Land+Living: Villa Müller

Architecture — August 12, 2005 Posted by James

Early modernist house in Prague designed by Adolf Loos

Designed in the late 1920's and completed in 1930 by architect Adolf Loos, famous for his essay entitled Ornament and Crime which contributed to Modernist ideology. Located in Prague, the Villa Müller is one of the Twentieth Century's most significant modern villas.

I remember this building from architectural history classes, but must admit that it had slipped into the deep recesses of my memory until I saw an article in the Prague Post published this week.

The house was purchased by the City of Prague in 1995 and is administered by the City of Prague Museum. The structure underwent extensive restoration and opened to the public in 2000. The design displays Loos' ideas of the "Raumplan" with its severe external facade and interior comprised of interconnected multilevel rooms, with the space and height of each room suited to its function.

Visit:	Nad Hradním vodojemem 14
	CZ 162 00 Prague 6 - Strešovice
	Czech Republic

Link: Villa Müller
Article: Prague Post Online - Visionary villa

While Loos' philosophy sounds severe, the interiors are a far cry from any implied cold all-white minimalism. The bold use of color and materials were part of Loos' approach to "the creation of an environment for the life of its residents." In designing the building Loos acted not just as an architect, but also as a psychologist." Don't miss the interior photos on the official website.

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5 comments

Comments (5)

Vilhelm Goetz — August 14, 2005
Thankfully modernism is in decline

The resurgence of ornamentation in architecture is a releif for those who see architecture as nurturing rather than just shelter. Too many inhuman, box-like buildings have been created that alienate their users. Maybe the idea of a building being a machine appeals to those who wish to disassociate themselves from nature. I feel most comfortable living in a space that supports a visual dialog between me and the spaces creator. Sometimes the ideas in that dialog are best expressed by sculptural ornaments.

Robaire de Bois — August 15, 2005
Ornament

Ornament in architecture is the real menace. It gets in the way of the primacy of perception - think of rich sickly sweet imagery laying it all bare to the unfortunate visitor/user who has no choice but to take it or leave it. Seeing as Vilhelm dislikes unnatural things, we assume a friend of his both surfs the net and types in his comments for him!

facts — October 2, 2007
ornament

over ornamentation (like over coloration) is an attraction for the simple-minded. and please note: adolf loos was moravian, not austrian.

adolf-hater — December 17, 2007
architectural fascism

Yes, the simple-minded: sterilise them, why not? And while we're about banning everything not strictly compatible with a rigorously fascist interpretation of the universe, why not exterminate all the, er, brutes? Oh, and he was a Moravian, was he? Is that a race we ought to be revering for its cranial superiority to the simple-minded? Plus Adolf's buildings are as monumentally boring as those envisaged by his more successful namesake, Herr Hitler, which is perhaps the worst offence.

Abuildingsabuilding — December 16, 2008
look at the context

(Moravian=Czech) Loos was rebelling against the preceding 100 years where the architectural "style du jour" was to imitate every great order in western culture. This was a day when even humble warehouses couldn't escape some architect's sketchbook concept to revitalize the hypostyle hall. the result was such an eclectic hodgepodge of types that there WAS no real style for that day and age. Call it a 19th century equivalent of disney-tecture. `Want to make something beautiful? Slap some scroll work on it, add a few urns, and viola! you've got a lovely structure. This was the driving force behind Loos' polemic. to break with the past and allow a "modern" style to evolve itself without continually placing ornament on the forefront. All of Loos' structures were designed first and foremost with the comfort of the owner in mind. and he became good friends with most of his clients because he was interested in making a building that worked for them instead of using his commissions as a launchpad for his artistic expression. If Modern architects (capital M) had been more like loos in motivation, and less "Hey look what I can do!", our architecture would be in a very different spot today. In terms of "facism" Loos wanted to free the craftsmen and workers from the shackles of bending to every whim of some sketchbook artist who one day decided he was competent enough to design a building and call himself an architect. a good architect is "a mason who has learned Latin" as Loos would say. Loos worked on site for his projects, and instead of sending sketches via courier, he worked closely with the artisans and building crews, consulting them in areas where they had expertise. This team oriented method building was ahead of it's time oh and "adolf-hater" try shutting up and waiting till you graduate and get certified before opening your mouth again, or at least before you start cheapening what people endured under Nazi rule so you can have a clever buzzword to throw around so you can make yourself look passionate. It just makes you look like a 12 year old with a western civ text and an axe to grind.