Carl Koch (architect)
| Albert Carl Koch | |
|---|---|
| Born | 11 May 1912 Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Died | 3 July 1998 Cambridge, Massachusetts |
| Nationality | USA |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Practice | Carl Koch & Associates |
| Buildings | Techbuilt System |
Carl Koch (May 11, 1912 – 3 July 3, 1998) was a noted American architect. He was most associated with the design of prefabricated homes and development of the Techcrete building system.
Education
He was born Albert Carl Koch in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was educated at Harvard College and received his Master of Architecture degree from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. He completed his studies in 1937. The time he spent at Harvard overlapped with arrival of Walter Gropius, founder of the Bauhaus in Germany.[1]
Career
After completing his education, he moved to Sweden where he worked for Sven Markelius for six months.[2] There he blended what he had learned in his formal education with clean Scandinavian design. These influences were evident in his work, especially the Techbuilt homes.
Work
Koch believed that the American lifestyle would be best served by a housing system which could be easily assembled, disassembled and reconfigured. This passion led him to pioneer prefabrication technologies. His Techbuilt series of homes was designed to be built with prefabricated panels for the walls, floor and roof.[3]
Buildings
His prime legacy is the Techbuilt system of home construction. In the Techbuilt house, the master bedroom is upstairs while the other bedrooms, kitchen and living space are all on the first floor.[4]
Projects
- Snake Hill, Massachusetts group of eight houses (1942) [5]
- Acorn House (1948)
- Staff housing for the US Embassy, Belgrade (1956)
▪️Conantum, Concord Massachusetts. 104 homes on 190 acres of woods along the Sudbury River. Almost 60 acres were and are still held in common by the neighborhood. Koch was a resident from the 50s into the 70s. (1950) <conantum.org>
- The Techcrete Academy Homes (1962)
- Eliot House, Mount Holyoke College (1962)
- Lewis Wharf Condominiums (1972–73), residential renovation of a Boston Waterfront granite warehouse that was built in 1840 on the site of Paul Revere's silversmith shop and John Hancock's warehouses[6]
Legacy
Carl Koch is known for his successful early designs for prefabricated housing. He created the Techbuilt System of home construction. Progressive Architecture magazine gave him the unofficial title "The Grandfather of Prefab" in 1994.[7] In total, over 3,000 Techbuilt homes were sold.[8] He outlined his thoughts and experiences on prefabrication in a book which he wrote with Andy Lewis entitled At Home With Tomorrow (NYC: Rinehart Rinehart and Company, Inc., 1958.)[9]
Awards
- First Award American Institute of Architects (1954)
- Frank P. Brown Medal from the Franklin Institute (1967)
References
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- ↑ Southworth, Susan and Michael (2008), AIA Guide to Boston, Third Edition. Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot Press.
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- ↑ Modernism 101: Architecture
