Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Less is more, glass and steel architecture
Most quoted
"The new era is a fact; it exists, irrespective of our approval or disapproval. It is a spiritual fact, and it is our task to recognize it and to find its true meaning."
— from G, no. 1, 1923
"I believe that architecture has little to do with the invention of interesting forms or with personal taste. Its real task is to give form to the life of its time."
— from Speech at the Illinois Institute of Technology, 1950
"If we succeed in raising this industrial production to the level of a valid building form, then the social, economic, and technical problems will also be solved."
— from G magazine article, 1924
All quotes by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (321)
Form follows function, but form is not enough.
In architecture, everything must be functional.
The spirit of construction is the human spirit.
Beauty lies in harmony, not in ornament.
Technology is far more than a method, it is a world in itself.
I am not interested in living in a city of glass.
The designer's role is to create order out of chaos.
Architecture is the crystallization of society.
Less is a bore? No, less is essential.
The soul of architecture is proportion.
We must create a new architecture for a new world.
Details create the design.
I believe in the power of steel and glass.
Architecture should speak of its time and place.
The essence of architecture is human.
Innovation in architecture comes from necessity.
I design for the present, but think of the future.
The facade is the face of the building.
True simplicity is not easy.
Architecture is frozen music.
Contemporaries of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Other Architectures born within 50 years of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969).