Typography in architecture

[megmog]

This topic was imported from the Typophile platform

Hi,

I'm a graphic design university student going into my final year and have chosen to do my dissertation on the use of typography in architecture.

Most of the resources on this topic focus on signage or wayfinding systems, but I would like to look at buildings where typography is much more integral to the overall design; this could be as part of the actual building (such as the wales millennium centre) or separate but in a way that really adds to the overall impact of the design.

I'm struggling to find good examples of this, especially in the UK where I stand a better chance of being able to talk to architects/typographers involved in the project – I'm appealing for suggestions please! I know there are a couple of other posts in this forum related to this and I've already checked the references out. REally helpful but I jsut need more examples really

Any suggestions of buildings that use typogrpahy or related resources would really be appreciated, thanks!

[Renko]

A friend of mine is an architect whose studio is called x architekten in Linz, Austria. In 2001 they built a house for a family in Upper Austria where one of the supporting pillars was formed as a giant x. The copy of the architectural database nextroom says: »… this pillar is simoultaneously sort of a signature of the architects …" and the well-known newspaper Der Standard has seen this also in his architectural essays: »… this X can be read as an architectural label and links to the authors of the house …«

See more images and stories at the Nextroom. (german only)

Hope this is what you are looking for.

(Image copyright: Herta Hurnaus)

[satya]

http://www.typophile.com/node/35184
http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/architecture-and-type-a-modern-marriage
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/05/0525_dandan/source/7.htm
http://www.cityofsound.com/blog/2006/12/typotecture_typ.html

[Renko]

There is another one in my surrounding: The Lentos, muzeum of Modern Art in Linz. It is a clear concrete building with a glass surface. And in this glass there are hundreds and thousands of little signatures »lentoskunstmuseum« seen, which give the glass structure a translucent feeling. At the empty spaces the word LENTOS is formed. At night the glass is highlighted with different coloured lamps, so the building is shining violet, green and red (if I remember the colours correctly)

See more pictures at the website and at google/images with the keyword »lentos«.

[timd]

http://www.publiclettering.org.uk/BritishLibrary.php

Tim

[jupiterboy]

This may not count, but Mr. Ando's building in Fort Worth features a large Y column.

http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/texas/ftworth/ando/pavs2.jpg

Now this was not intended as a letter by the architect, but the form is obvious enough that no one protests the use of the letter as descriptor.

[Renko]

Have you seen the Steingruber Alphabet? Where »each letter of the alphabet is made into a plan of a palatial building.«

Quite interesting … but don't know if you are looking for these things.

[lore]

Smart kid. It's a fantastic topic for a dissertation. Please, make sure you don't miss Nicolete Gray. If there's an authority on this issue, that's her.
http://www.typophile.com/node/31044
If you have access to the AR issues mentioned on the thread you'll find great photos. Unfortunately, I only have photocopies.
Good luck! I'm very interested in this topic, I'd love to know how works is proceeding.

[Endre Berentzen]

I did this ID for an architectural developer & contractor last year. The x drawn in the ID is composed out of two seperate shapes working as individual architectural elements. This allows the company to embed the brand in the viewers mind without it feeling forced upon you. More images will be uploaded when the project is completed.

[kris]

Yo,

Not quite architecture, but these sculptures by Catherine Griffiths are amazing. And this is a house she wrapped in type!

[Guerella]

The House of Terror in Budapest.

http://wwwold.terrorhaza.hu/index3.html

[megmog]

wow, thanks everyone! This is all really useful stuff. It brings up some interesting questions that I've been trying to work out myself too e.g. where does the line come between type that is truly integrated with the building and type that is just an addition? At first I thought I'd just assume that if the type is 'part of the building' e.g. carved into it, then it's integrated, but I think it's more complex than that – loads of old buildings have engraved letters that don't really make much impact on the design and then you'll find a building that has type effectively as a sign stuck onto it, such as Fukutake House suggested by satya, but the type is much more integral to the overall design. Any thoughts?

If people are interested here are some of the best examples I've found so far:
OXO tower, Wales Millennium Centre, TVAM building in Camden, Milan Polytechnic College, Graduate House of Toronto University, ESISAR school of engineering in France, South African Constitutional Court. I've also happened across some mentions of Fortunato Depero who seemed to be part of a futurist movement and designed structures/buildings that were entirely type for advertising purposes, but I haven't been able to find much information on him. Does anyone know anything about him?

The Steingruber Alphabet suggestion is really interesting – I'll definitely be looking into this more! As for Nicolete Gray, I agree; she is definitely the main source of writing on this subject. I've found her book Lettering on Buildings, which I think includes most of the articles Iore mentions, as well as Alan Bartram's Lettering in Architecture and Jock Kinneir's Words and Buildings. A few other books are slightly related but those are the best I've found so far. Does anyone know of any more recent books on the subject? The most recent of these is 1980 and using typography and architecture has become a lot more common in the last few years I think?

Sorry for the length of this post!

[nora g]

I think that Lawrence Weiner also worked with Type and Architecture. And whats about Jenny Holzer?

[lore]

Fortunato Depero is a well known Futurist, probably not as much as Marinetti but I'm sure you'll be able to find stuff on him on the internet or in a good library. But I don't understand your question, sorry. Structures that were entirely type for ad purposes? Let me know.

[megmog]

Sorry if I wasn't clear. The buildings that I've seen are the Campari pavillion and the book pavillion for the Bestetti, Tuminelli, and Treves publishing houses. I've only seen a drawing of the Campari pavillion (you can see it at the bottom of this page http://www.cityofsound.com/blog/2003/12/index.html), I don't think it was ever built. This is the Treves pavillion: www.rebel.net/~futurist/depero.htm.

As you can see they're made almost entirely out of type and use the letters of the companies as a form of advertisement. Hope that helps!

[lore]

Right! Great links. I had seen those before but I don't know where. I'll ask around. Are you planning to cover a specific period in your dissertation or is it a general overview?

[megmog]

Well, I'd like to concentrate on more recent stuff, say the last 20 years or so, as it would be good to try and see if there's a bit of a trend emerging. But all examples are good and it would be useful to have some more historical references. Cheers.

[Tim Ahrens]

The Minnaert Building, University of Utrecht, Neutelings Riedijk Architects
http://eng.archinform.net/projekte/7930.htm

Thisn one is also funny:
http://gutter.curbed.com/archives/2005/08/12/gutter_mailbag_lick_the_alp...

[eivind]

You might also consider graffiti? There at least an obvious connection between lettering/ lettershapes and buildings. I know Dutch graffiti artist Delta aka. Boris Tellegen has done a collabo too, where the goal was to merge graffiti and architectural form. Check out Delta's homepage http://www.deltainc.nl/site/index.html and the architecture project: http://masterplan.ooo.nl/introductionE.html and http://www.showroommama.nl/projects/masterplan.cfm

[dezcom]

Tim,
Great shot!

ChrisL

[Tim Ahrens]

Oops, that photo was actually not my own, if that is what you meant. I was not at home and did not have access to that. The one above is from here: http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/minnaert/minnaert.jpg

However, my own shot looks virtually the same, only with a few more bicycles:

Another shot from the NL trip:

Indicates the flat numbers accessible through that entrance, I believe.

And another one:

Question: What makes this use of Scala special?

[lore]

What makes this use of Scala special?
Is it because Scala was designed for the Vredenburg Music Center in the Netherlands, which is the building in the photo?
Great photos, Tim!

[Tim Ahrens]

Bingo! Well done, lore!

[dezcom]

So it is kind of like their version of La Scala in Italy?

ChrisL

[bergh]

http://pentagram.com/blog/2007/07/sign-of-the-times.php