PAULISTANA ARCHITECTURE – MODULE 10
“One of the things that impressed me most during my stay in Luanda was the glare marked in the atmosphere... if you were inside any building, looking at a window was unbearable because of the brightness. The dark walls that framed the bright light from outside made you feel very uncomfortable. The tendency was to look away from the window. Another thing that impressed me was the importance of the breeze... the importance of the breeze in carrying away the hot air that accumulated around the building. And I wondered if it wouldn't be good if someone could express... find an architectural expression for the problems of glare without adding artifices to a window... but, preferably, develop a cozy architecture... that in some way told the story of the problems of luminosity.” Louis Kahn: Form and Design
This 1961 statement by Louis Kahn illustrates the importance of experiencing a site to develop a specific project. In this instance, the project conceived by the American architect was the U.S. Consulate in Luanda. The design of the building, although never constructed, was based on Kahn’s experience within the spaces he visited in the capital of Angola.
