MICHAEL GRAVES

SUBMITTED BY:
SALMAN HAIDER (2015UAR1181)
VIDHI GOYAL (2016UAR1187)
AKSHAY BHALERAO(2016UAR1246)
 PHILOSOPHY

 • GRAVE’S LANGUAGE OF ARCHITECTIRE OPERATES ON A NUMBER OF LEVELS.

IT IS MEANT TO BE LEGIBLE & A PART OF EVERYDAY LIFE.
 • SECONDLY, & CERTAINLY NO LESS IMPORTANT, ALTHOUGH ADMITTEDLY
MORE UNDERSTANDABLE TO THE TRAINED EYE, IS A PASSIONATE &
SOMETIMES PLAYFUL INTEREST IN REWORKING THE COMMONLY ACCEPTED
LANGUAGE OF ARCHITECTURE INTO A UNIQUELY PERSONAL EXPRESSION OF
WHAT IT MIGHT BECOME, WITHOUT LOSING IT’S IDENTITY. THE REWORKING OF
WHAT EXISTS INTO WHAT IS UNKNOWN BUT STILL RECOGNIZABLE IS THE
GOAL.
 • GRAVE’S PRACTICE IS PRACTICE IN THE LITERAL SENSE OF THE WORD. HE IS
CONSTANTLY PRACTICING THE RULES & PRINCIPLES OF ARCHITECTURE.
 • HE DESIRES TO CREATE A PLEASANT, COMFORTABLE ENVIORNMENT FOR THE
PEOPLE IN HIS BUILDING.
 ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
 1). BUILT FORM
  INFLUENCED BY THE ROMAN STYLE, GRAVES TRIED TO
CREATE GRAND INTERIOR SPACES BUT BROKEN DOWN TO
HUMAN SCALE.
  CUBICAL FACADES TREATED IN THE CLASSICAL THREE PART
DIVISION OR TRIPARTITE FORM WITH THE BASE, SHAFT &
CORNICE.
  IN LATER PROJECTS, THE STRICT FORM OF THE CUBE IS
BROKEN.
 2). WINDOWS
  IT FORMS THE BASIC ELEMENT AS SURFACE TEXTURE, DUE TO THEIR
PROPORTION & REPETITION.
HUMANA BUILDING
 PLACE :
LOUISVILLE,KENTUCKY,HUMANA
 DESIGN STARTED :1982
 DESIGN COMPLETED:1985
 STRUCTURE MATERIAL USED: STEEL
FRAME & GRANITE
 NO. OF STORIES : 26
  HUMANA BUILDING IS THE
HEADQUATERS OF WELL-KNOWN
AMERICAN COMPANY SPECIALIZING IN
HEALTH CARE.
  THE MODERN BUILDINGS
SURROUNDING THE SITE ARE SET
BACK FROM THE STREET ON PLAZAS,
ERODING THE HISTORICAL URBAN
STREET WALL PATTERN.
  IN CONTRAST, THE HUMANA
BUILDING OCCUPIES ITS ENTIRE SITE
AND RE- ESTABLISHES THE STREET
EDGE AS AN ESSENTIAL URBAN FORM.
  THE 525,000 SQUARE FOOT BUILDING INCLUDES TWO PARKING LEVELS,
RETAIL SHOPS ON THE FIRST FLOOR, AND OFFICES AND CONFERENCE
CENTER ABOVE. 

SITE PLAN FLOOR PLAN

  THE BUILDING’S FORMAL
ORGANISATION REFLECTS ITS
DEVISION INTO THESE SIGNIFICANT
PARTS
  THE LOWER PORTION, SIX
STORIES HIGH, IS DEVOTED TO
PUBLIC SPACE AND TO HUMANA’S
EXECUTIVE OFFICES.
  GENERAL OFFICES ARE LOCATED
IN THE BODY OF THE BUILDING.
  THE CONFERENCE CENTER
OCCUPIES THE 25TH FLOOR, WITH
ACCESS TO A LARGE OUTDOOR
PORCH OVERLOOKING THE CITY
AND THE RIVER BEYOND .
DENVER CENTER LIBRARY

  LOCATION : DENVER, COLORADO

  DESIGN STARTED : 1990
  DESIGN COMPLETED :1996
  TOTAL FLOOR AREA : 133,000 SQ. FEET (RENOVATION) & 405,000 SQ. FEET (NEW CONSTRUCTION)
  STRUCTURE : STRUCTURAL CONCRETE WAFFLE SLABS ON CONCRETE COLUMNS
INTRODUCTION
 • Michael Graves was commissioned in 1990 to renovate and design an extension to the
Denver Central Library.
 • Sitting adjacent to Denver Art Museum, the Denver Central Library stands as the 8th largest
library in the United States.
 • The 405,000 s.f. addition to the existing library allows for the original building designed by
Burnham Hoyt in 1956 to maintain its own identity.
 • So much so that Graves’ addition and the original library are two parts in a larger composition
that are connected by a three story atrium.
 • The expansive atrium serves as a new main entrance that becomes the main focal point for
visitor orientation and circulation to either wing of the library.
PLAN
ELEVATION
SECTION
  THE SCALE AND COLORATION OF THE
ADDITION, AS WELL AS THE
INDIVIDUALIZED MASSING OF ITS
VARIOUS COMPONENTS, ALLOW THE
ORIGINAL LIBRARY TO MAINTAIN ITS
OWN IDENTITY AS ONE ELEMENT OF
LARGER COMPOSITION.
  TWO MAJOR PUBLIC ENTRANCES
ESTABLISH AN EAST-WEST AXIS
THROUGH THE GREAT HALL, A THREE
STORY PUBLIC ROOM OF URBAN SCALE
WHICH IS THE FOCAL POINT FOR VISITOR
ORIENTATION AND CIRCULATION.
  THE SOUTH-FACING ROTUNDA
CONTAINS SPECIAL SUCH AS THE
REFERENCE ROOM, THE PERIODICALS
CENTER AND, ON THE TOP FLOOR, THE
WESTERN HISTORY READING ROOM. 
  THE LATTER ROOM, WHICH CONTAINS SPECIAL FUNCTIONS OF LOCAL
MATERIALS, IS CENTERED ON A TIMBER DERRICK LIKE STRUCTURE THAT
FIGURATIVELY RECALLS THE NATION’S WESTWARD EXPANSION.
 • For a post-modern building, the interior of the library is fairly conservative when it
comes to the decorative aesthetics.
 • Most of the spaces appear as traditional library spaces composed of natural wood
evoking a sense of grandeur and extravagance.
 • Only in the reading rooms is there any trace of the post-modern aesthetic.
 • One begins to understand the abstracted colonnades, vaulting, and colourful painting
creating more of a fun learning environment rather than a stark, serious library space.
 • The Denver Central Library may be
one of the first library’s to function
more than just a library.
 • In addition to the extensive literary
collections, the library functions as a
community gathering space consisting
of multipurpose rooms, meeting
facilities, shops, a café, and a special
“museum-like” collection on the
American West.
 • The Denver Central Library sits
affixed in Downtown Denver as not
only an academic institution, but as
part of a larger cultural epicentre.
PORTLAND BUILDING
 PORTLAND MUNICIPAL SERVICES BUILDING
 IT IS CONSIDERED AS THE FIRST MAJOR
BUILT WORK OF POSTMODERNIST
ARCHITECTURE.

 • Built : 1980- 1982

 • Type : Government offices
 • Cost : US$29 million
 • Floor : 15
 • Location : Portland, Multnomah County,
Oregon, USA
 • height : 71.6 m
SITE PLAN FLOOR PLAN
FRONT ELEVATION
BUILDING CHARACTERISTIC
 • Its distinctive block-like design and square.
 • Use of sculptural forms ornaments.
FACADE
 • Uses column as an surface treatment and
defining the cornice or the head of the building
and entrance.
 stucco covered rectangular facades, use of over
scaled keystones, pilasters and belvederes.
 • Façade are symmetry and linearity broken by
adding vertical band of color and window
SYMBOLISM:
 THE BUILDING SET ON A TWO
STOREY BASE,IT IS REMINISCENT
OF A GREEK PEDESTAL,WHICH
DIVIDES IT INTO THE THREE PART
PARTITION OF BASE –BODY-TOP.
 IT DISPLAYS NUMEROUS
SYMBOLIC ELEMENT ON ITS
MONUMENTAL FACADES,IT IS IN
CONTRAST TO THE FUNCTIONAL
MODERNIST ARCHITECTURE.
 GRAVES ADDED SYBOLISM
THROUGH COLOR:
 -GREEN FOR GROUND
 -BLUE FOR SKY
SCULPTURAL ELEMENT
 • These form are sculptural and somewhat playful
 • These forms are not reduced to an absolute
minimum; they are built and shaped for their own
sake.
 • The building units all fit together in a very organic
way which enhance the effect of the form.
 • It has a typical symmetrical façade which was at
the time prevalent throughout postmodern building
THANK YOU