Álvaro Siza Vieira visits the Toronto Dominion Center, guided by Dean Richard Sommer and Professor Robert Levit.
As he points to the cornice line, Siza sees the reflection of the Banking Hall at the base of the building, noting the flat coffered ceiling, and the entasis of beams which enable its flush profile. Commenting on the maximum moment of span, he acknowledged the play of structural forces that invariably put the acclaimed Modernist into a dizzying predicament, forcing him to make a difficult choice at a critical point in his career –between the optimization of steel and the reduction of visual stimulus.
Imagining the hidden indiscretions of Mies, Siza asks his guides: What came first, the entasis, or the flat ceiling?
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