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1. Considerations Made By Modern Masters In
Designing Windows And Doors
[ COMPONENTS ]
BY
LIM CHIN YI
0315627

2. Mies Van der Rohe
Villa Tugendhat
Frank Lloyd Wright
Robie House
Considerations made by modern masters in designing
windows and doors
Windows Doors
Mies MiesWright Wright
Analytical Essay
Conclusion
Materials
(influenced
by
architects
styles)
Positioning
( to cater for
clients’
needs of
privacy and
comfort)
Positioning
( to cater for
clients’
needs of
privacy and
comfort)

3. Components Mies Van der Rohe Frank Lloyd Wright
Windows - glass and steel frame without the
addition of decorative elements.
-‘less is more’ principle
-Majority of the are facing the
garden (south).
1st
floor
- semi-public spaces such
- full height panoramic allows visual
continuation between the interior
and exterior
- private spaces (bedrooms and
bathrooms).
- reduced size of the windows
openings for privacy.
- the façade facing the streets, the
windows openings are kept minimal
to provide privacy.
- glass windows made of art glass,
the metal joints that support the glass
in place
- Prairie Style
- the ribbon windows at the South
façade, directing the occupants to the
unobstructed view
- ribbon windows placed at the street-
facing South façade , opposite of
Mies Villa Tugendhat
- due to the art glass and the
cantilever roof used by Wright that
shielded the interior from the streets.
2nd
Floor

4. Doors
-The entrance is hidden behind a
semi-translucent glass wall
-It is not visible when viewed from
the streets
-Design according to client’s
personality (introvert) and culture at
the era
-Others door in the house are small
(single door)
-Its entrance is hidden under an
overhanging second story.
-It is not visible when viewed from the
streets
- Design according to clients’ need for
privacy and seclusion
- Hiding the entries from passers-by.
-Cooling aspect of overhang cools the
entrance

5. Analytical Essay Of The Considerations Made By Mies Van Der Rohe and Frank Lloyd
Wright In Designing the Windows And Doors
Mies van der Rohe was well-known for his ‘less is more’ design principle where he
would design his buildings with minimal to zero ornamentation. However, Mies was not the
originator of this phrase in the industry, as he adopted it from Peter Behrens, whom Mies
worked under as a draftsman from 1908 to 1912. Mies then modified the principle and
eventually making his own interpretation of ‘less is more’, referring to his later efforts to
reduce buildings and their components into simple forms in which art and technics, geometry
and matter were integrated into more persuasive expression than its predecessor, Behrens
had ever achieved (Phaidon, n.d.). This could be seen in Villa Tugendhat , one of his
remarkable buildings built in 1930 which functioned as a family house for the Tugendhat
family in Czech Republic.
Frank Lloyd Wright was famous for his Prairie style architecture inspired by the flat
open landscape of the Midwest. Wright upbringing in a farming town in Wisconsin had
developed the appreciation of nature in him since he was young, thus explained his love for
the Prairie. The Robie House was known as Wright’s last true Prairie house, showing the
characteristics of Prairie architecture: central chimney, open plan, low roof line, ribbon
windows, and emphasizing of horizontality to blend with the Prairie landscape. The house
was commissioned by a businessman, Frederick C.Robie who requested for a house with an
abundance of day light and view of the neighbourhood, while maintaining the privacy of the
family (Balliett, n.d.).

6. Mies van der Rohe ‘less is more’ principle can be seen from the simplicity of the
windows in Villa Tugendhat which are free from any ornamentation that Mies deem them to
be unnecessary. Unlike other buildings in that period, the windows are only made up of glass
and steel frame without the addition of decorative elements. Mies has also put various
considerations when designing the windows such as the positioning and the sizing of
windows. Mies has located majority of the windows in Villa Tugendhat at the South façade
facing the garden. As shown is Diagram 1, the first floor of Villa Tugendhat is mainly consists
of semi-public spaces such as the living room and dining room. Therefore, rows of full height
panoramic windows are installed at the south facade. This allows visual continuation
between the interior and exterior. Besides, the panoramic windows are also positioned in
such way so that when the low winter sun shines in, the sun light would hit the onyx wall in
the dining room, causing it to appear as glowing, giving an elegant luxury touch to the
interior. However, at its opposite side, there are no windows installed at all due to the site
context.
In Diagram2, it shows that the positioning of windows in second floor is similar to the
first floor with the windows facing mainly to the garden similar to the first floor. This has
allowed the Tugendhat family to enjoy the sceneric view of the garden and Brno town below.
However Mies decided to reduce the size of the windows opening to provide privacy to the
occupants as the spaces in second floor are more private which consists of bedrooms and
Source: (Weston, 2004)
Diagram 2 Villa Tugendhat Second Floor Plan
Source: (Weston, 2004)
Diagram 1 Villa Tugendhat First Floor Plan

7. bathrooms. Another attempt of Mies in providing privacy to the Tugendhats can be seen
from the windows openings at the North facade that faces the streets which are kept to
minimal. The walls serve as the buffer between the streets and the interior. Hence, only a
small row of semi-translucent windows are installed at the top part of the bathroom walls for
natural lighting.
On the other hand, Frank Lloyd Wright famous Prairie style is shown clearly through
the continuous rows of ribbon windows in Robie House, giving horizontality to the building.
As opposed to the minimal decorations concept of Mies, Wright’s windows are consists of
174 art glass windows made of polished plate glass, cathedral glass, and copper-plated zinc
cames, the metal joints that support the glass in place. According to Robie House - Guided
Interior Tour (n.d.-a), Wright has redefined the role of stained glass where the glass windows
were treated much like paintings previously rather than an integral part of a building. The
translucent row of windows which also known as ‘lightscreens’, have various dynamic angles
and sharp polygons designs as a representation of nature stained on the glass, showing
Wright’s appreciation towards the nature. On top of that, the stained art glass windows has
allowed light to penetrate into the house while providing additional privacy to the Robie
family. The interior and exterior are now blended by the soft filtration of light through the
‘lightscreens’, even Wright himself stated that ‘‘Now the outside may come inside, and the
inside may, and does, go outside.’’
As beautiful the art glass seems, there are down side in using them. The abundance
of the glass windows which have low capacity for insulation has made the heating of the
building difficult during the cold days. Hence, Wright had to installed several radiators just
below the windows or doors to warm the cold drafts that came in through the windows
(Robie House - Guided Interior Tour ,n.d.-b)

8. Wright located some of the ribbon windows at the South façade, directing the
occupants to the unobstructed view to the South. However, the views of Southern Robie
House are different at nowadays due to the development between 58th
Street and the
Midway Plaisance that happened after the completion of Robie House. In contrast with the
Villa Tugendhat where the windows at the façade facing the street are kept minimal, Wright
was able to maintain the privacy in Robie House while having rows of ribbon windows placed
at the street-facing South facade as shown in Diagram3-5. This is due to the art glass and
the cantilever roof used by Wright that shielded the interior from the streets.
Source: (Davies, 2006)
Diagram 3 Robie House Ground Floor Plan
Source: (Davies, 2006)
Diagram 5 Robie House Second Floor Plan
Source: (Davies, 2006)
Diagram 4 Robie House First Floor Plan

9. The entrance doors of both Villa Tugendhat and Robie House have the same
characteristic, which is hidden from the streets. Mies has designed the doors in Villa
Tugendhat according to the clients’ personalities. The application of only single doors in Villa
Tugendhat including the main entrance have suggested the introverted lifestyle of
Tugendhat family. Since the building was built between the World War I and World War II, it
can be assumed that the people in Czechoslovakia was more reserved in their social life
hence did not practise the socializing culture. Although Mies has designed the villa according
to the introversion culture at the era, the villa’s luxury and its manifested life-style In this
period of social and economical pressures were interpreted as a provocation and its impact
on the modern movement were first discussed in a highly politicised way (Neuhoff, 2009).
In Robie House, the entrance is not visible from the street as it is placed on the North
side of the building, which is the exact opposite from the street. It is shielded by the
overhanging roof thus making the entering of the building an act of discovery. Aside from the
intention of hiding the entry from passer-by, Wright’s decision to build the entrance at the
North was due to the cooling aspect of the overhang roof. This is supported by Banham
(1969) who stated that the entrance received practically no sun as it lies under the overhang
on the North, and the coolness can be felt while entering the entrance court, providing a cool
air tank that works so efficiently, that even with the windows shut, the rooms are not
uncomfortably warm.
Source: (The Lying Truth of Architecture, 2015)
Diagram 6 Villa Tugendhat Entrance
Source: (Peacock, 2015)
Diagram 7 Robie House Entrance

10. As a conclusion, important considerations such as the choice of materials and the
positioning of the windows and doors have been made by the modern masters, Mies and
Wright when designing Villa Tugendhat and Robie House. The choice of materials in
designing the windows by both architects are in contrast with each other due to their
differences in styles and architectural principles. Besides, they have different approaches in
providing privacy to their clients through the windows as their positioning of windows are at
the total opposite direction from the streets. However, when it comes to the entryway, both
modern masters have the similar thought to hide the entrance, taking the consideration of
clients’ requests for privacy. Despite the differences, Mies and Wright have shown great
examples of buildings that contributed significant role in the modern movement of
architecture.
( 1478 words)

11. References List
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Banham, R. (1969). The Architecture of the Well-Tempered Environment (p. 117). London:
Architectural Press.
Davies, C. (2006). Key Houses of the Twentieth Century: Plans, Sections and
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Phaidon,. What did Mies van der Rohe mean by less is more?. Retrieved 3 June 2015, from
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Robie House - Guided Interior Tour. (n.d.-a). (1st ed., p. 7). Retrieved from
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Robie House - Guided Interior Tour. (n.d.-b). (1st ed., p. 17). Retrieved from
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