Lasting Impressions Part 1: Unrealised Utopias
This blog post is the first of a series that will explore select models of architectural and urban design projects that are significant and inspiring to us. The designs described have never been built, but their importance is remembered through lasting drawings, models, and photographs of the models. Follow us on our journey as we uncover the historical and social context that nurtured these concepts and the lasting impact they continue to have today.
Monument to the Third International, Vladimir Tatlin
Model for Monument to the Third International constructed by Tevel’ Shapiro, Sofia Dymshits-Tolstaia, Iosif Meerzon, and Pavel Vinogradov under Tatlin’s direction (1920, reconstructed 1979).
Designed over 100 years ago, Vladimir Tatlin’s Monument to the Third International (1919), is a symbol of communist aspirations and futuristic visions of the early Soviet era. Although the structure was never realised, Tatlin’s drawings and photographs of his scale models survive to tell its story.
Following the Russian Revolution, there was a deliberate effort to replace outdated czarist monuments with ones that reflected modern times. Vladimir Tatlin was one of the artists commissioned to execute this plan. His drawings were publicised and a scale timber model over six meters high was constructed in 1920.
Commonly known as Tatlin’s Tower, the monument was to be a work of sculpture that would rival the Eiffel Tower in size and complexity. The grand structure was designed to straddle the Neva River in Saint Petersburg, with a spiraling double helix of iron reaching 400 meters into the sky. Inside the metal envelope, four geometric glass volumes would rotate at different speeds. Shaped as a cube, pyramid, cylinder, and semicircle, these revolving volumes would form functional spaces to house organisational and advocacy components of the Communist International.
While this architectural and structural feat was not constructed in its entirety, it remains one of the most significant projects of Soviet Constructivism. In a post-revolution world, Russia lacked the materials and the technological resources to fulfill this venture. Thus, Tatlin’s Tower is not only recognised as a symbol of futuristic aspirations, but also an ironic monument to the limitations of the early Soviet state.
Clusters in the Air, Arata Isozaki
The second model for Arata Isozaki’s Clusters in the Air. © DAM and Arata Isozaki. Photograph by Uwe Dettmar
The first model of Arata Isozaki’s Clusters in the Air no longer exists. In its place, Isozaki’s second model continues to describe his utopic visions for the reconstruction of Tokyo following the Second World War. The devastation and destruction caused by the War led to a period of new ideas about the future of architecture and urban design. During this time, a group of young Japanese architects advocated for design that allowed buildings and cities to grow organically and adapt with the evolving necessities of their inhabitants. Emerging in the 1950s, this idea formed the basis of the Metabolist group.
While Isozaki was not formally a member of the group, he responded to their ideas in his 1960-1962 design of Clusters in the Air. Advocating for densification, the Japanese architect conceived an alternative way to design housing, which would capitalise on the space above an existing city. Large supporting cylindrical columns would be grounded on only ten square meters and rise above the city. A series of capsules would branch off the columns, forming apartments which could be added and removed in response to housing demands.
The model seamlessly illustrates this idea. While Isozaki’s vision looks forward, the scale architectural model emphasises the simultaneous connection to Japanese tradition. It is constructed of timber and displays the tree-like branching organicism of the building. The design references traditional technology and wood connections that have been refined over thousands of years – resembling the construction of a tiered pagoda roofing.
Remaining only a futuristic ideal, Isozaki’s design is known through surviving models, black and white photographs of models, and his drawings. This project lives on as a testament to architectural values of flexibility and the capability to meet the constantly changing needs of a city and its inhabitants.