The beauty of a beam: The continuity of Joan Torras's beam of equal strength in the work of his disciples—Guastavino, Gaudí, and Jujol

Joan Torras, professor of the strength of materials at the School of Architecture of Barcelona (1871-1910), considered the beam of equal strength not only as a structurally extremely efficient beam, but also as beautiful because of its ability to reflect the material's strength. Torras' st...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Graus, Ramon|||0000-0002-5010-1593, Martín Nieva, Helena|||0000-0001-6310-8391
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2015
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/28089
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/28089
https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15583058.2013.787468
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Architects
Antoni Gaudí
Barcelona
History of architecture
Joan Torras Guardiola
Josep Maria Jujol
Max Möller
Rafael Guastavino
Reinforced concrete
Robert Maillart
Tile vaulting
Arquitectes
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Arquitectura::Arquitectes
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Arquitectura::Composició arquitectònica
Descripción
Sumario:Joan Torras, professor of the strength of materials at the School of Architecture of Barcelona (1871-1910), considered the beam of equal strength not only as a structurally extremely efficient beam, but also as beautiful because of its ability to reflect the material's strength. Torras' structures have left their special mark on Barcelona and on the work of his most illustrious students: Rafael Guastavino in the United States published similar structures, but it was Antoni Gaudí and Josep Maria Jujol who transfigured them mimetically for Barcelona's Park Güell and Tarragona's Metropol Theatre, respectively. These examples will show how an expressive gesture can thoroughly transform a “technical form” into an “artistic form”, a fact that inevitably recalls the wisdom of classical Greek mimesis.