History of the Pavilion
If we were to visit the pavilion anytime this decade, it isn't built by Mies Van Der Rohe. In fact, it's a reconstructed building of the one that was produced in 1929. It is hard to differentiate between the two because the reconstruction is very similar to the original one; also, it follows the same concept and perspective.
The Pavilion was originally designed as German National Pavilion for the Barcelona International Exhibition. The German Pavilion was built to showcase the architectural examples from around the world. In order to ease the movement between the palace and the pavilion, Ludwig chose pavilion's position so it led to the palace without any hesitation. The pavilion was official reception place in the arrival of the King Alphonso XII to the exposition. Since Mies Van der Rohe got acknowledged in his 1927 Werkbund Exhibition, he was commissioned in 1928 for the German Pavilion. Werkbund Exhibition - Stuttgart
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Barcelona Pavilion 1929
German Republic assigned Mies for the artistic management of the pavilion plus other german sections in the International Exhibition 1929. It was difficult for Mies because he was dealing with uncertain economic condition; not only that but he only had less than a year to design and build the pavilion.
After the World War 1, Germany was finally recovering with its economic status after the Dawes Plan. International Exhibition in the pavilion was supposedly to represent the new Weimar Germany which was democratic and culturally progressive, prospering plus thoroughly pacifist and self-portrait through architecture. Georg Von Schnitzler who was a commissioner quoted "It should give voice to the new era" considering the pavilion's concept of "Free plan" and "Floating room". |
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Anon . (2014). Precedence study: Barcelona Pavilion. Available: http://www.slideshare.net/its_just_bm/presedence-study. Last accessed 13 October 2014. (History)
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Anon . (2014). Precedence study: Barcelona Pavilion. Available: http://www.slideshare.net/its_just_bm/presedence-study. Last accessed 13 October 2014. (History)
Blanchard. (2010). Modern Art with Professor Blanchard. Available: http://blanchardmodernart.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/expressionist-architecture-bauhaus-and.html. Last accessed 16 October 2014. (History - Image)