With a legacy that spans scales, from the towering Seagram Building in New York to the elegantly sparse Barcelona Pavilion, German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe certainly followed through on his own beliefs in building design. \u201cGod is in the details,\u201d he declared, favoring the honest structural expression of glass, iron and concrete. \u201cBuilding art,\u201d he believed, \u201cis always \u2026 the spatial execution of spiritual decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n
With a keen sense of proportion and an eye for the innate luxury of construction materials, the houses Mies van der Rohe built \u2014 both in Germany before and during his time at the Bauhaus and after his immigration to the United States \u2014 are near-perfect articulations of the modern residence. To this day, his modern houses inspire a quiet awe, as concise in terms of space as his much-quoted dictums are in words. Recalling the chrome columns in Mies\u2019 1930 Villa Tugendhat in Brno or the hovering planes of the 1951 Farnsworth House<\/a> in Illinois, it is easy to pinpoint evidence of his genius.<\/p>\n But even in contemporary architectural projects around the world, traces of Mies persist in form and material details, lines of architectural poetry that allude and confirm his timeless commandment: that less is still more.<\/p>\n \u00a9 Modersohn & Freiesleben<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \u00a9 Modersohn & Freiesleben<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n Haus S<\/a><\/b> by Modersohn & Freiesleben<\/a>, Berlin, Germany<\/p>\n Like Mies van der Rohe\u2019s famed glass house in Plano, Illinois, this house in an outer borough of Berlin is defined by horizontal planes that foreground the use of exposed concrete, white terrazzo, and aluminum frames in the creation of a simple but arresting design.<\/p>\n \u00a9 Atelier RZLBD<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \u00a9 Atelier RZLBD<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \u00a9 Atelier RZLBD<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n Opposite House<\/a><\/b>by rzlbd<\/a>, Toronto, Canada Opposite House is defined by its juxtaposition of experiences: of public and private, spectacular and comfortable, familiar and different. The contrasts in these narratives of living find physical form in the project\u2019s simultaneously closed off and open design, where the front of the house is wrapped in glass and white stucco and the back is built in a dark, textured brick.<\/p>\n \u00a9 Alberto Campo Baeza<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \u00a9 Alberto Campo Baeza<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \u00a9 Alberto Campo Baeza<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n Olnick Spanu House<\/b><\/a> by Alberto Campo Baeza<\/a>, Garrison, N.Y., United States<\/p>\n Another design that falls under Mies\u2019 preferred category of \u201cskin and bones\u201d architecture, the Olnick Spanu House enlivens its simple cubic volume through the generous use of glass, paved stone and travertine marble. Thin columns delineate the proportion of the space while allowing the sweeping horizontal planes to remain dominant, while sets of Brno Chairs and Barcelona Chairs make direct reference to the modernist master.<\/p>\n \u00a9 Carla Juacaba<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \u00a9 Carla Juacaba<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \u00a9 Carla Juacaba<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n Rio Bonito House<\/b><\/a> by Carla Juacaba<\/a>, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil<\/p>\n Adding a tropical tinge to the planar designs of the Bauhaus architect, this Rio de Janeiro retreat retains Mies\u2019 minimalist, bare-all approach to interiors and enthusiasm for structural details. Held together by thick stone walls on either side, the four steel I-beams that define the floors and roof have been painted a warm red to emphasize their role in the project\u2019s construction.<\/p>\n \u00a9 Backyard Revolution PDF<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \u00a9 Backyard Revolution PDF<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \u00a9 Backyard Revolution PDF<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n Villa Abborrkroken i \u00d6verby<\/a><\/b> by John Robert Nilsson Arkitektkontor<\/a>, Stockholm archipelago<\/p>\n With its deep black overhang, this house in Stockholm recalls the dramatic roof of Mies\u2019 Neue Nationalgalerie, built in Berlin\u2019s Kulturforum. But unlike the intense urbanity of the glass and steel museum, this residential project faces panoramic views of a nearby bay and includes a smartly situated infinity pool \u2014 it takes the best of the surrounding natural materials and translates it into inhabited space.<\/p>\n \u00a9 deegan day design<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \u00a9 deegan day design<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \u00a9 deegan day design<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n C-Glass House<\/a><\/b>by deegan day design<\/a>, Marin County, Calif., United States<\/p>\n Built for a client who worked on a 1972 Mies van der Rohe retrospective at MoMA, the C-Glass House consciously references the architect\u2019s iconic glass house while building upon its frequently emulated design. Through a series of reference points that include the work of Dan Graham and Damien Hirst, this retreat uses glazed glass panes to create an adaptable, dynamic enclosure.<\/p>\n \u00a9 Fearon Hay Architects<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \u00a9 Fearon Hay Architects<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \u00a9 Fearon Hay Architects<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n Island Retreat<\/b><\/a> by Fearon Hay Architects<\/a>, Auckland, New Zealand<\/p>\n The architects of this New Zealand island retreat thickened the planar parti of the Mies van der Rohe house to create a series of freestanding structures, each defined by canopy-like roofs that have been tensioned to the ground plane with thin steel rods. Bringing industrial materials into the space of the home, the architects celebrate rather than downplay the nature of its construction.<\/p>\n \u00a9 Mikael Olsson<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \u00a9 Mikael Olsson<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \u00a9 Mikael Olsson<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \u00a9 Nitsche Arquitectos Associados<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \u00a9 Nitsche Arquitectos Associados<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \u00a9 Nitsche Arquitectos Associados<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n S\u00e3o Francisco Xavier House<\/b><\/a> by Nitsche Arquitectos Associados<\/a>, S\u00e3o Francisco, Brazil<\/p>\n Given the dramatic vistas of its site, the form of this house in the hills is understandably porous. Comprised of a series of rectangular volumes attached together at right angles, the design involves a seemingly continuous interior space demarcated by the arrangement of furniture. The structural clarity and simplicity of the house allows it to sit comfortably against its show-stopping surroundings, perhaps giving its inhabitants what Mies van der Rohe saw to be the ultimate gift of modern architecture: a quiet replenishment of the individual human spirit.<\/p>\n Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work by uploading projects to Architizer<\/a>\u00a0and sign up for our\u00a0inspirational newsletters<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In contemporary architectural projects around the world, traces of Mies persist in form and material details, lines of architectural poetry that allude and confirm his timeless adage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"architizer_featured_type":"projects","architizer_featured_image":"1786871","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,3],"tags":[15],"architizer_project":[],"architizer_brand":[],"architizer_firm":[],"architizer_product":[],"class_list":["post-13647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-collections","category-inspiration","tag-collection"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\t
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