El detalle en la arquitectura construida del Illinois Institute of Technology de Mies van der Rohe

Abstract

This article explains the process by which Ludwig Mies van der Rohe approximates the most "beautiful", abstract and universal structural and constructive solution in the buildings of the Illinois Institute of Technology. Mies van der Rohe works with steel but when the material is not available or the conditions are not appropriate, he explores, without protest and with the same depth, other structural materials and or systems. Mies always tries to define satisfactory solutions, because for him projects’ structural clarity not only means identifying the most suitable structure, but and not at the least deepening and optimizing the characteristic order of the structure. When analyzing the structural systems and its relation with the used materials, we discover that for him the most important aspect is the visual structure of the objects and the gradual evolution towards more abstract solutions. Observation of the architectural details reveals that the constructive solution of a project is a ‘consequence’ of the previous and the ‘cause’of the following.