tipe Isi

text

Tipe Media

computer

Tipe Pembawa

online resource

Edisi

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Subjek

Architecture from Earlies Times

Info Detail Spesifik

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Pernyataan Tanggungjawab

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Versi lain/terkait

Lampiran Berkas

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