Necessities

By Caroline Smith

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s German Pavilion built originally in 1929 for the International Exposition in Barcelona is an iconic view of Minimalist Architecture. He uses the least amount of elements possible to achieve a maximum effect.  He wanted the exhibit to appear bare with only one sculpture and the furniture that he would design, like the iconic Barcelona Chair. The lack of requirements kept Meis from being restricted so he was free to play with the space as an experience and free to make a statement about architecture.

The kind of simplicity Mies works with in the pavilion emphasizes what is already necessary in the building- straight walls and continuous planes. Simple earthy materials provide ornamentation.  He plays with natural lighting in the pavilion by blurring the boundary between the inside and outside world. He highlights continuity between perfect planes, but contrasts it with interruption in the space, so the path through the building is not fixed or straight. Furthermore, there is no one perspective. The density of architecture in this case comes from variety of experience and perspective, which derives from the simplicity of the simple geometries. In this way, the building itself becomes the sculpture, and its simplicity may be pondered on a different level than something with elaborate ornamentation.

Architecture is sometimes more interesting when it is reduced. People find comfort in the natural environment so when a space can replicate that nature it becomes calming and tranquil. The plan of the pavilion is U-shaped, and contains a small pool. The concrete floor projects out on top of the water, unifying the viewer with an element of nature. The white roof plane cantilevers past the load bearing walls implying the idea of a sky. These simple elements combine with the natural materiality of marble and concrete create a place to stay and not just to pass through. Something that is natural is in its most pure, simple state. Reducing architecture to natural elements, or something that implies nature can improve it.

The furniture within can enhance architecture as well.  If a space is simplistic but what occupies it is not, then the minimalist nature of the space is overlooked. The whole idea of Mies’s pavilion was to better the experience of the architecture. The experience should not be the details of the chair or what it looks like, but instead should be about where the chair is and what emotions it evokes. In order to have a chair that fit perfectly within the space, Mies had to design one himself.  The Barcelona Chair is simple and minimalistic, and complements the surrounding architecture. It serves the same purpose as ornamentation but does not distract, and is completely functional. The focus is no longer on the chair itself, but how the chair works with the space.

Mies van der Rohe exemplifies simplicity in both a small scale and a large scale so that nothing is taken away from the occupant. Every element of the German Pavilion shows us how to reduce something for the best possible outcome, a kind of architecture that is appears more and more today because function comes from keeping only what is necessary.