Robert Venturi, Luis Kahn & Natural Light in 20th Century Architecture

This essay delves into the profound impact of Robert Venturi and Luis Kahn on 20th-century American architecture, with a specific focus on their innovative approaches to designing for natural light. It analyzes their critical perspectives, highlighting Venturi's theoretical framework and Kahn's practical application, particularly in projects like the Vanna Venturi House and the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. The essay examines how each architect integrated natural light into their designs, creating unique spaces and experiences, while also exploring the dynamic exchange of ideas between them. The paper concludes by emphasizing the enduring influence of Venturi and Kahn on contemporary architectural design and their contribution to a deeper understanding of the role of natural light in shaping the built environment.

Running head: 20TH CENTURY ARCHITECTURE
20TH CENTURY ARCHITECTURE
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Abstract
This assignment discusses the impact of Robert Venturi and Luis Kahn in the postmodern
architecture of America. These two-genius helped to shape the path of architecture’s history
that the postmodern architects and designers along with planners experienced the expansion
of new architectural styles. These two geniuses were the complementary for each other. One
followed the path of practical works and another theoretical writing which compelled the
contemporary designers to think about the American-built environment. The essence of
natural light in the architectural fashion and responsible use of it was the chief focus of both
Venturi and Kahn. They effect the works of each other also though Kahn was mostly
influenced by the theories of Venturi. This paper concludes with the role of these two
architect’s manipulative ideas in the flourishment of new style in the field of architecture.

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The 20th century architecture has its own unique philosophy when the expressionist
architects started to rebel against the functionalistindustrial style of structures of the
modernist architecture. These expressionist architectures preferred highly articulated and
more sinuous formswhich included spirals, curves and non-symmetricalelements. These
structures had expressive values of particular materials and they are widely emphasized.
Among the pioneers of this styles, Robert Venturi and Luis Kahn can be named. Both of them
helped to shape the path that the 20th century architects and planners experience the expansion
of architectural styles. Through his practical works and theoreticalwritings, he made the
designers think about the American-built environment. However, Venturi and Kahn had
influenced each other through more dynamic exchange of ideas. Youthful Venturi contributed
on elder Kahn and his works became more matured leading to distinct signature architecture.
Venturi in his explained the importance of natural light as an element of architecture that
influence the building both positively and negatively. As discussed inThe Possibility of an
Absolute Architecture byPier Vittorio Aureli a perfected formal consciousness in the
architecture is the precondition for cultural, political and social engagement which can be
clearly viewed in the works of with the city.
The subject of architectural treatments of the natural light as well as layering of the
designare closely related. This is the reason why the two architects had a critical point of
view on these two aspects of architecture. In this context Turner has pointed out that the
natural light has become one of the most apparentelement in the design and planning of
buildings which was not in vogue before. Venturi hadfocused on the potentiality of the
natural lightings in the designs as well as analyzed the problemsof this kind of light in the
culture of architecture. This topic was incorporated in the theoretical discussion of this
architecture and in his teachings also. This genius had outlined the theoretical framework of
treating natural light in distinctive terms through his lectures, essay, statements to press and

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panel discussions. Though these medium Venturi had spoken about the role of nature in this
designing and using natural light in the architecture. To him, natural light gives opportunity
to use it both positives as well as negative ways which an artificial light can never give. The
potential of natural light is so intense that the architect can perform certain services relating
to utilize the space efficiently. Proper knowledge and skill of handling natural light helps the
architectto effectively construct what he tries to do and perform the functions he tries to
accommodate. To venturi, the general source of light in a room is window which is constant
and agreed upon since very early age. This is why Venturi has admitted that though the
windows are the general devices for light to enter, but these can be of many shapes. The
function of light to Venturi is the medium of creation of space and symbol of indication,
therefore, he does not call the source as window. He neither calls it the purpose
illuminationas he thinks the function of illuminating a space limits the potential of natural
light by only analyzing the creation of light and its contribution in the illumination process.
Louis Kahn is the practitioner of what venturi had theorized in this essay and lectures.
He mastered the art of using natural light in the same way Venturi aimed to design. He did
not use light as the surface effect but as the chief means of shaping the spaces. In this aspect
the architect has mentioned his love and attraction for window is unmatchable because to him
it is the only element of the room that is the most marvelous. To him, it is the element that
captures the slice of sun from morning to night and season after season which affect the rage
of moods of the people living there. Kahn defines his philosophy of light quite differently
from the analysis of Venturi. This is because Kahn was more an artist than academic like
Venturi and he is more eloquent with his materials and drawings than words.This is the
reason why his analysis of natural light is much more paired and ambiguous. His
perspectivecaptures the opposites of mass and void, servants and the served and light as well
as shadow.

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As evident from the projects by Venturi and Kahn it can be stated that these projects
directly and implicitly relate their ideologies and perspectives regarding natural light in the
architecture. The projects like Vanna Venturi House by Venturi and Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban
by Kahn can be perfect examples of their desire to weave perfect balance of light and shadow
by their own unique ways.Vanna Venturi House is an example of post-modern architecture
located in Philadelphia. It was constructed by Venturi for his mother between 1962 to 1964.
It is a five-roomhouse that stands about 30 feet tall at the top of chimney. This building has a
monumental formfaçade. This effect is achieved by intentionally manipulating architectural
elements which often indicate the building’s scale. Here the architecture has used the hole in
the wall windows which directly opposes the traditional orthodox ideology of the modern
architectures. His book Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture is an open challenge to
this orthodoxy which incur support fromnumerous critics who termed this masterpiece of
Venturi as the biggest small building of the second half of the twentieth century.
Louis Kahn designed the complex of Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, the parliament of
Bangladesh. This building consists of the lawns, lakes and the residences for the MPs. The
key philosophy of this particular design is to represent the culture of the country as well as its
heritage in one hand and optimizing the utilization of the space. The simplicity of this
building’s exterior has a striking feature. The huge walls are deeply recessed by the large
openings with regular geometric shapes and porticoes. This building is divided into three
parts presidential plaza, south plaza and main plaza. The main building is situated at the
center of the complex. There is n artificial lake which surrounds the three edgesof theJatiya
Sangsad Bhaban’s main building. This gives the essence of the natural beauty of Bangladesh
and adds to aesthetic value of the site. The main building design includes eight individual
blocks surrounding one octagonal block. These are consisted of different functional spaces
with different levels that are inter-linked vertically and horizontally by corridors, stairs,lifts,

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light courts along with circular areas.Kahn has designed the entire structure to intermingle
into single and non-differentiable unit which will be appearingas a single storyfrom the
exterior.
Each architect adopts his point of view of emphasizing on natural light in hisown
project. Venturi’s mother’s house is a masterpiece which went against the accepted norms of
architecture in the modern age. This building is said to be one of the 10 designs that changed
the perspectives of the American architects. In this piece the creator has used hybrid elements
rather than pure. The design is compromising more than clear and much distorted than to be
straight forward. The style of this building has a messy vitality over an obvious unity. The
design of this house is full of ambiguity where the creator has incorporateda diverse group of
individual elements into one. From the outside if the house, the most prominent element is
the large front façade which is split into two triangles though the gap in the middle revealing
an asymmetricalchimney which sits back from the front of the house. The large cutout of the
exterior entry has been made to feel larger by the shallow depth and smaller front door
concealed within it. As mentioned before the source of light here is the windows and the
architect here has used proficient use of windows of many sizes. In the center near the main
entrance, one can find two windows allowing profuse natural light. These windows are
situatedbased on the functionality of the interior. The upstairs bedroom of the house has an
archshaped balcony doors and bedroom windowsattached with each other which allows
natural light profusely into the room. The kitchen is not exception, where there is a
modernistribbon window allowing natural light to enter the kitchen and a square window
attached in the bathroom making the best optimization of the space. The horizontal and
lateral walls in the storage places, bedrooms and kitchens rise up to form awkward angle
which createscope for natural light to enter and playcreating more contradiction and
complexity. Not only the windows, but the doors of the house also, are the medium though

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which the lights enter the house. These doors are wide but low in height contrasting the
grandness to the entrance. The light from the doors playa vitalrole is extracting the actual size
of the rooms. There is a contrast of light and shadow in each roomforked by the oversized
lunette windows as well as wider doors. Though proper utilization of natural lights, the
architect has exaggerated as well as minimized the circulation space in the design of the
rooms and hid the minimum subdivisions between the large distinct rooms. By using glass
walls the architect has madethe exterior walls both screens and walls which also served to be
medium to allow more natural light in the rooms. The eastern glass wall has been recessed to
form the covered yard which is screened by back wall. Similarly, the same idea has been used
for the upstairs bedroom on the western side of this house.
Unlike the lesser architecture where the importance of lights is often afterthought and
take isolated aspect of the whole design, Kahn’s planning brings the elements of light in the
forefront of the creation. Kahn’s project of Bangladesh’s Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban or the
assembly the architecthas introduced the light-giving elements to interior of itsdesign. All the
elements used have their different connotationsassociated with light and shades. The
architecture says that his choice of columnsis the choice of light. These columns in the
assembly of the main plaza are solid frames creating spaces for light. In all his works, Kahn
have used the natural light as the DNA of the structure and used it to be the most vital
characterizesto locate, use, structure, ideas of place and scale the height. This perspective of
the creator can be seen in his plan which is not only the diagram of the structure but a poem
having rhythm of light andshades. Inthis structure of Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, the architecture
has demonstrated his structure decision to be the decision of light. This building is a search
for comprehensivearchitectural balance and order that address space, structure and light.After
exploiting all these elements, he focused on the materials of the structure as well as the
surface but all of these also respond the light and atmosphere of the region. In this respect the

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architect’s archetypal forms can be related to the Greek architectures which he states to have
contributing factors in his ideology of playing with light and shadow. The columns which can
be found abundantly in the creatingof this architecture are the chief tools to create this marvel
of light and shadow. To him, the columns are in that part where there is no light and the
spaces between where the light is. The element of light is obviously central to the philosophy
of Kahn which he regards as the giver of all presence. To him all the living objects of the
earth are made of light and have their own rhythm. Kahn believedthat the dark shadow is also
the effect of absence of light. For him, the glimpses of light clarified the levels of darkness.
To Kahn the plan of the building must be read like the harmony of the spaces in the light.
However, even the spaces intended to remain dark must have a just enough lights from some
of the mysterious opening for telling how dark the place really is. As the result, the light as a
source is often hidden behind louvers or secondary walls, thus concentrating attention on the
effect of the light and not on its origin.
The intersection designing for natural light between the two projects for the two
different architects demonstrate that both these architects have similar focusing area in
creating the masterpieces. The attempt to bright and dark contrast discloses their knack to use
the natural lights instead of artificial one. Natural light plays a significant role in architecture
and both Kahn and Venturi were probably the first ones in the modern century who realized
its importance.
The National Parliament House built by Kahn in Bangladesh and the Vanna Venturi
House built by Venturi in America although are distant in both time and lace of construction,
intersect in ideas. Kahn’s Parliament House shows increased use of columns and walls that
allow spaces for natural light to enter. Venturi’s Vanna House also has increased use of
overhead day lighting that gives a serene touch to it (Appendix C).

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The designing of the Mother’s House is such that it contradicts all the elements of the
modernist architecture and paves way for postmodernism (Appendix D). Postmodernism in
architecture is characterized by the increased focus on and use of natural light while
designing buildings. The National Parliament House is a strong and evident example of
postmodern architecture where Kahn himself stated that he wanted to give it a poetic touch.
Here, the ideas of the two architects also seem to intersect or rather influenced by one
another. Venturi also believed designs that allowed for simple and smooth flow of lights.
Therefore, it is easily visible in both architects’ work that their ideas of designing for natural
light intersected.
The National Parliament House in Bangladesh, known in native language as the Jatiya
Sangsad Bhavan is one of the many masterpieces designed by Luis Kahn. The building is
filled with instances of the use of natural light1. While designing the building, Kahn made
sure that it represents the culture and heritage of Bangladesh. This thought of Kahn’s can be
attributed to Robert Venturi because Kahn had limited inclination towards historical and
cultural significance of architecture during his early works. It was Venturi who directly and
indirectly influenced Kahn to divert from the “International School dogma”2.
While designing the building, Kahn laid special emphasis on the use of natural light,
which is visible from the interior of the building (Appendix A).. He made a series of columns
that paved the way for natural light to enter and create a visual beauty by its own (Appendix
B). This is evidently influenced by the 1965 University of Pennsylvania lecture by Robert
Venturi where he emphasizes on the use of light that “serves to illuminate space”3. Kahn,
1 Choudhury, Bayezid Ismail, Peter Armstrong, and Paul Jones. "JSB as Democratic Emblem and Urban Focal
Point: The Imagined Socio-Political Construction of Space." Journal of Social and Development Sciences 4, no.
6 (2013): 294.
2Ksiazek, Sarah. "Architectural Culture in the Fifties: Louis Kahn and the National Assembly Complex in
Dhaka." Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 52, no. 4 (1993): 416-435.
3Muratovski, Gjoko. "Urban Branding: The Politics of Architecture." Design Principles & Practice: An
International Journal 6, no. 1 (2012).

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while describing the design of the building also states he intended to use light to such a
degree that is turns into a poetic unit that possesses its own splendor outside of its position in
the composition. As evident from his explanation, Kahn drew lot of inspiration from the early
works and thoughts of Venturi, who deviated from modernism, which he thought, had no
value for light. It was either the absence of wall or the absence of windows.
Robert Venturi’s one of the most renowned structures was the Vanna Venturi House,
which he designed in the year spanning 1959 to 1964. The house was built by Venturi for his
mother and hence it was popular as “Mother’s House”. The very structure of the house was
an opposition of the modernist views of architecture that focused only on banal and mundane
flat structures4. Venturi believed in using elements that deviated from the pure and
concentrated on hybrid. He designed the house in such a way that the light found enough
space to enter and play on its own splendor.
As Venturi himself had confessed, the initial design of the Mother’s House was
heavily influenced by Luis Kahn. The use of diagonal elements that allowed the natural light
to enhance the visual splendor of the house was also inspired by Kahn’s work, especially the
Shawn Townhouse built by him in 1957. Similar to the Townhouse, Venturi included the
double- hung windows in his work that further enhanced the influence of the natural light.
However, it needs mentioning that the overhead lighting through the big chimney was
Venturi’s own idea that had been derived from his previous experiences. Kahn’s later works
largely show this influence. The Shaw Townhouse had many elements of natural light
through its use of the double-hung windows that inspired Mother’s House by Venturi but
Kahn himself was then not interested nor aware of the value of natural light in architecture. It
was Venturi who changed his perception and which is reflected in his later works5.
4Mattsson, Helena. "Revisiting Swedish Postmodernism: Gendered Architecture and Other Stories."
Konsthistorisktidskrift/Journal of Art History 85, no. 1 (2016): 109-125.
5 Goldberger, Paul. 2018. "Beyond The Master's Voice". Nytimes.Com.
https://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/13/magazine/beyond-the-master-s-voice.html.

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As discussed in the previous section, both Kahn and Venturi had remarkable influence
on each other. Venturi was younger to Kahn in both age and experience but had a completely
different and fresh view on architecture detached from Kahn. Louis Kahn, on the other,
although was much senior to Venturi, but his later works were mostly inspired by him.
In his initial years, Louis Kahn was more interested in medieval architecture, which
he witnessed during his trip to Europe in the late 1920s. Kahn’s earlier works also display his
close affiliation with the ideals of the International School that viewed history as having no
role to play in architecture. Kahn demonstrated no interest in the relevance of history, the
layered space or the use of natural light or even complexities and contradictions with which
Venturi had so much obsession. However, Venturi’s association with Kahn during 1953-54
when he joined Kahn’s office in Pennsylvania and his consequent separation in 1964 led to
marked change in Kahn’s style. The later works of Kahn like that of the Parliament House in
Bangladesh or the Yale University Art Gallery, all reflected Venturi’s poetic influence on
Kahn as these structures had great similarities with the early works of Venturi6. Some
scholars and close associates of Kahn ad Venturi even state that Venturi was the one who had
liberated Kahn from the shackles of the monotonous works of modernist architecture.
According to Johnson, Venturi helped Kahn renew his perceptions about history from his
early visits to Europe and induce that in his works7. This had a major role to play in Kahn’s
development as an aesthetic architect.
Robert Venturi used to idolize Kahn not just as a great architect but also as his
mentor. Most of his earlier works like that of his most famous Mother’s House have evidence
of this influence. The two shared a good bond until 1964 when Venturi was ultimately
disillusioned by Kahn. During a 1964 public lecture, Venturi discovered that Kahn
6 Costanzo, Denise. "Text, Lies and Architecture: Colin Rowe, Robert Venturi and Mannerism." The Journal of
Architecture 18, no. 4 (2013): 455-473.
7 Johnson, Eugene J., and Michael J. Lewis. Drawn from the source: the travel sketches of Louis I. Kahn.
Williamstown, MA: Williams College Museum of Art, 1996.

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represented his ideas precisely and claimed those to be his own. After this, Venturi separated
from Kahn and developed his career. In an interview in 2017, Venturi spoke extensively
about his disillusionment with Louis Kahn and how he felt betrayed by the person he once
used to admire8. Although Venturi was in some ways betrayed by Kahn, this betrayal also led
to his development as an architect. Kahn had initial influence on Venturi’s work especially
his final model of the Mother’s House where he included the double-hung window inspired
by Kahn’s Shaw Townhouse work. In the later years, Kahn had an indirect influence on
Venturi’s development as an architect as he witnessed his mentor inspired by his work,
although never acknowledging it. This was a sort of moral victory and appreciation for
Venturi.
More than Kahn, Venturi had a larger influence that has never been acknowledged by
Kahn. He used to claim himself to be a Lone Genius. However, it is evident from the works
and theories of both the architects that they had a significant role to play in each other’s
development.
In the end, it has to be stated that Venturi’s ideas about architecture and designing for
natural light had more influence on Kahn than Kahn’s ideas on Venturi. Kahn all through his
life had believed that he is the Lone Genius who is responsible for bringing revolution in the
field of architecture but the truth is that he had assistance from and influence of many of his
juniors. Kahn and Venturi’s ideas intersected on other points as well for instance, both
admired the historical essence in architecture although Kahn realized it through Venturi. The
question in the end remains whether Kahn and Venturi could have worked together to
produce genius designs for natural light.
8 Brown, Robert. 2018. "My Disillusionment With Louis Kahn". Web Of Stories.
https://www.webofstories.com/play/robert.venturi.and.denise.scott.brown/52.