Vladimír Karfík: Memories - 2nd Expanded Edition
The life and work of architect Vladimír Karfík is extraordinary not only in Czechoslovakia but also in a global context. It serves as a lesson and a role model not only for architects but for all those interested in and admiring the construction of the BAŤA concern, which was led by two personalities: Tomáš Baťa (1876 – 1932), the founder, and Jan A. Baťa (1898 – 1965), his successor.
The work REMEMBRANCES is a fundamental lesson for architecture and for the history of Europe in the twentieth century, with regard to developments in the USA. They reflect the works of the main currents of artistic and technical modernity. Upon closer inspection, we see that the work of the main creators of modernity was highly individual. Let us recall the groundbreaking works of Le Corbusier, Mies Van der Rohe, Walter Gropius, the Soviet Constructivists of the 1920s, or the modernists Karel Honzík, Josef Havlíček, Oldřich Tyl, Bohuslav Fuchs, who always created boldly individual styles.
However, the Zlín modernism was somewhat different because it featured applications of two dominant tendencies: function and construction. It went further, applying unification, typification, standardization, and productive economy in practice. This new face was also supported by the fact that architects in Zlín were forced to work for a huge industrial concern, where science, technology, and economy played a major role. Tomáš Baťa, the founder, often said: “There are three values I value the most - time, science, and technology. However, the most important is time - if we neglect it - then science and technology will already be outdated, thus inferior or worthless.” Thus, it could happen that five-story buildings were constructed in six months.
Vladimír Karfík came to the Zlín design office in April 1930 from Chicago, where he was employed for three years at major design firms, almost half of that time with the famous Frank Lloyd Wright. He was discovered by the future chief Jan Antonín Baťa, who was opening 14 shoe stores there. After the tragic death of his half-brother Tomáš (+1932), he personally led the BAŤA company from 1932 to 1939, when he was forced to emigrate through the USA to Brazil.
Vladimír Karfík joined the design department of the concern, where design programs were sometimes enormous. Additional cities and factories were being built in Czechoslovakia: Otrokovice, Napajedla, Zruč n. Sáz., Třebíč, Sezimovo Ústí, in Slovakia Batizovce and Partizánske. There were also large industrial complexes abroad. Let’s name at least the largest: Batanagar in India (20,000 employees), East Tilbury in England (12,000 employees), Olmuth in Germany, Möhlin in Switzerland, Best in the Netherlands, Hellocourt in France, Batavia in Canada, Borovo in Yugoslavia, and Belcamp in the USA. Everywhere, the company surpassed foreign competition not only with scientific and technical levels but also with economic systems.
Vladimír Karfík, although he stood at the head of the design department, always worked on some of his own projects. The most interesting building for him was administrative building No. 21, where he managed to implement, for its time, some innovations: air conditioning, partition walls, but mainly the so-called open office space, the chief’s mobile office in an elevator, washing windows from the outside using an elevator, etc. It was the tallest building in Europe at that time. The buildings of Vladimír Karfík are detailed in the book. In total, there are about 95 completed constructions around the world.
From Zlín, he left in 1946 to the newly established Faculty of Architecture in Bratislava. He worked there until 1979 and participated in the construction activities of Slovakia not only as a university teacher but also as a practitioner in creating most of the country’s fundamental architectural intentions. He utilized all his previous professional and scientific methods, visited foreign countries, and positioned himself among the leading world architects with his work. For his activity, he received numerous awards in Europe and the USA. The expanded edition focuses especially on the period from 1946.
He concluded his rich architectural and teaching activity with a working stay in MALTA, where he served as a professor at the Faculty of Architecture in Valletta, led the project department for construction, and acted as a personal consultant in the office of the President of Malta from 1979 to 1983.
From 1983, he lived and worked in Brno until the end of his life in 1996.
Bibliographic information:
Category: autobiography
Title: REMEMBRANCES
Author: Vladimír Karfík, Prof. Ing, arch.
Publisher: ATELIER IM, Luhačovice (studio Mac Works and publishing)
ISBN: 978-80-85948-88-2
EAN: 9788085948882
Number of pages: 453
Language: Czech, with English captions for images, introduction, and postscript
Photographs: b/w 112
Dimensions: 18.5 x 22.8 cm
Price: 450,- CZK
Edition: 2nd edition 2017 expanded edition (1st edition 2012)
Printer: Cardbox packaging Slušovice
The work REMEMBRANCES is a fundamental lesson for architecture and for the history of Europe in the twentieth century, with regard to developments in the USA. They reflect the works of the main currents of artistic and technical modernity. Upon closer inspection, we see that the work of the main creators of modernity was highly individual. Let us recall the groundbreaking works of Le Corbusier, Mies Van der Rohe, Walter Gropius, the Soviet Constructivists of the 1920s, or the modernists Karel Honzík, Josef Havlíček, Oldřich Tyl, Bohuslav Fuchs, who always created boldly individual styles.
However, the Zlín modernism was somewhat different because it featured applications of two dominant tendencies: function and construction. It went further, applying unification, typification, standardization, and productive economy in practice. This new face was also supported by the fact that architects in Zlín were forced to work for a huge industrial concern, where science, technology, and economy played a major role. Tomáš Baťa, the founder, often said: “There are three values I value the most - time, science, and technology. However, the most important is time - if we neglect it - then science and technology will already be outdated, thus inferior or worthless.” Thus, it could happen that five-story buildings were constructed in six months.
Vladimír Karfík came to the Zlín design office in April 1930 from Chicago, where he was employed for three years at major design firms, almost half of that time with the famous Frank Lloyd Wright. He was discovered by the future chief Jan Antonín Baťa, who was opening 14 shoe stores there. After the tragic death of his half-brother Tomáš (+1932), he personally led the BAŤA company from 1932 to 1939, when he was forced to emigrate through the USA to Brazil.
Vladimír Karfík joined the design department of the concern, where design programs were sometimes enormous. Additional cities and factories were being built in Czechoslovakia: Otrokovice, Napajedla, Zruč n. Sáz., Třebíč, Sezimovo Ústí, in Slovakia Batizovce and Partizánske. There were also large industrial complexes abroad. Let’s name at least the largest: Batanagar in India (20,000 employees), East Tilbury in England (12,000 employees), Olmuth in Germany, Möhlin in Switzerland, Best in the Netherlands, Hellocourt in France, Batavia in Canada, Borovo in Yugoslavia, and Belcamp in the USA. Everywhere, the company surpassed foreign competition not only with scientific and technical levels but also with economic systems.
Vladimír Karfík, although he stood at the head of the design department, always worked on some of his own projects. The most interesting building for him was administrative building No. 21, where he managed to implement, for its time, some innovations: air conditioning, partition walls, but mainly the so-called open office space, the chief’s mobile office in an elevator, washing windows from the outside using an elevator, etc. It was the tallest building in Europe at that time. The buildings of Vladimír Karfík are detailed in the book. In total, there are about 95 completed constructions around the world.
From Zlín, he left in 1946 to the newly established Faculty of Architecture in Bratislava. He worked there until 1979 and participated in the construction activities of Slovakia not only as a university teacher but also as a practitioner in creating most of the country’s fundamental architectural intentions. He utilized all his previous professional and scientific methods, visited foreign countries, and positioned himself among the leading world architects with his work. For his activity, he received numerous awards in Europe and the USA. The expanded edition focuses especially on the period from 1946.
He concluded his rich architectural and teaching activity with a working stay in MALTA, where he served as a professor at the Faculty of Architecture in Valletta, led the project department for construction, and acted as a personal consultant in the office of the President of Malta from 1979 to 1983.
From 1983, he lived and worked in Brno until the end of his life in 1996.
Bibliographic information:
Category: autobiography
Title: REMEMBRANCES
Author: Vladimír Karfík, Prof. Ing, arch.
Publisher: ATELIER IM, Luhačovice (studio Mac Works and publishing)
ISBN: 978-80-85948-88-2
EAN: 9788085948882
Number of pages: 453
Language: Czech, with English captions for images, introduction, and postscript
Photographs: b/w 112
Dimensions: 18.5 x 22.8 cm
Price: 450,- CZK
Edition: 2nd edition 2017 expanded edition (1st edition 2012)
Printer: Cardbox packaging Slušovice
The English translation is powered by AI tool. Switch to Czech to view the original text source.
0 comments
add comment
