The base is located in Cape La Jolla, California, facing the spectacular Atlantic Ocean. There are terraces and canyons in the base, and the environment is deep, with some villas behind. In the overall design, Kang skillfully used a canyon and placed the experimental center at the eastern end of the canyon, parallel to the Atlantic Ocean. The conference hall is placed on a hill near the beach cliff in the north, and the residential area is in the south. These three families are scattered around the canyon, only a few steps away from each other. All the buildings in Kang face the sea, and the scenery is spectacular.
The design of conference hall and life center is not a problem for a master like Kang. In the design of the biological experiment center, Kang Yi opposed the technology of the Philadelphia Medical Research Building. After consulting scientists extensively, he made an initial plan and decided to meet the flexibility of use, so that the room can be rearranged according to the needs of future development; Quiet; Light; The work of the eight Nobel Prize winners should be completely confidential and undisturbed.
In order to meet the flexibility, Kang began to design eight large spaces of 65,438+05.24× 73.30 meters (50×245 feet), with each Nobel Prize winner and assistant occupying one floor and placed in four parallel two-story buildings. The mechanical building is at the east end of the experimental building, and the canteen and library are at the west end, overlooking the canyon and the ocean.
The structural scheme of the laboratory is a prestressed folded plate with a span of15.24m (50ft) and supported by a precast prestressed truss with a length of 30.48m (100ft). Both sides are placed in the auxiliary stairwell, and the auxiliary pipeline and equipment energy are hidden in the groove of the folded plate.
Just when the design broke through many obstacles for two years, Kang's prefabrication scheme was rejected by the construction unit, which demanded steel structure and cast-in-place concrete instead. At the same time, due to financial problems, conference halls and living centers have been cut. This is a great blow to Kang, his assistant and architect Kemenden. At this time, only two years before delivery, Kang has taken over the design of Dhaka. In order to save the overall situation, Kang had to submit to humiliation and soon came up with a new design.
Although Kang's design went through hardships, it was quite successful in the end. There are two three-story experimental buildings, six large spaces of 24.38×73.30 meters (80×245 feet) and eight Nobel Prize winners' research groups, each of which occupies one and a half floors. This large space without columns provides users with great flexibility. At the same time, the height of equipment layer is increased to 2.7 meters, which overcomes the shortcoming of low pipeline layer in previous design. Kang believes that with this all-encompassing equipment layer, there is no need to worry about the positioning and burial of pipelines. This design is a revision of the design of Philadelphia Medical Center. The pipeline of the medical center passes through the hollow beam without hanging the top flat. Kang felt that it was too messy, and he was very angry at that time.
The area between the two laboratories is used as a garden. But it has no trees or flowers, only some bare sand, ashes and narrow ditches. It is said that he and architect Balagan boarded the roof together when designing the garden, overlooking the ocean, and thought there was no need to put flowers and trees here. "This should be a square of stones and gravel, so as to get an elevation connected with the sky." However, scientists working here don't like this arrangement.
The appearance of Sark Institute of Biology is still a big contrast, and all concrete walls are unpainted, showing a strong and rough texture. The exterior wall is warm light brown, and the light and shadow make the block look full of vitality and unique charm. Here we can vaguely see the strong and powerful features of Philadelphia Medical Experimental Center, and dramatic light and shadow are the basic elements of Kang's design. I.M. Pei called it "one of the most important buildings since World War I".
Some foreign critics describe the Sack Institute as "a concrete aggregate imitating ancient Greek temples". In fact, Kang has a deep relationship with Greek culture. However, it is difficult to find obvious similarities from the plane and elevation form of Sack Institute. However, the noble style and perfect style that run through Kang's design all the time can subtly glimpse its internal relationship.
Air conditioning and ventilation are more important in biology laboratory. The air conditioning system of Sack Institute adopts double air duct mixed box air supply system. Until today, its air-conditioning facilities are relatively advanced in the United States. However, the technical layer takes up a lot of space and costs a lot.
Considering the frequent earthquakes in this area, a special structural structure is adopted: lead-zinc composite steel plate is sandwiched between the open-web beam and the column, which makes the column reinforcement have appropriate ductility and forms an elastic hinge different from the rigid joint. After the completion of 1965, there was a big earthquake in La Jolla, and all the surrounding houses collapsed, but the Sack Institute was safe and sound, with no cracks, mainly because the flexible system of the structure helped a lot. When the earthquake produces horizontal thrust, there is relative sliding between hollow beams and columns. After the earthquake force disappears, the beam is pulled back to its original position by the elastic restoring force of the column reinforcement. When Kang returned to the United States from Dhaka and passed through La Jolla, he saw this wonder and boasted about the architect's achievements.
Laboratory building is the product of the high development of modern science and technology. Since 1920s, people have been exploring new structures and shapes. However, as a regular experimental building, it has appeared in large numbers since World War II. The development history of laboratory architecture is still very young, and many problems need to be solved urgently. Such as elastic space, how elastic is it? What are the requirements and laws of various laboratories? Kang's exploration in these two biomedical laboratories is beneficial.
Of course, Kang's ability is not limited to laboratory construction. He is a brilliant and comprehensive master. His work in the fifties and sixties was busy and fruitful. In addition to the two laboratories mentioned above, the famous buildings designed and built by Kang are: the First Christian monotheistic church in Rochester, new york, USA (1959-63), the Olivier Entwak factory in Fort Harrison, Pennsylvania, USA (1967-70), and the Dhaka government complex in Bangladesh (1962-64). Italian city government (1968), Jin Beier Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, USA (1967-72), municipal office building in Kansas, Missouri, USA (1967), British Art Exhibition Hall of Yale University (1977 completed by assistants), etc., most of them are with structural engineers.
Some people think that the art gallery is the pinnacle of Kang's creation. The art gallery is a single concave plane. The columns regularly divide the plane into long squares, and each rectangle is supported by a prestressed concrete roof with a semi-circular mushroom-shaped cross section. The naturally formed exhibition space, coupled with flexible partitions, gives people a profound and confusing effect. The ceiling lamp projects soft light from the top of the semicircle, and the whole hall reveals a warm and quiet atmosphere. The residential buildings of parliament and government officials in Dhaka, with their brick arches and round holes and the resulting circular theme, show Kang's exploration of the combination of architecture and local style, that is, the so-called "regional" architecture. Both have high attainments. Nevertheless, the above two experimental buildings, especially the Philadelphia Medical Center, have a relatively high position in the history of modern architecture. Kang seldom builds high-rise buildings. He doesn't like the steel structure that is inevitably used in high-rise buildings. He prefers concrete and likes its plasticity and natural properties.
Compared with such masters as Corbusier and Wright, Kang wrote less. But he left many philosophical remarks in class. Kang regards architecture as a formal thing, and trying to raise the status of "form" is actually to raise the status of architecture. He firmly opposes the view that architecture is a combination of engineering and art.
Kang particularly emphasized the role of inspiration. Inspiration doesn't need wise analysis, just intuition. Kang's inspiration is really rich, but his practical knowledge, such as structure and equipment, is lacking. 1956, he designed a high-rise building for Feicheng Center, which was really a bold and bizarre plan.
There are two crucial aspects in any major, that is, knowledge and innovative inspiration. Knowledge is systematized with the progress of time and the accumulation of experience, and inspiration sublimates thoughts and feelings. Inspiration divorced from knowledge and reality is unreliable. However, Kang believes that the ancient Greeks did not have as much and extensive knowledge as we do today, but they created some great things. It is precisely because they don't have many choices that they consider how to express their wishes strongly in the few ways they had at the beginning. Their thoughts are simple and systematic. It can only be said that Kang's words are reasonable under certain conditions.
In addition, Kang also expressed some views on urban architecture, arguing that in order to eradicate the ills of big cities at present, streets should restore the atmosphere of "social housing" in their birthplace-pedestrian streets and maintain such a sense of intimacy [Note 4]. Parking lots should be built on the edge of the city.
Kang's architecture appeared in an era when people questioned the boring "international" architecture and young architects thought and discussed the value of traditional architecture. Kang's design was appreciated and supported by late modernism and wildness. Of course, no matter from the concept to the design, from the whole to the details, Kang is still very different from the future rookies such as Savage and Archigram.
Although the Philadelphia School founded by Kang has a limited number of creations (compared with the Chicago School), it was really a sensation in the 1960s, and its influence has been so far. His ideas attracted many students from architecture and art departments. His disciple RobertVenturi became the representative of the third generation of architects and influenced a group of young architects. Kang has played a connecting role in the modern architectural movement.
Kang's personality is straightforward and fearless, but he is also conceited, stubborn and autocratic. This is often a by-product of the talent of some artists. He doesn't like to be persuaded when designing, so it is difficult for other architects to cooperate with him. When he taught at the University of Pennsylvania, the students were in awe of him. But in any case, his teaching is excellent, and students often listen to philosophical impromptu speeches around him when changing and evaluating pictures. He often draws nourishment from the works of Mozart and Goethe. As a poet, artist and philosopher, his passionate words and activities will always leave a deep impression on people:
"For those low-energy architects, architecture is only the source of money. Instead of creating the beauty and art that should be there. For me, architecture is not a thing, but my religion, my belief, and my dedication to the cause of human happiness and enjoyment. "