Mies van der Rohe
European architects (particularly German architects) flourished under schools like the Bauhaus and the principles emerging from this explosion of Modernism in the early 20th Century still define architecture today. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969, born Aachen, Germany) fuelled the ‘explosion’ with the ripples still being felt.
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, in his MR Chair.
Why Mies van der Rohe? Planning. The way he planned (ie. the organising or arrangement of space) seemed more like a composition than just a response to functional need. He connected space, such that it flowed, using walls like traditional Japanese architects would use screens as dividers as opposed to barriers. His planning had a graphic intent, giving his drawings a poetic sensibility; a composition of line and space.
Farnworth House, Illinois, U.S.A. 1951.
Mies van der Rohe used materials in an entirely 20th Century way. Being freed from the limitations of traditional materials like timber and brick, he used glass and steel; materials more akin to todays commercial buildings than architecture of the past which had been influenced by a history of craft. Steel and glass enabled Mies van der Rohe to create architecture that soared.
‘Crucifix’ stainless steel columns of ‘Barcelona Pavilion’ (as part of German pavilion of the Barcelona International Exposition, 1929)
Mies van der Rohe thought spatially, even though he is often disparagingly referred to as an architect of form (ie. style over substance). Yes, he stated that ‘form follows function’ though his interiors are exquisitely detailed, separating him from many of his peers. His signature stainless steel clad crucifix columns reinterpreted the way columns had been designed over hundreds of years. His floating planes framed views from inside out, giving his houses a heroic, progressiveness. Floor to ceiling panes of glass, freed up views, framed the site and allowed daylight to flood interiors; a revolution for mid-20th century buildings. Those details were not just embedded in his buildings but also in his furniture (like Barcelona chair, designed for the German pavilion at the Barcelona International Exposition in 1929). Like his buildings, his furniture used technology to give clear expression, and once again, defy gravity.
Seagram building, New York, U.S.A. Completed with Philip Johnson in 1958.
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is an ‘old school’ modernist architect which of course is true given he was born almost 140 years ago, but his ideas and building expressions still resonate. Very few designers can truly say that redefined their field, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe established an architecture vernacular that is as clear and evident now as it was the day it was born.
S.W.