Filósofos de las estructuras: Jaroslav J. Polívka, Frank Lloyd Wright, Eduardo Torroja y otros (1946–1961)

Philosophers of Structures: Jaroslav J. Polívka, Frank Lloyd Wright, Eduardo Torroja And Others (1948–1961)

conference proceedings

Spanish

In 1946, Jaroslav Polívka contacted Frank Lloyd Wright which resulted into 13 years collaboration and a rather ambiguous relationship. While being on good terms, 1946–1952 and 1956–1958, Jaroslav J. Polívka brought other notable people to Wright’s attention, one of them being Eduardo Torroja. In 1950, Polívka arranged for Torroja and two of his colleagues a visit at Wright’s campus in Arizona, as well as other Torroja’s lectures at UC Berkeley and in Los Angeles. Years later, the mutual respect and admiration between Wright, Polivka and Torroja resulted into a collaborative project, the design of Wright’s Mile High Building for the state of Illinois, where both Torroja’s and Polívka’s contributions were recognized, and a proposed Belmont Race Pavilion project in New York City, where Polívka’s design of a suspended roof was openly inspired by Torroja’s structures in Europe, as well as by inventions by his other colleagues and friends: Paolo Chelazzi and Victor di Suvero. Between 1948 to 1958, Polívka worked on an English edition of Torroja’s book Philosophy of Structures (for which he suggested the title). The book became successful immediately and Polívka and Torroja started planning other language editions, but unfortunately, they passed away in 1960 and 1961. The talk will reconstruct the relationship between Polivka, Torroja and Wright as well as the contributions of other editors, such as Elisabeth Kendall Thompson, and engineers.

In 1946, Jaroslav Polívka contacted Frank Lloyd Wright which resulted into 13 years collaboration and a rather ambiguous relationship. While being on good terms, 1946–1952 and 1956–1958, Jaroslav J. Polívka brought other notable people to Wright’s attention, one of them being Eduardo Torroja. In 1950, Polívka arranged for Torroja and two of his colleagues a visit at Wright’s campus in Arizona, as well as other Torroja’s lectures at UC Berkeley and in Los Angeles. Years later, the mutual respect and admiration between Wright, Polivka and Torroja resulted into a collaborative project, the design of Wright’s Mile High Building for the state of Illinois, where both Torroja’s and Polívka’s contributions were recognized, and a proposed Belmont Race Pavilion project in New York City, where Polívka’s design of a suspended roof was openly inspired by Torroja’s structures in Europe, as well as by inventions by his other colleagues and friends: Paolo Chelazzi and Victor di Suvero. Between 1948 to 1958, Polívka worked on an English edition of Torroja’s book Philosophy of Structures (for which he suggested the title). The book became successful immediately and Polívka and Torroja started planning other language editions, but unfortunately, they passed away in 1960 and 1961. The talk will reconstruct the relationship between Polivka, Torroja and Wright as well as the contributions of other editors, such as Elisabeth Kendall Thompson, and engineers.

Jaroslav Josef Polivka; Frank Lloyd Wright; Edfuardo Torroja; architecture; New York; San Francisco

Jaroslav Josef Polivka; Frank Lloyd Wright; Edfuardo Torroja; architecture; New York; San Francisco

JACKSON, L.

25. 5. 2023

CEDEX

Madrid

5

https://www.cedex.es/recursos_cedex/media/document/20230525_folleto_POLIVKA-TORROJA.pdf