flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

10 iconic modern buildings first to receive 'Keeping it Modern' conservation grants from the Getty Foundation

10 iconic modern buildings first to receive 'Keeping it Modern' conservation grants from the Getty Foundation

Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House and Jørn Utzon’s Sydney Opera House are among the buildings to receive grants from the Getty Foundation.


By Getty Foundation | October 1, 2014
The Getty Foundation in Los Angeles has announced the first ten grants for significant modern buildings as part of a major new philanthropic initiative focused on the conservation of 20th Century architecture around the world. Called Keeping It Modern, the effort will address the considerable challenges involved with the conservation of modern architectural heritage through support for key model projects.
 
The initial ten projects selected to receive funding under this new initiative form a roster of striking modern buildings:
• Jørn Utzon’s Sydney Opera House
• Hilario Candela’s Miami Marine Stadium
• Louis Kahn’s Salk Institute for Biological Studies
• Alvar Aalto’s Paimio Sanatorium
• Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House
• Ray and Charles Eameses’ residence ‘The Eames House’
• I.M. Pei’s Luce Memorial Chapel
• Max Berg’s Centennial Hall in Wroc?aw, Poland
• Dov Karmi’s Max Liebling House in the White City of Tel Aviv, Israel
• Le Corbusier’s apartment and studio in Paris, France.
 
“Keeping It Modern builds on the Getty Foundation’s long and successful track record of support for the conservation of historic buildings around the world,” said Deborah Marrow, director of the Getty Foundation. “This new initiative, Keeping It Modern, continues our commitment, but now brings into sharp focus the specific conservation issues of modern buildings. This initial round of grants includes important buildings on several continents.”
 
Modern architecture is one of the defining artistic expressions of the 20th Century, and is increasingly at risk. Architects and engineers often used experimental materials and novel construction techniques to create innovative forms and advance new approaches to architecture. These cutting-edge building materials and structural systems were often untested and have not always performed well over time. Heritage professionals do not always have enough data on the nature and behavior of these materials to develop the necessary protocols for conservation treatment. Keeping It Modern is addressing these challenges by funding model projects that can point the way toward new methods and standards for the conservation of modern architecture.
 
Each grant project has been chosen for its architectural significance and potential to advance conservation practices related to modern architecture. Grants focus on the comprehensive planning, testing, and analysis of modern materials, as well as the creation of conservation management plans that guide long-term maintenance and conservation policies. Together, the projects represent a variety of challenges professionals face in preserving modern buildings, from the aging of materials such as concrete to scientific analyses of exterior and interior finishes.
 
The Foundation created Keeping It Modern to complement the Getty Conservation Institute’s Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative (CMAI). Two of the first ten projects funded through Keeping It Modern (the Salk Institute and the Eames House) are related to CMAI projects.
 
Keeping It Modern is part of the Getty’s strong overall commitment to modern architecture, as demonstrated by CMAI, as well as the extensive and growing architectural collections of the Getty Research Institute, and the recent Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture initiative which focused on Los Angeles’ modern heritage. With these combined efforts, the Getty hopes to significantly advance the understanding and preservation of 20th Century modern architecture.
 
Future Keeping It Modern grants will be awarded through a juried competition process. Support will be available for significant buildings around the world from the modern era that serve a public function and are owned by nonprofit, charitable, or public entities that are committed to the building’s long-term preservation and maintenance. Deadlines and criteria for the next round of applications will be announced on the Getty Foundation website at www.getty.edu/foundation

Related Stories

| Jan 4, 2011

An official bargain, White House loses $79 million in property value

One of the most famous office buildings in the world—and the official the residence of the President of the United States—is now worth only $251.6 million. At the top of the housing boom, the 132-room complex was valued at $331.5 million (still sounds like a bargain), according to Zillow, the online real estate marketplace. That reflects a decline in property value of about 24%.

| Jan 4, 2011

Luxury hotel planned for Palace of Versailles

Want to spend the night at the Palace of Versailles? The Hotel du Grand Controle, a 1680s mansion built on palace grounds for the king's treasurer and vacant since the French Revolution, will soon be turned into a luxury hotel. Versailles is partnering with Belgian hotel company Ivy International to restore the dilapidated estate into a 23-room luxury hotel. Guests can live like a king or queen for a while—and keep their heads.

| Dec 17, 2010

Sam Houston State arts programs expand into new performance center

Theater, music, and dance programs at Sam Houston State University have a new venue in the 101,945-sf, $38.5 million James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center. WHR Architects, Houston, designed the new center to connect two existing buildings at the Huntsville, Texas, campus.

| Dec 17, 2010

Subway entrance designed to exude Hollywood charm

The Hollywood/Vine Metro portal and public plaza in Los Angeles provides an entrance to the Red Line subway and the W Hollywood Hotel. Local architect Rios Clementi Hale Studio designed the portal and plaza to flow with the landmark theaters and plazas that surround it.

| Dec 17, 2010

Toronto church converted for condos and shopping

Reserve Properties is transforming a 20th-century church into Bellefair Kew Beach Residences, a residential/retail complex in The Beach neighborhood of Toronto. Local architecture firm RAWdesign adapted the late Gothic-style church into a five-story condominium with 23 one- and two-bedroom units, including two-story penthouse suites. Six three-story townhouses also will be incorporated. The project will afford residents views of nearby Kew Gardens and Lake Ontario. One façade of the church was updated for retail shops.

| Nov 23, 2010

The George W. Bush Presidential Center, which will house the former president’s library

The George W. Bush Presidential Center, which will house the former president’s library and museum, plus the Bush Institute, is aiming for LEED Platinum. The 226,565-sf center, located at Southern Methodist University, in Dallas, was designed by architect Robert A.M. Stern and landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh.

| Nov 16, 2010

Brazil Olympics spurring green construction

Brazil's green building industry will expand in the coming years, spurred by construction of low-impact venues being built for the 2016 Olympics. The International Olympic Committee requires arenas built for the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro meet international standards for low-carbon emissions and energy efficiency. This has boosted local interest in developing real estate with lower environmental impact than existing buildings. The timing couldn’t be better: the Brazilian government is just beginning its long-term infrastructure expansion program.

| Nov 10, 2010

$700 million plan to restore the National Mall

The National Mall—known as America’s front yard—is being targeted for a massive rehab and restoration that could cost as much as $700 million (it’s estimated that the Mall has $400 million in deferred maintenance alone). A few of the proposed projects: refurbishing the Grant Memorial, replacing the Capitol Reflecting Pool with a smaller pool or fountain, reconstructing the Constitution Gardens lake and constructing a multipurpose visitor center, and replacing the Sylvan Theater near the Washington Monument with a new multipurpose facility.

| Nov 9, 2010

Designing a library? Don’t focus on books

How do you design a library when print books are no longer its core business? Turn them into massive study halls. That’s what designers did at the University of Amsterdam, where they transformed the existing 27,000-sf library into a study center—without any visible books. About 2,000 students visit the facility daily and encounter workspaces instead of stacks.

| Nov 3, 2010

Park’s green education center a lesson in sustainability

The new Cantigny Outdoor Education Center, located within the 500-acre Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Ill., earned LEED Silver. Designed by DLA Architects, the 3,100-sf multipurpose center will serve patrons of the park’s golf courses, museums, and display garden, one of the largest such gardens in the Midwest.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category



Museums

UT Dallas opens Morphosis-designed Crow Museum of Asian Art

In Richardson, Tex., the University of Texas at Dallas has opened a second location for the Crow Museum of Asian Art—the first of multiple buildings that will be part of a 12-acre cultural district. When completed, the arts and performance complex, called the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Jr. Athenaeum, will include two museums, a performance hall and music building, a grand plaza, and a dedicated parking structure on the Richardson campus.


halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021