Sarasota News Leader
January 10, 2014
Page 65
SAF PROGRAM TO PUT THE FOCUS ON A SCHOOL IN THE SUN
On Thursday, Jan. 16, the Sarasota
Architectural Foundation (SAF) will present
Ringling College of Art and Design professor Christopher Wilson in a lecture titled A
School in the Sun: The Contribution of the
Florida Climate to the Sarasota School of
Architecture.
The program will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. in
the Sarasota Herald-Tribune building, located
at 1741 Main St. in Sarasota, the foundation
has announced.
"The Sarasota School of Architecture (SSoA)
was southwest Florida's unique and innovative interpretation of Modern architecture
that evolved and thrived in the 1950s and
1960s," a news release says. "Designed before
air conditioning was considered 'standard
equipment' for homes and businesses, SSoA
structures sought to make the best practical
use of Sarasota's sunny, mild and breezy conditions," the release adds. "Fifty years before
the term 'sustainability' became fashionable,
the SSoA was designing homes, schools and
commercial buildings that incorporated such
eco-minded features as the breezeway, internal courtyard, overhead shading, walls of
jalousie windows and overhanging roof structures," the release points out.
Wilson will document "the pioneering
design strategies that were most effective
in Sarasota's subtropical coastal location"
and contemplate their relevance to today's
environment-friendly designs, the release
continues. Among the subjects in his presentation will be architect Paul Rudolph's
Umbrella House, Harkavy House and Walker
Guest House (aka the Cannonball House).
Admission is $10 for SAF members, $15 for
the public and $5 for students. Click on the
following for advance registration and to pay
online.
For those paying at the door, cash, checks
or credit cards will be accepted, the release
says. For more information, email info@safsrq.org or call 487-8728.
The Walker Guest House was designed by architect Paul Rudolph. Contributed illustration by John
Pirman
