Louis Kahn

Architecture American 1901 – 1974 97 quotes

An American architect, he was known for his monumental and spiritual designs, often using concrete and brick, and for his profound philosophical approach to architecture.

Quotes by Louis Kahn

A great building must begin with the unmeasurable, must go through measurable means when it is being designed, and in the end must be unmeasurable.

Speech 1960

Architecture is the thoughtful making of spaces.

Speech 1960

The sun never knew how great it was until it struck the side of a building.

Speech 1971

What is, has always been, and what is, is always becoming.

Speech 1960

The first brick is a brick. The second brick is a brick. The third brick is a wall.

Speech 1970

Consider the momentous event in architecture when the walls parted and columns became.

Speech 1960

The building speaks to you, and you must listen.

Speech 1970

Form has no existence in the material world. It is a way of being.

Speech 1960

A room is not a room without natural light.

Speech 1970

The desire to be, to express, to make, is the source of all art.

Speech 1960

Order is. Design is a way of making order.

Speech 1960

The street is a room by agreement.

Speech 1960

The architect's first job is to make a place for life.

Speech 1970

Structure is the giver of light.

Speech 1970

The mind has a memory of what it wants to be.

Speech 1960

Silence and Light. These are the two great elements of architecture.

Speech 1968

The building should be a place where you can feel the wonder of what it is to be alive.

Speech 1970

What does the building want to be?

Speech 1960

The room is the beginning of architecture.

Speech 1970

Architecture is the realm of the spirit.

Speech 1960