There are few working architects as well-respected as the late John Hejduk, and there are perhaps fewer who possess his talent and vision, not to mention his optimism and magnanimity. Though his built projects were scant, Hejduk helped to expand the role of the architect, from builder to thinker, artist, storyteller, and dedicated educator. Which isn’t to say he didn’t wish to build. Photographer Alan Karchmer has posted two of Hejduk’s designs, both located in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, which weren’t executed until after the architect’s death. The projects after the jump!

The John Hejduk Memorial Towers function as an addendum to Peter Eisenman’s sprawling City of Culture, a pair of 82-foot tall Rossi-like towers which Hejduk originally designed as the city’s center for botanical research. Eisenman repurposed the towers as a tribute to his friend, perching them on the site’s edge over the old medieval center. The pair are distinguished by their material, one is clad in granite, the other, a metal frame structure of glass.

Hejduk designed the Trisca Sociocultural Center in 1997, and it was not completed until 2003. The narrow, pointed building is just 4 stories in height, with granite cladding and sleek bands of curving glass. Light cannons, a Hejduk trope lifted from Le Corbusier, admit light, reflecting it off the floor and walls, and accentuate the architect’s undeniable playfulness. Staggered balconies break the smooth surface of the wall, jutting outwards over the sidewalk below. Despite their somewhat dated pomo forms, the two projects are a testament to Hejduk’s singular spirit.

[via Architectural Record]

by Samuel Medina

posted in Money Shot Uncategorized news

tagged city of culture, john hejduk, peter eisenman, Santiago de Compostela, spain

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