Major Assignment Research

I have decided to take a different direction with the assignment. I have chosen to study Mies Van der Rohe, and use him as my inspiration. Mies buildings have very specific aesthtical qualities about them.

Crown Hall:
The above picture shows how Mies incorporated steel and glass into his designs. I wanted to work with these elements in order to find out how they work. This is what drew me to the glass paleis. Concrete was also a main feature. His building usually did not have load bearing walls but in fact if was the steel portal frames that carried the structural load, and the walls merely gave shape to the buildings.

Toronto - Dominion Centre
From the above photo we can see how Mies accentuates the structural elements in him buildings. He wanted to show the construction process in his finished structures. He achieved this my exposing certain element, such as can be seen here with the steel column.


Below: Farnsworth House
Although the structure is not of commercial use, therefore not quite large it was important for me to study this as i realised the simple nature of Mies' work. He got rid of all ornamentation in his buildings with the only thing remaining are the necessities. I think it makes building look quite elegant.