Categories
Articles

Minimalist Architecture: its Philosophy and Characteristics

No matter how trendy the world is or how modern it gets day to day, people still love being simple and living a simple life even for saying a simple life is better than anything, minimalism is not just an art or architecture but it is a concept which can be implemented in anything in life.

The usage of simple elements with plain colors with less or no ornamentation is one of the core features of minimal architecture, the architecture concept began in the early 19’s, and maximizing the space of the building is one major advantage of minimalist architecture design.

More than an architecture concept minimalism is one fine concept that is used in life and any work, the design concept used in many art forms from painting to sculptures and even in UI UX design in the modern days, the birth of minimalism has its root to the enlightening Zen philosophy and Japanese culture.

minimalist architecture

Architecture Philosophy

When the world of architecture is filled with high decorations and usage of colors, the geometry plays well with the usage of various materials and components, minimalism shows something very unusual and simple with less usage of almost everything so that it reduces both cost and the work.

Plain and simple materials with plain color and neat components made it look more formal and we can say that it is inspired by neoclassic architecture, the core philosophy of minimalist architecture is to ignore whatever doesn’t make sense and use only what is necessary.

Traditional Japanese architecture is one of the major reasons and acts as a greater influence in minimalist architecture design, the characteristic of minimal architecture attracted more people and very soon it spread like wildfire from London to New York all major cities and countries adapted to minimalism in no time.

minimalist architecture

Architects like Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, TadaoRndo, and Donald Judd played a very important role in making minimalist architecture a real one, by the time minimalist architecture changed itself into modern minimalist architecture by implementing modern elements with minimal design and architectural concept.

Some popular minimalist Architecture Buildings

4X4 House

4X4 House is one of the globally recognized minimalist architecture buildings and it resembles the core characteristics and features of minimal architecture, the success of the architecture is using only the needed elements alone, all the credit goes to architecture TadaoAndo in making the house a reality one with the neat and plain structure in the Hyogo region of Japan.

Barcelona Pavilion

In the cultural capital of Spain, the identity of minimal architecture stands in the name of Barcelona in the name Barcelona pavilion, it was designed by one of the most popular minimalist architecture even called the father of minimal architecture, the success of the iconic building lies in the limited usage of element and color.

With plain glass with white walls, the Barcelona Pavilion is a fine lecture for minimal architectural design.

In the world of high fashion and modern culture, simplicity is still chosen by many types of people across the globe, why do we need to have more when there is no need for that, using and having only the need is all minimalism is about, from office to houses and even restaurants adapted to the minimalist architecture concept, more than architecture the minimalism concept is one fine thing to be explored and get more use out of it and implement it in life.

Categories
Articles

Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe: Less is more

Ludwig Mies Van Der

Ludwig Mies Van Der- Today at the start of 2020, the world is so modern and we have all the advanced technology of the world of all time, but when we look through history we have architecture as the only proof of the evolution of civilization, Some people structured the roadmap of architecture and here we are seeing about one such person who designed the modernism in a very simplified version.

Mies Van Der Rohe, the name which echoes in the tall American buildings and in the world of modern minimal architecture, being born in Aachen, Germany, Mies is strongly inspired by minimalism, “less is more” that’s what represents each of his work when the world is looking for attractions, mies looked deeper into simplicity and it made him become the master in his work.

Mies lived in the present all the time and thought in the same way, he often refers “We don’t look into the history of civilization, we look into the civilization we live”, and he looked into the present and created the architecture for it, he uses industrial steel and plate glass in all of his architecture and it becomes the international style of architecture afterward, rather than being inspired by the legendary architects, he himself becomes one by creating his own style.

Mies van loved modernism and minimalism so he combined both and created art out of it, he also had an urge to show the interior to the world and he did it in his work.

Being one of the greatest architects of the 20th century, mies refers to his work as “skin and bone”, today his work is the face of Chicago and its modern buildings, the style of Mies van inspired many and that’s how the entire world took his idea and recreated buildings with the use of more steel and glass to represent the modernism.

Of all the work he did, it represented a classy way to create an impact at first sight, all of his work looks neat, simple, and yet modern.

Ludwig Mies Van Der rohe Works to look at

Seagram Building, New York  

If you go to the busiest city in the world and see a tall tower with plain beauty, that’s the Seagram building in the heart of New York City, it is one such fine work of mine.

Barcelona pavilion

Barcelona Pavilion is one of the epic works done by Mies Van at the early stage of his career, to till date it stands as an identity of modern-minimalism, Mies isn’t just a legendary architect but also a legendary designer, the design of the Barcelona chair is the masterclass design by the master Mies Van de rohe.

Farnsworth House, Chicago

Farnsworth House, Chicago Federal Complex and Crown Hall, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 860-880 North Lake Shore Drive, Lafayette Park,  Cullinan Hall at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston – are other fine works by Mies van.

Apart from being an architect, Mies Van was also positioned as the head of the architecture school at the Armour Institute of Technology and also served as director of Bauhaus(a famous German art school).

Today at the start of a whole new year we all are studying about different people who achieved in their work and life, but If we look deeply into their works, they all followed their originality, they created their own trademarks and that’s how Mies Van become one of greatest architect of 20th century.