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 skyscraper building is one of Graves’ most well known, due to its twist on classic features and the unique materials he used. It is 26-stories high and sits on the Ohio River. The Humana Building was made for the Humana Company which specializes in health care. There is actually a combination of many classical forms, from multiple time periods utilized in the design. Also, this building is unlike other skyscrapers due to the fact that, although it is a large rectangular box similar to other skyscrapers which surround it, each façade differs in a combination of style, shape and color.
The heavy appeal to the façade connects this building firstly to Romanesque architecture, where the front façade is considered the most important. This is a significant comparison because the building is putting on a show for the viewers who walk past, and the detail put into it makes the building more important to those simpler ones surrounding.
At the top of the building, or what is the conference floor, it shapes into a form similar to that of a ziggurat*; a Ziggurat is a type of temple. This once again connects the viewer to the grand feeling and gives of an air of importance about the company, and it helps to make the building intimidating.
At the base, the bottom eight floors of the building are made of large columns which are so wide and tall they will intimidate any customer. The idea of columns originates from Greek and early Roman design, and I believe is utilized by Graves to, once again, express the importance of the building.
The mix of these classical elements – a ziggurat from the Egyptian time, columns from the Greek and Roman period, an important façade from the Romanesque period – all occupy two reoccurring themes. These are, as I have mentioned, intimidation and importance. Healthcare is very significant to people in our country, it is difficult to live well without it. In this way, I believe Graves chose these significant features because they related to the point of the company. They also were easily recognizable and respected. The second factor, intimidation, was key in Graves design because health care itself is no easy thing. Unrelated to the business however, I think Graves also used these obvious designs because in the time of post-modernism, when it was considered okay to borrow from the past but American designers were still searching for what “American design” was, he wanted to put a twist on classic elements, making that statement and connecting the past to the present.
The building not only harkens back to classic designs, but it emulates the surrounding buildings which were previously in existence. He created the 8-story loggia – an Italian design – to sit with the small buildings and shops on the street front (to the right it you face the building), though he still made it taller reinforcing his buildings importance once again. The remaining 18-stories were built up into a skyscraper which places it on the same level of importance as those skyscrapers surrounding it, but most noticeably the tall skinny one to the very left.
Although it has the loggia, making the base almost square, the majority of the building is a rectangle, being vertical in shape. The building has these strong verticals, once again relating it to classic designs where buildings reached up ‘as far as the eye could see.’ This works especially well since most of the surrounding buildings are short – with the exception being the before mentioned tall, skinny skyscraper. It is definitely set apart from this building as well, and that is by the materials which were used to construct the Humana Building.
The skyscraper to the left is made of what seems to be steel and glass, popular during the revolution, while Graves’ Humana Building is made from unique pink granite. Most of the windows are small, differing once again from the other skyscraper which is basically all windows. Graves chose the pink granite** specifically because he wanted a unique material that was this pink color and texture, though it did cause uproar, because of where it came from.
Graves probably did not consider the three factors of commodity, firmness, and delight, but he did a good job incorporating them. The building has a unique design, provoking people to notice, to stop and look. The material is not widely used, and because of this it is very appealing to people walking by; it provides interest. It was functional and commodious, for example, because 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 wonderful view of the Ohio River as well as other surrounding buildings – accessible, though, only to those who attend the meetings, or those of importance, once again creating the superiority of the building.
When compared to the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, one can see many obvious differences; I chose it due it the subtle similarities. The uses of the buildings differ and, though the Proximity Hotel it quite large, it is not as tall as the Humana building. They are different classifications all together, one is a skyscraper. The similarities, though, are the geometric shapes seen through the facades of both buildings. The Humana Building has varying façades, but down to its basics the windows are all squares that follow in straight rows and columns, through the whole side of the building. The Proximity Hotel is the same – it has rows and columns of square windows which never vary in size or placement. They both also have an X mark on a window, or in the place of a window, which furthers the geometric pattern.
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 façades 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.
*http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/kentucky/louisville/humana/humana.html
**http://eng.archinform.net/projekte/6402.htm
Michael Graves: Buildings and Projects 1982 – 1989; Princeton Architectural Press
Kings of Infinite Space: Frank Lloyd Wright & Michael Graves; Charles Jenks
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