Emily:
About Eames House
The Eames house was created as part of a case study set out by the California magazine, Arts & Architecture, in 1945 under John Entenza. The project aimed to respond to the housing shortage as a result of WW2. The case study aimed to investigate how prefabricated materials could be used in the mass production of houses following the demand for post-war housing.An additional requirement of the project was that it was to embrace the spirit of modernism, something the Eames took in their stride with their designs.
The Eames’s house was referred to as case study #8 of 23, however many of these 23 houses were not suitable for mass production. And although the Eames house did satisfy the brief of using all prefabricated parts, it was never mass produced. Other collaborators in the case study project included Craig Ellwood, designer of case study houses #16 (1951-53) and #18 (1955-58). Initially the architects set for this product were Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen; however Charles and Ray were the true architects.
After completing the ‘Eames house’ (case study house #8) the Eames proceeded to live in their house until their deaths. After living their house for five years they created a short film called ‘House: After Five Years of Living’ in 1955. This short film explores the house and surrounding area, showing how the house has become worn and ‘lived in’ over the previous five years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?utm_medium=website&utm_source=archd
About the Eames
The Eames were a husband and wife duo who had a strong influence on the Modernism movement. Although they were most famous for their furniture designs such as the DSR chair and Lounge Chair and Ottoman, their work covered a much broader spectrum including graphic and textile design, architecture and film-making. Charles Eames was born in 1907, in St Louis, Missouri. He had had a lifelong interest in mechanics and how things worked. He went of to study architecture at Washington University under a scholarship, however he dropped out after just two years to start his own Architecture firm. Charles had initially married is childhood sweetheart in 1929. When Charles met architects father and son Eliel and Eero Saarinen, his whole perception changed. It was Eliel who encouraged Charles back into education.
Ray was born in 1912 in Sacramento, California. She was fascinated by the abstract qualities of ordinary products. She studied painting at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, where she met Charles who was head of the design department in 1940. She spent her earlier years on the New York art scene becoming first wave abstract artist. The couple married in 1941 before moving to Los Angeles, and working together from the start.
Charles had been collaborating with Eliel to create a chair with ply wood when WW2 started. With soldiers in urgent need of emergency splints they decided to press form a leg spring with ply using a machine dubbed the Kazam! Machine. This product was extremely practical and helped in the war effort. It was after the war when people wanted a new kind of aesthetic the Charles and Ray become very influential with their designs. And in 1947 they established their own office, the Eames office. The Bauhaus had created a modernist approach before the war, however the Eames wanted to make it mainstream.
In an era where the most intelligent women were regarded as no more as a secretary or wife, Charles saw Ray as an equal partner. “Anything I can do, Ray can do better,” he said. With his head for ideas and her eye for detail, the couple and their complimentary talents soon became iconic.
The Eames completed other architectural projects, including collaborating with Eero Saarinen on a second ‘case study house project’, the Entenza house. The Eames and Saarinen were chosen by editor of Arts & Architecture magazine (director of the case study programme) John Entenza. The Entenza house is otherwise referred to as case study house #9. The couple strongly believed in Modernism design principles such as that design should be accessible for everyone (this was important that items were created by machine processes to enable average people to be able to access the products, especially after WW2).
Sunlight
Due to the the orientation of the property on the site, the property is able to receive solar gain through the day. The ‘studio’ room is north-west facing and therefore it receives a steadier light thought the day which would be a better working light. Also the property is surrounded by eucalyptus trees which are evergreens and therefore cast shade on the building throughout the year in the sunny California weather.
Munir:
Commission
In 1945 Charles Eames was among of the few architects who were assigned into an ambitious programme of Case study houses with the aim of implementing industrialisation and promoting the ideals of modernism. Five years later, 1959, Eames House, Case study house number 8, which was assigned specifically for Charles Eames, was designed and constructed in Pacific Palisades Neighbourhood, California.
Laura:
Purpose of the Build
The Eames House was built by Charles and Ray Eames to serve as their home and design studio; the build consists of two rectangular boxes in order to accommodate both of these requirements whilst keeping them separate. It was also designed to house a vast collection of keepsakes and objects that had been accumulated throughout their lives. The house was designed to specifically meet their own individual needs as well as creating a space that was versatile enough to adapt as their lives and needs changed. The building is one of great honesty as it provided a home rather than just a pretty space- it was designed with the intention for its form to follow its function.
Style of Build
The Eames House is a prime example of modern, 20th Century Architecture and meets numerous principles associated with Dieter Rams’ Principles for good design; Ten principles set out during the Modernist design movement that are still relevant to design today. Dieter Rams expresses that “good design is unobtrusive,” and should “leave room for the user’s self-expression.” Due to the modernist approach taken by the Eames, the Eames House provides room and space to enable self-expression of its occupiers, as seen by the collections of objects and keepsakes that encompass both the interior and exterior spaces. Charles Eames described the house as being ‘unselfconscious.’
To further the support that the design has for Rams’ Ten Principles, the building is “honest.” In other words, the materials and processes used in construction do not attempt to appear as anything else. Primarily, the Eames House utilises ‘off-the-shelf components’ as well as materials such as plastic and plywood that utilised manufacturing techniques expressed through the Eames’ furniture design. The major structure of the Eames House is constructed from industrial steel- a key material incorporated into Modernist design as more industrial materials were being experimented with for more functional, domestic design. To further the industrial manufacture of the property, the walls were prefabricated panels that were erected on site to sit alongside factory windows. The style of the build was designed to be aesthetically pleasing whilst being as inexpensive as possible- utilising mass production and industrial materials.
In terms of colour and design, the exterior of the build is reminiscent of modernist works by Piet Mondrian, whose pieces express the break from the past, typical of the time. His works encourage bold, bright colour blocks in alignment with a solid black linear arrangement. Mondrian’s work is incredibly like the exterior of the Eames House, and a draw of modernist inspiration is clear. The Eames’ use a range of differently coloured and sized glass inserts to capture the eyes of the viewer at differing levels. Rob Turner, an Author for the New York Times expressed through a journal that “the exteriors of the house and studio-boxy amalgams of steel, glass and brightly coloured panels reminiscent of a Mondrian painting.”
Space in the Building
Eames House consists of two buildings, one being a studio and the other being residential. Author Peter Fish expresses how the modernist features of the building are also reflected in the interior space of the property stating that “to call it simple is an understatement: kitchen and living room on the first floor, sleeping loft and two bathrooms on the second,” yet adds that “the warm, light-filled interior spaces make simplicity seem joyous.” Furthermore, Rob Turner expresses how the interior was “filled with Eames-designed artwork and furniture.”
Byron:
Location and context
The Eames House is located in the Santa Monica area of Los Angeles, California, USA. The Eames house is located on a piece of land that has 1 other house on the 1.4 acre area. The 2 properties were part of a project, which is why they will sometimes be referred case study 8 being the Eames house and case study 9 being the Etenza house.