LUDWIG MIES VAN

DER ROHE
CHLOE BOWES
LUDWIG MIES VAN DER ROHE

EARLY LIFE

▸ Born March 27, 1886 in Aachen,

Germany.

▸ Originally named Maria Ludwig

Michael Mies

▸ Later in his career went by Ludwig

and added his mother’s surname,
Van der Rohe

▸ Youngest of 5 children, their father

was a stonemason
BARCELONA, SPAIN
GERMAN PAVILION
LUDWIG MIES VAN DER ROHE

THE GERMAN PAVILION

▸ Located in Barcelona, Spain and built for the

Exposicio Internacional (World's fair) in 1929

▸ It was demolished after the World Fair, but

reconstructed in 1986 from the original plans

▸ Mies used minimal elements to define a

space

▸ Design elements include elevated columns,

asymmetrical opaque and transparent wall
planes, and a flat roof

▸ Puts an emphasis on horizontal design

▸ Platform was made of travertine - common

stone used in ancient classical monuments
PLANO, TEXAS
FARNSWORTH HOUSE
LUDWIG MIES VAN DER ROHE

THE FARNSWORTH HOUSE

▸ Located in Plano, Texas, USA

▸ Built between 1945 and 1951

▸ Was a weekend retreat house for

Dr. Edith Farnsworth

▸ The glass pavilion takes advantage

of the beautiful natural environment

▸ Enforces Mies's concept of the

relationship between structure and
nature
ILLINOIS, CHICAGO
S.R. CROWN HALL
LUDWIG MIES VAN DER ROHE

S.R. CROWN HALL

▸ Created from 1950-1956 and located at the

Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago

▸ One of Mies' most important buildings

▸ Exterior uses symmetry and simplicity to

achieve Mies’ “less is more” aesthetic

▸ Designed to open up the interior space by

using 'industrialized construction'

▸ Main floors are massive open studio-like

spaces

▸ Surrounded by four sides of floor to ceiling

windows to 'dissolve the boundaries
between interior and exterior' (The art story)
LUDWIG MIES VAN DER ROHE

LEGACY

▸ Mies died in 1969 from esophageal cancer in

Chicago

▸ Mies was admired by the famous architect, Frank

Lloyd Wright, who admired almost no other
architect of his time

▸ Mies was a pioneer of the Modern architecture

movement during the 1920s

▸ Mies was a fan of minimal design using rigid

structures and industrial materials

▸ Mies was very selective when choosing materials for

his structures - fine stone, chrome, bronze and
sometimes brick were often used

▸ Known for his famous lines, "Less is more”, and "God

is in the details"