Shadrach Woods
Encyclopedia
Shadrach Woods was an American
architect, urban planner and theorist. Schooled in engineering at New York University
and in literature and philosophy at Trinity College, Dublin
, Woods joined the Paris office of Le Corbusier
in 1948. Assigned to the project for the Unité d'Habitation
, then under construction in Marseille
, France, Woods met the Azerbaijan-born Greek architect George Candilis, with whom he would later form a lasting partnership.
With Candilis and the engineer Vladimir Bodiansky, Woods designed and built housing throughout North Africa during his tenure as head of the Casablanca
office of ATBAT-Afrique (Atelier des Bâtisseurs). Ideas developed during the course of this work led to a winning proposal for Opération Million, a public housing competition in France, in 1954. Commissioned by the welfare state
to design thousands of suburban housing units, Woods and Candilis joined with the Yugoslavian architect Alexis Josic to create in 1956 the firm Candilis-Josic-Woods.
Among the firm's major built projects were the extension of the village of Bagnols-sur-Cèze
and the development of the quarter of Le Mirail in Toulouse
in France and, with Manfred Schieldhelm, the Free University
in Berlin
. Simultaneously, Candilis and Woods participated in the proceedings of Team X
, a group of architects that emerged from the meetings of CIAM
in the postwar years. Woods is perhaps best known as a thinker and writer. He published numerous essays on urban themes, including explanations of his concepts of "stem" and "web", and participated in the 1968 Milan Triennale at the invitation of the Italian architect and fellow Team X
member Giancarlo de Carlo
.
After the breakup of the firm in 1969, Woods returned to New York City
. He taught at Harvard
and Yale
universities and lectured widely. Until his untimely death in 1973, he continued to work as an architect and urban planner on such projects as the Lower Manhattan Expressway
and the renovation of the SoHo
neighborhood. His book The Man in the Street: A Polemic on Urbanism was published posthumously by Penguin
in 1975. Woods' architectural drawing
s and papers are now held by the Drawings and Archives Department of Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library
at Columbia University
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
architect, urban planner and theorist. Schooled in engineering at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
and in literature and philosophy at Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
, Woods joined the Paris office of Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
in 1948. Assigned to the project for the Unité d'Habitation
Unité d'Habitation
The Unité d'Habitation is the name of a modernist residential housing design principle developed by Le Corbusier, with the collaboration of painter-architect Nadir Afonso...
, then under construction in Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, France, Woods met the Azerbaijan-born Greek architect George Candilis, with whom he would later form a lasting partnership.
With Candilis and the engineer Vladimir Bodiansky, Woods designed and built housing throughout North Africa during his tenure as head of the Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
office of ATBAT-Afrique (Atelier des Bâtisseurs). Ideas developed during the course of this work led to a winning proposal for Opération Million, a public housing competition in France, in 1954. Commissioned by the welfare state
Welfare state
A welfare state is a "concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those...
to design thousands of suburban housing units, Woods and Candilis joined with the Yugoslavian architect Alexis Josic to create in 1956 the firm Candilis-Josic-Woods.
Among the firm's major built projects were the extension of the village of Bagnols-sur-Cèze
Bagnols-sur-Cèze
Bagnols-sur-Cèze is a commune in the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon région in southern France.-History:A small regional center, Bagnols-sur-Cèze was quite certainly a Roman town before the main part was built in the 13th century around a central arcaded square that is still preserved...
and the development of the quarter of Le Mirail in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
in France and, with Manfred Schieldhelm, the Free University
Free University of Berlin
Freie Universität Berlin is one of the leading and most prestigious research universities in Germany and continental Europe. It distinguishes itself through its modern and international character. It is the largest of the four universities in Berlin. Research at the university is focused on the...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. Simultaneously, Candilis and Woods participated in the proceedings of Team X
Team X
Team 10, just as often referred to as "Team X", was a group of architects and other invited participants who assembled starting in July 1953 at the 9th Congress of C.I.A.M...
, a group of architects that emerged from the meetings of CIAM
Congrès International d'Architecture Moderne
The Congrès internationaux d'architecture moderne – CIAM was an organization founded in 1928 and disbanded in 1959, responsible for a series of events and congresses arranged around the world by the most prominent architects of the time, with the objective of spreading the principles of the Modern...
in the postwar years. Woods is perhaps best known as a thinker and writer. He published numerous essays on urban themes, including explanations of his concepts of "stem" and "web", and participated in the 1968 Milan Triennale at the invitation of the Italian architect and fellow Team X
Team X
Team 10, just as often referred to as "Team X", was a group of architects and other invited participants who assembled starting in July 1953 at the 9th Congress of C.I.A.M...
member Giancarlo de Carlo
Giancarlo De Carlo
Giancarlo De Carlo was an Italian architect.He was born in Genoa, Liguria in 1919. He trained as an architect from 1942 to 1949, a time of political turmoil which generated his philosophy toward life and architecture...
.
After the breakup of the firm in 1969, Woods returned to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He taught at Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
universities and lectured widely. Until his untimely death in 1973, he continued to work as an architect and urban planner on such projects as the Lower Manhattan Expressway
Lower Manhattan Expressway
The Lower Manhattan Expressway was a controversial plan for an expressway through lower Manhattan originally conceived by Robert Moses in 1941, but delayed until the early 1960s...
and the renovation of the SoHo
SoHo
SoHo is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City, notable for being the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, and also, more recently, for the wide variety of stores and shops ranging from trendy boutiques to outlets of upscale national and international chain stores...
neighborhood. His book The Man in the Street: A Polemic on Urbanism was published posthumously by Penguin
Penguin Group
The Penguin Group is a trade book publisher, the largest in the world , having overtaken Random House in 2009. The Penguin Group is the name of the incorporated division of parent Pearson PLC that oversees these publishing operations...
in 1975. Woods' architectural drawing
Architectural drawing
An architectural drawing or architect's drawing is a technical drawing of a building that falls within the definition of architecture...
s and papers are now held by the Drawings and Archives Department of Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library
Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library
The Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library is one of twenty-five libraries in the Columbia University Library System and is located in Avery Hall on the Morningside Heights campus of Columbia University in the City of New York. It is the largest architecture library in the world...
at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.
External links
- Bobigny HLM Low Cost Housing in Paris by Woods, Candilis & Josic (with photos and drawings)