Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

(1886- 1969)
 MARIA LUDWIG MICHAEL MIES
Mies van der Rohe, Ludwig
 Born : March 27, 1886 , Aachen, Kingdom
of Prussia, German Empire
 Died : August 19, 1969 (aged 83) Chicago,
Illinois, U.S.
 Nationality : German (1886–1944), American
(1944–1969)
 Awards : Order Pour le Mérite
(1959), Royal Gold Medal (1959), AIA Gold
Medal (1960), Presidential Medal of
Freedom (1963)

 An exponent in glass and steel

architecture of 20th century
MIES IN BRIEF
Began his career in his family stone-carving business in Germany.

Never received any formal architectural training, but worked as a draftsman for several

architects.

Berlin, found work in the offices of architect and furniture designer Bruno Paul and

industrial architect Peter Behrens.

In 1912, opened his own practice in Berlin

Early in his life, began experimenting with steel frames and glass walls.

 He was director of the Bauhaus School of Design from 1930 until it disbanded in 1933.

Migrated to the US and taught architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology

Designed SKYSCRAPERS OF STEEL AND GLASS which became models of skyscraper

design throughout the world

He carried the ideals of rationalism and minimalism to new levels.

 Characteristic style
 “Less is more.” – Mies van der Rohe

 Simple rectangular forms and devoid of

ornamentation

 Open, flexible plans and multi-functional spaces

Crown hall, Illinois Institute of Technology,
 Widespread use of glass to bring the outside in. Chicago

 Mastered steel and glass construction

 Exposed and very refined structural details

 Treated interiors as free flowing spaces with

minimal walls

 Precision of details

Farnsworth House, Illinois

 After one year with Paul, in 1906 Mies received his
first independent commission to design the house of
philosophy professor Alois Riehl. After its completion
in 1907 Ludwig spent one more year with Bruno Paul
until 1908 when he began work at the offices of
famed by German architect Peter Behrens.
 After only 4 years in his service Mies left Behrens in
1912 to start his own office. He immediately received
work and designed a series of home.
 His phrase “less is more “ began to be seen in his work
as seen in his entry to a German skyscraper
competition. The building was made entirely of steel
and glass composites Skyscraper .
 Ludwig Mies, now Mies van der Rohe continued work
through the twenties and In 1925 van der Rohe was
appointed VP of the Deutsche Werkbund an
organization aimed at elevating the quality of German
design.
Barcelona Pavilion
Location : Barcelona , Spain
Date : 1928-29 (1980’s)
Building Type : Inauguration Pavilion
Construction System : Columns , non-load bearing walls
Context : Urban
Style : Modern
 It was constructed as a temporary building for
the international Exposition in Barcelona of
1929.

 The Commissioner, Georg von Schnitzler said it

should give "voice to the spirit of a new
era". This concept was carried out with the
realization of the "Free plan" and the "Floating
room".

 Though temporary, it was still made of

permanent materials--steel, glass, marble, and
travertine.

 The Pavilion was innovative in that the design

called for the roof to be supported by chrome
columns which meant that the walls could be
freely positioned since they did not support the
structure.

 It was later dismantled but rebuilt in the 1980’s

Site plan
Plan
 The plan is asymmetric and fluid with a continuous flow of space. Wall partitions are
made of both transparent and opaque glass as well as highly polished marble.
 The low flat roof is supported by delicate metal supports. As has often been noted,
the building has a kind of classical serenity.
 The first full expression of the continuous space direction and flow by freestanding
walls.
 Continuity od space combines with exhibit circulation.
 Like a Greek temple, the pavilion is

raised on a base.

 The main building is on the right half

of the base; an oblong reflecting pool

and smaller building are on the left

half.
Material Used:-

 Glass, steel and four different

kinds of marble (Roman travertine,

green Alpine marble, ancient green

marble from Greece and golden

onyx from the Atlas Mountains)

were used for the reconstruction,

all of the same characteristics and

provenance as the ones originally

employed by Mies in 1929.

Georg Kolbe's sculpture:-

 The sculpture is a bronze reproduction

of the piece entitled Alba (Dawn) by

Georg Kolbe, a contemporary of Mies

van der Rohe's.

 Masterfully placed at one end of the

small pond, the sculpture is reflected

not only in the water but also in the

marble and glass, thereby creating the

sensation that it is multiplied in space,

while its curves contrast with the

geometrical purity of the building.

Structure
Columns- main structural members
Farnsworth House
Location : Plano, Illinois

Date : 1946 to1950

Building Type : House

Construction System : Steel frame with glass

Context : Urban

Style : Modern, International

Style example, Glass and steel house hovers in meadow.
 It is a one-room weekend retreat in a
once-rural setting, located 55 miles
(89 km) southwest of Chicago's
downtown on a 60-acre estate site,
adjoining the Fox River, south of the city
of Plano, Illinois.
 The steel and glass house was
commissioned by Dr. Edith Farnsworth, a
prominent Chicago nephrologist,
 Mies created a 1,500-square-foot
(140 m2) house that is widely recognized
as an iconic masterpiece of International
Style of architecture.
Site plan
 Planning
 The house consists of two rectangular slabs, bracketed by steel columns.

 Stairs connect the ground to the 55' x 23' terrace slab, and connect the terrace
slab to the 77' x 29' main house slab.

 This continuous upper level plane, set 5'-3" above the ground to prevent flooding, is
used for both exterior deck space and interior floor.

 Door and facade details were designed so that the deck's 1-1/4" pavers are not
penetrated or interrupted, making a smooth transition from outside to inside.

 These details, combined with the continuous flat ceiling and planar facades, make the
house seem like a box that is "slipped" into the steel column structure
Farnsworth House

….During construction
 This image cannot currently be displayed.

The house's structure consists

of precast concrete floor and
roof slabs supported by a
carefully crafted steel skeleton
frame of beams, girders and
columns
Eight W-shape columns in This image cannot currently be displayed.

parallel rows 28 feet apart

support 15" channel section
beams at floor and roof level
Enclosed by sheets of ¼” thick plate glass spanning
9'-6" from floor to ceiling, and measuring 10'-6" wide.
The effect of this fully transparent facade is to
blur the usual boundaries defining domesticity.
Its one large room, divided by wood paneled
closets and secluded bathrooms, is surrounded
by floor to ceiling windows
Floor elevated
to 5’-3”

Placed only
two fixed
elements
The core and
the wardrobe
“If you view nature through the glass walls
of the Farnsworth House, it gains a more
profound significance than if viewed from
outside,”

“Here, where everything is beautiful and

privacy is no issue, it would be a pity to
erect an opaque wall between outside and
inside,”
Prominent icon of MODERN
ARCHITECTURE
 Tugendhat House
• Date : 1930
• Location : Brno, Czech Republic
• Building Type : House
• Construction System : Steel frame
• Climate : Temperate
• Context : Urban
• Style : Modern
The plan repeats that of the Barcelona
Pavilion, the onyx wall and the curved one of
Macassar ebony being independent of the
cruciform- shaped columns.
The floor is of white linoleum, the rug white
wool.
The curtains are of black and natural raw silk
and white velvet.
Behind the dining room a double glass
partition serves as a light source for the interior
space, as in the Barcelona design
 Plans of
Tugendhat
house
Tugendhat House

…Showing entrance
Tugendhat House
The hillside site
suggested a two-
story scheme.
Across the living
and dining areas the
entire wall is of
glass.
 Two of these large
panes slide down
into pockets as in an
automobile window
Tugendhat House
A terrace and flight
of steps connect the
house to the garden
below. At one end
the glass is doubled
to provide a narrow
conservatory. The
juxtaposition of
geometry with nature
is most effective, the
simplicity of forms
enhancing the natural
setting."
 FRIEDRICHSTRASSE SKYSCRAPER (1921)

• Mies’s contribution to
one of the first
skyscraper
competitions, in 1921,
secured him a central
position among the
architectural Avant –
Garde.

Mies’s idea of sheathing an entire building in a

glass skin was novel in Europe and would not
technically feasible for several decades.
• The aesthetic
power of Mies,s
design stands in
polemical contrast
to his matter-of-fact
explanation: “the
building site was
triangular ; I tried to By stacking twenty floors
make full use of it. to a suggested height of
the depth of the eighty meters, he provided
site compelled me over 70,000 square
to split the fronts, meters (over 753,00
so that the inner square feet) of floor space-
core received ---- almost twice the area
light.” provided by any other
entrant’s design
•
 NEW NATIONAL GALLERY,BERLIN
(1962-1968)
Location Berlin, Germany
Date 1962 to 1968
Building Type Exhibition building
Construction Steel frame with coffered rib roof
grid structural plan, "free plan" interior,
continuous space
Climate temperate
Context urban
Style Modern
• Commission awarded
by western German
government
• used as exhibition hall
• advantage taken of the
sloped site
• natural lighting
• square in plan
•Two way roof structure
of welded steel plates
•supported on eight
columns
•coffered rib roof with
steel frame
•first floor plan had
bilateral symmetry
• High hall cnclosed
by glass walls
•Channeling flow of
space
•Marble veneered
shafts with mechanical
ducts
•Broad flights of
steps to connect their
respective platform
with the ground
 MIES IN WORDS
A chair is a very difficult object. A
skyscraper is almost easier. That is why
Chippendale is famous."

"Architecture starts when you carefully put

two bricks together. There it begins."

"God is in the details.“

"It is better to be good than to be original.“