The Creator's Words

"Space is not plastic, static, positive, projecting. It is hollow, negative, retiring. It is never complete and finite. It is in motion, connected to the next space and to the next—and to the infinite space. It is materially defined by slabs of masonry or wood or what have you, by structural frames, by a dome or by a sheet of glass. But defined only, not isolated.

"It may be given certain qualities by these defining elements—depending upon whether they are of wood or glass, or metal or brick, of this color or that texture. And the quality of these defining elements is, in turn, dictated by practical needs.

"What is the principal difference between what we call 'modern space' and the attitudes of past architecture? I think it is one all-important change in our lives: we have learned to move faster—faster than anyone ever moved before. We no longer see little details, disconnected or detached from the overall picture. We see continuities...."

— Marcel Breuer. from Peter Blake, Ed. Marcel Breuer: Sun and Shadow The Philosophy of an Architect. p60.