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Alfred Neumann architectural records and papers, 1900-1985, bulk 1950s-1960s

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Series V: Writings and Notes

Contains articles written by Neumann for architecture periodicals, Neumann's book L'Humanisation de L'Espace: Le Système M-Phi accompanied by extensive drafts and notes, and papers, which include: Proportion: A Measure of Order, Irrational Factors in Building Industrialization, Aspects d'Architecture, Inertie de la Forme, Architecture as Ornament, Openings, Doors, and Windows, and Morphology of Inside-Outside. The series also contains notes and research on space packing, notes on various architectural topics, and bibliographical notes. Drafts, typescripts, and notes often include versions in several languages (typically English, German, and French).

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Box 4 Folder 48 Articles written for Viennese newspapers, 1920s

Contains photographic reproductions of 2 articles written by Neumann early in his career, entitled Buhnebild-Raumbuhne (in Tagesbote), and Stromungen in der bildenden Kunst der Gegenwart (in Moderne Kultur); also includes Neumann's order forms for the copies and notes (German)


Box 4 Folder 49 Journal of the Association of Engineers and Architects in Israel, vol. 10, no. 3, January, 1953

Neumann's article On Planning, page 3 (Hebrew, English)


Box 4 Folder 50 Architectural Institute of Japan, vol. 73, no. 863, 1958

Neumann's paper The Humanization of Space, the M-Phi System (Japanese language architecture periodical)


Box 4 Folder 51 RAIC Journal (Royal Architectural Institute of Canada), vol. 40, no. 5, May, 1963

Neumann's article Morphologic Architecture, pages 40-47 (English language architecture periodical) (4 copies)


Box 4 Folder 52 Architecture Canada (Journal RAIC), vol. 45, no. 11, November, 1968

Neumann's article Irrational Factors in Building Industrialization, page 37 (English language architecture periodical)


Box 4 Folder 53 M-Phi book, 1956

Neumann's paper L'Humanisation de l'espace: le systeme M-Phi published in book form, with copy (French)


Box 4 Folder 54 M-Phi illustrations, 1950s

Contains 4 pages of illustrations, included in the book L'Humanisation de l'espace: le systeme M-Phi


Box 4 Folder 55 M-Phi, final drafts, 1950s

Contains 6 final drafts, 4 of which are bound and contain illustrations (English)


Box 4 Folder 56 M-Phi, completed drafts, 1950s

Contains 4 completed drafts with corrections (French)


Box 4 Folder 57 to 58 M-Phi, partial drafts, 1950s

Includes early draft fragments and mathematical tables accompanied by written corrections, all related to Neumann's preparation of his paper L'Humanisation de l'espace: le systeme M-Phi (earlier material in German and English, some later material also in French)


Box 4 Folder 59 M-Phi notes, 1950s

Includes rough notes, some draft fragments, mathematical tables and calculations, edits, contact lists, notes on the dimensions of paintings, note pads, architectural sketches, printed illustrations, sketches, doodles (much of the material has no discernable organizational coherence but remains in the order in which it was received) (German, French, English)


Box 4 Folder 60 M-Phi notes (Czech), 1950s

Contains notes, mathematical caluclations, sketches (Czech)


Box 5 Folder 1 M-Phi, mathematical notes, 1950s

Contains mathematical tables pertaining to Fibonacci numbers, calculations and equations, sketches pertaining to the golden section, sketches of polyhedrons with templates, clippings from a book or periodical, some doodles, notes entitled "proportion of volumes," "partition of the plan," "geometric entities in place" (German, English, book excerpts in French)


Box 5 Folder 2 M-Phi reference materials, undated

Includes diagrams illustrating principles of the golden section; reproductions of Leonardo's Annunciation and Virgin of the Rocks, and Giorgione's Fete Champetre, with accompanying perspectival diagrams analyzing the presence of the golden section in the paintings (captions in French, English)


Box 5 Folder 3 M-Phi, lectures, 1953, undated

Includes notes for unspecified lectures on topics related to L'Humanisation de l'espace: le systeme M-Phi; typescript of a lecture delivered at CIAM IX in Aix-en-Provence (German, English)


Box 5 Folder 4 Architecture as Ornament, final draft, undated

Final version of the paper (English)


Box 5 Folder 5 Architecture as Ornament, drafts and outline, undated

Outline for the paper; 3 drafts or partial drafts, with corrections (English)


Box 5 Folder 6 Architecture as Ornament, notes, undated

Includes notes, article outlines, notes taken from books and other publications, bibliographical notes and citations, sketches, draft fragments, notes on symmetry, group theory, symbolism, mathematics (English, French, German)


Box 5 Folder 7 L'Ornement, transcription of conference, 1967-1968

Transcript of a conference presented at the Ecole d'Architecture, Universite Laval, Quebec; also includes draft (likely related to Neumann's paper entitled Ornement et Architecture) (French)


Box 5 Folder 8 Aspects d'Architecture, 1965

Paper written by Neumann, perhaps delivered as a lecture or presented at a conference, includes 2 drafts (French)


Box 5 Folder 9 Aspects d'Architecture, notes, undated

Contains partial drafts and notes, some of which are entitled Architecture without Architects, perhaps an earlier iteration of the paper (German)


Box 5 Folder 10 Inertie de la forme, transcription of conference, 1967

Transcript of a conference at the Musee du Quebec, with copy and partial copy (French)


Box 5 Folder 11 Inertie de la forme, notes, 1966-1967

Partial drafts and notes (French)


Box 5 Folder 12 Irrational factors in building industrialization, undated

Paper written by Neumann, perhaps delivered as a lecture or presented at a conference, includes 2 drafts (English)


Box 5 Folder 13 L'Architecture de la Morphologie, 1963

Paper presented by Neumann at a conference of L'Association des Architectes de L'Ontario, also published in the RAIC journal, May 1963 (3 copies) (French)


Box 5 Folder 14 Morphology of Inside-Outside, 1963

Paper written by Neumann (English)


Box 5 Folder 15 Morphology of Inside-Outside, illustrations, undated

Contains 11 captioned illustrations intended to accompany the text of Neumann's paper (English)


Box 5 Folder 16 Morphology of Inside-Outside, drafts and notes, undated

Partial drafts and notes (English, German, French)


Box 5 Folder 17 Openings, Doors, and Windows, undated

Includes paper or article, with drafts and outlines (German, English)


Box 5 Folder 18 Windows and doors, notes, undated

Includes notes on the topic of windows as opened and closed forms, possible partial drafts, note pad entitled Window Problem, sketches (German, English)


Box 5 Folder 19 Paper corrections, undated

Contains partial drafts accompanied by fragmented edits in scrap form, for the papers Morphology of Inside-Outside, and Openings, Doors, and Windows (English)


Box 5 Folder 20 Space Packing, notes, 1960s

Includes notes on materials, furniture, history of space packing patterns, Greek theater architecture, tools; partial drafts; sketches (German, English)


Box 5 Folder 21 to 22 Space Packing, sketches and notes, 1960s

Includes sketches and drawings of buildings, monuments, details of paintings, sculptures, clothing, furniture, tools, geometric patterns, floor plans, accompanied by notes; also includes some doodles (French, English, German)


Box 5 Folder 23 Space Packing, reference, 1963, 1960s

Includes bibliographical notes, clippings pertaining to fashion and Japanese art from Time magazine (German, English)


Box 5 Folder 24 Notes on Modulor II, circa 1955

Contains notes, bibliographical notes, and drafts in critique of Le Corbusier's book Modulor II, suggesting that it appropriated or misrepresented Neumann's ideas (French) (2 drafts of a letter regarding Modulor II are located in the unknown correspondents folder, under correspondence of Alfred Neumann)


Box 5 Folder 25 L'Espace, notes, undated

Possible lecture notes or partial drafts on the topics of space, empty space, and architectural space (French)


Box 5 Folder 26 Notes entitled "Competition", undated

Notes on the topic of the degeneration of the practice of the competition, and the resultant compromising of artistic integrity necessary for success (English)


Box 5 Folder 27 Notes entitled "Japan", undated

Notes on the topic of dimension as an element of space (German)


Box 5 Folder 28 Notes entitled "Schneid", undated

Notes on an unspecified subject possibly pertaining to aesthetics (title may be translated as "cutting") (German)


Box 5 Folder 29 Notes entitled "Venezia", undated

Notes on an unspecified subject possibly pertaining to industrial production (German)


Box 5 Folder 30 Notes on various architectural topics, undated

Includes notes with the following titles: form influencing factors in the manmade human environment, Wachsmann, fashion in industrial design, architecture as spatial art, development index, tour of the house, science of building, patent, laufenfeld, design, polyhedrons, Tumarkin (artist Igael Tumarkin), architectural space, proportion (German, English, French)


Box 5 Folder 31 Notes on unspecified topics, undated

Contains possible research notes or drafts on unknown topics pertaining to architecture; includes sketches (German, French, English, Hebrew)


Box 5 Folder 32 Sketches and notes, unspecified topics, undated

Includes sketches accompanied by notes, perhaps used in the course of research for unspecified papers (English)


Box 5 Folder 33 Bibliographical notes, 1965, undated

Contains bibliographical notes on the architect Auguste Perret, from Peter Collins' book Concrete (English), quotations from articles in the architecture periodical L'Architettura (Italian), and Neumann's notes made from various books and periodicals, including the catalogue of an exhibition on Le Corbusier (French, German, English)