Mies van der Rohe's design for a pavilion for the 1935 International Exposition

In 1934 the esteemed Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was invited, along with several others, to design Germany's pavilion for the 1935 International Exposition in Bruxelles. Although Mies's design was not selected, his design, seen here publicly for the first time in its entirety, in his own words "symbolized the fighting spirit and will" of Nazi Germany. This striking project will soon be the subject of a small exhibition. (This video was created in 1999 and a new one created with better technology will be shown at the exhibition. Email us for details. This project was financed in part by a grant from the Graham Foundation.)

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Hitler
• Architect
• Speer
• Mies
• van
• der
• Rohe
• Bauhaus
• Bruxelles
• Nazi
• architecture
• IIT
• Barcelona
• Pavilion
• modern

[NookieMalfas]

Citation: " I accept the idea that my beloved Germany being destroyed. That was the price to pay for ridding the World of a beast like Hitler". Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, 1944.

The title of the video is pure crap.

(sorry for my english..;-P)

[makeArchitecture]

@NookieMalfas You should do a little more work and understand that in 1934, things were not as black and white as they appeared in 1944. Also, you should read some of the pithy things you wrote below in the context of what was happening in Germany and the world in the early 30s. I would recommend that as I don't think you are aware of this.

[NookieMalfas]

Mies' research in Architecture had nothing to do with nazism or politics in general. Look at the project: flags and symbols aren't a part of the architecture and the architecture not resumed them in any way. This building could work for any ideology or institution.

[makeArchitecture]

@NookieMalfas

It's interesting how one can associate almost any form with any ideology or idea.

[johnnylifelive]

This is pure shit. Mies never sought Hitler's ideology, and as mentioned, Hitler wouldn't really have gone for the international style, he preferred Schinckel...does that make Schinckel a Nazi architect? Screw your bizarre revisi0nist agenda...

[noxnoctis68]

mies was all about promoting himself, regardless of the nazi ideology...getting his design materialized was more important than politics.... it is important to note that Mies did not fall prey to hitler's well known classic taste. Mies did enter the competition, but remained Mies.

[MrLorack]

. . . . totally agree with you on mies!!!  crap video

[NookieMalfas]

@makeArchitecture

But you must remember that this way of conducting projects was in any way a research in Architecture. Although I'm not that way politically I think that in some cases the results were excellent and it is appropriate to take account of them. 2 examples: "Casa del fascio" by Giuseppe Terragni in Como and "Casa della scherma" by Luigi Moretti in Rome. (look also the project of the "Danteum" by Terragni. A great building but unfortunately not realised)

[NookieMalfas]

@makeArchitecture

Here in Italy, during the Rationalism (Fascist decades), ideology and symbols had great influence in Architecture. Look at the projects of Giuseppe Terragni for example. Elements of fascist ideology were reflected in spaces, buildings and much more. In a certain way the Architecture tried to incorporate within himself fascist symbols.

[NookieMalfas]

These were cathedrals for the new religion, commerce and industry - factories, office blocks, skyscrapers and apartment towers, the modern urban landscape, whose architecture had yet to be invented. The form lay out there for him to discover. "The will of the epoch," he said, must be "translated into space" - as if he were just the draughtsman for a higher system, the universe's appointed architect

[NookieMalfas]

Mies believed, he said, in something more noble than politics, the ruthless pursuit of the perfect modern building, the true heir, he thought, to Greek temples and gothic cathedrals - buildings constructed on earth in order to escape it.