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Salk Institute
Louis I. Kahn
Andrew Pun
EVDA 621
October 18, 2011
Form characterizes a harmony
of spaces good for a certain
activity of man.
LOUIS KAHN 1960
Form is an integral theme in architectural theory because it defines the spirit of the architectural work itself.
Louis Kahn was guided by a set of principles which influenced his architectural philosophy and manifested into
his works. His concept of Form was free yet concise and he expressed this understanding in the Salk Institute
for Biological Research located in La Jolla, California. In analyzing this case study, it is evident how Kahn began
to search for form through a series of design iterations and the social and cultural factors that influenced the
form of the project. Finally, I will add my own thoughts on form in relation to Salk Institute.
Salk Institute is situated on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Since no formal programme was given, the
programme evolved throughout the course of the project. Kahn included three main programmatic functions
in his first scheme: housing, laboratories, and a common Meeting Place (Fig. 1).
1
In Louis I. Kahn: Building Art,
Building Science Thomas Leslie notes that this scheme was almost immediately abandoned after its presen-
tation to the city, and Kahn even apologized to Salk for its too rapid conception and lack of sensitivity towards
the site.
2
After establishing a general site layout, Kahn shifted his focus to the form of the building itself. In a
second iteration, he turned the vertical laboratories into four rectilinear two-story blocks. James Steele suggests
in Architectural in Detail: Salk Institute, while this approach began to respond to the expansiveness of the area
available to him, problems with access to pipe work led Kahn to think of another solution.
3
In the final scheme,
Kahn revised the number of laboratories, reducing the four blocks to two. He also increased the number of
stories to three, but placed one storey below grade to give neighbouring developments clear views. Each block
contained five porticos of studies with a 45 wall looking out to the Pacific Ocean (See figure 2).
4
Through
meticulous design process, Kahn carefully considered the notion of Form in relation to the site and for the
laboratories.
Scheme 1
Figure 1: Schematic Development of Site Plan
Scheme 2 Scheme 3 As- Built
Meeting Place
Laboratories
Housing
Main Circulation
ocean views
Study Porticos
The form of the Meeting place which was also carefully considered, changed significantly in all three schemes.
In the first proposal, the meeting place was configured as a rectilinear group, around closed courts and con-
nected by an ambulatory.
5
In the second iteration, Kahn look towards Hadrians Villa in Tivoli and grouped the
spaces around a covered hall which acted as the ambulatory. He also began conceiving interstitial spaces
between inner and outer surfaces and how to separate them.
6
The final proposal shows the Meeting place as
a balance between the rational and the organic in which each element occupies its appropriate place in a
thoughtful composition.
7
This suggests for Kahn, the search for form not only encompassed the site, or an
individual building, but in between the relationship of buildings.
Scheme 1 Scheme 2
Scheme 3
1
2
3
Figure 2: Development of Form for Laboratories
Figure 3: Relationship of Buildings for Meeting Place
Kahn struggled in finding a form for what is now one of the most iconic spaces of the Salk institute the central
court. In fact, early sketches reveal Kahn had envisioned the court to include some kind of natural vegetation,
but Steele notes, after collaborating with engineer and self-trained architect Luis Barragan, Kahn was advised
against the idea.
8
The addition of trees would hinder the purity of Kahns idea which was to unite the surface
of the faade to the sky as if everything had been hollowed out.
9
Indeed, had Kahn fulfilled the initial garden
concept, the same effect experienced today would have been lost.
Several social and cultural forces also influenced the form of Salk Institute. One major event that helped Kahn
gain the commission for the project was his speech entitled Order for Science and Art related to the Richards
Medical Research Building at the University of Pennsylvania. Here Kahn spoke of form as a harmony of
spaces good for a certain activity of man and making the immeasurable measurable.
10
This sentiment aligned
with Salks own values who envisioned a space where even Picasso could come to visit and believed
medical research does not belong entirely to medicine or the physical sciences. It belongs to Population.
11

Through a synthesis of these two ideas Kahn was able to devise a form that would test the limits of his
philosophies because his client shared similar values.
Figure 4: Iterations of Form in Central Court Early Sketch by Louis. Kahn
Another challenge of form based on social and cultural influences relate to problems with financial funding.
By 1965, the project had reached $14 million and the master-plan had not been fully realized. Today, only the
laboratories have been constructed. Steele proposes: [w]hile the residential portion of the complex may argu-
ably have been omitted without serious damage to the form idea, the loss of the Meeting Place has seriously
compromised it, to the great detriment of the institution
12
Steele explains that the Meeting Place represented
the antithesis of the laboratories and was an irreplaceable component to the project.
13
Although the absence of
the Meeting Place may have compromised the project, In hindsight, it has served a higher purpose within the
history of architectural theory. The relevancy of Form or lack of is constantly in contention in architectural
theory.
In examining the idea of form in relation to the Salk Institute, it becomes clear how several determinates oper-
ated at various levels to reveal what the form should be. In an essay entitled Form and Design, Kahn writes that
Form is what, and Design is how.
14
What the site demanded was a form that could mediate between the sky
and Pacific Ocean and unify the expansiveness of the bluff. Kahn found this form at the macro scale, but also
explored the notion of form at many other levels; from grouping of buildings, to the individual building itself,
and finally to interstitial spaces around the central courtyard. At each level, there is a consistency and logical
thought process that can be followed in the quest for form from one iteration to the next.
Kahn also wrote that Design is a circumstantial actform has nothing to do with circumstantial conditions
15
,
however, there were several social, cultural, and economic factors of the time that influenced the form of the
Salk project. The lessons learned at the Richards Medical Centre allowed Kahn to make that essential depar-
ture from the first iteration to the second. Leslie also proposes for Kahn, form was another expression of type.
16

Kahn was also very fortunate in having Salk share a similar vision with him. Without his commitment and trust,
he would never have been able to develop a form that embodied his architectural philosophy completely. The
absence of the living and communal aspects at Salk also raise important questions about the form of the proj-
ect itself: what would the project be like if it had been fully realized? And would we have the same discussion if
the master plan had been completed? Although we can only speculate, it serves as an important topic on the
synthesis of Form and relevance in architectural theory today.
Political Factors
Cultural Factors
Historical Factors
Social Factors
Figure 5: Social and Cultural Factors for Salk Institute
works cited
1. Steele, J. (1993). Architecture in Detail: Salk Institute. London, UK: Phaidon Press Limited. (p. 1)
2. Leslie, T. (2005). Louis I. Kahn: Building Art, Building Science. New York: George Braziller Inc. (p. 135)
3. Steele, J. (1993). Architecture in Detail: Salk Institute. London, UK: Phaidon Press Limited. (p. 2)
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid.
9. Ibid.
10. Bell, N. a. (2005). Louis I. Kahn. New York: Phaidon Press Limited.
11. Steele, J. (1993). Architecture in Detail: Salk Institute. London, UK: Phaidon Press Limited. (p. 2)
12. Ibid.
13. Ibid.
14. Bell, N. a. (2005). Louis I. Kahn. New York: Phaidon Press Limited.
15. Ibid.
16. Leslie, T. (2005). Louis I. Kahn: Building Art, Building Science. New York: George Braziller Inc.
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Salk Institute
Louis I. Kahn
Andrew Pun
EVDA 621
November 1, 2011
I believe that consciousness is
in all life.
LOUIS KAHN 1969
The human body and architecture have always shared an intimate relationship with one another and this notion
is completely embodied in the Salk Institute. Dr. Salk was guided by the belief that medical research does not
belong entirely to medicine or the physical sciences. It belongs to population (Steele, 1). And what he meant
was anyone with a mind, with or without a scientific background, could discover new frontiers in biomedical
research. Grounded in this belief, Kahn was able to translate the theme of body into architecture at varying
degrees. These include the building as body, the building for bodies, and the type of bodies the building pro-
duces.
Perhaps the most direct connection between the body and architecture relates to Dr. Jonas Salk and nature
of his work itself. In 1955 Dr. Salk discovered a vaccine against polio and after successful tests he became an
instant public figure. This in turn helped him establish the Salk Institute as a place where young scientists could
focus on their careers and medical research.
However, the Salk project can also be considered as a body itself. In Vidlers essay The Building in Pain, he
illustrates how architecture was understood as a projection of the body, especially in the Classical and Re-
naissance era. Vidler draws on Renaissance theorists like Francesco di Giorgio who writes: the organs are
arranged in and around the body as a function of its needs and necessities; one should do likewise in cities
(Vidler, 4). This is also suggested by Steele who notes, if the laboratories may be referred to as the lungs of
the Salk Institute, the Meeting Place was to be its brains (Steele, 16). This analogy helps our understanding
of the organization of the Salk Institute. Like a brain that needs oxygen to operate, the Meeting Place was situ-
ated closest to the Pacific Ocean because it needed the ocean to draw inspiration from. The function of lungs
is to manage the flow of oxygen, and similarly in the laboratories this inspiration is processed into new medical
discoveries.
thinking
Pacific Ocean
Figure 1.0 Diagram showing the building as body and
related functions
Oxygen
inspiration
originality
working
air exchange
carbon dioxide removal
processing
respitory system
exhaling
breathing
air cycling
air management
flow
brilliance
ideas
discussion
brainstorming
intellectualizing
innovating
scholars
creating
new
collaboration
analyzing
knowledge Meeting Place
Laboratories
Facial symmetry also has associations with physical attractiveness, beauty, and health. The formal configura-
tion of the laboratories shows a very symmetrical organization along the central axis in plan. One can speculate
that after several iterations to find a form for the laboratories one factor which helped Kahn establish the sym-
metry was the associative bodily qualities.
The Salk Institute may also be regarded as a building for bodies. In The Medical Body in Modern Architecture,
Comina writes: Not only did modern architecture emphasize health and exercise...their architecture was under-
stood this way (Comina, 1). While no formal program was given, Kahn envisioned the Salk Institute as a place
where researchers and scholars could live, work, and play, that is, a place where all functional and needs of the
body were cared for. The emphasis of health and exercise is supported by Steele who writes: the far-sighted
theme of health as a unitary or holistic process is constantly stressed [in the Salk Institute], as is the study of
both the body and mind of total person (Steele, 1). The initial concept that the Salk project would extend be-
yond a medical research centre lends itself to what Steele notes as the study of a totality of values integral to a
vision of total health (1). n of total health (1).
elf to what Steele notes as the study of a totality of values integral
SALK
INSTITUTE
A PLACE TO WORK A PLACE TO LIVE
HEALTHY
MINDS
HEALTHY
BODIES
HEALTHY
SOULS
A PLACE OF PLAY
TOTAL
HEALTH
RESEARCH
LABORATORIES
MIND
BODY MIND
LIVING
PLACE
MEETING
PLACE
Figure 2.0 Comparison between facial symmetry and plan
Figure 3.0 Venn diagrams of the relationship between health and architecture
Comina also writes: even more significant is the impact of medical thought on domestic architecture, the con-
stant preoccupation with ventilation, sunlight, hygiene, and white walls (Comina, 1). Although this project is not
domestic architecture, the same principles apply. In Kahns essay Form and Design he describes the labora-
tories as the architecture of air cleanliness and area adjustability (Kahn, 470). Kahn was very interested in the
management of air. Since the nature of research work was ongoing throughout the day, Kahn had to devise a
heating ventilation and air conditioning system that would remain in operation constantly. Leslie notes the air
strategy was to make the air to breathe be away from the air to throw away (243). Kahn employed two strate-
gies to handle air which included a dual duct system in the north building and a reheat system in the South.
Proper air circulation of air and comparable to the human bodys circulation of blood. The implementation of
two strategies employed for air quality management highlight Kahn intentions to make a building functional to
the bodies that inhabit it.
North Building
Dual Duct System
South Building
Reheat System
Figure 4.0 Comparison between air ventilation system and blod circulation
Through the configuration of spaces, Kahn was also thoughtful about the human psyche and type of bodies
the building could produce. For example, Kahn deliberately separated the porticoes of studies by bridges to
maintain a sufficient physical and psychological distancing between private and collaborative thought (Steele,
4). The choice in materiality is also expressive of how the body should function. Kahn used teak wood in the pri-
vate studies, a symbol of reflection and growth, and concrete in the laboratories symbolic of work and produc-
ing results. Steele notes that both Kahn and Salk were involved in the colour and quality control of concrete and
that Kahn even researched the components used in Roman pozzolana in order to achieve a similar reddish hue
(Steele, 9). This attention to coloration in the walls speaks to Kahns attention to the human psyche and overall
concept of the building as a humanistic approach to medical research. It becomes clear that Kahn wanted the
building to produce total bodies that were well nourished and cared for both physically and psychologically.
The human body has played a significant role in architectural form as a metaphor and physical presence. In the
Salk Institute, the importance of the theme of body was strongly felt from the onset of the project. This enabled
Kahn to see the building as a body in terms of organs and symmetrical configurations, the building for bodies
through ventilation and air quality control, and a place that promoted total health. Finally, the attention to the
human psyche by materiality changes and color hues show how Kahn thought the building could inform the
bodies it produced.
Passion
Creativity
Intellect
Safety
Stability
Wisdom
Figure 5.0 Color wheel and psychological associations and coloration of concrete
works cited
1. Steele, J. (1993). Architecture in Detail: Salk Institute. London, UK: Phaidon Press Limited.
2. Leslie, T. (2005). Louis I. Kahn: Building Art, Building Science. New York: George Braziller Inc.
3. Bell, N. A. (2005). Louis I. Kahn. New York: Phaidon Press Limited.
4. Colomina, B. (1997). The Medical Body in Modern Architecture, in Anybody. MIT Press
5. Vidler, Anthony. The Building in Pain: The Body and Architecture in Post-Modern Culture. AA Files 19.
6. Freud, S. Creative Writers and Daydreaming in P. Gay ed., The Freud Reader. W.W. Norton & Co.
t
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Salk Institute
Louis I. Kahn
Andrew Pun
EVDA 621
October 18, 2011
...the assumption is of order as a rigorous
delineation and within that the building
as object. So the external boundary is
set, and by grid and sub-grid a method
of exact subdivisions begins...
Cecil Balmond in New Structure and the Informal
"

After reading this article, I wanted to explore the Kahns technique of

Order at the Salk Institute in plan view. I began with a regular grid 6.0
x 6.0 m grid and then began transforming it based on a hierarchy of
spaces and Kahns notion of served and service spaces. The intention
was to see whether or not an overall sense of Order could still be
achieved based on an irregular grid system.
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ddddddddeeelliinnnnnnnneeeaaaaattttttttiiiooonnn aaannnndd wwwwwwwwwiiiiiiiiitttttttthhhhhhhhhhiiinnnnnn ttthhhaaattt tthhhee bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbuuuuuuuuuuuuiiiiiiiillldddiiinnngg
aaaasss ooobbbbbbbbjjjeeecccttt. SSSSSSSooo tthhheee eeexxxttttteeerrrnnaal bbooounddaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrryyyyyy iiisss
sssssssseeeettt,, aaannndd bbbyyyyyy gggrriiddd aaanndd sssuuubbb--gggrriiidddd aaa mmmeeeeeeeeeeettttttttthhhhhhooooooodddddd
ooofffffff eeexxxaacccttt ssssuubbddiiiivviiiisssiiiooooonnnsss bbbeeeggggggiiiinnnnsss...........
Ce Ce Ceci ci cil l l Ba Ba alm lm l on on o d d inn innnnnnnnn NNew ew ew SSStr truc uctu tu ture re re a aand nd t tthe he h II Inf nf nfor or or o ma ma m ll
Af fte ee te eeer r rr re re re ead ad ad ad dddin in inn in inng g g gggg th th hhhh this a art rttic ic ic i le, I I wanted to ex e plore eeeee the Kahns techn hh ique of
Or Or Or Or Or Or Orde de de de de dee ddd rrr r r r at at at at at at a tttt tthe he he he he e he SSS SSS SSSal aaaaa k kkkk In Innnnst st ss itttut ut t u e eeee in i plan view wwwwww. I be bbbbbb gan with a regular grid 6. 6.0 000
x x x xxx xx 6. 6. 6. 6. 66. 6. 666 0 00 00 0 m m mm mmm gr gr gr gggrr gg id idd id aa aaa aand nd nd nd nd nd nd dd tttt ttthe he he he he he he e h n n be be be bee be be be b ga gaa g n n n trannnnnsf sfor or ooor ormi mmm ng it based on a hierarchy hy yyyyy of fff
sp sp sp sp sp sp sp sspac ac ac ac ac ac ac aces es es es es es es es e aaa aaaaand nd nd nd nd nnd nd nd nd d KKKKKK KKKK Kah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ahh ahhn n n n n n n nn s s s s s ss s s s no no no no no no no nn ti ti ti ti ti ti ti tion on on on on ooon on oo oooooof ff f fff se se se se se se seeerv rv rv rv rv rv rv rv rv rved ed ed ed ed ed ed ed ed e aaaaa aa aa aand nd nd nd nnd nd service spaces. The intention
wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wwa aas s ss s sss to to to to to tto to o ss sssssee ee ee ee ee ee ee ee e w wwww wwwwwhe he he he he he he hhe heth th th th th th th th h ther eer er er er r eer er e oooooooorrr r rrrr no no no no no no no no no o n ttttt tt t an an an an an an aan an an an an oo oooo ooove ve ve ve ve ve ve ve vv ra ra rra ra ra ra ra ra ra r ll ll llllll s sssssssssen en en eee se se o ooof f Ordeer r co cccccoo co coul ul ul uul ld d d ddddd st st st sstil il i l be
aac ac ac ac ac achi hi hi hhi hi iev ev ev vvved ed dd ed d b bbas as as as ssed ed ed ed e o oooo ooooooon n n n n an an an an n an an an an a iii iiiiirr rr rr rr rr rr rr rrreg eg eg eg eg eg eg eg egul ul ul ul ul ul ul uuu ar ar ar ar ar aaar ar aar gggggg gg gg i ri ri ri ri ri r dddd d d dddddd sy sy sy sy sy sy sy sy sy syst st st st st st stt st steem em em em em em em em e .
Architecture is an art because it is in-
terested not only in the original need
for shelter but also in putting together,
spaces and materials, in a meaningful
manner. This occurs through formal
and actual joints. The joint, that is the
fertile detail, is the place where both
the construction and the construing
of architecture takes place...
The Tell-the-Tale Detail by Frascari in
Kenneth Framptons
The Case for the Tectonic
"

Kahn was especially interested in the joint and paid

careful attention in the details to reiterate broader
concepts and ideas of his works. Steele notes that
rather than trying to conceal the joint, Kahn chose
to accentuate and that the holes left by the form
ties were not patched so the spacing was care-
fully considered. The intention of these diagrams
is to see what the building may have looked like if
the treatment of the form-ties and spacing were
considered differently.
no form-ties
spacing for
9 form ties
spacing for
5 form ties
This diagram illustrates how the building may have
been constructed (based on a detail drawing found
in The Details of Modern Architecture by Ford) As
suggested by Tafuri, much of the modernism move-
ment began exploring mass assembly and a kit of
parts approach towards architecture. After doing this
exercise, it is evident that Kahn was unlike most
architects of his time and thought of buildings
differently through methods of construction.
Formwork Materials List
3/4 x 3/4 tapered wood strip inserted at joint
between pours
two 2x6 beams to counteract pressure of wet
concrete
screw type form ties
3/4 plywood formwork
4x4 structural wood support
...the single building is no longer an object
now. It is only the place in which the individual
cells, through elementary assembly, assume
physical form...
M. Tafuri
Towards a Critique of Architectural Ideology
"

How was the Salk Institute understood in the past and how is it un-
derstood today? Various forms of media have given meaning to the
building. The purpose of this diagram is to see what types of media
and methods of communication have influenced our undertstanding
of the building, and what methods of communication continue to give
meaning to the building today.
Rapidly, we approach the final phase
of the extensions of man the tech-
nological simulation of conscious-
ness, when the creative process of
knowing will be collectively and cor-
porately extended to the whole of hu-
man society, much as we have already
extended our senses and our nerves
by the various media.
M. MacLuhan
Understandsing Media
"

19959-11199999999996555555
con nstr s uct u ion
965 965
pre-co onst s ruc uction
to 1999999955555999 to 1959
psot-constructi ction o
1966-- PPPresent
psot constructio ot constructio
works cited
1. Steele, J. (1993). Architecture in Detail: Salk Institute. London, UK: Phaidon Press Limited.
2. Cecil Balmond, New Structure and the Informal, in Pierluigi Nicolin, ed. Lotus International 98, 1998,
pp. 70-83
3. Kenneth Frampton, Rappel a Lordre, the Case for the Tectonic, in Kate Nesbitt, ed. Theorizing a
New Agenda for Architecture, 1996.
4. M. Tafuri, Toward a Critique of Architectural Ideology, in K.M. Hays, ed., Architecture and Theory
since 1968, MIT Press, 2000.
5. Marshall McLuhan, Understanding Media, in E. McLuhan and F. Zingrone, eds., Essential McLu-
han, Anansi, 1995.
s
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Salk Institute
Louis I. Kahn
Andrew Pun
EVDA 621
December 05 2011
I sense Light as the giver of all presences, and material as spent Light. What is made by Light
casts a shadow, and the shadow belongs to Light.
Louis Kahn, Architecture: Silence and Light (1969)
The purpose of the diagram on the following page was to explore the daylight effects and spatial
qualities of the central courtyard at various times of the day. The mass model was geo-located in La Jolla, CA for
accuracy. What I learned in doing this exercise was that in the mid afternoon, the courtyard experiences more
shade than I previously thought and the most tranquil experience occurs at the end of work day, around 5:00 pm.
"

6:00 am 8:00 am 10:00 am

12:00 pm 2:00 pm 3:00 pm
4:00 pm 5:00 pm
6:00 pm
Materiality becomes important in understanding a character of the space. The intent of this diagram was to see how Kahns use of natural
materials with concrete and wood informed the organization and formal logic of the space through a sectional perspective drawing. The
notion of served and service space, public and private is clearly expressed through the proportions and consideration of different materials.
The materials are there to signal the passage of time and a bonding with place, with the
authenticity of living.
Abalos, Heidegger in his refuge: the existensalist house
y g y g
Title:Senior Researcher
Activites: Supervise lab
experiments, lead teams
Spatial Requirements: Study
Portico, Lab, Offices
Title:Int.Researcher
Activites:Carry out experi-
ments, report to senior
researchers
Spatial Requirements: Lab,
Offices
Title:Student Researcher
Activites:Assisting lab
researchers, carrying out
experiments
Spatial Requirements: Lab
Title:VisitingResearcher
Activites:Offer critique of
experiments, new insight,
lab experiments
Spatial Requirements: Lab
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s
The relationship between the space of flows and the
space of places, between simultaneous globalization
and localization are not predetermined in their outcome
-Manuel Castells
The intent of this diagram is to represent the number and groups of people that would inhabit the build-
ing by doing a sample character profile of one person from each of the group. Next, I wanted to show
the flows of people and exchanges of information in the use of the institution in plan and section. The
learning outcome for this diagram was Kahns deliberate use of the open plan allowed for maximum
flexibility and constant flow of communications and ideas. This formal move allowed for non-predetermined
outcomes to occur, an important concept for medical research.
works cited
1. Steele, J. (1993). Architecture in Detail: Salk Institute. London, UK: Phaidon Press Limited.
2. M. Casterlls, The Space of Flows, in The Rise of the Network Society, John Wiley and Sons, 2009,
pp. 376-378 &410-428.
3. M. Heideggar, Building, Dwelling, Thinking, in D.F. Krell, ed., Martin Heidegger Basic Writings,
Harper, 1993, pp. 344-363.
4. I. Abalos, Heidegger in his refuge: the existentialist house, in The Good Life, Editorial Gustavo Gili,
2001, pp. 37-59.
5. Tom McDonough, Situationist Space, in T. McDonough, ed., Guy Debord and the Situationist Inter-
national, 2004, pp. 241-265.
6. Bell, N. a. (2005). Louis I. Kahn. New York: Phaidon Press Limited.