ARCH162

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 facil...

A School Ahead of its Time Design by Walter Gropius the Bauhaus in Germany Dessau is an outstanding example of the modern movement. Been one of the first schools of design it brought together the most magnificent contemporary architects and artists and an innovative center for training. The name of the school translate to "Construction House" in German which couldn’t have been such a perfect choice. The Bauhaus in Dessau, been the most famous of all the three (others been in Weimar and Berlin) is the product of previous movements such as the arts and crafts movement, with much more emphasis on modern materials such as steel, concrete, and glass [2]. Its intent, according to Gropius was to integrate all of the arts, an integral part of the things of life, necessary for everyone in a civilized society [7]. The Bauhaus is rectangular shaped with a flat-roof structure built on concrete . The exterior walls are mostly taken up by windows, giving the stru...

A MODERN CLASSROOM The S. R. crown hall located in chicago was built in 1956 by Mies Van Der Rohe. The building was designed to be a school for architecture. The interior of the building was designated a landmark by 2001. The building accurately shows the style of architecture that Mies Van Der Rohe practiced.  “One of Mies van der Rohe’s last buildings erected on the Illinois institute of technology campus is Crown Hall, a Superb example of his clear span designs”. The building is said to be a masterpiece of modern architecture. It shows the construction and materiality that is modern architecture. The structure transcends itself and becomes art, it is the perfect representation of Mies Van Der Rohe’s ideas. There are no columns on the floor plan which further shows the idea of universal space. “In this manner, with steel and glass, a dramatic, single space measuring 120 by 220 feet and 18 feet high is created”. The architect want...

Villa Wagner II, Vienna, Austria; 1912-13; Early 20th Century Pioneers The Villas were designed and constructed by modernist architect, Otto Wagner in Hüttelbergstraße 26, district fourteen of Vienna, lower eastern Austria. This heavily wooded outskirts of the Alps, also known as Penzing, is the home of both Villas, which happen to occupy adjacent lots. The second Villa was constructed a few decades later, between 1912 to 1913. As we investigate how both Villa Wagner I and II were constructed and detailed, we can guess approximately that towards the end of the 19th century there was a shift to Otto Wagner and how he executed his characteristics in architecture. Both structures introduced clear examples of the Belle period, which lasted from 1871 to 1914 (Unknown, "Wagner Villa I and II") . The second building demonstrates a Jugendstil style, also known as Art Nouveau, which is known for its natural forms. It is also recognized as an artistic style that specifically...

Seagram  Building (New York, NY) 1958   The Seagram Building is a skyscraper, located at 375 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The building was designed by German- American architect   Mies   van der Rohe. Philip Johnson, Kahn & Jacobs were also involved in the development/ design of the building.   The building stands 515 feet tall with 38 stories. The building was completed in 1958. It stands as one of the most notable examples of modern architecture. It was designed as the headquarters for the   Canadian   distillers Joseph E Seagram & Sons. The building is owned by Aby Rosen's RFR Holdings.   Mies   van der Rohe was given an unlimited budget by Phyllis Lambert which was Seagram's heiress. The structure was influenced heavily on American architecture. The Seagram building was a large building made out of a steel frame.   Mies   wanted the steel frame to be visible to the public, but the American building ...