Yale University Restores Louis Kahn's Mathematical Gem

March 11, 2007

The Yale University Art Gallery — Louis I. Kahn's first important commission — is considered his debut masterpiece. Designed while Kahn was a visiting critic at Yale's School of Architecture, the building represented a radical break from the neo-Gothic buildings that characterized the campus. His design was celebrated especialy for its geometry, beauty and light, as well as for its structural and engineering innovations. Among these were the housing of electrical and ventilating systems in hollow, concrete tetrahedrons that make up the ceiling, appearing to float overhead.

When the gallery opened in November 1953, what was called the Yale University Art Gallery and Design Center included expansive, open spaces for the exhibition of art, as well as studio space for use by art and architecture students.

When the restored Yale University Art Gallery opened last December -- three years and $44 million later -- Kahn's mathematical elements -- representing order and proportion -- were again on display: the signature tetrahedral ceiling, the concrete cylindrical stair tower that shelters the metallic triangular stair, and the perfectly proportioned glass and steel curtain wall.

Best of all, the open spaces for the exhibition of art are open for all to see for the sum of $0.