FARNSWORTH HOUSE
In 1947 , at the MOMA in New York, a model of the Farnsworth House was exhibited. Philip Johnson commented at the exhibit that, “the Farnsworth house with its continuous glass walls is an even simpler interpretation of an idea." The concept of less is more.
Hovering 5 feet above the flood plains of the Fox River in Plano, Illinois, the Farnsworth House was built in between 1945 and 1951. Eight vertical steel I's function as columns and are set in concrete footings; they make up the foundation, and connect the residence to the landscape. The floor plane is a concrete slab which seems to float, as well as emphasize the verdant environment. The air gap between the slab and the earth provides a functional thermal break, and a stark contrast to the lush green Midwestern landscape. [ 1 ]
A second parallel slab is held in suspension and shelters 2,400 sqft of interior space as well as a large terrace. The residence sits on a 64 acre lot tucked into a dense meadow which has flooded a multitude of times in the last 20 years.
Mies lifted the residence to allow floodwaters to pass beneath it, after discovering water marks on a nearby bridge. When water fills the meadow, the house has been compared to, "a water lily floating in a pond." [ 2 ]
"Every physical element has been distilled to its irreducible essence. The interior is unprecedentedly transparent to the surrounding site, and also unprecedentedly uncluttered in itself. All of the paraphernalia of traditional living – rooms, walls, doors, interior trim, loose furniture, pictures on walls, even personal possessions – have been virtually abolished in a puritanical vision of simplified, transcendental existence. Mies had finally achieved a goal towards which he had been feeling his way for three decades." [ 3 ]
The evolution of architecture is exemplified in the residences display of form + function. The implantation of industrial construction methods and plate wall glass will influence future architects such as Philip Johnson, Schindler, Neutra, and clearly myself as well.
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1. ^ Mies van der Rohe Society (June 21 2015)
"Farnsworth House" http://miessociety.org/legacy/projects/farnsworth-house/
2. ^ Kamin, Blair (June 19 2015)
"Trust considers moving Mies van der Rohe home on the Fox River" The Chicago Tribune.
www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/ct-farnsworth-house-kamin-met-0619-20150619-column.html
3. ^ Vandenburg, Maritz (June 20 2015)
"About Farnsworth House" National Trust for Historic Preservation. http://farnsworthproject.org/about-farnsworth-house/#.WAaIlYWcHnM