Via The All Nighter

We found this great image from The All Nighter – a tumblr dedicated to students who want to share and prospective students who would like to know about the architecture studio experience. The ArchDaily team would like to wish you a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year!

Built in Czechoslovakia in 1930 by German architect Mies van der Rohe, the Tugendhat House is an architectural masterpiece built for a Jewish family who was forced to flee in 1938 shortly before the Munich Agreement. The video shares interviews with the Tugendhat daughter and Mies’s grandson about the historical villa now owned by the government in Brno, Czech Republic. In 2001, the Tugendhat House was designated a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and is referred to as one of the most important residential buildings of the 20th century.

View ArchDaily’s publication on the iconic Villa Tugendhat here.

© Mr Hyde / Wikimedia Commons

The Villa Tugendhat was commissioned by the wealthy newlyweds Grete & Fritz Tugendhat, a Jewish couple with family money from textile manufacturing companies in Brno. The couple met Mies van der Rohe in Berlin in 1927, and was already impressed by his design for the Zehlendorf house of Edward Fuchs.  As fans of spacious homes with simple forms, Mies’ free plan method was perfect for the Tugendhats’ taste; however, he was not their only interest in an architect for their own home. They originally confronted Brno’s foremost modern architect at the time, Arnost Wiesner, but after visiting various projects by each architect, the Tugendhats ultimately went with Mies.

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DeStefano Partners shared with us their new documentary on Mies van der Rohe and his 1951-52 McCormick House in Elmhurst, Illinois by the Elmhurst Art Museum. Please refer to the above video for the complete documentary.

©Wikimedia Commons / MFAH archives

After completing a master plan for the site in 1953, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was commissioned by The Museum of Fine Arts Houston to do two additions to the Caroline Wiess Law Building. Cullinan Hall and Brown Pavilion were added in 1953 and 1974 respectively. See more after the break.

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© www.flickr.com / Brandon Baunach

The design of gas stations is mostly stripped down to that required for bare function. The inextricable relationship of the aesthetics of modernism to that of the automobile begs a different approach, one that fulfills the traditional function of a gas station but also reflects shifting movements within design. Just like the cars that have driven up to utilize them, these gas stations represent design principles contemporary to the time in which they were constructed.

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© www.flickr.com / Thom

The Landhaus Lemke private residence by Mies van der Rohe exudes the crisp, clean and formal aesthetics that are characteristic of his architectural proclivity. Built in 1933 for Karl and Martha Lemke, the house is rich with history and encompasses a storied past. More details after the break. read more »

This week, with the help of our readers, our Architecture City Guide is headed to Berlin. The twentieth century changed nearly all cities, but perhaps none more so than Berlin. From its destruction in World War II that left few historic buildings intact to its division until 1989 that brought together the architecture of two competing ideologies into one city, Berlin’s modern and contemporary architecture speaks to a past that seldom accompanies such recent additions. The city is filled with new and wonderful architecture that might not have found space in other cities in Europe. With that in mind, we were unable feature all our readers’ suggestions on the first go around. We will be adding to the list in the near future, so please add more of your favorites in the comment section below. Once again, thanks to all our readers for your help.

The Architecture City Guide: Berlin list and corresponding map after the break.

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This week, with the help of our readers, our Architecture City Guide is headed to Barcelona. We recently featured an engaging video where Wiel Arets half jokingly said Barcelona is fantastic but boring. He continued to say as soon as Sagrada Família is finished Barcelona is done; there is nothing left to do there (10:50). Arets can say what he wants about Barcelona supposedly being boring, but our city guide doesn’t reflect this. Barcelona is filled with fantastically expressive architecture that springs from its proud Catalan culture. It was impossible to feature all our readers suggestions in the first go around, and we did not even come close to including some of the most iconic building such as Casa Milà. Thus we are looking to add to our list of 24 in the near future. Further more there are so many fabulous buildings on the drawing board or under construction, i.e. the projects in the @22 district, we’ll most likely be updating this city guide for quite awhile, regardless of Sagrada Família’s completion.

Take a look at our list with the knowledge it is far complete and add to it in the comment section below.

The Architecture City Guide: Barcelona list and corresponding map after the break.

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Mies van der Rohe / © Andrea Gallo

We saw this incredible set of posters from iconic architects created by artist Andrea Gallo and felt the need to share them with you. They will be available for sale soon, so we look forward to buy one and decorate our office! Which one would you get? Check the posters of Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, Louis Kahn, Alvar Aalto and Walter Gropius after the break. read more »

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Today the architecture world is celebrating Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s 125th birthday. To mark this day, the Mies van der Rohe Society is celebrating with cocktails, student exhibits and a brief presentation on collecting the master’s work. If you are in or around Chicago you might to check it out. For all our articles that involve this architectural giant click here.

© Jeffery Howe

Completed four years after architect Mies van der Rohe‘s passing, the IBM Building became one of the cities most prestigious addresses. A pure symbol of the architecture of the time, the almost 700 foot tall rectangle sits on a raised plinth that helps it to maintain a uniform height given the unevenness of the site; State Street to the structure’s west inclines steeply.

More on the IBM Building, also known as 330 North Wabash, after the break. read more »

© Flickr User: wotjek gurak

As part of the1929 International Exposition in Barcelona Spain, the Barcelona Pavilion, designed by Mies van der Rohe, was the display of architecture’s modern movement to the world.  Originally named the German Pavilion, the pavilion was the face of Germany after WWI, emulating the nation’s progressively modern culture that was still rooted in its classical history. Its elegant and sleek design combined with rich natural material presented Mies’ Barcelona Pavilion as a bridge into his future career, as well as architectural modernism.

More on the Barcelona Pavilion after the break. read more »

We are headed to the windy city of Chicago for this weeks Architecture City Guide series.  Jam packed with architecture from Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies van der Rohe, here are our 12 recommendations if you are visiting Chicago.  Head to the comment section and share your recommendations for additional buildings to include on our list!

The Architecture City Guide: Chicago list and corresponding map after the break!

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Houston is our focus this week for our Architecture City Guide series.  We know Houston is packed with lots of great architecture so we are expecting to hear about your can’t miss buildings in the comment section below.  Remember this list is intended to be added to by you, our readers.  We will be updating our Architecture City Guides in the future to reflect your suggested buildings to visit.

Follow the break for our Houston list and corresponding map!

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The Lumenhaus in Chicago via Metropolis

Since the 1950s, Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House has rested peacefully in a cornfield in Plano, Illinois.  Now, the house will be getting a new neighbor – VirginiaTech’s winning Solar Decathlon residence, Lumenhaus (be sure to check out our previous coverage of the house here). As the name suggests, the residence focuses on maximizing the exposure to natural light (Lumen meaning power of light), and in terms of aesthetics, the house also pays homage to the BauHaus movement.

More about the Lumenhaus after the break. read more »

Hagen Stier

The Mies van der Rohe Society recently released their newly designed website.   Some of the features we like are the detailed building biographies, sketches, models, 3D renderings, and photographs that showcase the buildings Mies designed.

In addition, when you visit the site you can:

• Browse the titles on Mies’ bookshelf and read his speeches
• Track progress on building restoration efforts and support the organization by becoming members
• Sign up for architectural tours at IIT
• Shop
• Register for events, such as Mies’ 125th birthday party scheduled for March 28, 2011
• Learn about exhibits, lectures, and performances at S.R. Crown Hall

© flickr: nickmilleruk

The Architecture City Guide series is back, this week featuring New York City.  Grab a scarf and hat and hit the streets to check out some of the great architecture that NYC has to offer.  Think we left something out?  Add your can’t miss NYC buildings to our comments below.

Follow the break for our New York City list and a corresponding map!

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© flickr: joshbousel

Welcome to the Architecture City Guide series.  Here at ArchDaily we thought this series could especially be put to use during the upcoming holiday season.  Many will be traveling to see family, having family visit, or taking a New Year’s vacation to a new city.  Here is a small City Guide list, starting with Washington D.C.

We want to hear from you, share with us your City Guide list for buildings in Washington D.C.  More cities to come, so be sure to check back.

Follow the break for our Washington D.C. list and a corresponding map!

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© Hagen Stier - Crown Hall

More on the IIT Campus and Buildings after the break.

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