MIES VAN DER ROHE LAKE SHORE DRIVE APTS. CHICAGO 1948-1951 COOP HIMMELBLAU VIENNA 2001-2005 STYLE AND ARCHITECTURAL PHILOSOPHY Mies is one of the forefathers of what came to be known as the international or Modern style. Dubbed as The Glass Houses, the lake shore drive apartments were essential in the development of modern, high tech architecture. They soon became the prototype of steel and glass skyscrapers. The design philosophy expressed 30 years earlier on the Friedrichstrasse Skyscraper is that of minimalist composition, skin and bones architecture. Coop could be considered a deconstructivist. He believes in redefining what an urban environment is and in its revitalization. To him a vigorous urban architectural experience results when the qualities of space are linked, creating a rhythm of dynamism and concentration. The concept for the schlachthausgasse was to mimic the formation of a train with locomotives, wagons and vans. This is the reason for the protruding red pieces. less is more space for change
INNOVATION Steel I- beam mullions The advanced building technology of steel frame construction was sensibly realized in these two towers. The floor to ceiling glass surfaces are fit between the horizontal steel supports and frame the skyline of chicago. To further emphasize the skeletal nature of the structural system steel i beam columns are used as window mullions. The innovation in the comes from its dynamic composition. To identify the different activities and program of the spaces volumes project and cantilever from the outside. This also allows for the optimization of natural light. steel technology dynamism
TYPOLOGY AND CONTEXT Each apartment unit is expressed in the facade as a cell. Youth Center Residential apartments Offices The two apartment buildings are each 26 stories high and located in the streeterville neighborhood of Chicago, overlooking Lake Michigan. Originally 860 was to contain 90 one bedroom apartments and 880 was to hold 158 one bedroom apartments. However many of the units have been combined to create larger units. The complex is one of houses and offices located in the heart of the city of Vienna. The 7 stories building, individually differentiated by sculpturally protruding building components has 82 apartments and almost 12000 square meters of office space. residential mix use
STRUCTURE The structure of the two towers is one of filling and framework, capable of meeting changing needs. The structure is composed of steel columns and beams straight from the mill and is wrapped in a curtain wall skin. The columns are placed in a 21 feet rational structural grid. The majority of the loads are transferred through the central core to the ground. The skeleton or structure of the building is completely exposed and located on the outside of programmatic spaces. The very bold, large and angled exoskeleton is made of reinforced concrete columns some of which are clad in bronze. skin and bones exoskeleton
LAYOUT Triangular Site L shape layout View from an apartment Typical apartment unit takes up the whole width of the building. The vertical circulation is located on the interior of the building. Typical Apartment layout The scheme for Mies buildings consists of two identical 26-story towers placed 46 feet apart with their long axis set perpendicular to each other. The two buildings are offset in a way that offers most apartments a view to the lake. Mies believed that architecture should be independent of the site and the placement of these two towers reflects that philosophy. independent of site On the other hand in the schlachthausgasse, the lay -out is more discreet. Located on a narrow triangular the building has just one single long axis reminding us of a train ready to leave the station. A youth center, residential apartments and offices are placed linearly along the axis. The layout of the building is very site specific and careful as it looks to preserve the trees located on the site as well as allude to the trolley and tram system across the street. site specific
Werner Blaser, Mies Van Der Rohe: Lake Shore Drive Apartments : High-rise Building Gabler Wissenschaftsverlage, 1999. print Noever, Peter. Coop Himmelb(l)au: Beyond the Blue. Munich: Prestel, 2007. Print works cited http://www.miessociety.org/ http://www.coop-himmelblau.at/ http://wikiarquitectura.com/es/images