Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was a pioneering German-American architect known for his work in modernist architecture. Some of his most famous works include the Barcelona Pavilion (1929), Villa Tugendhat (1930), and Farnsworth House (1951). Mies believed that architecture should express the modern age through simplified forms and the use of new industrial materials like steel and glass. He strived to achieve a unified expression where every element of a building contributes to the overall design. Mies was influential in spreading the principles of the International Style and was known for his aphorisms "less is more" and "God is in the details."

1. ARC 331
Art & Arch IV (Modern)
UG09-47-19-003
Md. Mehedi Hasan

2. Born: March 27, 1886,
Aachen, Germany.
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Died: August 17, 1969,
Chicago, Illinois, United
States.
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was a German-born American architect. He was commonly referred to as Mies, his
surname. Along with Alvar Aalto, Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius and Frank Lloyd Wright, he is regarded as one of
the pioneers of modernist architecture
Movements and Styles: The
International Style, Modern
Architecture, Bauhaus, Art
Nouveau.
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3. Early Life & Carrere
• He worked with his father in a stone carving shop also at several local
design firms before moving to Berlin.
• Worked for Bruno Paul, the art nouveau architect and furniture design,
after moving to berlin’
• At the age of 20 he received his first independent commission to plan a
house (Riehl House) for a philosopher (Alois Riehl)’
• In 1908 he began working for the architect peter Behrens .
• Despite of a formal college-level education He opened his own office in
berlin in 1912.
• In 1921, he changed his name, adding the Dutch ‘Van der' and his
mother’s maiden name, ‘Rohe': Ludwig Mies became Ludwig Mies van
der Rohe.
Bruno Paul
Riehl House
Peter Behrens Page-2

4. • In 1930, Mies collaborated with New York architect Philip Johnson and
did several projects together.
• He was the director of Bauhaus school from 1930 until its
disbandment in 1933, shut down under the pressure from Nazi
government.
• He moved to United States in 1937.
• From 1938 to 1958 he was head of the Architecture department at the
Amour Institute of Technology in Chicago, later renamed Illinois Institute
of Technology.
• For his career he achieved ‘Orden pour de merite’ in 1959 and
‘Presidential medal of freedom’ in 1963.
Philip Johnson
Bauhaus School
Amour Institute of Technology Page-3

5. • He believed that the configuration and
arrangement of every architectural element
must contribute to a unified expression
• Every aspect of architecture, from overall
concept to the smallest detail, supports his
effort to express the modern age.
Toronto – Dominion Centre
Seagram Building
Design Philosophies & Characteristics.
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6. Mies's belief that "We should attempt to
bring nature, houses, and the human being
to a higher unity." He called his buildings
"skin and bones" architecture.
He is often associated with the aphorisms
"less is more" and "God is in the details.
S.R. Crown Hall
The Barcelona Pavilion
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7. His mature buildings made use of modern
materials such as industrial steel and plate
glass to define interior spaces.
He strived towards an architecture with a
minimal framework of structural order
balanced against the implied freedom of free
flowing open space
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
Farnsworth Page-6

8. Riehl House 1907 Barcelona Pavilion 1929 Villa Tugendhat 1930 Farnsworth House 1951
S. R. Crown Hall 1956 Seagram Building 1958 Toronto-Dominion Centre 1969
Martin Luther King Jr.
Memorial Library 1972
Most Famous Projects
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9. Barcelona Pavilion 1929
• Located in Barcelona, Spain
• Mies built the Barcelona Pavilion for the Barcelona International Exposition of 1929.
• It housed the ceremonial reception space for German industrial exhibits commissioned by the German
government.
• Mies united sophisticated materials with a fluid open plan, which together endowed the space with an
unprecedented modern elegance
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10. Villa Tugendhat 1930
• Located in Brno, Czech Republic
• The house was designed as a large and luxurious villa for Grete and Fritz Tugendhat.
• This was the last major home Mies built in Europe.
• Mies dealt with the extreme slope by dividing the front and back of the house into public and private facades
• It is the only example of Modern architecture in the Czech Republic recorded on the UNESCO List of World
Cultural Heritage.
Plan at Ground Level
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11. Farnsworth House 1951
• Located in Plano, IL, USA.
• Its is a small weekend retreat on the bank of fox river.
• it is one of the most famous examples of modernist domestic architecture and was considered
unprecedented in its day
• the one-story Farnsworth house with its isolated site allowed a degree of transparency and simplicity which
minimize the boundary between man and the natural world which is impossible in the larger urban projects
• the I-beams of the Farnsworth House are both structural and expressive
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12. • Located in New York
• This 39-story, 516-foot tall office building was one of the original skyscrapers set the standards for city office
buildings
• Designed with modernist ideas with an emphasis on the steel frame structure, curtain wall, and rational floor
• One of the main qualities are the luxurious materials used bronze coated beams, amber tinted glass, marble,
travertine, etc.
• The generous plaza to the building the tower itself only takes up 40%of the site
• The plaza attracts many people and creates a procession from the city streets to the entry, consists of two large
fountains and plenty of sitting space.
Plan at Ground Level
Typical Floor Plan
Section
Seagram Building 1958
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13. Achievements
Pioneer of the Modern Movement
Coming out of ornamentation and decoration, he has
taught generations how to represent architecture with a
predominance of simplicity and modernity.
Glass is currently a widely used, and popular, building
material. But in the beginning, it is because of the
courageous decision and efficiency of Mies and other
modern architects of the time that we see this
material surviving in this way. The Material Master
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