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LOUIS&KAHN:&FISHER&HOUSE&
ENAR611009: INTRODUCTION TO ARCHITECTURE!

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!!!!!VIVIEN CLAUDIA - 1706065116!

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2017
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITAS INDONESIA
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 FISHER HOUSE FLOOR PLAN ANALYSIS

Source: http-//hicarquitectura.com/2017/06/louis-kahn-fisher-house/!(Accessed!on!October!13,!2017)!
 Fisher family used to be the owner of this house, that’s why it named after their
surname. Norman Fisher, who is the father of the family and also a doctor, alongside his wife
wanted to move from their colonial style house and they found a site located on Mill Road,
Hatboro, Pennsylvania. This site has a stream running across on it and surrounded with woods,
this area used to be farmlands. It took about 7 years, 1960-1967, for the Fisher House to be
designed and built.

In his design, Louis Kahn incorporated the Modulor II

by Le Corbusier to relate architecture with human proportions
and also a trademark of his quest for origins. He applied this
to his other design too, such as in Esherick House floor plan.
Louis who stood on “start with square(s) first” design
principle decided to use 2 interconnected almost-cube-shape.
This intersection represents value of connection in
architecture. Outside the main living area, there is also
separated additional smaller cube. Louis’ concept for this
house is a house within a house, that’s why he separated in a
different cube the private space from the more public one. By
Source:!http://apps.acsa=
this method Louis managed to create a house within a house, arch.org/resources/proceedings/uploads/strea
mfile.aspx?path=ACSA.AM.83&name=ACSA.AM.
a private space within a private space. The public cube was 83.28.pdf!(Accessed!on!October!13,!2017)!

rotated 45-degree from the private cube which allows each cube captures different scenery and
show flexibility of the house.

The first thing that visitors will

notice when they stand in front of this
house is how the shape of it represent a
simplicity and modern era, but it still
goes well with nature around it because
of the chosen exterior materials. For the
lower part of the exterior walls until its
foundation (more visible from the back
side of the house), stones were used
Source:!https-//philly.curbed.com/2012/3/16/10387936/louis-kahns-fisher-
house-will-go-on-the-market (Accessed!on!October!13,!2017)! because it needs to support the house on
the sloping ground. As for the exterior walls, woods are the main material since it is cheaper
to built a house with woods in Pennsylvania. The almost-bare wood coated exterior walls and
shadows that trees around it create really goes well together, it compliments one and the other.
Taking view steps to left or right from the original spot will reveal different sides and
characteristics of the house. The acute angle between the public and private cube really works
well hiding a medium sized vertical rectangular window and give the house a sense of privacy
and depth.

According to the floor plan, the main entry of this house is from a door on the private
cube, however visitors could directly go to the outdoor lower level through a stair in between
the public cube and smaller storage cube. Private cube consists of 3 different levels, including
a basement which can only be accessed through a stair in public cube. As for the public cube,
it consists of 2 levels including basement which makes the ceiling of the first floor higher than
the other cube. Both cubes have a similar height.

When visitors first enter the

house, people will be greeted with a
long hallway with wooden floor.
Wooden floor and wooden doors also
windows continue the story that the
exterior walls tell. This emphasize the
length of the room. At the end of it, a
full sized ceiling-to-the-floor window Source:!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eaJ0_80BUs!(Accessed!on!October!
19,!2017)!
exist which makes natural light enter
the house easily. Lights really do play an important role in this house, to keep the private cube
private, a door was installed so people who came could not peek into the private space. I could
tell that the ceiling is not really that high, based on the picture there’s only a small gap between
the top part of the door with the ceiling. This type of ceiling height gives a warmer, close, and
intimate feeling which is suitable for the private cube.

The door that is an entrance way to the private areas, it didn’t take people directly to
the master bedroom and master bathroom that are located on the first floor. In fact, another
empty rectangular room is the one that located behind that door. From that room we have access
to the powder room, the master bedroom, and a stair which leads to the second level of the
cube. The master bedroom itself located at the back part of the cube with 2 different shape and
size windows that looking at the nature behind the house. When people get into the master
bedroom, people will see windows at the corner of the room, one of it is indented into the
house. Louis Kahn used this indentation to create unique built-in storages, this type of storage
is everywhere in this house.

When we go up to the second level the story of this house remains the same, woods are
still the main material. In the rectangular room after the stair landing, there are 5 different
closed doors and each door leads to different bedroom and bathroom. Each bedroom on the
second floor have its own window that framed the nature outside and bring natural lighting
inside. There is also an empty room next to the stair on the second floor, that room could be
used for storage or closet. In total, there are 1 master bedroom, 3 bedrooms, 1 master bathroom,
1 bathroom, 1 closet, and 1 powder room in the private cube.

Going back down to the first floor and out to the entrance way, by just taking several
steps to the right we could get a peek of the inside of public cube. Greeneries from the outside
are framed with professionally crafted wooden window frames. Fisher House is known for its
professional woodworking, people said that none of Louis’ other projects could beat this.

The focal point of this room

clearly is the curved, almost half-
cylindrical, rock covered fireplace
that stands tall up until the ceiling,
its chimney even protrudes the
roof. Natural elements are found
again in this room, especially with
the existence of unpainted and
uncovered cement wall. Since this

Source:!https-//www.curbed.com/2012/7/10/10353670/louis-kahns-fisher-house- cube only consist of one level, this

now-on-the-market-for-first-time!
(Accessed!on!October!13,!2017)! room has the highest ceiling out of
all rooms. The change between lower ceiling of the entry way to high ceiling of public cube
gives a sense of magnificent and space, also clearly state that this is a place for people to gather.
The grey wall that stands half way up to the ceiling gives a coverage to the kitchen and dining
area, areas that tend to be more private. This cube did not really need a lot of artificial lighting
since the big windows provide natural lighting from outside. In this area, Louis Kahn used the
indentation of windows to create a built-in furniture again, this time is the wooden bench.
 The kitchen itself actually located behind the short
grey wall. It may look as if it is just an ordinary flat horizontal
wall but if visitors walk to the other side of the room, behind
that wall, the short wall actually formed a U-shape and it
surrounds the kitchen. Beside that U-shaped wall and the
kitchen there is a stair leads to the basement. The basement
walls are covered with the same stone with the exterior lower
level. There is also an interconnected section with the private
cube basement and a door was installed to separate those two
basements. For access to the outdoor area, there are two
openings and when people walk through that they will found
a siting area.

Source:!https-
//www.curbed.com/2012/7/10/10353670/louis-
kahns-fisher-house-now-on-the-market-for-first-
time!(Accessed!on!October!13,!2017)!
 Fisher!House!Side!Window!and!Outdoor!Stairs! Close=up!picture!of!Fisher!House!(Back)!
Source:!http-//hicarquitectura.com/2017/06/louis-kahn- Source:!https-//philly.curbed.com/2012/3/16/10387936/louis-kahns-fisher-house-
fisher-house/!(Accessed!on!October!13,!2017)! will-go-on-the-market
(Accessed!on!October!13,!2017)!

Picture!of!Fisher!House!(back)!
Source:!https-//philly.curbed.com/2012/3/16/10387936/louis-kahns-fisher-house-will-go-on-the-market!(Accessed!on!October!13,!2017)!
 Drawings!of!Fisher!House!(Back!and!Side)!

Source:!http://andrewwbest83.blogspot.co.id/2012/04/draw-it-fisher-house-drawings.html!(Accessed!on!October!13,!
2017)

Fisher!House!Floor!Plan!

Source:!http://andrewwbest83.blogspot.co.id/2012/04/draw-it-fisher-house-drawings.html!(Accessed!on!October!13,!
2017)
Reference List
Fisher' House! [online].! Available! at:! https://en.wikiarquitectura.com/building/fisher=house/!
(Accessed!on!October!13,!2017)!
!
9' Architects' Reflect' on' the' homes' That' Most' Inspired' Them! [online].! Available! at:!
https://www.archdaily.com/499363/9=architects=reflect=on=the=homes=that=most=inspired=
them!(Accessed!on!October!13,!2017)!
!
Fisher' House! [online].! Available! at:! http://hicarquitectura.com/2017/06/louis=kahn=fisher=
house/!(Accessed!on!October!13,!2017)!
!
Fisher' House! [online].! Available! at:!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisher_House_(Hatboro,_Pennsylvania)! (Accessed! on! October!
13,!2017)!
!
Norman' Fisher' House! [online].! Available! at:!
http://architechnophilia.blogspot.co.id/2010/06/house=of=week=71=norman=fisher=
house.html!(Accessed!on!October!13,!2017)!
!
Gargus,!Jacqueline,!Mathesis'Bound:'Kahn’s'Geometry'and'Its'Context![online].!Available!at:!
http://apps.acsa=
arch.org/resources/proceedings/uploads/streamfile.aspx?path=ACSA.AM.83&name=ACSA.A
M.83.28.pdf!(Accessed!on!October!13,!2017)!
!
Borowski,! Michael! C.,! Mapping' the' Fisher' House! [online].! Available! at:! http://apps.acsa=
arch.org/resources/proceedings/uploads/streamfile.aspx?path=ACSA.AM.84&name=ACSA.A
M.84.107.pdf!(Accessed!on!October!13,!2017)!
!
Fisher' House' Drawings! [online].! Available! at:!
http://andrewwbest83.blogspot.co.id/2012/04/draw=it=fisher=house=drawings.html!
(Accessed!on!October!13,!2017)!
!
Louis' Kahn' Fisher' House' Will' Go' on' the' Market! [online].! Available! at:!
http://philly.curbed.com/2012/3/16/10387936/louis=kahns=fisher=house=will=go=on=the=
market!(Accessed!on!October!13,!2017)!
!
Louis' Kahn' Fisher' House' Now' on' the' Market' for' the' First' Time! [online].! Available! at:!
https://www.curbed.com/2012/7/10/10353670/louis=kahns=fisher=house=now=on=the=
market=for=first=time!(Accessed!on!October!13,!2017)!
!
Fisher' House' –' Louis' Kahn' –' ARCH5012' –' 2016! [online].! Available! at:!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eaJ0_80BUs!(Accessed!on!October!19,!2017)!