The purpose of the building
The concept that Mies had in his mind while designing the pavilion was "an ideal zone of tranquility" for the visitors that wanted to experience a visual attraction.
Even though, the pavilion didn't have enough space for different exhibitions, because of its unique aesthetic quality, the building was pronounced an exhibit for visitors to see. |
Visitors were intentionally led in a puzzle-like corridor instead of a straight line through the exhibition which meant that the visitors were taking a flowing journey that was directed towards each turnabout; because of the walls being faced against each other and side to side, the spaces in-between became spaced out, wide or narrow.
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The spaces within the building
The simple form of the pavilion emphasizes open space, being able to move freely between the interior and exterior of the building. The use of the low profile roof that projects creates a feeling of weightless overhang, which links the interior and exterior spaces. The floor plan is visually simple, however has complex strategic planning of walls which create narrow vision and close proximity to the reflecting pools, creating a continuously changing view. The reflecting pools generate a confusing mix of horizontal and vertical reflection off the walls and roof.
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The walls within the building are not fixed, therefore could be moved throughout the interior, giving a sense of informal space, even though its original function was for a formal signing of the visitors book.
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The materiality and lighting qualities within the building
Four types of marble, steel, chrome, and glass are used in the Pavilion. The marble originates from the Swiss Alps and the Mediterranean and is used not just to produce structure but an impression of art to the walls. The natural colours of the stone, gives a feel of bringing the outside inside and vice versa.
Italian travertine wraps the plinth and the exterior walls adjacent to the reflecting pool. When exposed to the sun, the travertine almost becomes a light source that dissolves the look of natural stone and suffuses light over the space.
The pavilion shows how to define space through light circulation. The direction of visitor’s movements through space happen naturally ; the walls are not there for structural support but rather as dividers and directors of spaces. The building is open plan and is minimalistic in its design, composed of horizontal planes, which are then divided by the vertical planes of the marble and glass walls that are free standing. Tinted and frosted glass formed for the overlapping walls combine with clear glass to give an impression of enclosure that is ethereal.
The Barcelona chair, designed especially for the Pavilion, is an example of his abstract imagination. The form, similar to Roman folding chairs known as a Curule seat (upholstered stools used by Roman aristocracy), is thought to be the inspiration for the Barcelona chair. And despite the industrial appearance of the Barcelona chair, it requires craftsmanship. By using an ancient and regal design in a modern setting, the designer enjoyed instant acclaim. The chair was shown off perfectly in the environment of the Pavilion. The 'Barcelona chair' became an icon of twentieth-century design; it is still manufactured today. Today the chairs and stools in the pavilion are replicas, the originals got lost when the pavilion was disassembled in 1930.
There is a stylised, classical sculpture of a nude by Georg Kolbe in the small pool, which can be seen from any point along the straight vista of the rear. “Alba” or “Morning” the bronze figure breaks the geometric space, with her naturalistic form stretching upwards. She is greeting the sun and perhaps in the same way greeting the guests that visit the pavilion, the statue is both inside and outside as with the rest of the building. She opens outwards like the building, ripples like the pool she stands in, she is old yet new, a perfect reflection of Mies' building.
Italian travertine wraps the plinth and the exterior walls adjacent to the reflecting pool. When exposed to the sun, the travertine almost becomes a light source that dissolves the look of natural stone and suffuses light over the space.
The pavilion shows how to define space through light circulation. The direction of visitor’s movements through space happen naturally ; the walls are not there for structural support but rather as dividers and directors of spaces. The building is open plan and is minimalistic in its design, composed of horizontal planes, which are then divided by the vertical planes of the marble and glass walls that are free standing. Tinted and frosted glass formed for the overlapping walls combine with clear glass to give an impression of enclosure that is ethereal.
The Barcelona chair, designed especially for the Pavilion, is an example of his abstract imagination. The form, similar to Roman folding chairs known as a Curule seat (upholstered stools used by Roman aristocracy), is thought to be the inspiration for the Barcelona chair. And despite the industrial appearance of the Barcelona chair, it requires craftsmanship. By using an ancient and regal design in a modern setting, the designer enjoyed instant acclaim. The chair was shown off perfectly in the environment of the Pavilion. The 'Barcelona chair' became an icon of twentieth-century design; it is still manufactured today. Today the chairs and stools in the pavilion are replicas, the originals got lost when the pavilion was disassembled in 1930.
There is a stylised, classical sculpture of a nude by Georg Kolbe in the small pool, which can be seen from any point along the straight vista of the rear. “Alba” or “Morning” the bronze figure breaks the geometric space, with her naturalistic form stretching upwards. She is greeting the sun and perhaps in the same way greeting the guests that visit the pavilion, the statue is both inside and outside as with the rest of the building. She opens outwards like the building, ripples like the pool she stands in, she is old yet new, a perfect reflection of Mies' building.
Architecture and Sculpture
According to architects and artists in Wasmuth’s Monthly Magazine for Architecture and City Planning: “The most attractive example of a collaboration between sculpture and architecture was the bronze figure in the courtyard of the exhibition building by Mies van der Rohe in Barcelona Pavillion…”. One of the reasons why the Pavilion became popular was because of the fact that architecture and sculpturing had been abandoned for a long period of time. The sculptures are supposed to relate to the space in a spatial arrangement, the space is described perfectly, in the book referenced below, as “flowing” space for all the exhibition pieces: Georg’s Kolbe’s female figure, the “onyx wall and Barcelona wall or Barcelona chair. For aesthetic reasons both the building and pieces complement each other, to give pleasure to the viewers.
The Concept
The concept while designing this building was “Less is more”, which means that the components used in construction were limited, but they are beneficial to the purpose of the building. The spaces primary function were to accommodate the King and Queen of Spain, as they signed the "golden book" at the official opening of the exposition. The design of the pavilion is based on a formulaic grid system was developed by Mies himself.
The system serves not only as “travertine pavers” but also as an underlying framework so the wall systems can work within. Since the pavilion has a low horizontal orientation that is emphasised by the low flat roof that seems to float on both the exterior as well as the interior. |
He got this idea from his senior Frank Lloyd Wright which was made about twenty years earlier than the pavilion so he thought of using rectilinear spaces so they formed an open plan.
This plan of his mean that the interior and the exterior looked similar to make the work look minimalistic. |
References
The purpose of the building
Anon . (2014). Precedence study: Barcelona Pavilion. Available: <http://www.slideshare.net/its_just_bm/presedence-study. Last accessed 13 October 2014. >
Architecture and Sculpture
Berger, Ursel. Barcelona-Pavillon: Mies Van Der Rohe & Kolbe: Architektur & Plastik = Barcelona Pavilion: Mies Van Der Rohe & Kolbe: Architecture & Sculpture. Berlin: Jovis, 2006. Print.
The concept
Berger, Ursel. Barcelona-Pavillon: Mies Van Der Rohe & Kolbe: Architektur & Plastik = Barcelona Pavilion: Mies Van Der Rohe & Kolbe: Architecture & Sculpture. Berlin: Jovis, 2006. Print.
Anon . (2014). Precedence study: Barcelona Pavilion. Available: <http://www.slideshare.net/its_just_bm/presedence-study. Last accessed 13 October 2014. >
Architecture and Sculpture
Berger, Ursel. Barcelona-Pavillon: Mies Van Der Rohe & Kolbe: Architektur & Plastik = Barcelona Pavilion: Mies Van Der Rohe & Kolbe: Architecture & Sculpture. Berlin: Jovis, 2006. Print.
The concept
Berger, Ursel. Barcelona-Pavillon: Mies Van Der Rohe & Kolbe: Architektur & Plastik = Barcelona Pavilion: Mies Van Der Rohe & Kolbe: Architecture & Sculpture. Berlin: Jovis, 2006. Print.