LE CORBUSIER PROJECTS
(1).Unite d’habitation
Multifamily residential housing project that focused on community life for all its inhabitants
projecting a place to shop, play and live, a” Vertical Garden City “. The Unite d’Habitation in
Marseille, France was the first large-scale project for the famed architect, Le Corbusier.
Unite d’Habitation is one of Le Corbusier’s most important projects, as well as one of the most
innovative architectural responses to a residential building. So much so, that the United’
Habitation is said to have influenced the Brutalist Style with the use of beton-brut concrete.
Unite d’Habitation has since been the example for public housing across the world.
(2).Notre Dame du Haut
Iconic Notre Dame du Haut is one of the earliest Modernist churches. It is not a total departure
from traditional church architecture, with its stained glass, tower, and high ceilings, symbolically
drawing the eye – and the mind – towards heaven. Each window is cut through the wall in
different sizes and angles, scattering ethereal colored light across the room.
(3) Palace of Assembly, Chandigarh
The Palace of Assembly is the elegant counterpart to the nearby Palace of Justice. Set beside
an azure pool, this busy place nevertheless, evokes serenity and reflection. There is a regularity
to the building, with few deviations from the design system. A flat-roofed block with rectangular
windows is hidden behind a monumental facade, with a U-shaped roof piercing the severity of
the concrete. More sedate than the colorful Palace of Justice, its equilibrium of form and
symmetry, even so, makes the Palace of Assembly an equally-striking building.
(4)..Villa Savoye | Le Corbusier
Villa Savoye is arguably Le Corbusier’s most renowned work and a prime example of Modernist
architecture. The sleek geometry of the white living space, with its elongated ribbon windows, is
supported by a series of narrow columns around a curved glazed entrance – and topped with a
solarium. Completed in 1931, this building was revolutionary: the use of reinforced concrete
required for fewer load-bearing internal walls, allowing for an open-plan design.
Background
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was born in Germany in 1886. This was right after the spread of
Neoclassical architecture and before minimalism and functionalism. In the midst of all these
ideologies, aesthetics, and movements, Mies took inspiration. And he was able to grow and
change. His pursuit of personal style started in Berlin at the office of Bruno Paul and, later, Peter
Behrens. In these studios, Mies got in contact with progressive German culture. But it didn’t last
long.
The German architect moved from this mother country before World War II when the Nazis rose
to power. In fact, Adolf Hitler and his followers opposed modernism, which they called
“degenerate art.” The Nazis believed modernism was pretentious, irreverent, and (ultimately) an
evil Jewish plot against the German people.
That’s when Ludwig Mies van der Rohe accepted an offer from the architecture school at the
Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago in 1937. In the United States, the German architect
could develop his own style based on different aesthetics including Bauhaus. He started with
upper-class homes and later moved on to projects like The Promontory on Lake Shore Drive in
Chicago.
During his American years, the German architect also became an educator and dabbled in
interior design. Towards the end of his life and career, Mies was influential. So much so that he
received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963. Three years later, he died of cancer and
was buried in his adopted home: Chicago.
One of the last projects he completed while he was alive was the Toronto-Dominion Centre and
Office Tower Complex in Canada. However, other projects signed by him were completed
posthumously, like the IBM Plaza in the Office Tower of Chicago (1973).
mies van der rohe philosophies of design
#Focus on Transparency and Fluidity
Mies’ designs prioritize transparency and fluidity, transforming structures into seamless meshing
of indoor and outdoor environments. His use of large glass panes in elements like the
Farnsworth House allows natural light to flood interiors, creating a sense of openness. This
practice not only enhances aesthetic appeal but also integrates the building with its
surroundings, establishing a continuous visual experience.
#The Significance of Open Spaces
The concept of open spaces, a hallmark of Mies’ designs, serves both practical and aesthetic
purposes. By eliminating unnecessary walls and partitions, he champions a free-flowing spatial
arrangement. This approach is evident in the Barcelona Pavilion, where open spaces create a
versatile environment that adapts to various functions. His innovative layouts promote flexibility,
ensuring spaces serve multiple purposes while maintaining an elegant simplicity.
MIES VAN DER ROHE PROJECT
Bacelona pavilion 1929
Together with designer Lilly Reich, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was commisioned to design the
German pavilion for the Barcelona Exposition in 1929. This building later became known as the
Barcelona Pavilion. The use of different kinds of marble from all over the world, the combination
of glass and stee made the stucture stand out from the the exhibition program. The pavilion also
held an official reception of the King of Spain at the time. The Barcelona Pavilion also
showcased Mies’s iconic Barcelona chair and served as an introduction of new architectural
trends to the world. The building was dismantled after the exposition and its element were sent
back to Germany to be reused for other buildings. Fifty years later, realising the architectural
importance of van der Rohe’s pavilion, the Barcelona City Council urged to reconstruct it. The
city ensured that materials for the reconstrucion would be sourced from the same locations as
the original building, with different marbles coming from Rome, Greece and the Atlas Mountains.
Construction was completed in 1986.
CROWN HALL
Completed in 1956, Crown Hall is the home of the College of Architecture at the Illinois Institute
of Technology in Chicago, where van der Rohe was the school’s director for twenty years. He
made the school world-renowned for not only for its defining role in architectural education but
also for its campus building, that Mies himself designed in the late 1940s. The Crown Hall was
an elegant addition to the campus that clearly illustrates the architect’s simple steel-and-glass
construction technique.
Villa Tugendhat
Exposition brought critical acclaim to Rohe, as the wealthy of Europe started showing great
interest and fascination towards spacious modern homes and villas, like the Tugendhat House
designed by Mies in 1930, built in Brno. Clients of the project were elite newlyweds Grete and
Fritz Tugendhat, who had met Mies in Berlin in 1927 and were already impressed by his simple
and spacious design for the Zehlendorf House of Edward Fuchs (1928)
