Jaroslav Joseph Polivka
Encyclopedia
Jaroslav Joseph Polivka (20 April 1886 – 9 February 1960), Czech structural engineer who collaborated with Frank Lloyd Wright
between 1946 and 1959.
Jaroslav Joseph Polivka aka J. J. Polivka Civil Engineer was born in Prague
in 1886. He received his undergraduate degree in structural engineering
at the College of Technology in Prague
in 1909. He then studied at the Federal Polytechnic Institute in Zurich
, Switzerland
and at the Prague
Institute of Technology, where he earned a doctoral degree in 1917. After serving in First World War, he opened his own architectural and engineering office in Prague
and developed his skills in stress analysis of reinforced concrete
, pre-stressed reinforced concrete and steel structures. Polivka became an expert in photo-elastic stress analysis, a technique that examines small-scale transparent models in polarized light.
In Prague
Polivka worked together with avant-garde Czech architect Josef Havlíček on the Habich Building (1927-28) and Chicago Building (1927-28).
Polivka designed the structural frame of the Czech Pavilion at the Paris
International Exhibition of 1937 collaborating with renown Czech architect, Jaromír Krejcar
. Two years later, he worked with Czech architect Kamil Roškot to design another Czech Pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair
. In 1939 Polivka immigrated to the United States
and took a position as research associate and lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley
. In 1941, he and Victor di Suvero
co-invented a structural design technique that received a patent for improvements in structures. Polivka with his son Milos translated into English Eduardo Torroja
’s ‘Philosophy of Structures’ book published in 1958.
In 1946 Polivka began to work with Frank Lloyd Wright
collaborating together on several major projects until Wright's death in 1959. For Wright’s projects Polivka performed stress analyses and investigations of specific building materials. They worked on a total of seven projects, two of which were built: the Johnson Wax Research Tower, 1946-1951 at Racine
Wisconsin
and the Guggenheim Museum
, 1946-1959 in New York
. Their other well-known design proposal was the reinforced concrete
Butterfly Bridge (proposed at a world record span of 1000-ft )at the Southern Crossing of the San Francisco Bay
(1949-52).
Polivka performed the photoelasticity for the Podolsko Bridge is an arch bridge that spans the Vltava between Podolsko and Temešvár in Písek District, Czech Republic. At the time of its completion in 1949, it was the longest arch bridge in Czechoslovakia.
He died in Berkeley, California
.
University of California Berkeley
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
between 1946 and 1959.
Jaroslav Joseph Polivka aka J. J. Polivka Civil Engineer was born in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
in 1886. He received his undergraduate degree in structural engineering
Structural engineering
Structural engineering is a field of engineering dealing with the analysis and design of structures that support or resist loads. Structural engineering is usually considered a specialty within civil engineering, but it can also be studied in its own right....
at the College of Technology in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
in 1909. He then studied at the Federal Polytechnic Institute in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and at the Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
Institute of Technology, where he earned a doctoral degree in 1917. After serving in First World War, he opened his own architectural and engineering office in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
and developed his skills in stress analysis of reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
, pre-stressed reinforced concrete and steel structures. Polivka became an expert in photo-elastic stress analysis, a technique that examines small-scale transparent models in polarized light.
In Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
Polivka worked together with avant-garde Czech architect Josef Havlíček on the Habich Building (1927-28) and Chicago Building (1927-28).
Polivka designed the structural frame of the Czech Pavilion at the Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
International Exhibition of 1937 collaborating with renown Czech architect, Jaromír Krejcar
Jaromír Krejcar
Jaromír Krejcar was a Czech functionalistic architect, student of Jan Kotěra and member of Devětsil.He collaborated with Czech structural engineer, Dr...
. Two years later, he worked with Czech architect Kamil Roškot to design another Czech Pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair
1939 New York World's Fair
The 1939–40 New York World's Fair, which covered the of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park , was the second largest American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. Many countries around the world participated in it, and over 44 million people...
. In 1939 Polivka immigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and took a position as research associate and lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. In 1941, he and Victor di Suvero
Victor di Suvero
Victor di Suvero is an American poet, investment manager and entrepreneur. Born in 1927 in Turin, Italy he grew up in China where his father had been stationed in the Italian Diplomatic Service. He came to San Francisco early in 1941 with his family as anti-fascist political refugees...
co-invented a structural design technique that received a patent for improvements in structures. Polivka with his son Milos translated into English Eduardo Torroja
Eduardo Torroja
Eduardo Torroja y Miret, was a Spanish structural engineer, pioneer in the design of concrete-shell structures. His first large project was the Tempul cable-stayed aqueduct in 1926, Guadalete, Jerez de la Frontera, in which he used prestressed girders, and he made his name with the concrete...
’s ‘Philosophy of Structures’ book published in 1958.
In 1946 Polivka began to work with Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
collaborating together on several major projects until Wright's death in 1959. For Wright’s projects Polivka performed stress analyses and investigations of specific building materials. They worked on a total of seven projects, two of which were built: the Johnson Wax Research Tower, 1946-1951 at Racine
Racine, Wisconsin
Racine is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city had a population of 82,196...
Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
and the Guggenheim Museum
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is a well-known museum located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. It is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions...
, 1946-1959 in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Their other well-known design proposal was the reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
Butterfly Bridge (proposed at a world record span of 1000-ft )at the Southern Crossing of the San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
(1949-52).
Polivka performed the photoelasticity for the Podolsko Bridge is an arch bridge that spans the Vltava between Podolsko and Temešvár in Písek District, Czech Republic. At the time of its completion in 1949, it was the longest arch bridge in Czechoslovakia.
He died in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
.
External links
Polivka archives at University at Buffalo, The State University of New YorkUniversity of California Berkeley