Barcelona Pavilion via Ignant
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Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, also known as Mies, was an incredibly well-known German architect who helped define mid-century modernism and inspired generations of architects through his work and teachings. Mid-century modernism is a style that focuses on function rather than form and Modernist buildings can be identified by their minimalistic aesthetic, connection to nature, and geometric designs. Although aspects of this style show up in many of Mies’ incredible designs, he didn’t consider himself to have a style. Instead, he followed an architectural philosophy that saw architecture as an expression of its time and the materials used. He believed it was the job of the architect to accurately communicate the significance of the time through their design.
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Mies was born on March 27, 1886, in Aachen, Germany. He went to Catholic school and then went to a vocational school. Surprisingly, he was never given any formal architecture education. Instead, he learned about architecture from apprenticeships and from his father, who worked as a stone mason. Mies got his first job in an architecture studio by impressing with his architecture skills; he completed a facade design in one hour that the director had been working on for weeks. In 1907, Peter Behrens noticed Mies’s talent and hired him to work alongside two incredibly famous architects, Walter Gropius and Le Corbusier, at the AEG Turbine Factory. In 1930, Mies was offered the job of director at Bauhaus, Germany’s preeminent school of design. He worked at Bauhaus until it was pressured to close in 1933 by the Nazi regime. Mies was subsequently forced out of Germany and emigrated to the United States. In 1938, he became head of the architecture department at Illinois Institute of Technology. He worked there until 1958 and designed many of the buildings on the campus, inspiring generations with his “less is more” and “skin and bones” philosophies. In 1960, Mies was awarded the AIA Gold Medal, the highest award given by the American Association of Architects. He died in Chicago on August 17, 1969.
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Barcelona Pavilion Floor Plan via ArchDaily
The Barcelona Pavilion was considered one of Mies van der Rohe’s most incredible buildings. In 1929, Mies and Lilly Reich designed the stunning German National Pavilion for the 1929 Barcelona International Exhibition. The pavilion was intended to represent Germany after World War 1 and show the rest of the world that Germany was a progressive and democratic country. The pavilion was (and still is) an important example of mid-century modern architecture. Every small detail of the design was thought out and purposeful. The concept of the pavilion was to create a minimal and meaningful design with an open floor plan and fluidity between the interior and exterior spaces. The design closely follows Mies’ “skin and bones” aesthetic. Mies chose materials common in modern buildings, like glass and steel, while also incorporating more classical materials, like marble, travertine, and onyx. He used four different types of marble in the pavilion, following the color scheme of green, black, gray, and white. The flat roof, a common aspect of mid-century modern buildings, is held up by eight cruciform pillars that create symmetry in the pavilion. Mies and Lilly designed the furniture in the space as well; the most famous piece was the Barcelona chair. Mies van der Rohe saw the stunning pavilion as a place of serenity and did not wish it to house art like the other pavilions in the exposition.
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North Elevation View via Victor Maranon
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In 1930, the Barcelona Pavilion was disassembled on orders from the German government, and the materials were sold to help the failing German economy. However, in 1933, architects in Spain rebuilt the pavilion from pictures and drawings of the original. Since they had very little information to help them reconstruct the pavilion, they didn’t complete it until 1986. One of the biggest differences between the original pavilion and the reconstructed one is the veins in the marble. The pavilion is still open today on the original site.
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Barcelona Pavilion via Ignant
The Barcelona Pavilion is one of Mies van der Rohe’s most incredible designs and is one of my favorite. examples of mid-century modernism. Mies van der Rohe helped to shape this minimalistic and simplistic architectural style and for 20 years taught students his philosophies and style. Today, Mies van der Rohe is well-known and continues to influence the styles of current architects.
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BY ANNIE MENGARELLI
25/01/2021
