Mies van der Rohe Society | Blog

Lafayette Park Exhibition Insiders to speak June 16

Mon, 21 May 2012 09:49:00 -0500

This summer the Mies Society is excited to present an exhibition on the United State’s first urban renewal project, Lafayette Park in Detroit. This innovative Mies design puts the pedestrian first and maximizes interior space. And it was created with the help of his notable contemporaries.

Landscape designer Alfred Caldwell and urban designer Ludwig Hilberseimer collaborated with Mies to create a space for the middle class to remain in the city during the 1960s.

On Saturday, June 16 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in Crown Hall, Kevin Harrington will give a talk on this dream design team. The Illinois Institute of Technology professor emeritus has written and lectured widely on Mies and his colleagues. This lecture, “Figure and Pattern-Mies, Hilberseimer and Caldwell at Lafayette Park,” will be followed by refreshments and an opportunity to peruse the exhibition.

In addition to Kevin Harrington’s talk, members of the team at Politecnico di Milano, who organized the exhibition will be featured. Francesca Scotti, Adalberto Del Bo, and Francesco Bruno all teach at the Bovisa campus of the Politecnico. The exhibition catalog, which features “The Two Ludwigs in Detroit” by Del Bo and “The Openness of the Urban Framework and the Mixed Construction Type” by Bruno. Del Bo served as principal advisor for the exhibition and catalog. It will be published in English and Italian and will be available at this event.

This event is free and open to the public.

Image by JoelInSouthernCA via flickr

Last Days of European Architectural Tour

Mon, 14 May 2012 12:25:00 -0500

In the last days of our European Architectural Tour, we snapped a few highlights. Here they are in no particular order:

Above: In this image of the original staircase at the Neues Museum in Berlin, note the ornate decorations and side-by-side staircases.

Above: This photograph of the very same space within the Neues Museum portrays post-war ravage.

Above: David Chipperfield Architects received the Mies Architecture European Union Prize in 2011 for their minimalist work on the staircases.

Above: And while David Chipperfield and Julian Harrap relied on minimalism, they also revealed the historic decorative elements unique to the original space.

Above: We took a Spree River Cruise aboard Aphrodite and caught glimpses of structures such as the one above. It is where Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel works and connects to her helicopter pad.

Above: Here is the Koolhaas-designed embassy for the Netherlands as seen from our river tour.

Above: And here is an old pumping station that was transformed to a modern dance performance space accompanied by offices and apartment units.

Above: Here is a site where Mies proposed a famous pointed-corner glass skyscraper in the 1920s. And that’s what went up many years later instead.

Above: Here is the Reichstag with crosses showing how many died trying to escape to the west across this point in the river.

Above: The cantilevered building is a new hotel by German architects.

Above: Tucking into lunch on the boat

Above: We visited Villa Urbig in Potsdam, Germany. It has been carefully restored and is a part-time private residence. We were given a special tour of the exterior.

Above: Note this travertine window. Certainly this is not the way Mies used travertine in the United States.

Above: It has been said that the original client wanted columns, but Mies was not so sure. He seems to have taken a minimal approach and planned for vines to grow up and cover them.

Above: Work was being done to repair the leaky travertine porch.

Above: Look at this simple iron railing. Pretty minimal considering the home was build in 1915 to 1917.

Well, good reader, thanks for following us on our architectural tour. We selected photographs of details we hoped would better acquaint you with Mies and the countries in which he worked. Without intending it, it seemed the theme of our trip was restoration.

Buildings we visited were either new but formed around a particular historical context (think the Sony Building in Berlin, which replaced a war-wrecked site) or had been recently restored (think Villa Tugendhat in Brno, Czech Republic), or were in the midst or restoration. No matter the state of the structure we visited, the mark of Mies was evident.

Murphy-Jahn tour of Sony Center

Fri, 11 May 2012 17:17:00 -0500

We’re on the sixth day of our European architectural tour, and if there is a theme to any day, today’s is politics. Scroll down for some pictures from our special-access escapade. But first, check out our expertly guided tour of Sony Center Berlin.

Above: Before Murphy-Jahn’s Sony Center Berlin (second image below), the building’s site was lively. Then WWII came and decimated it, leaving one building and some trees (directly below).

Above: Glimpse of Sony Center Berlin

Above: Murphy Jahn’s design of Sony Center Berlin includes Mies’ staircase design.

Above: The security entrance to the Reichstag includes Jenny Holzer’s work, which displays 20 days of parliament speeches.

Above: Thanks to some string-pulling, we had special access today to visit the Bundestag although it was in session. We started in a private room to learn about German politics and walked through the building through a special tunnel (below) into Reichstag.

Above: Interior of tunnel leading to Reichstag

Above: The cupola on the Reichstag building

Eventually we made our way to the cupola by Sir Norman Foster and had a delicious lunch of buttered potatoes, white asparagus and wiener schnitzel.

In-Person at Neue Nationalgalerie

Thu, 10 May 2012 17:05:00 -0500

We’re on the fifth day of our European architectural tour, and the highlight was visiting Neue Nationalgalerie, featuring an exhibition of Gerhard Richter’s works. We also visited the Lemke House. Here’s a snapshot tour…

Above: Those charged with restoring Neue Nationalegalerie are trying to figure out a way to make the outdoor garden accessible and integrated, as Mies intended.

Above: The team is tackling issues beyond steel and glass; they are considering where to put the bookstore that has migrated (through the years) to a destination beneath the staircase.

Above: Here’s Mies at the groundbreaking of the museum.

Above: The restoration team is challenged when it comes to finding glass panes large enough that also meet new double-pane and ultraviolet light codes. Notice the current replacement is multiple sheets seamed together.

Above: Visitors gather outside Neue Nationalgalerie and learn details about the forthcoming restoration from Arne Maibohm, an architect and member of the planning team.

This is the view of the site Mies would have had from his apartment. He sited this according to the old existing church.

Note the six-foot trusses and one of only eight columns supporting the roof.

Above: A guest’s snazzy shirt matches our visits today to the Richter color studies and the Klee paintings at the Bauhaus Archives.

Above: The Lemke House has been converted to a contemporary art gallery. The director characterized this modest house as “small Mies” and his final house built in Europe.

The goal of the structure is to draw people to nature, moving through the minimal internal space to the extensive garden and lake. The house was eventually used as a cafeteria for staff serving the head of the Stasi who lived on weekends in a house next door.

In the 1970s a family lived here and added a window in the bedroom; you can see where the restoration team replaced the brick.

Above: We had a fabulous lunch of currywurst and fries, a Berlin specialty.

Above: Here is a piece from the show of Gerhard Richter’s work. It is four panes of glass in steel frames and is very Miesian. It is also interesting because Richter says he is showing both what is limitless and the limitations on what can be depicted.

That reminded us of what Mies tried to achieve in providing a spare structure to frame a space or make many things possible. The limits in both this work and that of Mies’ portray immediate boundaries and reveal ephemeral uses of space.

Above: Grids, grids, everywhere! Here is the outdoor plaza.

Above: And here is the interior floor.

Another Modern Visionary Dies

Wed, 09 May 2012 16:18:00 -0500

Today Vidal Sassoon, creator of modern hairstyles, died after a long battle with leukemia. He was 84 years old.

The Mies Society paid tribute to his inspired work this year in the celebration of Mies’ 126th birthday.

Sassoon had cited Mies’ work, among that of other architects’, as inspiration for his innovative hairstyles, which became popular throughout the Western World in the 1960s.

Justine Jentes, Director of the Mies Society, had worked with Sassoon’s assistant to arrange for him to make a surprise appearance at the birthday bash. Though he was ultimately not able to attend, his legacy proved to be a popular draw for party guests, who were intrigued by his ability to translate minimalist sculptural forms from buildings to hair.

Modern visionaries like Sassoon invented a lasting aesthetic that works across mediums. They made “mid-century” an identifiable and covetable quality. And they did it in the name of better design. Just as modern architects merged form and function, so did disciples of Sassoon’s styling approach.

He invented looks such as the five-point cut (pictured) so women did not have to fuss over their hair (think of those 1940s ‘dos). Instead, they could have styles that fit their bone structures and allowed their hair to fall naturally into place. Just how many hours (or even years) he spared for well-coiffed women in recent decades remains to be counted, adding another dimension to the timeless quality of his creations.

The Brno Exhibition Centre

Wed, 09 May 2012 11:58:00 -0500

The Mies Society continues its European architectural tour with a visually jam-packed day three; after Villa Tugendhat Tuesday, we visited the Brno Exhibition Centre, a popular destination for international conferences.

The original Centre was built in the 1920s and has since grown with the addition of modern structures.

Above: A reinforced concrete staircase part of a building called Pavilion of Industry and Trade

Above: Parabola-tastic

Above: Here’s a poster featuring the beautifully domed pavilion on the fairgrounds. It was done in 1955 as part of what’s called Brussels-style due to the fact that Brno won top awards for its modern architecture at the 1955 Brussels World’s Fair.

Up-Close in the Tugendhat

Tue, 08 May 2012 14:57:52 -0500

The Mies Society is on day three of its European architectural tour. Today, Tuesday, we visited the recently and meticulously restored Villa Tugendhat in Brno, Czech Republic. The level of detail in this restoration is phenomenal. The home, built in 1928, was made with an iconic blend of Miesian materials: chrome, travertine, glass, and steel.

Above: We were provided booties to wear on the tour.

Above: Guests stand “inside” the house; the window was moved down all the way.

Above: Feast your eyes on these dining room table details.

Above: Uncommonly green Barcelona chairs in front of an onyx wall

Above: Special cold storage for furs

Above: A chair sized for children

Above: Children’s chairs and an adult chair in the daughter’s room.

Above: Fully restored built-in closets in bedrooms

Above: Guest Sharon at rest

The tour guides attribute this door hardware to Walter Gropius, father of the Bauhaus.

Above: A pulley system opens the out-of-reach windows

Above: Note the reveal around the fixture; the cruciform decoration echos the columns.

Above: Wood exterior window shutters

Above: Mean, clean, bathroom tiles

Above: Note three layers of reveal at this door frame.

Visiting Vienna, Bon vivanting in Brno

Mon, 07 May 2012 16:13:00 -0500

Several Mies Society members have joined Director Justine Jentes on a tour of great modern (and not-so-modern) architecture in Czech Republic and Germany.

Here are up-to-the-minute snapshots from Day Two of our trip: we ventured through Vienna, Austria and Brno, Czech Republic.

Above: here’s part of the campus at the technical university in Vienna.

Above: our hotel’s lobby could be characterized as… well, you fill in the blank… and Mies Society Director Justine Jentes takes a breather on this silver sofa…

Shabby chic versus modern sleek: So why is this dirty facade considered distinguished (admire that chiaroscuro) but old Mies buildings can’t get away with a scrubby appearance?

Here’s a thought:

“With great simplicity comes great maintenance” (apologies to Voltaire)

Above: an architectural juxtaposition at the historic center of Brno. This city has lots of well-preserved old buildings painted in yellows, light blues, and pale greens. The glass and steel structure at left stands out in its simplicity.

That’s all for now, folks.

Bon voyage and happy summer, Illinois Institute of Technology...

Mon, 07 May 2012 15:48:00 -0500

College of Architecture Project in Crown

College of Architecture Project in Crown

College of Architecture Project in Crown

College of Architecture Project in Crown

Bon voyage and happy summer, Illinois Institute of Technology students. Thanks for all the creative memories, some of which are captured here.

In the last weeks of the semester, Crown Hall was filled with tiny utopian buildings made by College of Architecture students.

We're off to Czech it out

Thu, 03 May 2012 13:12:00 -0500

The Mies van der Rohe Society is about to leave for its much-anticipated trip to Europe, with stops at Villa Tugendhat in Brno, Czech Republic and sundry hot spots in Berlin.

For a taste of what we’ll see at the newly restored Villa Tugendhat, a breakthrough Mies home, read this insightful review. And stay tuned for our updates from Europe.

A view of Mies’ recently restored Villa Tugendhat in Brno, Czech Republic

Lafayette Park comes to Chicago

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:27:00 -0500

CHICAGO: This summer, Crown Hall will host an exhibition about one of Mies’ breakthrough buildings. (Imagine, a Mies building hosting an exhibition about a Mies building, how meta!)

From June 7 to July 27, “Lafayette Park: The Settlement Shape: An Exhibition of Mies’ Detroit-based Urban Renewal Project,” will be on display and free to the public.

Lafayette Park was the first urban renewal project in the United States and remains a model of efficient, community-minded living. It is a simplistic building that embodies apparent contraditions. It was designed for car owners, but parking spaces are discreet. It was built across the street from an elementary school, but children don’t need to cross the street to get there.

The exhibition is free and open to the public Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

See photos of Lafayette Park residents here and here.

Photo by Werner Blaser

Architecture & Design Film Festival Starts Tomorrow

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:38:00 -0500

The nation’s largest film festival to celebrate remarkable architecture and design returns to Chicago tomorrow with a brand-new program of films, talk-backs, and panel discussions.

Programs run through Monday, April 16, at the Music Box Theater, 3733 North Southport Avenue. Click here for a list of films.

We recommend Eames: The Architect and the Painter, which explores the marriage and collaboration of Charles and Ray Eames. It screens at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Photo by Fuschia Foot

Katherine Rinne: Plumbing Rome

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 14:43:00 -0500

The College of Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology will host Katherine Rinne’s talk on “Plumbing Rome” tomorrow, April 11, at 6 p.m.

This lecture is located in the McCormick Tribune Campus Center’s auditorium, 3201 S. State Street in Chicago. It is free and open to the public.

Contact arch@iit.edu with questions.

Bernard Tshcumi: "Concept and Material" Monday lecture

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 14:15:47 -0500

Arechitect Bernard Tschumi, FAIA, presents “Concept and Material” at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 9, at Illinois Institute of Technology’s McCormick Tribune Campus Center Auditorium, 3201 South State Street.

This talk is presented by the College of Architecture and is free and open to the public. For information call 312.567.3312.

Bernard Tschumi: “Concept and Material”

Follow Mies to Win

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 11:50:00 -0500

Follow Mies van der Rohe on facebook. Then mark your calendar.

The first to “like” a post on Tuesday, April 10 at 2 p.m. wins a $350 cut and color service at Vidal Sassoon salon in Chicago.

What’s hair got to do with Mies? Check out this blog entry to learn why we celebrated his influence on iconic stylist Vidal Sassoon for the the architect’s 126 birthday.

Architize Director Justine's Hair

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 15:39:00 -0500

Mies Society Director Justine Jentes will do anything to celebrate modern design. She’ll even dye… her hair, that is.

In honor of Mies’ 126th birthday celebration and his influence on hairstylist Vidal Sassoon, the eponymous Chicago salon re-designed Justine’s hair. Here are pictures from the process.

Her blond and curly hair is already pretty fantastic.

Here’s what happens when they start to mess around with it.

And then they got all Frank Gehry on it by using silver reflective forms.

Which turned it into a smooth dome of strawberry blond.

But wait. There’s purple! There’s magenta!

The result… a highly structured but simple hairstyle.

March 31: German food, Czech house

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 10:01:44 -0500

Klas, a German restaurant in Cicero, Ill., will screen a documentary film about Villa Tugendhat, Mies’ van der Rohe’s recently restored (gorgeous) home in Brno, Czech Republic.

Call the restaurant at 708-652-0795 or visit their website for information about the Saturday, March 31st screening.

This is what Mies’ 126th birthday party looked like. We...

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:02:00 -0500

This is what Mies’ 126th birthday party looked like. We had live haircuts, live Vidal Sassoon models, live architects, students, designers, Mies Society members… and it rocked! (Spot Helmut Jahn! Spot Mies’ grandson, architect Dirk Lohan!)

Google Doodle Today

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 07:05:00 -0500

If you see Google’s homepage today, you’ll also see a rendering of S. R. Crown Hall, Mies’ legendary architectural achievement located on Illinois Institute of Technology’s Main Campus. It’s in honor of the architect’s 126th birthday.

This rendering was created by Willie Real, a San Francisco-based artist who has long loved architecture (and Mies, of course). He took the time to answer our questions about how he created today’s Google Doodle.

1.) First off—how did you get this particular assignment?

Our small doodle team sits down and goes over requests that come either from within our own doodle team, from other googlers, and of course our users around the world and we then divvy up who’s doing what. I volunteered for this doodle because it was going to be my first architect doodle and Mies Van Der Rohe is not a bad first at all. I was very excited!

2.) So you used to want to be an architect but the math part of the training made you think twice. Tell us a little about your interest in architecture.

Oh man, the math involved was indeed a fear… It still is! In sixth grade I was able to interview a classmate’s father who was a real architect! I was blown away by the idea that I could possibly build my own home the way I imagined it. Then he told me about the math involved, the geometry (which I wasn’t too bad at), the rules and regulations and the rest of the math it would take to become an architect and that’s when I started thinking ‘maybe I should stick to the visual side of things’. It’s funny because my first job after college was designing buildings for ‘Horton Hears a Who’, the Dr. Seuss movie. It was a wonderful experience and the perfect middle ground that required all of the imagination and none of the math.

3.) Your online portfolio has some very beautiful line drawings in a unique style. How has your style developed over time?

Thank you. I absolutely love brush pens. In school I was fortunate to have great instructors who inspired me with their work and/or gave great lessons in class. A figure drawing instructor once told me to ‘feel’ the contour of the forms. He then told me it was possible to convey weight with line variation. That really stuck with me. Quick studies, figure drawing, life drawing in my sketchbook and looking at other artists always helps define where I want to go. I always turn on my ‘learning’ button because
there’s always room for growth and experimentation.

4.) What was the biggest challenge in making a Mies Google doodle? (We imagine that it would have something to do with the fact that his designs are very right-angled while “Google” is very round!)

The right angles and the straight edges were intimidating at first but after a few sketches and some very careful hand-eye coordination, I think it worked well. We get excited when we’re able to change the logo around and this was a cool opportunity to incorporate the letters into the frame work of Crown Hall. What I think really helps the doodle are the little figures in front of the building. They give an overall sense of scale and hopefully justify Crown Hall’s presence.

5.) What was the most important thing to convey about Mies in the doodle, and how was it achieved?

Celebrating Mies’ legacy was definitely a challenge. Mies did so many great buildings that are worthy of a doodle but it was pretty evident from the get go that highlighting what many consider his masterpiece was the way to go.

6.) What’s your favorite Mies creation?

The Farnsworth house is amazing but I have to go with Crown Hall. After researching it more extensively and realizing the ceiling is suspended by the cross beams really makes me curious to see it in person! I hear the space inside has to be experienced. I definitely plan to visit some day.

I had a wonderful time working on the Mies doodle with you guys. I hope our users all around the world are delighted—whether they’re new to his work or fans already. Mies was definitely an innovator in his arena and we were very honored to celebrate him.

Mies' mentees

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 23:11:52 -0500

In honor of Mies’ 126th birthday week, we’re featuring some of his most culturally influential mentees. We’ll start with a pair of former Illinois Institute of Technology students who eventually became business partners: Phyllis Lambert and Gene Summers.

Summers and Lambert are responsible for revitalizing interest in downtown Los Angeles. They purchased and renovated the Beaux Arts-style Biltmore Hotel in the midcentury, saving it from certain ruin. Not only did they restore it, they added a modern flavor with a four-star restaurant that featured chairs designed by Mies.

Summers died this year, leaving a legacy of transformation for several U.S. cities, including Chicago. His design of the second-generation McCormick Place (the first burned down in the 1960’s) was a feat of daring construction with it’s 300,000 square-foot space shelters by a roof that had eight columns for support. It made Chicago a convention destination. He later became Dean of IIt’s College of Architecture and eventually pursued his passion for creating sculpture.

Phyllis Lambert, besides famously convincing her father to hire Mies to design the Seagrams building, has consulted for countless instiutions, including the International Confederation of Architectural Museums. She has also built the Canadian Centre for Architecture into an internationally significant cultural institution.