Michael Graves: Renowned Postmodern Architect Known for Humana Building & Disney Hotels

MICHAEL GRAVES
SUBMITTED BY:
DEEPAK KUMAR SINGH
SUSHANT SCHOOL OF ART
AND ARCHITECTURE

INTRODUCTION
• DATE OF BIRTH : APRIL 1934
• PLACE OF BIRTH : INDIANAPOLIS IN INDIANA, U.S.A
• NATIONALITY : AMERICAN
• EDUCATION :
I. RECEIVED ARCHITECTURAL TRAINING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
CINCINNATI & HARVARD UNIVERSITY.
II. WON “THE ROME PRIZE” IN 1960 & STUDIED FOR 2 YEARS AT
“AMERICAN ACADEMY” IN ROME.
• PROFESSION :
I. BEGAN HIS PRACTICE IN 1964 IN PRINCETON, NEW JERCY.
II. FIRM- MICHAL GRAVES & ASSOCIATES, 1964.

INFLUENCES
• GRAVES CONTINUES TO TURN TO ARCHITECTURE ITSELF FOR HIS
INSPIRATION.
• HE HAS A DEEP INTEREST IN EXISTING ARCHITECTURE :- ANCIENT,
NEO- CLASSICAL, MODERN - & DERIVES PLEASURE FROM
REINTERPRETING IT’S FORMS & COMPOSITIONS.
• HE GIVES CREDENCE TO THE BASIC TENET THAT THERE IS NO SUCH
THING AS AN ORIGINAL IDEA BUT THAT EVERYTHING ORIGINAL IS
BASED ON THE REWORKING OF WHAT ALREADY EXISTS.
• ONE VERY STRONG INFLUENCE ON THE WORK OF GRAVES IS THE
INTEREST IN & APPRECIATION OF; THE SIMPLE DOMESTIC RITUALS OF
LIFE THAT ONE ENJOYS OR OUGHT TO BE ABLE TO ENJOY, DESPITE
THE SPEED AT WHICH TECHNOLOGY IS RURTLING US INTO THE CYBER
SPACE.

PHILOSOPHY
• GRAVE’S LANGUAGE OF ARCHITECTIRE OPERATES ON A
NUMBER OF LEVELS. IT IS MEANT TO BE LEGIBLE & A PART OF
EVERYDAY LIFE.
• SECONDLY, & CERTAINLY NO LESS IMPORTANT, ALTHOUGH ADMITTEDLY
MORE UNDERSTANDABLE TO THE TRAINED EYE, IS A PASSIONATE &
SOMETIMES PLAYFUL INTEREST IN REWORKING THE COMMONLY
ACCEPTED LANGUAGE OF ARCHITECTURE INTO A UNIQUELY PERSONAL
EXPRESSION OF WHAT IT MIGHT BECOME, WITHOUT LOSING IT’S
IDENTITY. THE REWORKING OF WHAT EXISTS INTO WHAT IS UNKNOWN
BUT STILL RECOGNIZABLE IS THE GOAL.
• GRAVE’S PRACTICE IS PRACTICE IN THE LITERAL SENSE OF THE WORD. HE
IS CONSTANTLY PRACTICING THE RULES & PRINCIPLES OF
ARCHITECTURE.
• HE DESIRES TO CREATE A PLEASANT, COMFORTABLE ENVIORNMENT FOR
THE PEOPLE IN HIS BUILDING.

HIS CONTINUALLY EVOLVING EXPERIMENTATION WITH ARCHITECTURAL
FORM & LANGUAGE AT THE LEVEL OF ABSTRACTION & FIGURATION, SCALE &
COLOR, SIZE & STRUCTURAL SYSTEM IS SUCH THAT, THERE IS EMERGANCE
OF NEW IDEAS WITHOUT DENYING EXISTANCE OF TRADITIIONS.
FIGURE 1 : Denver Central Library, 1990-1996
http//:archdaily.com

ARCHITECTURAL STYLE
• GRAVES HAS BEEN AN ARCHITECT WHO IS NOT SIMPLY CONCERNED WITH
FORMAL MANIPULATION OF A SELF- REFERENTIAL LANGUAGE BUT IS EQUALLY
OCCUPIED WITH A BUILDING’S SIGNIFICANCE WITH TIME & PLACE.
• HE DESIGNS BUILDING IN A NEAR- POPULIST ATTITUDE, SO THAT NON
ARCHITECTS CAN RECOGNIZE DISTINCT ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS WITHIN
THEIR COMPOSITIONS & RELATE THEM IN SCALE TO THEIR OWN BODIES.
• HIS EARLY PROJECTS REVEAL DISTINCT REFERENCES TO THE
ENVIORNMENT THAT THE BUILDINGS ARE A PART OF:-
 A CURVE REFERRING TO THE CLOUDS ABOVE.
 A YELLOW RAIL REFERRING TO THE SUN.
 A TERRACOTTA BASE SUGGESTING GROUNDING IN THE
EARTH.
 A MURAL EXPANDING THE PERSPECTIVE OF A ROOM.

GRAVES STYLE IN 1980
1. GRAVES STRATEGY HAS BEEN “TO INTERNALIZE THE EVENTS
OF THE BUILDING”, IDENTIFYING PARTICULAR COMPONENTS
OF THE PROGRAM THAT CAN BE GIVEN FORMAL EMPHASIS.
THE RESULT IS THAT THESE LARGE COMPLEXES BECOME CITIES
INTO THEMSELVES, SELF CONTAINED BY SOMEWHAT INWARD
LOOKING.
2. WHETHER THE EMPHASIS OF THE BUILDING IS PRIMARILY
HORIZONTAL OR VERTICAL, A HIERARCHIAL ROUTE IS
ESTABLISHED THROUGH THE REPETITIVE SPACES.
3. RELATIONSHIP B/W INDOORS AND OUTDOORS BY “PUSHING THE
WALL AS FAR OUT AS IT CAN GET TO MAKE A BAY WINDOW
THAT GRABS THE LIGHT” e.g. HUMANA BUILDING
OR BY CARVING SOMETHING OUT OF THE FACE OF THE
BUILDING SO PEOPLE CAN LITERALLY GO OUTSIDE, e.g.
TAZIMA BUILDING.

Figure 2: THE HUMANA BUILDING, 1985, Louisville, KY, United States
http//:www.michaeklgraves.com

ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
1). BUILT FORM
 INFLUENCED BY THE ROMAN STYLE,
GRAVES TRIED TO CREATE GRAND
INTERIOR SPACES BUT BROKEN
DOWN TO HUMAN SCALE.
 CUBICAL FACADES TREATED IN THE
CLASSICAL THREE PART
DIVISION OR TRIPARTITE FORM
WITH THE BASE, SHAFT &
CORNICE.
 IN LATER PROJECTS, THE STRICT
FORM OF THE CUBE IS
BROKEN. FIGURE 3: THOMSON CONSUMER ELECTRONICS AMERICAS
HEADQUARTERS, 1994
INDIANAPOLIS, IN, UNITED STATES
http//:http://www.michaelgraves.com/

2). WINDOWS
 IT FORMS THE BASIC ELEMENT AS SURFACE TEXTURE, DUE
TO THEIR PROPORTION & REPETITION.
HUMANA BUILDING PORTLAND BUILDING WALT DISNEY
DOLPHIN HOTELFIGURE 4: http//:http://www.michaelgraves.com/

MAJOR WORKS
PLACE : LOUISVILLE,KENTUCKY,HUMANA
DESIGN STARTED :1982
DESIGN COMPLETED:1985
STRUCTURE MATERIAL USED: STEEL FRAME & GRANITE
NO. OF STORIES : 26
HUMANA BUILDING
FIGURE 5: VIEW FROM OHIO RIVER
http//:www.michaelgraves.com

 HUMANA BUILDING IS THE
HEADQUATERS OF WELL-KNOWN
AMERICAN COMPANY SPECIALIZING IN
HEALTH CARE.
 THE MODERN BUILDINGS SURROUNDING
THE SITE ARE SET BACK FROM THE
STREET ON PLAZAS, ERODING THE
HISTORICAL URBAN STREET WALL
PATTERN.
 IN CONTRAST, THE HUMANA BUILDING
OCCUPIES ITS ENTIRE SITE AND RE-
ESTABLISHES THE STREET EDGE AS AN
ESSENTIAL URBAN FORM.
FIGURE 6:

 THE 525,000 SQUARE FOOT BUILDING INCLUDES TWO PARKING LEVELS, RETAIL
SHOPS ON THE FIRST FLOOR, AND OFFICES AND CONFERENCE CENTER ABOVE.
FIGURE 7: SITE PLAN

 THE BUILDING’S FORMAL ORGANISATION REFLECTS ITS DEVISION INTO THESE
SIGNIFICANT PARTS
 THE LOWER PORTION, SIX STORIES HIGH, IS DEVOTED TO PUBLIC SPACE AND
TO HUMANA’S EXECUTIVE OFFICES.
 GENERAL OFFICES ARE LOCATED IN THE BODY OF THE BUILDING.
 THE CONFERENCE CENTER OCCUPIES THE 25TH FLOOR, WITH ACCESS TO A
LARGE OUTDOOR PORCH OVERLOOKING THE CITY AND THE RIVER BEYOND .
FIGURE 8: TWENTY-FIFTH FLOOR TERRACE

WALT DISNEY WORLD
DOLPHIN & SWAN HOTEL
 LOCATION : WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT, FLORIDA
 DESIGN STARTED : 1987
 DESIGN COMPLETED : 1990
 AREA : 2- MILLION SQ. FEET
 STRUCTURE : REINFORCED CONCRETE & STEEL
SUPERSTRUCTURE
 MATERIAL : EXTERIOR INSULATION & FINISH SYSTEM WITH
PAINTED MURALS.
FIGURE 9:

 THE 1,500 ROOM WALT DISNEY
WORLD RESORT DOLPHIN FACES
ITS COMPOSITION PROJECT,THE
758-ROOM WALT DISNEY WORLD
RESORT SWAN HOTEL, ACROSS A
LARGE CRESCENT SHAPED
ARTIFICIAL LAKE.
 BOTH HOTELS CONTAIN
EXTENSIVE CONVENTION
FACILITIES, RESTAURANTS, AND
RETAIL SHOPS.
FIGURE 10: SITE PLAN

FIGURE 11: PLAN OF DOLPHIN HOTEL

FIGURE 12: PLAN OF SWAN HOTEL

 THE COLORS AND DECORATION OF THE
TWO HOTELS SUGGEST THE CHARACTER
OF FLORIDA RESORTS AND PROVIDE A
THEMATIC CONTEXT CONSISTENT WITH
DISNEY’S PROGRAM FOR
“ENTERTAINMENT ARCHITECTURE”
 GIGANTIC STATUES OF DOLPHINS AND
SWANS MARK THE ENDS OF THE HOTEL
ROOFS, MAKING THE HOTELS VISIBLE AND
RECOGNIZABLE FROM A GREAT DISTANCE.
 WITHIN BOTH HOTELS, THE LOBBIES,
BALLROOMS, GUESTROOM CORRIDORS,
RESTAURANTS, AND THE OTHER AREAS
EXPERIENCED BY HOTEL VISITORS ARE
EMBELLISHED BY A WIDE VARIETY OF
PATTERNED MATERIALS AND CUSTOM-
DESIGNED LIGHT FIXTURES AND
FURNITURE,DELIGHTING THE VISITOR
WITH THE UNEXPETED.
FIGURE 13: DOLPHIN HOTEL FACADE

 LOCATION : DENVER, COLORADO
 DESIGN STARTED : 1990
 DESIGN COMPLETED :1996
 TOTAL FLOOR AREA : 133,000 SQ. FEET (RENOVATION) &
405,000 SQ. FEET (NEW CONSTRUCTION)
 STRUCTURE : STRUCTURAL CONCRETE WAFFLE SLABS ON
CONCRETE COLUMNS
 MATERIAL: CAST STONE, NATURAL STONE,TIMBER & COPPER
ROOFING
DENVER CENTRAL LIBRARY
FIGURE 14:

INTRODUCTION
• Michael Graves was commissioned in 1990 to renovate and design an
extension to the Denver Central Library.
• Sitting adjacent to Denver Art Museum, the Denver Central Library stands
as the 8th largest library in the United States.
• The 405,000 s.f. addition to the existing library allows for the original
building designed by Burnham Hoyt in 1956 to maintain its own identity.
• So much so that Graves’ addition and the original library are two parts in a
larger composition that are connected by a three story atrium.
• The expansive atrium serves as a new main entrance that becomes the
main focal point for visitor orientation and circulation to either wing of the
library.

FIGURE 14: SITE & GROUND FLOOR PLAN

 THE SCALE AND COLORATION OF THE
ADDITION, AS WELL AS THE
INDIVIDUALIZED MASSING OF ITS VARIOUS
COMPONENTS, ALLOW THE ORIGINAL
LIBRARY TO MAINTAIN ITS OWN IDENTITY
AS ONE ELEMENT OF LARGER
COMPOSITION.
 TWO MAJOR PUBLIC ENTRANCES
ESTABLISH AN EAST-WEST AXIS THROUGH
THE GREAT HALL, A THREE STORY PUBLIC
ROOM OF URBAN SCALE WHICH IS THE
FOCAL POINT FOR VISITOR ORIENTATION
AND CIRCULATION.
 THE SOUTH-FACING ROTUNDA CONTAINS
SPECIAL SUCH AS THE REFERENCE ROOM,
THE PERIODICALS CENTER AND, ON THE
TOP FLOOR, THE WESTERN HISTORY
READING ROOM.
FIGURE 15: WESTENTRY LOOKING TOWARDS THE
GREAT HALL

 THE LATTER ROOM, WHICH CONTAINS SPECIAL FUNCTIONS OF LOCAL
MATERIALS, IS CENTERED ON A TIMBER DERRICK LIKE STRUCTURE THAT
FIGURATIVELY RECALLS THE NATION’S WESTWARD EXPANSION.
FIGURE 16: READING ROOM

• For a post-modern building, the
interior of the library is fairly
conservative when it comes to the
decorative aesthetics.
• Most of the spaces appear as
traditional library spaces
composed of natural wood evoking
a sense of grandeur and
extravagance.
• Only in the reading rooms is there
any trace of the post-modern
aesthetic.
• One begins to understand the
abstracted colonnades, vaulting,
and colorful painting creating
more of a fun learning
environment rather than a stark,
serious library space.

• The Denver Central Library may be one of the first library’s to function
more than just a library.
• In addition to the extensive literary collections, the library functions as a
community gathering space consisting of multipurpose rooms, meeting
facilities, shops, a café, and a special “museum-like” collection on the
American West.
• he Denver Central Library sits affixed in Downtown Denver as not only an
academic institution, but as part of a larger cultural epicenter.

• Michael Graves house in the university town of Princeton, New
Jersey, is a highly personal work by an architect best known for
large-scale projects.
• The residence is being renovated from a ruined warehouse. So
Graves often address his house as ‘warehouse’.

• Modest in scale and virtually invisible from the public street, the
‘Warehouse’ is nonetheless a symbol of Graves’ passionate belief in an
architecture which is both natural and humane. Its quiet grandeur reflects
his final rejection of the machine aesthetic of the Modern Movement.
• The house is a personal statement and a private retreat, where Graves keep
the furniture, pictures, books, sculptures and other objects accumulated
during a lifetime of collecting.
• Graves like John Soane, sees his house as a place to display his
collections, which will one day be available to the interested public. John
Soane’s museum house has always been an inspiration for Graves.

• The warehouse is an L-shaped building, consisting of a northern wing and
an eastern wing.
• The original north wing, hidden from the street, had large doors where
trucks regularly disgorged loads of household accessories.
• The later wing, at right angle, was much narrower. It was here that Graves
first made his home. He installed a kitchen and bathroom and lived like a
student at first.
• In mid eighties with his practice booming, he tackled the northern wing,
bringing in other members of his office to assist and began work on the
garden. This second phase of work took four years and was followed by a
year of work in the kitchen wing.
• The formal inauguration of house take place in 1992, when a conference of
US Governors took place in Princeton and Graves held a garden party for
the Governors’ spouses.

EXTERIOR
• The exterior has a quiet monumentality, which derives from the vernacular
barns and farmhouses of the Italian countryside.
• Graves have rejected ‘canonic’ classicism in favour of a freer and more
‘natural’ approach to design and stresses that the house is intended as a
practical place to live rather than a monument, despite his long term plans
to preserve it and possibly house an archive of his work there.

• The elevation of the house cannot be read in terms of conventional classical
design. Informal and vernacular in inspiration, they equally have an almost
Cubist abstraction which suggests connection with Graves’ earlier houses.
• The chimney stack in particular, is a boldly expressed sculptural design.
• The unity of house and garden is key theme. Graves seeks an idealized
landscape, recalling those he loves to paint in Italy, and planting is
subordinated to an overall architectural intent. The warm and slightly
irregular texture of the stucco, contributes greatly to the overall effect of
the exterior.

• Highly sculptural in treatment and rigorous in its exclusion of ornament,
the Warehouse looks beyond replication and more genuine ‘traditionalism’.
• The entrance court at the house is a dynamic and yet comfortable space,
open to the sky and preparing guests for the relatively low and intense
entrance hall.
• The dining room looks into this space, which has an agreeable ‘inside/out’
quality.

INTERIORS
LIBRARY
• The Library is placed such that it behaves as connecting area between
Living room and East garden.
• The library has a sense of verticality and highly architectural in treatment,
like a street of colonnaded buildings.
• Skylight enlightens the volume of the library from the top.

WORKSPACE | STUDY
• The house is close to Graves’ office, but he occasionally works in here and
keeps a small functional study room on the first floor.
• He often expresses himself in the delicate, enigmatic water colours he
paints, on his tours.
• Study room is lit by the square window on the front wall.

LIVING ROOM
• Graves’ living room is equally
made for comfort rather than
mere show. The relatively low
floor to ceiling heights in the
building – dictated by the
original structure – have been
cleverly utilized to produce
interiors of some intensity.
• Alcoves to the living room are
distinctly Soanean in form, but
reflects the dimension of
original store rooms used by
Princeton students to store
everything from books to grand
pianos.
• A terra-cotta-colored wall sets
off furnishings that range from
antiques to chairs designed by
Michael Graves.

DINING ROOM
• The dining room is lit by tall
metal framed windows which
look onto the courtyard which
seems to form a natural
extension to the space.
• The chimney-piece has an
austerity which is more
Modernist than Classical.
• Many of the accessories in this
room were sold as Grand Tour
souvenirs a century ago.
Michael designed the glass-and-
metal centerpiece vessel for
Steuben (Manufacturer of
handmade art glass and
crystal).

• The Warehouse is a highly personal building, which expresses not just
Michael Graves, master builder, but equally Graves the sceptic and
questioner of orthodoxies, whether modern or ‘traditional’. The house is
clearly both modern and traditional.
• If its plan is essentially Classical and its use of light and shade specifically
Soanean, the easy flow of the spaces and the essential informality of the
building provide a reminder of its architect’s roots in the Modern movement
• The Warehouse is indeed, a clear statement of a lively traditionalism which
remains a powerful strand in contemporary American design.
• Its quiet beauty is the work of a man who has played a key role in
reshaping the face of architecture in the late twentieth century.

INTRODUCTION
• The Maritime Experiential Museum is an iconic structure that draws its
inspiration from sea-going vessels and thus embodies the stories contained
in the exhibits and programs presented inside.
• Throughout the day, the shadows and dappled light cast by the ribbed
frame will enliven the interior exhibits.
• The interactive exhibits and the circular 300-seat Typhoon Theater, provide
a wide variety of experiences for visitors.
• The exhibit focuses on the maritime Silk Route, which historically stretched
from Southeast Asia to Oman. Geographically, Singapore is an important
part of this history.

• The Museum is set back from the water’s edge by an esplanade with a
covered pedestrian loggia that allows visitors to enjoy the view of the
mainland across the bay.
• At night, when viewed from the water, the glass facade of the Museum will
reveal the brightly-lit interior, becoming a beacon on the water and a
landmark on the horizon.
• West of the Museum, a small marina will display examples of sailing
vessels, a tourist attraction in its own right, which lends an air of
authenticity to the museum complex.

• The Museum and Marina are
thematically linked to the adjacent
outdoor Marine Life Park and form
a rich tourist experience focused
on the sea, marine life and
maritime experiences.
• Along the waterfront at the base of
Universal Plaza is the Showplace
Theater, with large stone steps
creating a seating area for 2,000
people.
• With views across the bay to the
main island, this is the location of
the Crane Dance, a nightly sound
and light show in the water that
epitomizes the fun and drama of
Resorts World.

PORTLAND MUNICIPAL SERVICES BUILDING
• Built : 1980- 1982
• Type : Government offices
• Cost : US$29 million
• Floor : 15
• Location : Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon, USA
• height : 71.6 m

BUILDING CHARACTERISTIC
• Its distinctive block-like design and square.
• Use of sculptural forms ornaments.
WINDOW
• Cubical facades treated in the classical three part division or
tripartite form with the base , shaft and cornice Anthropomorphism.
FACADE
• Uses column as an surface treatment and defining the cornice or
the head of the building and entrance.
• Façade are symmetry and linearity broken by adding vertical band
of color and window
SCULPTURAL ELEMENT
• These form are sculptural and somewhat playful
• These forms are not reduced to an absolute minimum; they are built
and shaped for their own sake.
• The building units all fit together in a very organic way which
enhance the effect of the form.
• It has a typical symmetrical façade which was at the time prevalent
throughout postmodern building

HANSELMANN HOUSE, FORT WAYNE, INDIANA
• Built : 1967
• Type : house
• Context : suburban
• Style Block : massing
• House content : family of two adults and four children
• The house is understood frontally by the layering of three principal facades
• The house and the space immediately in front of it make a double square in
plan and volumetrically a double cube, with one being open and the other
enclosed

QUOTATIONS
• I don't care what people call me, labels have the negative value of making
smaller boundaries for people.
• I see architecture not as Gropius did, as a moral venture, as truth, but as
invention, in the same way that poetry or music or painting is invention.
• I don't believe in morality in architecture.
• In designing hardware to be used every day, it was important to keep both
the human aspects and the machine in mind. What looks good also often
feels good.

BIBLIOGRAPHY :
• http://architecture.about.com/od/greatarchitects/p/graves.htm
• http://architect.architecture.sk/michael-graves-architect/michael-graves-
architect.php
• http://www.michaelgraves.com/architecture/project/the-humana-
building.html
• http://www.archdaily.com/91274/ad-classics-denver-central-library-
michael-graves-associates/
• http://www.archicentral.com/st-coletta-school-washington-dc-usa-michael-
graves-associates-6373/
• http://efbdesigns.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/michael-graves-
powerpoint.pdf
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Graves
• http://www.cfstinson.com/Finishes/SampleBrowser.jsp?lid=1001&ds=.patte
rn.descriptor.hp._2Fdescriptors_2Fcollection_3DMichael+Graves&rt=Michae
l+Graves+Collection&srk=7&lsc=2
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ArchINFORM
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre_Dame_School_of_Architecture
• http://www.archdaily.com/86804/ad-interviews-michael-graves/
• http://www.walsh-construction.com/projects_washington.htm
• http://www.michaelgraves.com/
• http://www.di.net/about/senior_fellows/

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