Breathing Space: The Architecture of Pneumatic Beings

Altenhof, an architecture professor at the University of Innsbruck, debuts with a scrupulous exploration of the complex ways in which the concept of breathing shaped modernist architecture. In the mid-19th century, a growing “cultural awareness” of respiration—both of its physiology and the value of fresh air in an industrial society—inspired buildings that optimized ventilation and were influenced by the mechanics of respiration. As examples, Altenhof cites Erich Mendensohn’s 1921 dye works factory in Luckenwalde, Germany, which controlled temperature and humidity by treating the “interior space as a flue and its structure as a chimney,” and Karl Turban’s sanitoria, whose French windows and communal decks maximized sunlight exposure for tuberculosis patients. Architects began to consider the porousness of walls and experimented with innovations like all-glass exteriors, with mixed results; the glass-walled Fagus Shoe Factory in Saxony, Germany, was considered a marvel of modern architecture until insulation issues and facade instabilities precipitated its demise. The period of so-called “respiratory modernism” ended just after WWII as architects came to rely on HVAC systems for “comfort and climactic confinement.” Though his interrogation of architectural discourse sometimes gets lost in the weeds, Altenhof’s varied examples and thorough historical context make for an illuminating window into how architects grappled with the challenges and demands of a fast-industrializing society. Serious scholars of architecture will want this on their bookshelves. (Mar.)

Correction: A previous version of this review gave the wrong title for book.