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JournalStatementMelnikov House: Saving an Avant-Garde Icon | Iconic Houses Lecture Tour

Melnikov House: Saving an Avant-Garde Icon | Iconic Houses Lecture Tour

Category : Statement
Date : February 18, 2020

VANCOUVER: On February 27th, join the West Coast Modern League and Iconic Houses Lecture Tour for an evening featuring Moscow’s architectural avant-garde Melnikov House. Pavel Kuznetsov, Director of the Konstantin and Viktor Melnikov State Museum and Deputy Director of the Shusev State Museum of Architecture in Moscow, will discuss the history of Moscow’s Melnikov House, an icon of 20th century Russian architecture, and the tragic life of the architect Konstantin Melnikov in a collectivist society.

The Melnikov House, designed by Konstantin Melnikov for himself and his family, is an icon of the Russian architectural avant-garde. The experimental cylindrical structure was built between 1927 and 1929 to test Melnikov’s concepts for mass-produced housing. Melnikov believed that the essence of his house lay in the balance and equivalence of weight, light, air, and heat. The original layout, elegant spatial arrangement, and ingenious engineering techniques are combined in a unique architectural form that still looks modern. Retaining some historic elements of the 20th century, the house also reflects the tragic life of this solo architect in a collectivist society.

Pavel Kuznetsov will discuss the history of the Melnikov House from inception in the early 20th century through establishing the museum in 2014 and today’s conservation project. He will explore the newly discovered information that uncovered the architectural, engineering, and philosophical ideas lying behind Melnikov’s ambitious plan to build an architectural manifesto in 1920s Soviet Russia.

Reception + Lecture:

THURS, FEBRUARY 27, 2020 – 5:00pm to 7:00pm PST
Inform Interior, 50 Water Street, Vancouver, BC
Presented by the West Coast Modern League
In Partnership with Inform Interiors

Reception from 5–6:00pm. Presentation from 6–7:00pm.

Registration Required:

Free event. Open to the public.

 

EVENTS: Melnikov House: Saving an Avante-Garde Icon

 

The West Coast Modern League gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Inform Interiors, DIALOG Vancouver, and the Audain Art Museum.

 

Pavel Kuznetsov

Pavel Kuznetsov, is an economist by education, and a researcher in Soviet avant-garde architecture by vocation. He lives in a constructivist apartment in a house commune in Moscow and works as deputy director of the Schusev State Museum of Architecture. Since 2014, he has overseen the collections and archives of the Melnikov House and its transition from a private home to a public museum. As director of the State Museum of Konstantin and Viktor Melnikov he also directed the pre-conservation survey of the Melnikov House, supported by a grant from Keeping it Modern, an initiative of the Getty Foundation. His book, The Melnikov House: Icon of the Avant-Garde, Family Home, Architecture Museum was published in Berlin in 2017. When not researching, he was the first Russian to successfully swim the English Channel (in 14 hours, 33 minutes, 25 seconds).

Iconic Houses Lecture Series

The Iconic Houses Lecture Series launched in 2014 in five cities in Europe to raise awareness about modern house museums and their frequent struggles to survive. As speakers, we welcomed the directors of and experts on some of the world’s most Iconic Houses, such as Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, Philip Johnson’s Glass House and Eileen Gray’s Villa E-1027. The initiative in Europe was taken by five house museums: Sonneveld House, Haus Ungers, Villa Stenersen, Villa Tugendhat and Van Schijndel House, followed in 2018 by Villa Müller. After the successful tours in Europe, Iconic Houses launched its first Iconic Houses Lecture Tour to 3 venues in the US and Canada in February 2020, with Pavel Kuznetsov’s lecture on the Melnikov House. All previous lectures can be found on the Iconic Houses website.

Iconic Houses

Iconic Houses makes life easier for fans of 20th century architecture, even acting as the ultimate architecture travel wish list. The website provides a handy reference for 150 of the world’s most iconic modern house museums and private homes that you can visit by appointment, some even accommodating overnight guests. It’s also a bucket list for planning your next country or city trip. www.iconichouses.org

 
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Canada’s west coast holds an inspired and enduri Canada’s west coast holds an inspired and enduring legacy of exceptional modern architecture and design. What started as largely a domiciliary exploration has since proliferated across architectural typologies and design disciplines, the tenets of which continue to inform city building efforts to this day, and we are here for all of it!

MODERN WEST COAST PLACES is the League’s ongoing effort to capture the modernist body of work across the south coast and into the interior regions of British Columbia, focused on architecture, landscape architecture, public spaces, and the allied arts. The League’s aim is to create a space to learn about the full breadth of works that have and continue to put our region on the global design map. Our inventory takes the mid-century period as its point of departure, a time when the west coast was fertile ground for experimentation and innovation in the pioneering design principles that would become West Coast Modernism. This expression of modernism, more appropriately responsive to the domestic lifestyles, culture, rugged natural terrain, resources, and rainforest climate, was first recognized in the 1941 B.C. Binning House and continues to play a prominent role in contemporary practice while adapting to modern lifestyles and the increasing pressures of development and climate change. 

Updated often, what is published on our website is but a fraction of our broader inventory. If you have any questions about the works published, would like to nominate a place for the catalogue, and/or have any information that you think would be of benefit, please get in touch. 

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#modernwestcoastplaces #westcoastmodern #westcoastmodernarchitecture #westcoastmodernism #vancouverarchitecture #vanarch #pnwarchitecture #midcentury #midcenturymodern #midcenturymodernhouses #midcenturyhouses #mcmhome #contemporarydesign #iconichouses #architecturalheritage #modern #modernarchitecture #architecture #landscapearchitecture #interiordesign #modernlandscape #moderninteriors #canadianarchitecture #canadamodern #modernheritage #design #postandbeam #architecturelovers #westcoastmodernleague #wcmlvan
September 30th is the deadline to participate in t September 30th is the deadline to participate in the @architecturefoundationbc's Architectural Industry Diversity Survey. Please take a few moments to submit your answers to these important questions.

LINK IN BIO TO TAKE THE SURVEY

Designed to help drive meaningful change and advocacy, the IDEA Committee (Inclusion, Diversity and Equity in Architecture) of the Architecture Foundation of British Columbia has launched a voluntary industry demographics survey extending to all people working in the architectural field, administered by Stratcom, an independent, third party consultant. The survey is a confidential tool designed to guide the future advocacy work of the AFBC, and is one step in the evolution of the architecture industry in BC. The survey intends to highlight aspects of the industry relative to demographics across three broad categories: financial compensation, barriers and opportunities, as well as, satisfaction and effectiveness. The anonymous results will be publicly available upon completion in late 2023.

Survey participants have the opportunity to enter a random draw to win 5 $100 VISA gift cards..
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#architecture #britishcolumbia #pnwarchitecture #vancouverarchitecture #vanarch #architectureindustry #industrysurvey #architecturefoundationbc #westcoastmodernleague #wcmlvan
The League congratulates this year’s recipients The League congratulates this year’s recipients of @westernliving's Designers of the Year awards.[1] We salute this group of designers carrying the torch for a long tradition of design excellence in Western Canada. In its 16th year, the annual awards honour the body of work of designers in Western Canada, selected by a jury of experts from around the world.

2023 Designers of the Year:

Architects of the Year: @simonmontgomerystudio 
Interior Designer of the Year: @falkenreynolds 
Arthur Erickson Memorial Award for an Emerging Architect: @bioi_studio 
Robert Ledingham Memorial Award for an Emerging Interior Designer: @knightvarga 
Fashion Designer: @norenstudio 
Landscape Designer: @donohoelivinglandscapes 
Industrial Designer: @propellorstudio 
Furniture Designer: alanhungstudio
Maker: @tavceramics 

[1] Introducing Western Living’s 2023 Designers of the Year Award Winners, August 30, 2023. Western Living Magazine.

#westernliving #2023WLDOTY #westerncanada #design #westcoastmodernleague #wcmlvan
Join our growing community! The renewed and growi Join our growing community!

The renewed and growing appreciation of our region’s modern west coast design identity, its distinctive culture, and its future outlook is exciting! It has taken a considerable effort by a great number of people over the decades to get us to this point, from designers to artists, writers to curators, and academics to heritage advocates. 

The League is a leading voice among many in our community with a commitment to explore our modernist roots while looking towards our modern future, and to celebrating the contributions of the many across our region, and further afield, who are committed to the cause.

If you haven’t already subscribed to our newsletter, do not wait any longer! Follow us and subscribe to be the first to hear about the League's exciting schedule of upcoming events and projects, advocacy initiatives, local design news and events, giveaways, and much more.
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#westcoastmodern #westcoastmodernism #westcoastmodernarchitecture #westcoastmodernliving #modernarchitecture #architecture #landscapearchitecture #alliedarts #vancouverarchitecture #vanarch #vancouverism #vancouverurbanism #canadianarchitecture #design #modernlandscape #postandbeam #midcenturymodern #midcenturymodernhouses #midcentury #iconichouses #iconicbuildings #artarchitecture #architectureevents #designsalon #architecturesociety #nonprofit #designadvocacy #britishcolumbia #westcoastmodernleague #wcmlvan
In its current state, the Challier House admittedl In its current state, the Challier House admittedly presents many challenges. With a considerable investment, it has potential. Back in its day, the design exuded modern elegance and a gentle insertion into its cliffside setting. It has a natural sophistication in its bones.

Of the design, “the steep and rocky site presented a challenge to architect Jim Tettamanti. The easiest part was the front thirty feet. Behind this was a dome of rock. Tettamanti came up with an open-V floor plan that angled to the view, and placed the entrance and bedroom wing parallel to the road on a shallow stone foundation. The other arm of the V extended over the hill and provided a recreation room on the lower level opening to the extensive concrete deck and swimming pool. From the road the low-level, flat-roof house presents a modest profile with few windows. On the view side, however, the V-shaped plan exposes the spacious indoor and outdoor living areas to one of the finest setting in the Lower Mainland.”[1]
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Challier House, 1961
West Vancouver, BC
Designed by James R. Tettamanti
Landscape by Raoul Robillard

MLS #R2813421

[1/Images] Western Homes & Living. May 1964.

Link in bio for MODERN WEST COAST PLACES, the League's ongoing survey of modern west coast buildings + projects
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#westcoastmodern #modernhouse #midcenturymodern #midcenturymoderndesign #cliffhouse #poolwithaview #modern #architecture #modernarchitecture #vancouverarchitecture #vanarch #canadianarchitecture #iconichouses #heritagehouse #modernheritage #fixerupper #architecturelovers #archilovers #artarchitecture #westvancouver #britishcolumbia #herbertchallier #jamestettamanti #raoulrobillard #modernwestcoastplaces #westcoastmodernleague #wcmlvan
Behind every modern house is a story more interest Behind every modern house is a story more interesting than any fiction could tell, and while this house has certainly seen better days, its history is storied. Known as the Challier House, it was originally built in 1961 and, while Challier was himself an architect, the home was designed by James R. Tettamanti with landscape by Raoul Robillard. 

Herbert Challier was a graduate of UBC architecture and would go on to work for McCarter Nairne before establishing his own private practice based first in Yaletown and eventually out of this home. Over his career, Challier had a history of working on theatre designs and is credited for designing Grouse Mountain's "Theatre in the Sky." He was also a varsity rower and a skier on the Whistler Ski Patrol. 

This was not Herb Challier's first home on the North Shore. The Challier family originally lived in a forested subdivision, leaving for this oceanview home when suburbia engulfed the surrounding forest. Their 1951 home was one of the original Neoteric houses, designed by none other than Fred Hollingsworth.

Challier House is currently on the market and, with an enthusiastic owner and a healthy budget, it could go on to be a stunning home for future generations. 
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Challier House, 1961
West Vancouver, BC
Designed by James R. Tettamanti
Landscape by Raoul Robillard

MLS #R2813421

[Images 2-4] Courtesy of Sam McColl

Link in bio for MODERN WEST COAST PLACES, the League's ongoing survey of modern west coast buildings + projects
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#westcoastmodern #modernhouse #midcenturymodern #midcenturymoderndesign #cliffhouse #poolwithaview #modern #architecture #modernarchitecture #vancouverarchitecture #vanarch #canadianarchitecture #iconichouses #heritagehouse #modernheritage #fixerupper #architecturelovers #archilovers #artarchitecture #westvancouver #britishcolumbia #herbertchallier #jamestettamanti #raoulrobillard #modernwestcoastplaces #westcoastmodernleague #wcmlvan

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