The Architects Collaborative facts for kids

Manton Research Center, designed by TAC in 1973

The Architects Collaborative (TAC) was an American architectural firm. It was started by eight architects in 1945 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. TAC worked on projects until 1995.

The founding members were Norman C. Fletcher, Jean B. Fletcher, John C. Harkness, Sarah P. Harkness, Robert S. McMillan, Louis A. McMillen, Benjamin C. Thompson, and Walter Gropius. TAC created many successful buildings. It was known for its wide range of designs. Many people thought it was one of the most important firms in modern architecture after World War II.

How The Architects Collaborative Started

The idea for The Architects Collaborative began with four friends. Norman Fletcher, Louis McMillen, Robert McMillan, and Ben Thompson were classmates at Yale University. They dreamed of creating a "World Collaborative." This office would combine painting, sculpture, and architecture.

After college, Norman Fletcher worked with John Harkness. Later, John Harkness worked with Jean Fletcher. Jean Fletcher and Sarah Harkness had both studied architecture in Cambridge.

This group of friends really wanted to work together. They decided to ask an experienced architect to join them. This would help their new firm become well-known. John Harkness asked Walter Gropius to join. Gropius was a famous architect who had asked Harkness to teach at Harvard. Walter Gropius agreed and became the eighth member of the group. Other important people who joined later included Richard Brooker and Alex Cvijanović.

Working Together: TAC's Design Ideas

The main idea behind TAC was "collaboration." This meant that everyone worked together. As Louis McMillen explained, the idea of "anonymity" helped the office stay united. This meant that a whole group of architects would share their ideas on a project. They did not focus on just one person's ideas.

Each project had a "partner-in-charge." This person would meet with clients. They would also make the final decisions about the design. At first, the eight partners met every Thursday. They talked about their projects and shared design ideas. As the firm grew, more architects joined. It became harder for everyone to meet together. So, many smaller "groups" of architects were formed. These groups worked with the same team spirit. The firm's president position was rotated among the senior partners.

What Buildings Did TAC Design?

TAC's first projects were mostly houses. One famous design was Six Moon Hill in Lexington, Massachusetts. This was a community where some of the founding partners lived. TAC also became very good at designing school buildings. They built many elementary and high schools across Massachusetts and New England. They also designed buildings for universities. One example is the Harvard Graduate Center. This included dorms and a student activities building.

King Faisal II wanted to redesign the city of Baghdad. He invited many famous architects to submit plans. These included Frank Lloyd Wright and Walter Gropius. Gropius and TAC designed the entire campus for the University of Baghdad. This project took place from 1958 to 1963. Only some of Gropius's designs were built. These included the faculty tower and some classroom buildings. The project faced money and political problems. This made it hard to finish on time.

TAC also designed many buildings for businesses, governments, and recreation. They worked in the United States and other countries.

In its early years, TAC's buildings were mostly in the International Style. Walter Gropius had helped create this style. It was popular at the Bauhaus school where he taught. In the 1970s, TAC's style changed. They started designing in postmodernism, which was becoming popular in architecture.

The End of TAC

TAC grew larger over time. Their projects became more complex. In the 1960s, they opened an office in Rome. This office managed projects mainly in Europe and the Middle East. Later, in 1985, they opened an office in San Francisco.

Walter Gropius was part of TAC until he passed away in 1969. He was 86 years old. The group continued to work, but the firm faced money problems in the 1980s. TAC could not pay its debts to banks and other companies. They had also lost money on designs that were never built, especially in the Middle East. TAC went bankrupt and closed in April 1995. Many libraries and archives quickly collected TAC's drawings and records. Most of these are now kept at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. TAC's unique way of working as a team was successful for a long time. However, it did not become the usual way for other architecture firms to work.

TAC's Lasting Impact

TAC mostly worked as a team, not as individuals. This was a very unique way for an architecture firm to operate. It showed Walter Gropius's belief in working together. He had taught this idea when he was an instructor at the Bauhaus in Germany.

Famous Buildings by TAC

See also

In Spanish: The Architects' Collaborative para niños

• The Architects Collaborative, 1945-1965