Karfík’s “Swedish” Balconies: The Shift from the Garden City Conception to Scandinavian Inspiration in the Context of Baťa Company Housing in Zlín
Karfík’s “Swedish” Balconies: The Shift from the Garden City Conception to Scandinavian Inspiration in the Context of Baťa Company Housing in Zlín
Author(s): Nina BartošováSubject(s): Architecture, Rural and urban sociology, Interwar Period (1920 - 1939), WW II and following years (1940 - 1949)
Published by: Historický ústav SAV, v. v. i.
Keywords: Vladimír Karfík; Baťa; Zlín; balconies; modern apartment buildings;
Summary/Abstract: The study focuses on the 3-storey apartment houses designed for the Baťa company in Zlín by the architect Vladimír Karfík just after the end of World War Two. Their architecture is recognizably inspired by apartment buildings built in the Nordic countries in the 1930s and 1940s, which represented important goals of the welfare politics of that time. The study emphasizes the element of the balcony not only for its visible reference to the Nordic inspiration or its symbolising of general societal changes, but also to highlight the importance of individual architects working for Baťa – in this case Karfík – and their role in the co-creation of the company’s now-celebrated architectural heritage.
Journal: Architektúra & Urbanizmus
- Issue Year: 56/2022
- Issue No: 3-4
- Page Range: 211-227
- Page Count: 17
- Language: English