04/26/07
Connecticut Architect Barry Svigals Reawakens the Centuries-Old Tradition of Sculpture in Architecture
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore of Florence, the Sagrada Familia of Barcelona, the Parthenon of Athens and the temples of the Mayas are quintessential examples of the use of sculptural symbolism incorporated into architecture. Contemporary architect and sculptor Barry Svigals is bringing this ancient architectural tradition into the 21st century, creating modern-day architecture linked with art.
“Classical architecture rich with figurative art and ornamental design has taught us that sculpture integrated with architecture can tell a story, which makes the architecture more meaningful and the experience for those who come in contact with it more powerful,” said Barry Svigals, founder and managing partner, Svigals + Partners.
Svigals creates architecture that becomes sculpture and sculpture that becomes architecture. “The two integrated as one form a compelling message,” noted Svigals.
He continued, “Sculpture in architecture offers an extraordinary opportunity in our frenetic world for
people to pause, appreciate and experience the architectural narrative. Architecture is ultimately an
expression of the human spirit, offering people a connection to their environments which can enhance their appreciation of the world. The inclusion of sculpture invites another dimension of this relationship to the architecture, deeply imbedded in our sensibilities as human beings.”
Svigals’ work is profoundly influenced by the incorporation of figurative art in architecture throughout human history, as well as his experiences as both an architect and a sculptor. A graduate of Yale College and Yale School of Architecture, he studied sculpture first at Yale and later at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Arts in Paris, France, pursuing his passion to be a sculptor as well as an architect. While in Paris, Svigals worked with Maurice Calka, one of the last, great professors of figurative sculpture. It was there he developed his talent as a sculptor and most importantly, recognized the powerful effect of combining sculpture in architecture.
In describing his early sculptural studies, Svigals noted, “It was an extraordinary and enlightening experience. The world of figurative art in architecture has existed for tens of thousands of years but has recently been set apart in modern works. While many were moving away from art in architecture, I was fortunate to have been influenced by a professor at Yale, Kent Bloomer, a wonderful architect and sculptor himself. I saw that the incorporation of sculpture into architecture was extraordinarily evocative and absolutely relevant in today’s society – perhaps even more relevant today in the face of an increasingly intellectual, abstract and virtual world. Sculpture has always offered a relationship to architecture, which is more sensual and fundamentally experiential. Figurative sculpture, in particular, invites an immediate connection to the architecture; we see ourselves ‘in’ the building, a part of its expression. We are included in the life of the architecture in all its dimensions.”
Svigals has been creating inspired architecture ever since.
When Svigals + Partners was hired to build a new academic center at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Conn., Svigals’ vision for the project included a crowning piece for the new center: a bronze sculpture of St. Albert the Great, the College’s namesake, to serve as a supporting column for the entryway of the new center. The telemon, standing nearly 10 feet tall and weighing 950 pounds, holds tremendous significance for the College – a symbol of teaching and learning for the entire Albertus community that
celebrates the school’s Dominican origins and represents the mission of Albertus Magnus.
“Our goal with the new facility was to bring St. Albert’s message to life and reveal his exceptional teaching in every aspect of the building,” said Svigals. “St. Albert’s striding figure both supports the building and carries the renewed message of the college. He was a pillar of the church who moved the church with him. It’s remarkable that his mission to bring the contemplative life to the world can reach across centuries to be perfectly meaningful today.”
Svigals was honored for his work by Albertus Magnus College with an honorary doctor of humane letters degree presented at the institution’s May 2006 commencement ceremony.
Svigals’ work on the $23 million renovation and expansion of The Wallace E. Carroll School of Management at Boston College is equally compelling. At the heart of the campus, the neo-Gothic building incorporates sculpture in the architecture to follow in the tradition of the earliest architecture of the College. The renovated façade includes sculptures of biblical figures integrated with the structural pilasters that support the masonry. The five-story atrium brings light to the interior and offers new communal space for both the School of Management and the College as a whole. Svigals’ overall reconstruction is both functional and inspiring, symbolically capturing the spirit and heritage of the College.
Norwalk Community College has also benefited from Svigals’ artistic approach. In response to the need for a new Center for Information Technology at Norwalk Community College and to enhance its overall image, Svigals worked in collaboration with a graphic designer, Randall Hoyt, to create 55 sculptural panels for the Center’s lobby. The work, entitled, “A Conversation over 5,000 Years of Information Technology,” presents a metaphorical conversation through history, among the thinkers, dreamers and
doers whose work has contributed to the development of communication technologies. Additionally, several large structural trusses surrounded by pediments of animated figures span the Center’s atrium, providing an opportunity for the light cast through the clerestory windows to play upon their surfaces. The economical tracery design, when set in motion by the light, draws the eye upward to subtly inspire visitors and further underscore the energy of the new building.
Perhaps where sculpture in architecture delights the most, however, is at the elementary school level,
according to Svigals. Each of the projects completed by Svigals + Partners on behalf of the New Haven School Construction Program includes sculpture of various kinds. The Edgewood School features more than 80 faces that emerge from the brick façades to surprise the children.
At the Beecher School, an ornamental frieze of dancing children wraps the entire school (more than 400 feet long) with nearly three hundred figures. The entrance canopy is supported by an 18-foot high figure blowing a six-foot horn, representing the combined literary personas of Gideon and the Pied Piper of Hamelin. According to Svigals, the sculpture, as Gideon, calls the children to the school, while the image of the Pied Piper might lead them away should the promise of education not be delivered.
According to New Haven’s Superintendent of Schools Dr. Reginald Mayo, Svigals’ figurative art “is a magnificent addition to the educational environment and provides a lively focal point for the entire community.”
Svigals’ most extensive sculptural work in architecture is found at the University of Connecticut. In 77 sculpted panels, each measuring five by 11 feet, facades of two “sister” buildings incorporate figures and letters to animate the exterior. Also conceived with Randall Hoyt, a professor at the University’s School of Fine Arts, it is the largest such work of its kind in the U.S. The fiberglass sculpture covers the Neag School of Education and the Center for Undergraduate Education, forming the buildings’ exterior facades.
In Svigals’ vision and work, architecture and art are inseparable.
“Discovering the stimulating effects of figurative art in architecture has been extremely gratifying,” said Svigals. “In each project, there are ways to reinforce the humanity and meaning of an environment through enlivening the expression of the architecture with sculpture… and, most importantly, it’s fun!”
Svigals + Partners, a full-service architectural design and master planning firm based in New Haven, Conn., is reviving figurative art in architecture and is bringing its beauty, relevance and distinction into the 21st century. Established in 1983, Svigals + Partners employs 25 and serves clients throughout the U.S., offering a complete range of architectural services from master planning, site selection and feasibility studies through design and construction. The company specializes in four project areas: education, laboratory, corporate and master planning. The firm is known for its original and imaginative integration of planning, design, sculpture and artwork. For more information, visit www.svigals.com.
