Renowned designer and educator Pierre Koenig, FAIA, perhaps best known as one of California’s “Case Study Program” architects, passed away April 4. He was 78 years old.

Koenig, a stalwart Modernist, was a pioneer in promoting the use of steel in house design and construction. A native Californian, Koenig was graduated from the University of Southern California School of Architecture. In 1950, while a student, he designed and built his first steel-framed house, buying the lot and financing the construction for a mere $5,000. This project caught the attention of Arts and Architecture Editor John Entenza, who asked Koenig to join the magazine’s Case Study Program to introduce Modernism to the California suburbs. Through the program, Koenig created Case Study House #21 in 1959 and, arguably his most noted work, #22 in 1960.

Through his own practice, Koenig designed and built some 50 steel-and-glass buildings. Concurrently, he taught at the USC School of Architecture for 40 years. He also served as codirector of the University’s Bachelor of Building Science Program, which is co-taught with the School of Engineering. “Pierre was dedicated to both the rational as well as the aesthetic in design,” says USC Dean Robert Timme, FAIA. The school named Koenig both Distinguished Alumni and Distinguished Professor in 1998.

A Fellow of the Institute since 1971 and an honorary fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects, Koenig received the Gold Medal from the American Institute of Architecture/Los Angeles Chapter in 1999 as well as lifetime achievement awards from AIA California Council (1996), Pacific Design Center (1998), and Tau Sigma Delta (2000).

“Pierre Koenig never wavered from his beliefs,” says Timme. “He became a global celebrity—graduate students from all over the world would come and ask if they could have the chance of meeting him.”

Koenig’s work continues to garner respect and admiration. Case Study House #21 received the Best Preservation of the Year by the Los Angeles Conservancy, and Case Study House #22 was given the 25 Year Award by the AIA California Council in 2001. In 1989, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, exhibited a full-size, walk-through model of #22 as part of its “Blueprints for Modern Living, History, and Legacy of the Case Study House program.”

“Even now, after we’ve gone through historicisms and over-complexities built into projects, people are appreciating a more simple expression of architectural space and human aspiration,” Timme says.

A memorial service will be held April 17 at 3 p.m. in the courtyard of USC’s School of Architecture. The school also is planning a retrospective of Koenig’s work for this fall. Donations may be made to the Pierre Koenig Endowment, USC School of Architecture, Watt Hall, Room 204, University Park, Los Angeles, CA 90089.

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