Analysis of Architectural Representations Made by Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe

Architectural representations are powerful tools in communicating and conveying the overall concept of the design, the architect’s intentions and ideas. Moreover, representations are useful in projecting and reflecting the circumstances and positions of that particular society, in this case, the social constructs and other political norms in Berlin, Germany. Mies took the competition as an opportunity to explore the potentials of a new building type, instead of continuing the typical traditional country houses, and developed his personal idea and definition of modernisation and metropolitan architecture, which are documented and mediated through modes of representations, primarily drawings, renderings and photomontages.

The renderings and images of the Mies’ skyscrapers provide hints on the architect’s influence and intention. The major concept for the transparency of the building might be an influence of WWI, in which closed facades and palaces of government and office buildings should be visible and opened to outsiders, to avoid anyone being hidden from the truth. Hence, with the advancements of new technologies, Mies envisioned his design to adopt new modes of material usages, thus turning the design into a more synthetic idealised one, and ultimately creates visibility and develops a society. Additionally, Mies’ drawings of the skyscrapers provide information about the geological condition within the fabric of the city. For instance, the sharp angular forms rising unexpectedly from the ground depicts the hearts of the industrial metropolis. Although many has experienced and commented it as chaotic, anonymous and alienating, this modern approach of architecture would perhaps change their opinions into a more refreshing and exhilarating impression with the construction of a new style office building.

Furthermore, the photomontages of this project highlight a strong sense of verticality and horizontality formed by the glass facades, as if it is responding to the layout of the cityscape, and communicating directions, locations, form and shapes of Berlin. Architecture’s “communication” and its “information” can be interpreted in different ways. “Information” in this field is the actual messages that wants to be acknowledged, such as dimensions, design, materiality and concepts. Whereas “communication” is the forms/ ways of delivering those messages, for example diagrams, mappings, orthographic drawings etc. With the aid of these communication tools, architecture of a distinct city differentiates itself from one another with the information that is mediated. Some examples are the rounded cornered streets in Barcelona, the Bilbao effect, zoning system in Beijing etc.

A city’s character can be transmitted and communicated through architecture representations. Mies’ glass skyscrapers shows that glass structure is more than a building. The material type not only mediates the function of the building as an office building, but the building is also envisioned as a monument with hollow crystals. Clarke is aware of the many forms of media that transmits and communicates information. He writes that the principal concern of media is the mean by which messages move from one to another, whereas communication is predominantly attached to the sources and destinations of messages . Architecture is closely related to communicating information, representational media can illustrate and reveal an immense amount of information about a location. By analysing a building, it is possible to derive the site’s geographical contexts, political and economic status, as well as its social structures and cultural practices.