The 1940s
Paul Rudolph began his career in 1941 as an apprentice, and later partner in Ralph Twitchell's architectural practice in Sarasota, Florida. Together their work became known as part of the "Sarasota School" of architecture. Common characteristics of the Sarasota School of Architecture are a strict adherence to function, modular composition, articulation of individual building components and attention to local climate and terrain. Large sunshades, innovative ventilation systems, oversized sliding glass doors, floating staircases, and walls of jalousie windows dominate many of these buildings. Rudolph and Twitchell's projects gained recognition in part due to the stylized ink renderings produced by Rudolph during this period.
