Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe

Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe

 

Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe was a German architect who along with Le Corbusier, Alvar Aalto and Frank Lloyd Wright is said to be one of the leading architects of modern architecture.

After World War one Mies set out to create a new style that could represent Modern times.  Like Frank Lloyd Wright, he believed that a building must be a part of its surroundings and must fit the era its being built in just like the buildings of the Gothic Revival did.

To a certain point Mies created his own style of architecture which was governed my simplicity and clarity.  He made the most out of modern technology and used materials like steel and plate glass. (Information taken from Wikipedia.)

His first independent commission was the Riehl House, which he designed when he was just 20 years old.


Riehl House

Mies quickly grew in popularity and became very well- known and respected throughout Europe.  He was liked by many people for his innovative structures like the Barcelona pavilion which he designed for the Barcelona International Exposition of 1929.



The Barcelona Pavillion

The Barcelona pavilion was commissioned by the German government.  Mies used very sophisticated materials and flowing open plans which gave the design a sense of elegance. 

In 1930, he was named director of the Bauhaus, which was a well known school of experimental design.  However the school came to a close in 1933 due to the Nazi regime which created pressure on the school.

Burnham and Root, Sullivan and Adler, and William Le Baron Jenney where designers who formed part of the Armour institute and were practicing their designs over there.  It was founded in 1890.  During this time Chicago was emerging as a city famous for its architecture.  This generation of architects founded Chicago's first school of architecture and Mies Van Der Rohe founded the second.   A few years later the Armour institute recruited Mies as their new director and gave him the first task of 'Rationalizing the architecture curriculum'. 

Mies created a new approach to learning architecture.  He decided that students must first learn how to draw and then gain knowledge of the materials available and then finally learn the principles of architecture. 

The environment is meant to be lived in.  His buildings affecting our lives and endow them with beauty. His buildings encourage confidence, rationality, and elegance.  They have absolutely no ornamentation.  Mies' reductionist approach is as pertinent as ever.








"As we reduce the distractions and focus on the essential elements of our environment and ourselves, we find they are great, intricate, and beautiful. Less is more."