Exhibit Ended August 1999
The National Building Museum, Washington, D.C.
January, 1999-August 1999
Opening reception: Saturday 5:30 PM
Click here for more information.
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Photo Courtesy of F.A.A.P.
By Prof .Ciro Saito - Architect.
Hugh Jacobsen's expo opening at Fundacão Armando Alvares Penteado last night was a success, despite two important semi-final soccer games thathappened at the same hour in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Important local newspapers did publish materials (with pictures of works and the author) about the events, and there is a great expectancy among students of architecture (in which I am most involved with) for the lecture Mr. Jacobsen will give in our school (and students of other schools will come also); I myself invited them, as I teach in 4 different private-owned schools of architecture in São Paulo. By the way, the School of Architecture at Fundacão Armando Alvares Penteado is private-owned, and have no connection with the University of Sao Paulo (official) where I am graduated at and am finishing my post-graduation. Please correct the correction at Lectures accordingly. Suggestion: just change University OF Sao Paulo to University AT Sao Paulo. Best wishes and thank you for the e-mail.
Prof .Ciro Saito - Architect.
Today's HNJ lecture for the students of architecture
at FAAP had been a great lesson of love and dedication. Starting with the
comment that we are the only ones that understand architecture, with good
humor he showed and described his works. Fortunately he had the care of
mentioning the sizes in the metric system, so it was very easy to our students
to understand the slides. And the visual session was superb, with fantastic
pictures and a funny description of the projects. HNJ seemed to be very
happy to be among us. Last night, during the expo, some students had asked
me of why the highly inclined roofs, and I deductes that it was because
of the snow during the winter. Bingo! (as HNJ say). Today we had the confirmation.
Other students were a little disappointed with the simplicity of the expo
(our last one we had was the multivison of Jean Nouvell), but I remembered
them of the "Less is more" of Mies van der Rohe, and today, with
HNJ's lecture, this sensation disppeared immediately, and everybody was
really fascinated with the "domestic" architecture of HNJ. He
seemed a little tired too, and I had the chance of just giving o "hello
and thanks"and mentioning this contact via e-mail with you. "Aha,
you talked with my son", he commented. As he had to tape an interview,
I had to say goodbye. It was my intention to offer him and all you folks
a book about João Vilanova Artigas, a Brazilian architect that had
at his beggining made a house inspired on FLW's Robie House, and the last
one was the School of Architecture of the University of São Paulo
(where I am graduated at). A close friend of Niemeyer, he was not my teacher
because he was arrested during the 70's for his socialist position. The
book was put on sale in Nov. 97, during the São Paulo Architecture
Bienal, and is out of stock at the moment; but perhaps next July I will
fly to Chicago, Pittsburgh and N.Y. with some students to show them the
American architecture from Sullivan to Frank Gehry, passing at the Fallingwater.
At that time I will try to make a stop in Washington D.C. to deliver the
book to you and say a "hello"in person. Also a good book about
Burle Marx was published, but it is in Spanish and I do not know if it is
OK for you. It was a big pleasure to be in contact with you via Internet,
and should you need something from us do not hesitate to e-mail me. Pity
I do not have a digital camera to send some snaps from the lecture and the
opening, but for sure you will have long talks about in a few days. Best
regards, Ciro Saito (55years old today; HNJ, thanks for the birthday present).
Oh, I forgot to comment: at the final of the lecture we had a time for questions,
that had to be written to be translated into English, but some misunderstanding
gave the impression that the audience had no questions, and the lights were
turned off. I myself had one question concerning the necessity (or not)
of knowing plane and spacial geometry, due to advent of CAD and 3D, but
had no chance to ask him. Please pass the information that the audience
HAD questions, as Mr. Jacobsen seemed to be a little disappointed with the
absence.
I'm Fernando Boselli, student of Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado, an university from São Paulo, Brazil, and I'm sending this message to say that I saw the lecture Mr. Jacobsen gave there. Really especial, impressionant, magnific, he (Mr. Jacobsen) is in fact a good architect. I'd like to say that I like his style of architecture, and that it was an honor for us from FAAP to have received him. And, who knows, in the future, another lecture?
Thanks,
Fernando Boselli
Photo Courtesy of F.A.A.P.
© 2002 Hugh Newell Jacobsen, Architect F.A.I.A. PLLC