Anne Tyng

Anne Griswold Tyng (born July 14 1920) is an architect and professor. She is best known for collaborating with Louis I. Kahn at his practice in Philadelphia. She served as a professor at the University of Pennsylvania for 27 years, following 29 years of collaboration with Kahn. She is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, and Academician of the National Academy of Design.

Work

Tyng is a theorist known for her pioneering work in space frame architecture and her passion for mathematics. Her Ph.D. thesis, titled "Simultaneousness, Randomness and Order", continues the combination of these interests. She received a number of grants from the Graham Foundation for further investigation into this field. Tyng received her B. Arch from Harvard, and her Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania.

Youth

Even as a young woman, Tyng showed her developed sense of mathematics and design. The Tyng Toy, a construction set for children, illustrated her mastery of form. The Tyng Toy allowed a small selection of pieces to be combined into a wide variety of toys and pieces of furniture, ranging from a stool to a rocking horse.

Kahn connection

Many wonder at how her intimate relationship with Kahn affected his architecture. She is named in many sources as his partner and muse. For example, the concept for Kahn's famous "City Tower" design was largely Tyng's invention.Fact|date=June 2007 After a seven-year relationship with Kahn, Tyng departed in the Autumn of 1953 for Rome. During her year in Italy, where their daughter, Alexandra, was born, Kahn wrote weekly to Tyng.cite book |last= Tyng |first= Anne Griswold |authorlink= Anne Griswold Tyng |title= Louis Kahn to Anne Tyng: The Rome Letters, 1953-1954 |year= 1997 |publisher= Rizzoli |isbn= 0847820092 ]

Aged 82, Anne Tyng appeared in Nathaniel Kahn's documentary My Architect discussing her insights into his work and her experience with Louis Kahn. Dr. Tyng returns to the building in which Kahn and Tyng first collaborated, the Trenton Bath House, for the first time since its completion, [cite video | people= Kahn, Nathaniel (Director) | year=2003 | date=November 12 | title=My Architect | medium=Documentary ] finding it neglected and in disrepair.

External links

* [http://unjobs.org/authors/anne-tyng Anne Tyng documents and sources]
* [http://www.nexusjournal.com/Kirk-Tyng.html Anne Tyng, "Number is Form and Form is Number". Interview by Robert Kirkbride, Nexus Network Journal, vol. 7 no. 1 (Spring 2005)]
* [http://spec.lib.vt.edu/iawa/inventories/Tyng.html IAWA Anne Tyng Inventory]
* [http://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/ar_display.cfm/21436 Philadelphia Architects and Buildings - Tyng, Anne Griswold]

References