S.R. CROWN HALL

CROWN HALL (1956)

" Less is more "

S.R. Crown Hall
Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe was born in Aachen, Germany in 1886. Growing up, he was brought into his father's stone carving business and eventually started to work at local design firms. Exploring other firms and practices, he eventually crossed paths with greats like Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius. After World War I, he fled to the United States and began practicing his architecture in a different tone. Mies originally was interested in Traditionalism and ornament. His early projects conveyed historical styles and classic facades, but his shift in interest then steered him towards a more modernist approach. Eventually, Mies started to get recognition for his work and was involved in projects like the Barcelona Pavilion which was a part of the Weissenhofsiedlung, Bauhaus, IIT Masterplan and more. The project that really started to showcase Mies' understanding of structure and grid was S.R. Crown Hall, a facility located within Illinois Institute of Technology's campus.
Mies flexing with a model of Crown Hall

Designed by Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe in 1956, Crown Hall was his pride and joy that epitomized his rigorous exploration of structural integrity and efficiency. A key factor in the design of Crown Hall was the use of a 24 foot by 24 foot grid that marked the span of the structural bays. Careful organisation and focus went into the envelope of the building to create a lightweight, minimalist appearance. Not only did the "naked" appearance help create a floating visual, it also aided the emphases on the structural and material components. 


Mies was known for his constant interest in steel and glass, which was a nod to his aesthetic norm. The lower 8 foot portion of the curtain wall was meant to divert the user's attention back inside the building, whereas the upper 10 foot portion was meant to frame views upward towards greenery and the sky. The corner conditions of the facility expose the vertical steel I-beams. The connections remain hidden but the mere presence of the columns evoke a sense of rigidity and establishment. These columns are then introduced to the thin roof that seamlessly glides across the interior space with the help of four massive steel trusses that span from front to back. It is thanks to the trusses that the interior space is free of columns or load-bearing elements. Inside the building, Mies continued to stress the concept of "universal space", which was an ideology that a building should be able to tend to the different needs and wants of the people occupying it. The only static elements within the plan is a central core, but its attendance is overshadowed by the vast emptiness of the building. This was a move made to stress the shared work space, further defining his concept. Considered by some to be the "Modern day Parthenon", its utilization of a grid and free plan helped recognize its success in the modernist era. 


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