In the United Kingdom, the new architectural style called Modernism struggled to emerge, even though the ideas and beliefs were the same as in Europe. Throughout my thesis, I analyse the work of Thomas Smith Tait, reasonably considered the pioneer of Modern Architecture in the British region. Analysing the early career and education with the masters in Scotland and England, examining the partners he collaborated with and concluding with the influence he made on the whole movement, the thesis exposes the features of Tait’s architecture. I have selected some examples that were significant to illustrate the concept and ideas of the architect, naming only some of the other buildings which were less important and relevant to the debate. There was a clear develop starting from the industrial revolution, with the use of new materials for architecture and a new way of approaching the design of the structures; the modern architects aimed at the standardisation of the buildings. The peak of the movement was between the mid-1920s and the late 1930s, the period in which Tait became the partner of the Burnet’s firm, taking over the architecture practice from Sir John James Burnet who retired. In 1927 in Silver End, Tait had the opportunity of creating something unusual and new for the period. A section of this thesis focuses on the collaboration he had with the steel window manufacturer W. F. Crittall. The new approach to the architecture completed at this stage the transformation and, from there, the architects started to focus on the mere function of the buildings, making rational use of the materials and removing any ornament that was not needed. Another section describes the Empire Exhibitions held in Glasgow, analysing the fourth exhibition which was master-planned by Tait and making comparisons to the other exhibitions held in Great Britain. In the year 1938 there was the highlight of his career and the exhibition was the perfect opportunity to experiment with his partners from Sir John Burnet’s practice. Even today, the origins of Modern architecture are still debated; although I refer to this term describing some of the architecture, the expression Modernism is given to buildings with similar features, mainly where there is a simplification of form and the elimination of the decoration. Rejecting the use of any historical styles, the Modern Movement adhered to the function, form, construction and space. The develop of my thesis, through the research in London’s RIBA and Glasgow’s archives, allowed me to gather information from the magazines of the time where Thomas S. Tait and Sir J. J. Burnet were publishing their designs. The direct connection with Thomas’ grandson and great-granddaughter helped a lot in collecting unique information, directly passing on the original beliefs. Eventually, the encounter with Professor Ellen Thorogood from Nottingham Trent University, who has family connections with the Crittall Manufacturing Company -and who did research on Thomas S. Tait in the last 20 years- was essential to give to this thesis the full picture. In conclusion, the last part of the thesis will investigate the possible reasons why the British Modern Architecture was overlooked and how Thomas S. Tait influenced future architects of the movement.
Thomas Smith Tait è considerato il pioniere dell’architettura moderna britannica e lo scopo della tesi è quello di analizzare la sua opera in rapporto con il movimento moderno che si sviluppava in Europa. Nonostante le idee del movimento fossero le stesse presenti nel Continente, in Gran Bretagna il nuovo stile architettonico faceva fatica a decollare. Per questo motivo analizzerò lo studio dei maestri scozzesi e inglesi influenti per la formazione di Tait, esaminando contestualmente il lavoro dei vari collaboratori avuti durante la sua carriera. La tesi espone le varie caratteristiche dello stile sviluppato nel periodo preso in analisi, mostrando alcuni esempi significativi che illustrano le idee di base e la filosofia dell’architetto. Sono anche elencate alcune opere di architetti di paesi differenti, principalmente europei e americani, considerati da me influenti sulla formazione di Tait. Si può notare un notevole e chiaro sviluppo partendo dalla rivoluzione industriale, con l’utilizzo di nuovi materiali per l’architettura e con un nuovo modo di affrontare il progetto delle strutture: gli architetti considerati parte del movimento moderno avevano l’obiettivo di standardizzare il modo di costruire. L’apice del movimento arriverà tra la metà degli anni ‘20 e la fine degli anni ‘30, corrispondente al periodo in cui Thomas S. Tait diventa partner dello studio Burnet, sostituendo Sir John James Burnet e diventando quindi il partner principale. Tra il 1926 e 1927 ci furono molti eventi importanti per la storia dell’architettura moderna e per la carriera di Tait: uno di questi sarà la realizzazione del villaggio operaio di Silver End, su commissione di Crittall. Tait ebbe l’opportunità di creare qualcosa di inusuale per questo nuovo periodo nella storia dell’architettura inglese. Una parte di tesi si focalizza infatti sulla collaborazione che l’architetto ha avuto con l’azienda di infissi in metallo Crittall Ltd. Dopo aver sperimentato grazie a Walter Crittal la realizzazione di due cottage, il nuovo approccio all’architettura sta per arrivare a conclusione. Gli architetti del movimento iniziarono da qui a concentrarsi meramente sulle funzionalità degli edifici, così da avere un approccio razionale all’uso dei materiali e rimuovendo qualsiasi ornamento non necessario. Un’altra sezione della tesi analizza l’evolversi delle differenti esibizioni internazionali inglesi, partendo dalla famosa di Londra del 1851 con Joseph Paxton come protagonista, continuando con l’esposizione di Wembley del 1924-1925 e completando l’analisi con le quattro tenute a Glasgow. L’ultima esibizione internazionale del 1938 è quella che verrà esaminata nel dettaglio, dove Tait organizzò il masterplan e dove decise severe linee guida per i suoi collaboratori, principalmente assistenti del loro studio Burnet & Tait. Le origini dell’architettura moderna sono comunque ancora messe in discussione; critici di architettura utilizzano il termine Modernismo quando si trovano di fronte ad edifici che manifestano una semplificazione delle forme e una mancanza di decorazioni. Il rifiuto di stili costruttivi, dimostra come il movimento moderno aderisse a quattro elementi chiave: la forma, la funzione, la costruzione e lo spazio. Lo sviluppo della mia tesi è stato reso possibile grazie alla raccolta di informazioni rinvenute presso gli archivi storici di Londra (RIBA Library) e Glasgow. Inoltre, le riviste degli anni ‘30 contengono molte informazioni utili in merito all’operato di Tait. Il buon rapporto stabilito con il nipote dell’architetto e con la pro-nipote, ha permesso di ottenere maggiori informazioni e dettagli che solamente la famiglia poteva conoscere. Infine, l’incontro avvenuto con la Prof.ssa Ellen Thorogood, ricercatrice della Nottingham Trent University, ha permesso di avere un punto di vista critico basato su una ricerca di quasi venti anni grazie alle sue connessioni dirette con Crittall Manufacturing Ltd.
Thomas Smith Tait : from the Scottish tradition to the modernism
COSSA, EMANUELE
2017/2018
Abstract
In the United Kingdom, the new architectural style called Modernism struggled to emerge, even though the ideas and beliefs were the same as in Europe. Throughout my thesis, I analyse the work of Thomas Smith Tait, reasonably considered the pioneer of Modern Architecture in the British region. Analysing the early career and education with the masters in Scotland and England, examining the partners he collaborated with and concluding with the influence he made on the whole movement, the thesis exposes the features of Tait’s architecture. I have selected some examples that were significant to illustrate the concept and ideas of the architect, naming only some of the other buildings which were less important and relevant to the debate. There was a clear develop starting from the industrial revolution, with the use of new materials for architecture and a new way of approaching the design of the structures; the modern architects aimed at the standardisation of the buildings. The peak of the movement was between the mid-1920s and the late 1930s, the period in which Tait became the partner of the Burnet’s firm, taking over the architecture practice from Sir John James Burnet who retired. In 1927 in Silver End, Tait had the opportunity of creating something unusual and new for the period. A section of this thesis focuses on the collaboration he had with the steel window manufacturer W. F. Crittall. The new approach to the architecture completed at this stage the transformation and, from there, the architects started to focus on the mere function of the buildings, making rational use of the materials and removing any ornament that was not needed. Another section describes the Empire Exhibitions held in Glasgow, analysing the fourth exhibition which was master-planned by Tait and making comparisons to the other exhibitions held in Great Britain. In the year 1938 there was the highlight of his career and the exhibition was the perfect opportunity to experiment with his partners from Sir John Burnet’s practice. Even today, the origins of Modern architecture are still debated; although I refer to this term describing some of the architecture, the expression Modernism is given to buildings with similar features, mainly where there is a simplification of form and the elimination of the decoration. Rejecting the use of any historical styles, the Modern Movement adhered to the function, form, construction and space. The develop of my thesis, through the research in London’s RIBA and Glasgow’s archives, allowed me to gather information from the magazines of the time where Thomas S. Tait and Sir J. J. Burnet were publishing their designs. The direct connection with Thomas’ grandson and great-granddaughter helped a lot in collecting unique information, directly passing on the original beliefs. Eventually, the encounter with Professor Ellen Thorogood from Nottingham Trent University, who has family connections with the Crittall Manufacturing Company -and who did research on Thomas S. Tait in the last 20 years- was essential to give to this thesis the full picture. In conclusion, the last part of the thesis will investigate the possible reasons why the British Modern Architecture was overlooked and how Thomas S. Tait influenced future architects of the movement.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2019_04_Cossa.pdf
non accessibile
Descrizione: Thesis file
Dimensione
21.62 MB
Formato
Adobe PDF
|
21.62 MB | Adobe PDF | Visualizza/Apri |
I documenti in POLITesi sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
https://hdl.handle.net/10589/147610