Early Houses Designed By Farkas Molnar and Semih Rustem: An Examination Based on Bauhaus and KURI Principles


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Saban D.

MEGARON, vol.13, no.1, pp.117-131, 2018 (ESCI) identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 13 Issue: 1
  • Publication Date: 2018
  • Doi Number: 10.5505/megaron.2017.10437
  • Journal Name: MEGARON
  • Journal Indexes: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM)
  • Page Numbers: pp.117-131
  • Çukurova University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

This study focuses on early works of Semih Rustem and Farkas Molnar, who were both members of a group called KURT (an acronym for constructive, utilitarian, rational, international), which was established at Bauhaus in Weimar, Germany, in 1922. Two house projects of each architect, built between 1930 and 1932, were selected and evaluated according to Bauhaus and KURI principles. The assessment comprised two stages: first, the spatial organization of the house was analyzed, and second, a shape grammar examination of the ground floor and the mass of the buildings was performed to comprehensively reveal the design principles of the architects. It was evident that Semih Rustem and Farkas Molnar had common priorities in terms of house design, and that their designs were creative, harmonious in terms of elements, and expressionist, which is consistent with Bauhaus principles. Furthermore, the functional and rational planning of the houses, as well as the exterior and interior designs with a deliberate lack of ornamentation, and the use of geometric shapes, demonstrate that both architects produced work that observed the principles stated in the KURI manifesto. The study further revealed that Semih Rustem was arguably also inspired by the spatial organization and facades of traditional Turkish houses.