my [first] favorite place

as architects, its only natural we have many places we admire, so much so, that to narrow it down and call one a favorite is a bit of a challenge.  to make it easier, i've decided to write about my first favorite place, the kimbell art museum by louis kahn.

i realize that to say a building which is regarded as one of the most impressive works of architecture in modern times seems a bit of a cop-out, but to me this building houses so much more than impressive light washed spaces and priceless works of art; it houses some of my best memories.

after spending three years in college and not accomplishing much, i found my love; architecture.  i was opened up to a world of history and design i had never known and i loved every minute of it.  one of our first assignments was to learn the different spatial organizations buildings could have.  as elementary as this sounds, i remember being blown away at looking at buildings like this.  along with our basic history classes, i remember learning about building orientation, day lighting and sectional value.  all simple concepts, but very new to a second year student.

during that year, a few classmates and i, decided to take a long and quick road trip to dallas to visit a few buildings we had studied, one of them being the kimbell.

i remember stepping in the entrance and being in total awe. it was the first time i had been in a building i had studied, allowing me to see it in a whole new way.  i wanted to see the barrel vaults, i wanted to see how the texas sun was diffused into perfect museum quality light, i wanted to see how the concrete represented the structure while the travertine was used as fill in, and how they interacted with each other. hell, i even wanted to see the handrail! everything i studied was right in front of me and i took it in.  i'm not even sure if i looked at any of the art, i was too busy looking at concrete. it was the first time i had looked at a building through "architectural glasses" and it was love at first sight.

the trip we took that year created several stories retold during late studio nights over the years, but to me the best one was visiting the kimbell.  i've visited it several more times during the years, always with a sense of wonder.  which, in my opinion, is a quality any place you call your [favorite] should do.

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