Journal 10
After being introduced to the Seagram Building by Mies van der Rohe, I developed a great interest towards his works and architectural design. Before being introduced to the Seagram building, I’ve ever seen the structure in person. However, after visiting it over the weekend, I decided to research more about it and its influences towards other architecture structures.
What I find inspiring from this work is how he was able to go out of his comfort zone of his regular architectural design. He wanted to go for something bold rather than his usual designs that feel lighter. The appearance of this building differs during the day and the night. What I found most interesting about this design is how the building gives a feeling of heaviness during the day. This is because light inside the building is not seen during the day. Also, the building looks like a black block from its exterior. On the other hand at night, the building feels lighter because of the light that is seen from inside the building. He wants to express the idea about the structural frame being underneath. In addition to this, I find it interesting that Mies van der Rohe utilizes materials that he usually does not use. For example, the bronze exterior, structural steel, and dark glass. He focuses on the materials and how the color changes throughout the day rather than the structure having an irregular shape. This is because his design shows symmetry. However, I notice how the building shows vertical shapes because of the windows being narrow which matches the building shape. Through this, the building still epitomizes elegance and modernism. It’s interesting how the base of the building has open space which consists of columns which hold the building. The open space is surrounded by large fountains, outdoor seating, etc.
After looking into Mies van der Rohe’s Seagram building, I was interested to looking more into his design and if he had any other similar works. In Chicago, van der Rohe designed the Dirksen Federal Building which is also a skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois. This building has many similarities in design to the Seagram building and was finished 6 years after the Seagram in the year 1964. This is seen in its overall design from its structure, color, and materials used. The Dirksen Federal Building, also looks heavy during the day because of the structure and the dark color. The building consists of many symmetrical windows throughout.
The Seagram Building
Dirksen Federal Building
