Famous Quotations
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969) was a modern architect who built the first steel and glass skyscraper. Here are selections from his speeches and writings.
"A chair is
a very difficult object. A skyscraper is almost easier. That is why Chippendale
is famous."
In Time magazine, 18 Feb 1957.
"Architecture
starts when you carefully put two bricks together. There it begins."
Speaking about restraint in design, the New York Herald Tribune,
28 Jun 1959.
"God is in the details."
Speaking about restraint in design, the New York Herald Tribune,
28 Jun 1959.
"Less is more."
Speaking about restraint in design, the New York Herald Tribune,
28 Jun 1959.
"It is better
to be good than to be original."
Quoted in Words of Wisdom, by William Safire & Leonard
Safire, 1989.
"Each material
has its specific characteristics which we must understand if we want to use
it... This is no less true of steel and concrete [than of wood, brick, and stone].
We must remember that everything depends on how we use a material, not on the
material itself... New Materials are not necessarily superior. Each material
is only what we make of it... We must be as familiar with the functions of our
buildings as with our materials. We must learn twhat a building can be, what
it should be, and also what it must not be... And just as we acquaint ourselves
with materials, just as we must understand functions, so we must become familiar
with the psychological and spiritual factors of our day. No cultural activity
is possible otherwise; for we are dependent on the spirit of our time."
From his inaugural address at the Illinois Institute of Technology,
1938
