Symbolic houses of steel steal the show

  DANIEL WONG/Daily Bruin Senior Staff The art show in
Perloff Hall contains many photographs, models and plans of
buildings created by Barton Myers.

By Michelle V. Gonzales
Daily Bruin Contributor

Cold steel and fragile glass are the least favored elements in a
warm home.

But the concept of the steel house, developed by UCLA Professor
Barton Myers of the Department of Architecture and Urban Design,
has created a new idea in the development of housing.

An exhibit showcasing Myers’ steel-framed constructed
houses, entitled “3 Steel Houses,” will be on display
at Perloff Gallery now through Feb. 8. The exhibit originated at
the University Art Museum at UC Santa Barbara, where Myers donated
most of his works, features sketches, floorplans, models and
photographs of his houses.

The concept of steel-framed houses was first conceived when the
economic boom resulting after World War II led to mass production
of goods like cars and appliances. From this economic boom of goods
came a housing development boom, known as the Case Study houses, in
an attempt to make houses mass produced and more affordable.

“It was a challenge (for) designers to try to incorporate
mass production in the production of homes,” said Thomas
Schneider, an associate architect from Myers’ firm, Barton
Myers Associates, Inc. “The idea was to take industrial
materials that are prefabricated and put them together in a
house.”

The three steel houses that will be featured are located in
Canada and California. Photographs of the houses show the closeness
to nature that the houses encompass. The Myers’ residence in
Ontario, Canada was the first steel house to be constructed.

Within the house is a central atrium, an area that allowed the
growth of indoor plants despite the harshness of the Canadian
winter climate.

The second house, the Wolf House, also located in
Canada, became a symbolic statement of industrial products and
their futuresque use in housing. The building’s windows
constitute most of the wall space and face lush surrounding
greenery.

The third house, in California, appropriately reflects the
various aspects of the California lifestyle. Located in Toro
Canyon, the house provides a full radial view of the area and is
housed between the Pacific Ocean and the mountains. This structure
is built to experience nature yet protect itself from it, switching
between closure and openness through the use of rolling garage-like
metal doors.

“The idea was to show that even with these prefabricated
materials and off-the-shelf, mass-produced products, there is still
room for creativity and individuality,” said Kelly Robinson,
archivist for Myer’s firm.

The exhibit shows the progression of Myers’ ideas and the
development of his career. Although his architecture firm
specializes in larger scale projects, like public theaters and
buildings that feature moving walls, shifting stages and various
seating arrangements, all of his projects embody the idea of
flexibility within different, changing environments.

“The problem is architecture, unlike an art, has a social
context to it,” Myers said. “We have to make things
that work, that are usable for people. You learn from these
houses that you can help other people what you learn from
it.”

Myers’ developments most familiar to the UCLA campus are
Sunset Village and Covel Commons. He also proposed a plaza-like
Westwood Village that featured a central clock tower surrounded by
an abundance of palm trees.

ART: The gallery is located at 1318 Perloff
Gallery, running now through Feb. 8. It is open Monday through
Friday from 9a.m.-5p.m. and admission is free.