Essay Draft: The Humana Building

The Humana Building in Louisville, Kentucky was designed and built by Michael Graves from 1982 – 1985 in what some say is a staple of the Postmodern movement. This building is one of Graves’ most well known, due to its twist on classic features. There is actually a combination of many classical forms used in the design.

The front façade was very important to the design; each of the four sides differs at least slightly in a combination of color and texture. The heavy appeal to the façade connects to Romanesque architecture, where the façade was also the most important. Also, at the top of the building in the front, it molds into a temple form harkening back, obviously, to Egyptian styles. Some say that the eight story base which extends from the front can be seen as similar to a ziggurat. * The mix of these classical elements emphasize two main things; the first is that the building is important and borrows from well known and well respected designs, the second is that Michael Graves, the architect, wanted to create his own modern spin on these classic designs, connecting the past to the present.

The building itself actually has a mixture of elements from the past. As I have mentioned it has a temple at the top, however the base has columns, reminiscent of Greek and early Roman design. The Humana building is basically a rectangular shape, with a vertical rectangular shape. Verticals were important in this time, as well as during the early Greek and roman periods. The building is a vertical shape, reaching up as far as the eye can see’ or at least when compared to the buildings surrounding it. With the exception of one sky scraper directly next to it, the Humana Building is the tallest building in the area. It does stick out next to the other building, however; the sky scraper is made of almost entirely windows, while the Humana building is constructed of an even mixture of flat pink granite** and windows.

When concerning commodity, function and delight, Michael Graves did a good job. The building has strong materials, while also incorporating elements that were appealing, such as the pink granite. This material is not widely used, and because of this it is very appealing to people walking by; it provides interest. There are other elements in the design which function the same was. For example, the columns at the base help to keep the structure standing, while also serving as a grand entrance way. There is also a large, open curved space near the top which serves as an observation deck. This deck allows for a grand view of the Ohio River as well as other surrounding buildings – this is an element that has a function (a calming place), and is very delightful to those who use it.

Personally I find the Humana Building by Michael Graves to be a very intriguing building. He combines many classic elements, as well as new modern one to create a place for people to enjoy. I believe he blends the elements together nicely, and I appreciate the way in which he designed all the sides differently. Last, I believe he designed the building well in comparison to its use – a calming yet complex place that deals with things that aren’t so simple such as healthcare and insurance.
*http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/kentucky/louisville/humana/humana.html
**http://eng.archinform.net/projekte/6402.htm