Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe

Ludwig MIES VAN DER ROHE began working in his family's stonemasonry business before joining Bruno Paul's architectural office in Berlin from 1906 to 1908.1908 to 1912 he worked for Peter Behrens, who influenced him to produce his innovative designs combining steel and glass, borrowing ideas from Karl Friedrich Schinkel. From 1912 to 1914 he worked as an architect in Berlin, and in 1914 was called up for military service due to the outbreak of World War I. From 1930 to 1933 he directed the Bauhaus art school in Dessau and Berlin. With the rise of Nazism in Germany, Mies went into exile in the United States. Famous for his “Less is More” formula, Mies tried to create neutral, contemplative spaces through an architecture based on honesty of materials and structural integrity. In 1958, Mies built what is considered the ultimate expression of the 'International Style' in architecture: the Seagram Building in New York. A large glass building to which Mies added a large plaza with a fountain in front of the structure, creating an open space on Park Avenue.