Peter

Eisenman
Presented by:
Nishchal Jatwani 15/08
Varun Mohapatra 32/08

Introduction

Introduction
Peter Eisenman was born in

Newark, New Jersey in 1932.

He studied at Cornell and Columbia

Universities and then at Cambridge
University in England.

He taught at Cambridge, Princeton

and the Cooper Union in New York,

where he was founder and director
of the Institute for Architecture and
Urban Studies.

Eisenman first rose to prominence

as a member of the New York Five,

a team of five architects.

Introduction
These architects' work at the time was
often considered a reworking of the
ideas of Le Corbusier.

Subsequently, the five architects each

developed unique styles and ideologies,

with Eisenman becoming more affiliated
with the Deconstructivist movement.

His earlier houses were "generated"

from a transformation of forms.

Eisenman's latter works show a

sympathy with the "anti-humanist" ideas

of deconstructionism.
Transformation of forms by Eisenman

Philosophy/Ideology
He is one of the foremost

practitioners of deconstructivism in
American architecture.

Eisenman's fragmented forms are

identified with an eclectic group of

architects that have been, at times
unwillingly, labelled
deconstructivists.

The work of philosopher Jacques

Derrida is a key influence in
Eisenman's architecture.

Eisenman's buildings are purely

arranged forms that, in their arbitrary

overlay of different grids, gesture
towards the uncertainty of all wellordered, prearranged contexts.

Eisenman works with grids and well

ordered overlays

Selected Works

City of Culture of Galicia

Santiago de Compostela, Spain

City of Culture of Galicia

Santiago de Compostela, Spain

City of Culture of Galicia (Cidade da

Cultura de Galicia) is a complex

architecural environment under
construction in Santiago de Compostela,
Galicia, Spain. It was designed by
architect Peter Eisenman and office,
following an architectural design
competition hosted by the Parliament of
Galicia in February 1999.

began construction in 2001-2002 with an

initial budget of 109m

Located on Monte Gais, a small hill

overlooking Santiago de Compostela, the

City of Culture is a new cultural center for
the Province of Galicia in northwestern
Spain.

City of Culture of Galicia

Santiago de Compostela, Spain

The design for the City of Culture

was inspired by the five pilgrim

routes inside the medieval city that
lead to the cathedral.

The objective of the design was to

convert Mount Gaias into a 'beacon
of knowledge' for pilgrims.

The construction is a complex

learning environment for the

following buildings:
Museum of Galician History
New Technologies Center
Music Theater
Galician Library
Periodicals Archive
Central Services building

City of Culture of Galicia

Santiago de Compostela, Spain

The design evolves from the

superposition of three sets of

information.

First, the street plan of the

medieval center of Santiago is

overlaid on a topographic map of
the hillside site (which overlooks
the city).

Second, a modern Cartesian grid is

laid over these medieval routes.

Third, through computer modeling

software, the topography of the

hillside is allowed to distort the two
flat geometries, thus generating a
topological surface that repositions
old and new in a simultaneous
matrix never before seen.

City of Culture of Galicia

Santiago de Compostela, Spain

It features a double roof: an inner,

waterproof membrane and an

outer, stone-clad layer that
channels heavy rain off the surface
and hides roof mechanicals

The Archive and all of the

buildings are linked below

grade to a service tunnel

City of Culture of Galicia

Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Red lines show the

service tunnels below

the hill.

Orange is the floor

area iside the
building.

The Master plan and elevations as

prepared by Eisenman Architects

Image courtesy Eisenman Architects

Volumetric analysis

Photo courtesy Eisenman Architects

Competition model, 1999

Photo courtesy Eisenman Architects

South facade of Hemeroteca looking west
Photo courtesy Eisenman Architects
Interior of Hemeroteca

Photo courtesy Eisenman Architects

Interior of Hemeroteca

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

Berlin, Germany

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

Berlin, Germany

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe,

also known as the Holocaust Memorial, is a

memorial in Berlin to the Jewish victims of the
Holocaust, designed by architect Peter Eisenman.

It was opened in 2005 and is located one block

south of the Brandenburg Gate. The location of

the memorial was the site of the Imperial
Chancellery of Adolf Hitler during the Third Reich.

The 19000 square meter (4.7 acre) site is covered

with 2711 concrete slabs or "stelae", arranged in a
grid pattern on a sloping field.

Birds eye view of the memorial

The stelae are 2.38m (7.8') long, 0.95m (3' 1.5")

wide and vary in height from 0.2m to 4.8m (8" to

15'9").

They are designed to produce an uneasy,

confusing atmosphere.
View of the stelae from above

There are no plaques, inscriptions,

or religious symbols at the Memorial
to the Murdered Jews of Europe. The
solid rectangular stones have been
compared to tombstones and coffins.

A labyrinth of passages wind

between stone slabs at Berlin
Holocaust Memorial

Each rectangular stones have been compared

to tombstones and coffins

Architect Peter Eisenman explained

that he wanted visitors to feel the loss
and disorientation that Jews felt
during the Holocaust.

View between the stelae

The memorial has a visitor's center

constructed beneath the Memorial stones.

View of the visitors center

Photo courtesy Eisenman Architects

Photo between the stelae

Photo courtesy Eisenman Architects

View of the Monuments

Cardinals Stadium
Glendale, Arizona

Bird's eye view of the stadium

View of the stadium

Cardinals Stadium (University of Phoenix

Stadium)
Glendale, Arizona

Cardinals Stadium is a football stadium

currently under construction in Glendale,

Arizona.

Architect Peter Eisenman worked in

conjunction with HOK Sport, Hunt
Construction Group, and Urban Earth
Design to design an innovative, earthfriendly stadium for the University of
Phoenix

Bird's eye view of the stadium

It has become a landmark facility for

Arizona

The Stadium is a multi-purpose facility

with the ability to host football,

basketball, soccer, concerts, consumer
shows, motorsports, rodeos, and
corporate events

View of the stadium

 The shape of the stadium is loosely

modeled after a barrel cactus, a

widespread plant in the Arizona desert.

Along the stadium facade, vertical glass

slots alternate with reflective metal
panels

The roof has two large retractable

panels that will uncover the entire

playing field while providing maximum
shading for fans. The roof can be
closed and the facility air conditioned in
the hot months

The translucent Bird-Air fabric roof

allow the stadium to have an open, airy
feel even when the roof is closed
Evolution of the shape

The roof of the stadium is made of

PTFE (Poly-tetra-fluoro-ethylene)
fiberglass high translucency fabric
membrane.

PTFE (Poly-tetra-fluoro-ethylene)

View of the curved retractable roof

 The stadium has a fully retractable natural grass

playing field. The grass field rolls out of the stadium
on a 18.9 million pound tray. The tray has a
sophisticated irrigation system and holds a few
inches of water to keep the grass moist. The field,
with 94,000 square feet (over 2 acres) of natural
grass, stays outside in the sun until game day. This
allows the grass to get maximum sun and
nourishment and also frees up the stadium floor for
other events.

University of Phoenix Stadium with field removed.

Having the rollout field saves $50 million in costs

since it is more economical to move the field than
having the entire roof retract to allow the necessary
sunshine to reach the grass.

The movable field outside of University of Phoenix

Stadium

Exterior View when the top retractable panels are closed.

Photo courtesy Eisenman Architects
Ariel photo of Cardinals Stadium

Bibliography

Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.com)
Arcspace (http://www.arcspace.com)
Eisenman Architects (http://www.eisenmanarchitects.com)
ArchINFORM (http://www.archinform.net)
Great Buildings (http://www.greatbuildings.com)
Designboom (http://www.designboom.com)
ArchPEDIA (http://www.archpedia.com)
ebescoHOST (http://www.ebescohost.com)
Encyclopedia Britannica

Thank You.