Architects: Friedrick Kiesler
Year: 1950
Photographs: Friedrick Kiesler, Whitney Museum of American Art
The Endless House by Friedrick Kiesler reflects his vision of elastic, adaptable spaces responsive to occupants’ needs. Its flattened spheroid shape optimizes natural light and embodies cyclical, interconnected rhythms of life. While models and sketches illustrate flowing transitions and innovative materials like reinforced concrete and molded plastic, critics note a disconnect between these and his static architectural drawings. Featured at MoMA (1958–1959), the exhibit included models, photographs, and “polydimensional” drawings, though a full-scale prototype was never built. Kiesler’s work, influenced by theater, De Stijl, and his “correalism” philosophy, contrasts with the pragmatic focus he encountered while teaching architecture at Columbia University.
Friedrick Kiesler firmly advocated for an elastic spatial concept, one designed to adapt optimally to the diverse social needs and functions of its occupants. The initial form of the Endless House, a flattened spheroid, served as the foundation for his Manifesto of Correalism.
One of Kiesler’s primary arguments for the shape’s design is its basis in a lighting system, enabling ample light to reach every corner of the room without being interrupted by the corners or interior walls typical of conventional buildings.
“All ends converge in the ‘Endless,’ just as they do in life. Life’s rhythms are cyclical. The various aspects of living intersect over the course of twenty-four hours, a week, or a lifetime. They connect through the passage of time, meeting, staying, parting, and returning through the same or different doors, moving along interconnected paths—some overt, others hidden, or guided by the whims of memory.”
A significant critique of Kiesler lies in the disconnect between the ambitious and unique potential of his models and the static nature of his architectural drawings.
Kiesler’s sketches effectively convey the visions he discusses, but when he attempts to translate the fluid lines and surfaces into rigid architectural forms, he loses sight of his original intent. His models, by contrast, illustrate seamless transitions between spaces, incorporating internal stairs, a blend of interiority and exteriority, and continuous, flowing surfaces.
Sketches, sample models, and descriptions reveal the intended materiality of the Endless House, with reinforced concrete applied over a wire mesh. Windows were designed to feature semi-transparent molded plastic, forming irregularly shaped openings. Traditional bathtubs were to be replaced with bathing pools, which would be scattered throughout the house.
The flooring textures were highly varied, encompassing a range that included pebbles, sand, rivulets of water, grass, wooden planks, and heated terra-cotta tiles.
An exhibit on the “Endless House” was showcased at The Museum of Modern Art from 1958 to 1959, featuring models, photographs of the modeling process, and Kiesler’s unconventional architectural drawings, which he described as “polydimensional” and often likened to Surrealist automatic drawings. MoMA commissioned Kiesler to build a full-scale prototype of the Endless House for the museum garden, intended to remain there for two years. Unfortunately, the prototype was never completed, leaving the study models, drawings, and photographs as the only items displayed.
During the 1920s, Kiesler dedicated much of his time to designing theater and art exhibitions in Vienna and briefly collaborated with architect Adolf Loos. In 1923, he joined the De Stijl group. These associations likely influenced his approach to artistic theories and practices, which were often considered unconventional and even heretical.
From 1937 to 1943, Kiesler served as a faculty member in the Department of Architecture at Columbia University, where the program focused on teaching pragmatic and commercially oriented architecture. This emphasis stood in stark contrast to Kiesler’s design philosophy, which was rooted in theoretical concepts exploring the relationships between space, people, objects, and ideas—an approach he termed “correalism” or “continuity.”
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