Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Ludwig Mies van der Rohewas a German-American architect. He is commonly referred to and was addressed as Mies, his surname. Along with Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius and Frank Lloyd Wright, he is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of modern architecture...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionArchitect
Date of Birth27 March 1886
CountryUnited States of America
age buildings clearly convey demands fool lack maintain time
The demands of the time for objectivity and functionality must be fulfilled. If that clearly happens, then the buildings of our day will convey the greatness of which the age is capable, and only a fool will maintain that they lack it.
addressing art bound building execution itself knowledge means necessary spiritual tasks vital work
The building art is, in reality, always the spatial execution of spiritual decisions. It is bound to its times and manifests itself only in addressing vital tasks with the means of its times. A knowledge of the times, its tasks, and its means is the necessary precondition of work in the building art.
achieve age artistic builders content earlier effect endeavor fail form hopeless repeatedly serve strongest talent time work
It is a hopeless endeavor to make the form and content of earlier architectural epochs usable for our time; in this, even the strongest artistic talent must fail. We see repeatedly how the outstanding builders fail to achieve an effect because their work does not serve the will of the age.
buildings group huge modern space time
Modern buildings of our time are so huge that one must group them. Often the space between these buildings is as important as the buildings themselves.
buildings greater structural wisdom
Where can we find greater structural clarity than in the wooden buildings of old? Where else can we find such unity of material, construction and form? here, the wisdom of whole generations is stored.
building cannot save towns wonderful
You cannot save wonderful towns. You can only save wonderful towns by building new ones.
artistic building carrying central readily time
I see in industrialization the central problem of building in our time. If we succeed in carrying out this industrialization, the social, economic, technical, and also artistic problems will be readily solved.
becomes build packaged
I do not think it is an advantage to build planned packaged houses. If you prefabricate a house completely, it becomes an unnecessary restriction.
building should function
We must be as familiar with the functions of our building as with our materials. We must learn what a building can be, what it should be, and also what it must not be...
areas avoid chicago cities large silly slums spread suburban thousands
You can use up all the slums for new development. In all the cities of the world, there are large areas of these. Also, you can avoid the spread of these silly suburban houses. Chicago has thousands of them all over the place.
aim form problems recognize refuse work
We refuse to recognize problems of form, but only problems of building. Form is not the aim of our work, but only the result. Form, by itself, does not exist. Form as an aim is formalism; and that we reject.
drawings model quarter send
We made drawings the size of a whole quarter of a room ceiling, which we would then send on to the model makers. I did this every day for two years. Even now I can draw cartouches with my eyes closed.
deepening despite efforts life oriented remain tendency time toward wholly
The tendency of our time is wholly oriented toward the secular. The efforts of the mystics will remain episodes. Despite a deepening of our conceptions of life, we will build no cathedrals.
almost far gigantic left nature respect reveals structures superior technology true
Technology is far more than a method, it is a world in itself. As a method, it is superior in almost every respect. But only where it is left to itself, as in gigantic structures of engineering, there technology reveals its true nature.