Considerations Made By Modern Masters In

Designing Windows And Doors

[ COMPONENTS ]

BY

LIM CHIN YI

0315627

Mies Van der Rohe

Villa Tugendhat

Frank Lloyd Wright

Robie House

Considerations made by modern masters in designing

windows and doors

Windows Doors

Mies Mies Wright Wright

Analytical Essay

Conclusion

Materials

(influenced

by

architects

styles)

Positioning

( to cater for

clients’

needs of

privacy and

comfort)

Positioning

( to cater for

clients’

needs of

privacy and

comfort)

Components

Mies Van der Rohe

Frank Lloyd Wright

Windows

- glass and steel frame without the

addition of decorative elements.

-‘less is more’ principle

-Majority of the are facing the

garden (south).

1st floor - semi-public spaces such - full height panoramic allows visual continuation between the interior and exterior - private spaces (bedrooms and

bathrooms).

- reduced size of the windows

openings for privacy.

- the façade facing the streets, the

windows openings are kept minimal

to provide privacy.

- glass windows made of art glass,

the metal joints that support the glass

in place

- Prairie Style

- the ribbon windows at the South

façade, directing the occupants to the

unobstructed view

- ribbon windows placed at the street-

facing South façade , opposite of

Mies Villa Tugendhat

- due to the art glass and the

cantilever roof used by Wright that

shielded the interior from the streets.

2nd Floor

Doors

-The entrance is hidden behind a semi-translucent glass wall -It is not visible when viewed from the streets -Design according to client’s personality (introvert) and culture at the era -Others door in the house are small (single door)

-Its entrance is hidden under an overhanging second story. -It is not visible when viewed from the streets - Design according to clients’ need for privacy and seclusion - Hiding the entries from passers-by. -Cooling aspect of overhang cools the entrance

Analytical Essay Of The Considerations Made By Mies Van Der Rohe and Frank Lloyd

Wright In Designing the Windows And Doors

Mies van der Rohe was well-known for his ‘less is more’ design principle where he

would design his buildings with minimal to zero ornamentation. However, Mies was not the

originator of this phrase in the industry, as he adopted it from Peter Behrens, whom Mies

worked under as a draftsman from 1908 to 1912. Mies then modified the principle and

eventually making his own interpretation of ‘less is more’, referring to his later efforts to

reduce buildings and their components into simple forms in which art and technics, geometry

and matter were integrated into more persuasive expression than its predecessor, Behrens

had ever achieved (Phaidon, n.d.). This could be seen in Villa Tugendhat , one of his

remarkable buildings built in 1930 which functioned as a family house for the Tugendhat

family in Czech Republic.

Frank Lloyd Wright was famous for his Prairie style architecture inspired by the flat

open landscape of the Midwest. Wright upbringing in a farming town in Wisconsin had

developed the appreciation of nature in him since he was young, thus explained his love for

the Prairie. The Robie House was known as Wright’s last true Prairie house, showing the

characteristics of Prairie architecture: central chimney, open plan, low roof line, ribbon

windows, and emphasizing of horizontality to blend with the Prairie landscape. The house

was commissioned by a businessman, Frederick C.Robie who requested for a house with an

abundance of day light and view of the neighbourhood, while maintaining the privacy of the

family (Balliett, n.d.).

Mies van der Rohe ‘less is more’ principle can be seen from the simplicity of the

windows in Villa Tugendhat which are free from any ornamentation that Mies deem them to

be unnecessary. Unlike other buildings in that period, the windows are only made up of glass

and steel frame without the addition of decorative elements. Mies has also put various

considerations when designing the windows such as the positioning and the sizing of

windows. Mies has located majority of the windows in Villa Tugendhat at the South façade

facing the garden. As shown is Diagram 1, the first floor of Villa Tugendhat is mainly consists

of semi-public spaces such as the living room and dining room. Therefore, rows of full height

panoramic windows are installed at the south facade. This allows visual continuation

between the interior and exterior. Besides, the panoramic windows are also positioned in

such way so that when the low winter sun shines in, the sun light would hit the onyx wall in

the dining room, causing it to appear as glowing, giving an elegant luxury touch to the

interior. However, at its opposite side, there are no windows installed at all due to the site

context.

In Diagram2, it shows that the positioning of windows in second floor is similar to the

first floor with the windows facing mainly to the garden similar to the first floor. This has

allowed the Tugendhat family to enjoy the sceneric view of the garden and Brno town below.

However Mies decided to reduce the size of the windows opening to provide privacy to the

occupants as the spaces in second floor are more private which consists of bedrooms and

Source: (Weston, 2004) Diagram 2 Villa Tugendhat Second Floor Plan

Source: (Weston, 2004) Diagram 1 Villa Tugendhat First Floor Plan

bathrooms. Another attempt of Mies in providing privacy to the Tugendhats can be seen

from the windows openings at the North facade that faces the streets which are kept to

minimal. The walls serve as the buffer between the streets and the interior. Hence, only a

small row of semi-translucent windows are installed at the top part of the bathroom walls for

natural lighting.

On the other hand, Frank Lloyd Wright famous Prairie style is shown clearly through

the continuous rows of ribbon windows in Robie House, giving horizontality to the building.

As opposed to the minimal decorations concept of Mies, Wright’s windows are consists of

174 art glass windows made of polished plate glass, cathedral glass, and copper-plated zinc

cames, the metal joints that support the glass in place. According to Robie House - Guided

Interior Tour (n.d.-a), Wright has redefined the role of stained glass where the glass windows

were treated much like paintings previously rather than an integral part of a building. The

translucent row of windows which also known as ‘lightscreens’, have various dynamic angles

and sharp polygons designs as a representation of nature stained on the glass, showing

Wright’s appreciation towards the nature. On top of that, the stained art glass windows has

allowed light to penetrate into the house while providing additional privacy to the Robie

family. The interior and exterior are now blended by the soft filtration of light through the

‘lightscreens’, even Wright himself stated that ‘‘Now the outside may come inside, and the

inside may, and does, go outside.’’

As beautiful the art glass seems, there are down side in using them. The abundance

of the glass windows which have low capacity for insulation has made the heating of the

building difficult during the cold days. Hence, Wright had to installed several radiators just

below the windows or doors to warm the cold drafts that came in through the windows

(Robie House - Guided Interior Tour ,n.d.-b)

Wright located some of the ribbon windows at the South façade, directing the

occupants to the unobstructed view to the South. However, the views of Southern Robie

House are different at nowadays due to the development between 58th Street and the

Midway Plaisance that happened after the completion of Robie House. In contrast with the

Villa Tugendhat where the windows at the façade facing the street are kept minimal, Wright

was able to maintain the privacy in Robie House while having rows of ribbon windows placed

at the street-facing South facade as shown in Diagram3-5. This is due to the art glass and

the cantilever roof used by Wright that shielded the interior from the streets.

Source: (Davies, 2006) Diagram 3 Robie House Ground Floor Plan

Source: (Davies, 2006) Diagram 5 Robie House Second Floor Plan

Source: (Davies, 2006) Diagram 4 Robie House First Floor Plan

The entrance doors of both Villa Tugendhat and Robie House have the same

characteristic, which is hidden from the streets. Mies has designed the doors in Villa

Tugendhat according to the clients’ personalities. The application of only single doors in Villa

Tugendhat including the main entrance have suggested the introverted lifestyle of

Tugendhat family. Since the building was built between the World War I and World War II, it

can be assumed that the people in Czechoslovakia was more reserved in their social life

hence did not practise the socializing culture. Although Mies has designed the villa according

to the introversion culture at the era, the villa’s luxury and its manifested life-style In this

period of social and economical pressures were interpreted as a provocation and its impact

on the modern movement were first discussed in a highly politicised way (Neuhoff, 2009).

In Robie House, the entrance is not visible from the street as it is placed on the North

side of the building, which is the exact opposite from the street. It is shielded by the

overhanging roof thus making the entering of the building an act of discovery. Aside from the

intention of hiding the entry from passer-by, Wright’s decision to build the entrance at the

North was due to the cooling aspect of the overhang roof. This is supported by Banham

(1969) who stated that the entrance received practically no sun as it lies under the overhang

on the North, and the coolness can be felt while entering the entrance court, providing a cool

air tank that works so efficiently, that even with the windows shut, the rooms are not

uncomfortably warm.

Source: (The Lying Truth of Architecture, 2015) Diagram 6 Villa Tugendhat Entrance

Source: (Peacock, 2015) Diagram 7 Robie House Entrance

As a conclusion, important considerations such as the choice of materials and the

positioning of the windows and doors have been made by the modern masters, Mies and

Wright when designing Villa Tugendhat and Robie House. The choice of materials in

designing the windows by both architects are in contrast with each other due to their

differences in styles and architectural principles. Besides, they have different approaches in

providing privacy to their clients through the windows as their positioning of windows are at

the total opposite direction from the streets. However, when it comes to the entryway, both

modern masters have the similar thought to hide the entrance, taking the consideration of

clients’ requests for privacy. Despite the differences, Mies and Wright have shown great

examples of buildings that contributed significant role in the modern movement of

architecture.

( 1478 words)

References List

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