THE
FARNSWORTH
HOUSE / Mies
van der Rohe
Cristina Iachimov, Luca
Orosz, Mads Gravesen, Juraj
Šutlák
THE BACKGROUND IN BRIEF
(1945-1951)
To Dr. Edith Farnsworth, who
commissioned it, the house was a
weekend retreat and an excuse to spend
time with a brilliant architect. To Mies van
der Rohe, who designed it, the house was
an opportunity for his ultimate expression
of modernist architecture. Things did not
end well. When the house was finished so
was Mies with Edith. Heartbroken by the
end of the affair, and outraged by cost
overruns, Dr. Farnsworth took Mies to
court–and lost (again).
ARCHITECTURAL ANALYSIS
1. Connection between outside
and inside
2. Design trough geometrical order
3. Divergence between positive
and negative space
4. Connection between building
and context
5. One simple main idea
1. CONNECTION BETWEEN OUTSIDE AND INSIDE
All aspects of the elevations and floor plan are based
on golden section proportions.
● windows
● the floor plan of the living spaces
● deck tiles
are all based on a module of a single golden section
rectangle that is repeated and turned
● overhangs of the roof
● the deck
correspond to the square in the golden section
2. DESIGN TROUGH GEOMETRICAL ORDER
To Mies classic
proportioning of
architecture was a religion
and he was a high priest.
These diagrams show how
he meticulously employed
golden section
proportions in the design.
House and Deck Plan Interrelationships
This view of the floor plan and deck shows that a diagonal through the interior living space
terminates in the corner of the deck. The diagonal became a means to relate the scale and
placement of the deck to the house.
2. DESIGN TROUGH GEOMETRICAL ORDER
Floor Plan and Deck Plan
Golden Section
Relationships
The repeated use of golden
section proportions can be
seen in the floor plan of the
house and the deck plan.
Each of the tiles in the deck
plan align with golden
section proportions.
3. DIVERGENCE BETWEEN POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SPACE
The house has no complex
layout and it doesn’t contain
purposeful plantation which
could determine a
connection between positive
and negative space, that’s
why it is not a relevant
aspect in the analysis.
4. CONNECTION BETWEEN BUILDING AND CONTEXT
The house is a platonic perfection of
order gently placed in spontaneous
nature in Plano, Illinois. Just right
outside of Chicago in a 10-acre secluded
wooded site with the Fox River to the
south, the glass pavilion takes full
advantage of relating to its natural
surroundings, achieving Mies' concept
of a strong relationship between the
house and nature.
5. ONE SIMPLE MAIN IDEA
The unity of the man with the nature
"Nature, too, shall live its
own life. We must beware
not to disrupt it with the
color of our houses and
interior fittings. Yet we
should attempt to bring
nature, houses, and human
beings together into a higher
unity." Mies van der Rohe
LOCATION PLAN ANALYSIS
It is situated in a natural setting,
very close to a river, with one of its
sides facing toward a forest which
separates it from the current of the
water, and another facing a small
meadow.
LUDWIG MIES VAN DER ROHE (1886-1969)
One of the pioneers of modernist architecture.
Mies was the last director of the Bauhaus, a seminal school in
modern architecture.
Mies sought to establish his own particular architectural style
that could represent modern times. He called his buildings
"skin and bones" architecture.
His architecture promotes the dissolution between interior and
exterior and the negation of feeling completely enclosed.
Instead, they encourage maximum flexibility in their spatial
configurations, which for Mies meant that they maximized
their spatial utility.
Barcelona Pavilion (1929)
-This building was
used for the official
opening of the
German section of
the exhibition
-important builiding
in history of modern
architecture
-marble, red onyx,
travertine
S.R. Crown Hall (1959-1956)
-one of the most
architecturally
significant
buildings of the
20th Century
Modernist
movement.
Lake Shore Drive building (1951)
Thank you for your
attention
