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New York's best building of the 1960s, the Ford Foundation Building was
built for the country's largest philanthropic organization. The form of
the building represents a departure from the abstract purity of the
International Style. Supported by an exposed steel structure, the
building takes the form of a glass box enclosing an interior atrium which
rises the full height of the building to a skylight. Offices are located
around this central court with a view into the atrium garden which also
serves as a public space. The humane environment created by this layout
reflects the lofty values of the foundation which supports the arts and
humanitarian causes. The layout of buildings around atrium spaces or
winter gardens would later become popularized in the shopping mall and
numerous skyscrapers of the 1980s. Made of Core-ten steel, the
structure's surface resembles wood due to a patina which results from
oxidation and gives the steel a rich tone. In the Ford Foundation
Building, new materials are incorporated with a unique formal expression
making this building a good example of late modern architecture.
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