John Lautner’s work largely focused on the relationships between the users, space, and nature.  As John Lautner once said, “Shelter is the most basic human need”. Bold geometry and an exciting use of concrete and glass are prominent in many Lautner buildings.  His work also featured progressive engineering.

The Chemosphere house, an octagon atop a thirty foot high concrete column, was designed for a lot so steep it was considered unbuildable.  The home has become iconic, serving as inspiration and scenery in numerous television and films.

Lautner’s design for Googie’s Coffee Shop inspired the commercial Googie style, characterized by exuberant signage aimed at car traffic.

Sources: johnlautner.org, artknowledgenews.com, apartmenttherapy.com

Rodney Walker was a designer and builder who built about 100 modern homes, mostly in Southern California.

Walker pioneered the creation of private spaces within an open floor plan, refining a key element of modern architecture. His homes are characterized by transparency, floating roof planes, and what were, at the time, innovative materials such as steel, plywood, and fiberglass panels.  Walker also served as builder and designer on most of his homes, to ensure that they were built according to his vision.

Walker preached the need to build high quality houses at a low cost.  He worked avidly to eliminate waste.  In these values, Walker shared the mantra of LivingHomes and the prefab movement.

In the late 1940s, Walker built three houses as part of Arts & Architecture Magazine’s Case Study House Program, Case Study Homes #16, #17A, and #18.  All three were built with a modular wood construction system, clearly defined private and public areas, and integrated indoor and outdoor spaces.

Sources: http://www.housing.com/categories/rodney-walker.html, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_Walker_(architect)

Photo by Tim Street Porter

Photo by Julius Shulman

Photo by Julius Shulman