SOCKS

An online magazine of Art, Architecture, Media, Culture, Sounds, Territories, Technology)

  • Media
  • Art
  • Architecture
  • Culture
  • Sounds
  • Territories
  • Visual Atlas

A Selection of Paul Rudolph’s Perspective Sections

May 22, 2016 by Fosco Lucarelli 1 Comment

As stated in Adrian Forty‘s “Concrete and Culture” (a very recommended read), architect Paul Rudolph‘s reliance on pen-and-ink rendering came from his avoidance of models during the development of his design, because, he wrote: “the model cannot readily indicate details or materials“. On the contrary, the renderings better conveyed the substance of his buildings.

A virtuose in draughtsmanship, Rudolph was particularly notable for his perspective section renderings, way before Japanese Atelier Bow Wow came back to such a dated-pre-computer representation technique for its practice.

A fascinating, albeit romantic insight on Rudolph’s design process is given in a paper by Laurence Scarpa (“Paul Rudolph: Metaphors, Paradoxes, Contradictions and Abstractions“, Yale 2009):

Everything he did was an obsessive open-ended exploration. Rudolph explained this process: “Before making any sketches I will really think about it a great, great, deal and, finally, I will resolve that into essentially three or maybe four—it depends on the project—schemes.” Rudolph had the ability to work with multiple ideas simultaneously. These explorations resulted in extraordinary discoveries. This insight allowed him both the freedom to explore and to problem solve without being encumbered by either. Rudolph would say to me, “Buildings do not happen, they must be made to happen.” While working at his desk, he would move his hand over his drawing in such a way that he could better understand the actual scale and what it might be like to occupy the drawing, as if it were an actual building. He seemed as though he was actually inside the drawing. He would touch with his eyes and see with his hands. He always included human figures in his drawing, particularly in section and elevation drawings, to further understand how the scale of the space related to an actual person. For Rudolph the drawing was a building at full scale. This concept was the origin of his creative process.

 

For further insight on Rudolph’s design process, teaching, and the relationship between drawing and building materiality, read “Rendering the Surface: Paul Rudolph’s Art and Architecture Building at Yale” (2000) by  Timothy M. Rohan, probably the most important living Rudolph’s scholar and advocate (author of “The Architecture of Paul Rudolph” Yale University Press, 2014)

 

[Paul Rudolph's penthouse apartment, 23 Beekman Place, New York City. 1965, Cross section. Photograph]

[Paul Rudolph’s penthouse apartment, 23 Beekman Place, New York City. 1965, Cross section. Photograph]

 

[Paul Rudolph's penthouse apartment, 23 Beekman Place, New York City. 1965, Cross section. Photograph]

[Paul Rudolph’s penthouse apartment, 23 Beekman Place, New York City. 1965, Cross section. Photograph]

 

[Deering residence, Casey Key, Florida. 195, Perspective section]

[Deering residence, Casey Key, Florida. 195, Perspective section]

 

[Milam residence, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. 1950-1960, Section perspective]

[Milam residence, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. 1950-1960, Section perspective]

 

[Milam residence, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. 1950-1960, Section perspective]

[Milam residence, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. 1950-1960, Section perspective]

 

[Miller guest house, Casey Key (Sarasota), Florida. 1950, Framing system. Perspective]

[Miller guest house, Casey Key (Sarasota), Florida. 1950, Framing system. Perspective]

 

[Cohen residence, Siesta Key, Florida. 1954, Perspective section. Rendering]

[Cohen residence, Siesta Key, Florida. 1954, Perspective section. Rendering]

 

[Paul Rudolph's penthouse apartment, 23 Beekman Place, New York City. 1965, Cross section. Photograph]

[Paul Rudolph’s penthouse apartment, 23 Beekman Place, New York City. 1965, Cross section. Photograph]

 

[Modulightor, Inc., and Rudolph Foundation, 246 East 58th Street, New York City. 1989, Perspective. Rendering]

[Modulightor, Inc., and Rudolph Foundation, 246 East 58th Street, New York City. 1989, Perspective. Rendering]

 

[Married student housing, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia. 1967 Mobile unit. Section]

[Married student housing, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia. 1967 Mobile unit. Section]

 

[New Haven Government Center, New Haven, Connecticut. City Hall. Renovation, reconstruction, and addition. 1977, Section looking south] / P. Rudolph, arch.

[New Haven Government Center, New Haven, Connecticut. City Hall. Renovation, reconstruction, and addition. 1977, Section looking south] / P. Rudolph, arch.

 

[Lower Manhattan Expressway, New York City. 1970, Bird's-eye perspective section. Rendering]

[Lower Manhattan Expressway, New York City. 1970, Bird’s-eye perspective section. Rendering]

 

[Paul Rudolph's architectural office in Manhattan. 1964, Perspective section rendering, with furnishings]

[Paul Rudolph’s architectural office in Manhattan. 1964, Perspective section rendering, with furnishings]

 

[Chorley Elementary School, Middletown, New York. 1964, Perspective section]

[Chorley Elementary School, Middletown, New York. 1964, Perspective section]

 

[Boston Government Service Center, Boston, Massachusetts. 1963, Perspective section. Rendering]

[Boston Government Service Center, Boston, Massachusetts. 1963, Perspective section. Rendering]

 

[Creative Arts Center (Dana Arts Center), Colgate University, Hamilton, New York. 1964, Perspective section rendering]

[Creative Arts Center (Dana Arts Center), Colgate University, Hamilton, New York. 1964, Perspective section rendering]

 

 

[Finney guest house, Siesta Key, Florida (project). 1947, Perspective section. Rendering]

[Finney guest house, Siesta Key, Florida (project). 1947, Perspective section. Rendering]

 

[Art and Architecture Building, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. Perspective section. 1964, Photograph of drawing]

[Art and Architecture Building, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. Perspective section. 1964, Photograph of drawing]

 

[The Colonnade Condominiums, Singapore. Perspective section. 1970]

[The Colonnade Condominiums, Singapore. Perspective section. 1970]

All images from: Library of Congress

Via: Atlas of Places

 

Related Posts

  • Anatomy of The Line: Drawings by Esjieun Kim

    Korean artist and architect Esjieun Kim is interested in the relationship between drawing, movement, and…

  • Understanding How Something is Created: the Drawing Process of Architecten de Vylder Vinck Taillieu

    Belgian architectural office "Architecten de Vylder Vinck Taillieu" (A DVVT) uses to produce a wide…

  • The Mechanical-Architectural World of Stijn Jonckheere

    Stijn Jonckheere, a Belgian self-titled "experimental architect", works on the brink of architecture, illustration and…

  • Wucius Wong’s Principles of Three-Dimensional Design (1976)

    In Principles of Three-Dimensional Design, 1976, (an obvious companion to Principles of Two-Dimensional Design), Wucius…

  • Anatomy of The Line: Drawings by Esjieun Kim

    Korean artist and architect Esjieun Kim is interested in the relationship between drawing, movement, and…

Trackbacks

  1. Week 6 – See you in 6G – part 0.1 – Marialena says:
    March 4, 2017 at 3:03 pm

    […] source: http://socks-studio.com/2016/05/22/a-selection-of-paul-rudolphs-perspective-sections/   Paul Rudolph – Lower Manhattan […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Tumblr

Socks is a non-linear journey through distant territories of human imagination.

About | Visual Atlas | Topics

We are Mariabruna Fabrizi and Fosco Lucarelli from Microcities. Ask us anything

  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Tumblr


SOCKS is a project by Fosco Lucarelli and Mariabruna Fabrizi of MICROCITIES, Architecture Cityscape, Landscape.
Except where otherwise noted, the content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 license.
Whenever possible we try to attribute content (images, videos, and quotes) to their creators and original sources. Please feel free to write us if you notice misattributions or wish something to be removed.
SOCKS is powered by WordPress.