Drago Ibler
Encyclopedia
Drago Ibler was a Croatian architect
and pedagogue
.
His style can be described as pure simplicity and functional
architecture
.
He gained his Diploma of Architecture at the Technische Hochschule in Dresden
. In 1921 he joined the group around Le Corbusier
and L'Esprit Nouveau in Paris
. Then studied from 1922-4 at the Staatliche Kunstakademie, Berlin
, in the studio of German architect Hans Poelzig
.
His firs significant project District Labour Insurance Building (1923), in Zagreb
, was the first project to reflect the spirit of the modern architectural movement in Yugoslavia
. Between 1925 and 1935 he established the so call Zagreb school of architecture with fellow architects Drago Galić, Mladen Kauzlarić, Stjepan Planić
and others.
Drago Ibler was a fellow and protagonist of the social ideals of modern architecture as well as the aesthetics, and he founded the Earth Group
, with a group of left-oriented progressive artists. He was also a member of CIAM
.
From the 1920s
and 1930s
Ibler worked on numerous architectural competitions, but with poor results due to conservative environment and resistance to his progressive ideas.
In this time he executed villas on the island of Korčula
and in Zagreb
, several industrial buildings, the District Labour Insurance Building in Mostar
, built in 1930 (Today the simple ambulance) this building has a beautiful convex half-ring-shaped entrance with a porch, and a dynamical balance of the low office building and the tall volume of the residential part and stairways.
After that he designed the District Labour Insurance Building (1932), Skopje
, which was important for architecture in Yugoslavia
, by introducing Le Corbusier's
principles, including ribbon windows.
From 1926 Drago Ibler became a professor at the Zagreb Academy of Fine Arts, where he taught architecture until 1941. After that he relocated to Switzerland
and joined the University of Geneva
as a lecturer in architecture.
After the war 1950, he come again in Zagreb, and led a Master Studio in architecture and returned to teaching at the Academy of Fine Arts. After the World War II he started to be not so rigid functionalist and he encouraged the humanization of architecture by means of more decorative, sculptural and harmonious compositions, for example in his designs for the New Opera House (1948; unrealized) in Belgrade
. He made excellent designs for the New Yugoslav Embassy in Moscow
(1959; unrealized), and New Tito's
Residence (1961- 4; unrealized) in Zagreb
. Before his death in the automobile accident close to Novo Mesto
in Slovenia
, he designed several residential blocks in the centre of Zagreb, which are characterized by simplicity and functional planning, in Marticeva, Smiciklasova and Vlaska Streets.
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and pedagogue
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
.
His style can be described as pure simplicity and functional
Functionalism (architecture)
Functionalism, in architecture, is the principle that architects should design a building based on the purpose of that building. This statement is less self-evident than it first appears, and is a matter of confusion and controversy within the profession, particularly in regard to modern...
architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
.
He gained his Diploma of Architecture at the Technische Hochschule in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
. In 1921 he joined the group around Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
and L'Esprit Nouveau in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Then studied from 1922-4 at the Staatliche Kunstakademie, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, in the studio of German architect Hans Poelzig
Hans Poelzig
Hans Poelzig was a German architect, painter and set designer.-Life:Poelzig was born in Berlin in 1869 to the countess Clara Henrietta Maria Poelzig while she was married to George Acland Ames, an Englishman...
.
His firs significant project District Labour Insurance Building (1923), in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, was the first project to reflect the spirit of the modern architectural movement in Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
. Between 1925 and 1935 he established the so call Zagreb school of architecture with fellow architects Drago Galić, Mladen Kauzlarić, Stjepan Planić
Stjepan Planic
Stjepan Planić was a Croatian architect. His style can be described as a synthesis of functionalist and organic architecture.-Biography:...
and others.
Drago Ibler was a fellow and protagonist of the social ideals of modern architecture as well as the aesthetics, and he founded the Earth Group
Earth Group
The Earth Group was a Croatian arts collective and which brought together artists, architects and intellectuals and which was active in Zagreb from 1929 to 1935. The group aimed to defend their artistic independence against foreign influences such as Impressionism or Neoclassicism and Art for...
, with a group of left-oriented progressive artists. He was also a member of CIAM
Congrès International d'Architecture Moderne
The Congrès internationaux d'architecture moderne – CIAM was an organization founded in 1928 and disbanded in 1959, responsible for a series of events and congresses arranged around the world by the most prominent architects of the time, with the objective of spreading the principles of the Modern...
.
From the 1920s
1920s
File:1920s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Third Tipperary Brigade Flying Column No. 2 under Sean Hogan during the Irish Civil War; Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol in accordance to the 18th amendment, which made alcoholic beverages illegal throughout the entire decade; In...
and 1930s
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...
Ibler worked on numerous architectural competitions, but with poor results due to conservative environment and resistance to his progressive ideas.
In this time he executed villas on the island of Korčula
Korcula
Korčula is an island in the Adriatic Sea, in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia. The island has an area of ; long and on average wide — and lies just off the Dalmatian coast. Its 16,182 inhabitants make it the second most populous Adriatic island after Krk...
and in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, several industrial buildings, the District Labour Insurance Building in Mostar
Mostar
Mostar is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the largest and one of the most important cities in the Herzegovina region and the center of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation. Mostar is situated on the Neretva river and is the fifth-largest city in the country...
, built in 1930 (Today the simple ambulance) this building has a beautiful convex half-ring-shaped entrance with a porch, and a dynamical balance of the low office building and the tall volume of the residential part and stairways.
After that he designed the District Labour Insurance Building (1932), Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
, which was important for architecture in Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
, by introducing Le Corbusier's
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
principles, including ribbon windows.
From 1926 Drago Ibler became a professor at the Zagreb Academy of Fine Arts, where he taught architecture until 1941. After that he relocated to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and joined the University of Geneva
University of Geneva
The University of Geneva is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland.It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin, as a theological seminary and law school. It remained focused on theology until the 17th century, when it became a center for Enlightenment scholarship. In 1873, it...
as a lecturer in architecture.
After the war 1950, he come again in Zagreb, and led a Master Studio in architecture and returned to teaching at the Academy of Fine Arts. After the World War II he started to be not so rigid functionalist and he encouraged the humanization of architecture by means of more decorative, sculptural and harmonious compositions, for example in his designs for the New Opera House (1948; unrealized) in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
. He made excellent designs for the New Yugoslav Embassy in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
(1959; unrealized), and New Tito's
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
Residence (1961- 4; unrealized) in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
. Before his death in the automobile accident close to Novo Mesto
Novo Mesto
Novo Mesto is a city and municipality in southeastern Slovenia, close to the border with Croatia. The town is traditionally considered the economic and cultural centre of the historic Lower Carniola region.-Geography:...
in Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, he designed several residential blocks in the centre of Zagreb, which are characterized by simplicity and functional planning, in Marticeva, Smiciklasova and Vlaska Streets.