We should attempt to bring nature, houses, and human beings together in a higher unity.
Ludwig Mies Van Der RoheRead
It is not architectural achievement that makes the structures of earlier times seem to us so full of significance but the circumstance that antique temples, Roman basilicas, and even the cathedrals of the Middle Ages are not the works of single personalities but creations of entire epochs.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The significance of ancient structures lies in their representation of the cultural and historical contexts rather than individual achievement.
Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe highlights that the value we see in historical architecture stems not from individual architects but from the collective cultural and social efforts over time. These structures, such as antique temples and cathedrals, reflect the shared ideals, artistic expressions, and historical moments of entire epochs, showing how architecture is a testament to human collaboration and societal development.
Themes
ArchitectureHistoryCultureArtistryCollaborationSignificance
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a speech about the importance of historical preservation in architecture.
More from Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe
All quotes →Architecture depends on facts, but its real field of activity lies in the realm of the significance.
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The demands of the time for objectivity and functionality must be fulfilled. If that clearly happens, then the buildings of our day will convey the greatness of which the age is capable, and only a fool will maintain that they lack it.
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I think that an industrial process is not like a rubber stamp. Everything has to be put together and, as such, should have its own expression.
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Reinforced concrete buildings are by nature skeletal buildings. No noodles nor armoured turrets. A construction of girders that carry the weight, and walls that carry no weight. That is to say, buildings consisting of skin and bones.
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Modern buildings of our time are so huge that one must group them. Often the space between these buildings is as important as the buildings themselves.
Ludwig Mies Van Der RoheRead
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