[CR]Re:Mies

(Example: Framebuilders:Doug Fattic)

To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
From: <marcus.e.helman@gm.com>
Date: Fri, 21 May 2004 12:20:34 -0400
Subject: [CR]Re:Mies

Grant McLean wrote:

http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Ludwig_Mies_van_der_Rohe.html

"Famous for his dictum 'Less is More', Mies attempted to create contemplative, neutral spaces through an architecture based on material honesty and structural integrity. Over the last twenty years of his life, Mies achieved his vision of a monumental 'skin and bone' architecture. His later works provide a fitting denouement to a life dedicated to the idea of a universal, simplified architecture ."

The thing that always cracks me up about Mies is that those I-beams in the facade in the 4th picture down are purely ornamental. He did this for years on many similar buildings. He gets a lot of press for eliminating architectural adornment, but he just changed the language. The proportions and the spaces are nice, though.

Surely we are not going to get into a debate about whether curly lugs look better than simpler ones. While there may be a shred of objectivity in the Campagnolo-Simplex debate, there cannot be any in a discussion of what looks better. If ever a thing was a matter of personal esthetics, this is it. Personally I think both styles are appealing in their own way.

Marcus Helman
Huntington Woods, MI