Mies Van Der Rohe: 1886 - 1969 (Basic Architecture Series)

Book Description

Less is more: finding perfection in purity

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969) was one of the founding fathers of modern architecture. The creator of the Barcelona Pavilion (1929), the Farnsworth House in Plano, Illinois (1945-1951) and the Seagram Building in New York (1954-1958), Mies was one of the founders of a new architectural style. Well known for his motto "less is more," he sought a kind of refined purity in architectural expression that was not seen in the reduced vocabulary of other Bauhaus members. His goal was not simply building for those of modest income but building economically in terms of sustainability, both in a technical and aesthetical way; the use of industrial materials such as steel and glass were the foundation of this approach. Though the extreme reduction of form and material in his work garnered some criticism, over the years many have tried—mostly unsuccessfully—to copy his original and elegant style.

This book explores more than 20 of his projects between 1906 and 1967, from his early work around Berlin to his most important American buildings.

Customer Reviews:

hand book about Mies works.......2007-05-15

it' nice to have it in your colection or a travelling pack. you can starts to explore his works and get a idea about him. its ideal for the students, but if your looking for more minimalist details and plans you better find a another.

nto bad.......2007-05-13

this books introduce lots of important works of Mies Van Der Rohe
If you're his fan or like the art works of the Bauhaus
this book is a good option to know the artist

Interesting but not great.......2007-04-25

I wish I had more floor plans and pictures and also more buildings.
Not bad though for the price.

One of the Fathers of Modern Architecture.......2007-04-07

Mies Van Der Rohe is one of the father's of Modern Architecture. He began his career in Germany before the Great War and ended it in the United States in the late 1960's. Not only did he design some of the most iconic buildings and furniture of the Twentieth Century, Mies was also a teacher who deeply influenced generations of architects. We see his influence in cities throughout the world.

The volumes in Taschen's Basic Architecture Series are a must for anyone interested in the history of architecture. At $9.99 a volume, they are an affordable and attractive introduction to the works of the most influential architects of the past century. The sole hesitation I have with this volume is Claire Zimmerman's writing style. She writes in a flowery academic style that is off putting. However, at $9.99 a volume, you cannot go wrong. Recommended.

Average customer rating:

Mies Van Der Rohe: The Art of Structure
Werner Blaser , and Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe
Manufacturer: Whitney Library of Design
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0823030644

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Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Jean-Louis Cohen
Manufacturer: Birkhäuser Basel
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Sauerbruch Hutton Archive
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ASIN: 376437960X

Book Description

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was one of the leading figures of twentieth-century architecture. For architects and many others who are committed to the modernist tradition, he is a pivotal figure. With in-depth, scholarly essays and opulent photographs and plans, this book traces the multifaceted development of his work, including his first Berlin buildings, his villa projects, his work at the Bauhaus in the 1930s, and his American projects of the postwar years.

Jean-Louis Cohen was the director of the Institut français d’architecture until 2003 and is currently a professor at New York University. He has an established reputation as a leading international historian of architecture. His broad and encompassing perspective makes this book a reliable and comprehensive introduction to the work of Mies van der Rohe.

Twentieth Century Museums I (Architecture 3s) Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe, Louis I. Kahn, Richard Meier

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Twentieth Century Museums I (Architecture 3s) Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe, Louis I. Kahn, Richard Meier
Maritz Vandenberg
Manufacturer: Phaidon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Criticism | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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City Icons (Architecture 3s)

ASIN: 0714838780

Farnsworth House (Architecture in Detail)

Average customer rating:

Best of Mies

Farnsworth House (Architecture in Detail)
Maritz Vandenberg
Manufacturer: Phaidon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Eames House Aid (Architecture in Detail)
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Fallingwater Aid (Architecture in Detail)
Mies van der Rohe Farnsworth House: Weekend House/Wochenendhaus (Mies Van Der Rohe Archive)

ASIN: 0714845582

Book Description

Launched in 1991, award-winning Architecture in Detail books focus on individual seminal buildings, celebrating their exceptional character, innovative design or technical virtuosity. Each volume contains a text by a respected author, a sequence of colour and black-and-white photographs, and a set of technical drawings and working details. The Farnsworth House is a seminal Modernist glass-and-steel house by Mies van der Rohe, one of the greatest twentieth-century architects.

Customer Reviews:

Best of Mies .......2006-01-16

I bought this book to have an idea of the Farnsworth house, but it is much more detailled that i ever imagined. An essencial Mies.

Average customer rating:

Copiously illustrated survey of 31 projects, and more...
A clear, exact and percipient M.v.d.R. document!
The Definitive Technical Analysis of Mies's Architecture

Mies Van Der Rohe At Work
Peter Carter
Manufacturer: Phaidon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Le Corbusier
Farnsworth House (Architecture in Detail)
Le Corbusier: Architect of the Twentieth Century
Mies van der Rohe: A Critical Biography
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

ASIN: 0714838969

Amazon.com

This paperback reprint of a book initially published in 1974 delves into the ideology behind many of Mies van der Rohe's most famous architectural marvels, including the Seagram Building in New York City and the Lake Shore Drive Apartments in Chicago. Van der Rohe, father of the glass and steel modernist skyscraper, affected his field more dramatically than most of his contemporaries. From his earliest years as an apprentice architect in Germany in the first decade of the 20th century, van der Rohe pursued a clear set of ideals about the nature of building. Peter Carter, a student of and later staff architect for van der Rohe, guides readers through his mentor's commitment to structure as the determining factor of form and architecture as an illustration of its civilization. It may seem old hat to today's readers that form follows function, but the notion was very avant-garde during the middle of the century, when van der Rohe was at his height. The book is filled with photographs, building statistics, architectural drawings, and models that paint a clear picture of the philosophy behind these buildings that are such emblems of grace and strength. Quotes from van der Rohe himself--peppered throughout--are particularly insightful: "It is often thought that heaviness is synonymous with strength. In my opinion it is just the opposite." From his high-rise skeleton-frame buildings to landscaping to private homes, this truth is borne out. Mies van der Rohe at Work is perfectly suited for an aficionado of the great architect's work and readers who want to look at and read about great buildings. [192 pages, 300 black-and-white illustrations and biographical chronology] --J.P. Cohen

Customer Reviews:

Copiously illustrated survey of 31 projects, and more..........2005-01-19

This copiously illustrated survey of all the major buildings and projects on 192 pages measuring 11.50 x 9.88 inches includes 31 listed projects, several chapters illustrated with additional projects, 400 B&W illustrations, mostly photos, but also technical ones (plans, sections, details, elevations, etc.), 33 pages with educational notes, biographical chronology, etc. A few photos are too big, i.e. do not have enough content for their size, and a few details are too small, simply not legible enough, and inferior to those included in the bilingual "Mies Van der Rohe (Studio Paperback)" by Werner Blaser published under ISBN: 3764356197, though in a smaller format, but with some illustrations more legible.
CONTENTS:
PREFACE 6
1. INTRODUCTION 7
2. STRUCTURAL AND SPATIAL CONCEPTS
Three projects:
Introduction 15
Glass Skyscraper 18
Concrete Office Building 18
Brick Country House 18
Two seminal buildings:
Introduction 20
Barcelona Pavilion 22
Tugendhat House 26
Projects 1931-8:
Introduction 28
Court Houses 28
Resor House 30
Brussels Pavilion 32
Structiural and spatial concepts-summary 34
3. THREE BUILDING TYPES
Introduction 37
High-rise skeleton frame buildings:
Introduction 38
Office buildings 40
Apartment buildings 44
Three skin solutions 46
Scale 50
860 Lake Shore Drive Apartments 52
Commonwealth Promenade Apartments 56
Colonnade Apartments 58
Seagram Building 60
Toronto Dominion Bank Tower 64
U.S. Courthouse and Federal Office Building 68
Low-rise skeleton frame buildings:
Introduction 70
Metallurgical and Chemical Engineering Building at I.I.T 72
The Commons at I.I.T 74
Library and Administration Building 76
Clear span buildings:
Introduction 78
Farnsworth House 82
Crown Hall at I.I.T 86
National Theatre, Mannheim 92
National Gallery, Berlin 94
Convention Hall 100
Structure, Materials and Detailing 108
Three building types-summary 110
(including a note on building costs)
4. URBAN SPACES
Introduction 113
Illinois Institute of Technology-A Campus in the City 114
860 Lake Shore Drive Apartments 118
Lafayette Park 120
Seagram Building 126
Home Federal Savings and Loan Association of Des Moines 130
Chicago Federal Center 132
Toronto-Dominion Centre 136
Westmount Square 142
A New City Square and Office Tower in The City of London 146
Plaza detailing 152
Landscaping 154
Urban spaces-summary 156
5. EDUCATION OF ARCHITECTS 159
6. CONCLUSION 171
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES 174
BUILDINGS AND PROJECTS 186
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 190
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 190
CATALOGUE OF ILLUSTRATIONS 191
INDEX 192

A clear, exact and percipient M.v.d.R. document!.......2003-03-10

It is an excellent and appropriately illustrated paperback, in the format of an oeuvre complete.Eschewing flashy graphics, this book provides information about Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's built work & projects in a clearly laid out manner, with b&w photographs, plans, sections, elevations, perspective drawings and sketches - combined with concise & straightforward text.Instead of passionate theorising and rich intellectualising, this Phaidon 1999 paperback reprint emphasizes upon Mies van der Rohe's way of work and his essential canon of absolute spareness and strong contours... A truly indispensable book for every architect and scholar!

The Definitive Technical Analysis of Mies's Architecture.......2000-02-18

Peter Carter, who studied under Mies at IIT, wrote this book in the early 70s, shortly after Mies died. It's been long out of print, and I paid dearly to get a copy of the original version, shortly before this rerelease was announced. A lot has happened in architecture since it was written and yet Mies's best work still shines as brightly. For anyone with an interest in Mies in particular, or modern architecture in general, whether as a professional or layman, this is a must-have book.

Mies van der Rohe Farnsworth House: Weekend House/Wochenendhaus (Mies Van Der Rohe Archive)

Average customer rating:

Black and white photos work very well
more with less

Mies van der Rohe Farnsworth House: Weekend House/Wochenendhaus (Mies Van Der Rohe Archive)
Werner Blaser
Manufacturer: Birkhäuser Basel
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 3764360895

Book Description

Mies van der Rohe erbaute 1945–50 das Wochenendhaus "Farnsworth House” in Plano, Illinois. Das Glas- und Stahlhaus liegt an einem Fluß in natürlicher Umgebung und besticht durch seine klaren Proportionen und die Reduktion auf das Nötige. Es nimmt unmittelbaren Bezug zu der umliegenden Landschaft. Werner Blaser, Mitarbeiter Mies van der Rohes, liefert eine sorgfältige, von persönlichen Erfahrungen geprägte Beschreibung dieses Hauses. Neben Erläuterungen zu Architektur und Technik werden persönliche Erlebnisse mit Mies van der Rohe und Eindrücke Peter Palumbos, ehemaliger Bewohner des "Farnsworth House”, eingebracht. Teilweise unpublizierte Fotos, welche über einen Zeitraum von mehreren Jahrzehnten hinweg von Blaser aufgenommen wurden, vermitteln einen umfassenden Eindruck von diesem Gebäude.

Customer Reviews:

Black and white photos work very well.......2007-05-12

I love the Fansworth House but I've not been there yet. The book shows us full of images of the masterpiece and takes us into the house imaginarily. Black and white photos work very much and some Mies's drawings are also helpful to understand how the house was beyond the notions. It is still quite new and less is more, of course.
Yoko Lewis, Berkeley in Califorinia

more with less.......2001-07-11

a magnificient book about the last domestic project built by mies, where an extraordinary complexity of details results in a very simple home. truly the work of a lifetime achievement.

The Seagram Building (Building Block Series)

Average customer rating:

A Powerful Little Book

The Seagram Building (Building Block Series)

Manufacturer: Princeton Architectural Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

The Chapel at Ronchamp (Building Block Series)
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ASIN: 1568982011

Book Description

These new titles in the Building Blocks series showcase four more icons of modern architecture, as portrayed by renowned architectural photographer Ezra Stoller. Two buildings by Frank Lloyd Wright, Fallingwater and Taliesin West, Louis Kahn's Salk Institute, and Mies van der Rohe's Seagram Building are shown in original condition, with original furnishings, as the architects intended them to be seen. Wright's integration of architecture and landscape, Kahn's dramatic yet humane monumentality, and Mies's austere elegance are revealed and preserved in Stoller's classic compositions. Small, elegant, and affordable, each volume presents the photo-graphs that made these structures famous. With 60 rich duotone plates (and 16 color plates for Taliesin West), a brief introduction, and newly drawn plans, sections, and elevations, these books constitute the essential photographic histories of the most important works of modernism.

Customer Reviews:

A Powerful Little Book.......2000-12-28

In its eighty-eight (88) pages, this book packs more information, more feeling and more depth on Mies van der Rohe's classic building than most books three times it size. The text is clear and concise with photographs that grasp the meaning and context of the Seagram Building. This is a "must have" for anyone who appreciates and admires the truly timeless style of van der Rohe.

Average customer rating:

Sensational Architecture

Mies van der Rohe: West Meets East
Werner Blaser
Manufacturer: Birkhauser
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Mies Van Der Rohe At Work
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Farnsworth House (Architecture in Detail)
Hariri and Hariri Houses
Oscar Niemeyer: Houses

ASIN: 3764354305

Book Description

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe reigns as one of the most richly complex figures in architecture's pantheon of classical modernists. Buildings such as his Barcelona Pavilion and New York City's Seagram Building have become 20th century landmarks and prototypes for building in the West. And yet a special feature of Mies van der Rohe's work has escaped attention to date: its remarkable concordance with traditional architecture of China and Japan.

Werner Blaser and Johannes Malms' study sets free these hidden connections between West and East. Malms' penetrating text uncovers striking parallels between Far Eastern philosophy and Mies' style of thinking and working. Werner Blaser's photographs make structural similarities underlying Mies' classical modern architecture and Eastern building traditions come into focus.

Customer Reviews:

Sensational Architecture.......2002-11-11

This is a real masterpiece of a book about one of the greatest masters in architecture: Beautiful details of Mies van der Rohe`s splendid functionalism and clean sense of beauty. The inspiring features of German Bauhaus meet the pragmatism of Japanese functionalism. A true "must" for lovers of modern architecture and design...

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Mies Van Der Rohe
Philip C. Johnson
Manufacturer: The Museum of Modern Art
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000G6LYK8

Product Description

207 pages, numerous black and white photographs, this monograph was published on the occasion of an exhibition of the architecture of van der Rohe"s held at the Museun of Modern Art, Sept. 16-Nov.23, 1947

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