07/05/2022
Inspiration Tuesday: The Farnsworth House
Designed by Mies van der Rohe
The Farnsworth House, built between 1945 and 1951 for Dr Edith Farnsworth as a weekend retreat, is a platonic perfection of order gently placed in spontaneous Nature in Plano, Illinois. Right outside of Chicago, in a 10-acre secluded wooded site with the Fox River to the south, the glass pavilion takes full advantage of relating to its natural surroundings, achieving Mies' concept of a strong relationship between the house and Nature.
The single-story house consists of eight I-shaped steel columns that support the roof and floor frameworks and therefore are both structural and expressive. Between these columns are floor-to-ceiling windows around the entire house, opening up the rooms to the woods around it.
The windows provide the beauty of Mies' idea of tying the residence with its tranquil surroundings. His concept for shading and privacy was through the many trees on the private site. Mies explained this concept in an interview about the glass pavilion stating, "Nature, too, shall live its own life. We must beware not to disrupt it with the colour of our houses and interior fittings. Yet we should attempt to bring Nature, houses, and human beings together into a higher unity." 🌱
Details from the Architect's website
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