BIM methodology for unbuilt architecture. Louis Kahn's Parasol Houses

Abstract

Although Kahn was mainly known for his public buildings, he also carried out a large number of residential projects. In 1944, along with Oscar Storonov, he submitted the Parasol Houses project to the “Equipment for Living” competition (Brownlee, 1998), which was never built. The project represents his dedication to the modern architectural language and diverges from the austerity present in his earlier housing designs and his later approaches anchored in history and tradition.
The main goal of this work is the recovery of the image, through current parameters, of the Parasol Houses project by means of the creation of a virtual model developed on the basis of BIM technology. This analysis aims to rescue and highlight the architectural memory of one of Kahn’s unbuilt works, emphasizing the importance it had for his professional evolution and his contribution to the Modern Movement.
Based on the available documentation developed by the architect, a virtual 3D model has been elaborated that will make it possible to approach the “built” work, allowing different aspects of the project to be studied, such as the behaviour of light, the configuration of the spaces, the materials and the furnishings.
The dissemination of the model via immersive and interactive platforms also aims not only to vindicate the memory of a project that never came into the word, but also to make up for the sensation of experiencing and interacting with the work of a fundamental architect like Kahn, to the extent of the enormous possibilities that new technologies offer, sharing the historical and artistic transcendence of his creations.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.20365/disegnarecon.32.2024.17