Architecture
in Nature - Farnsworth House (2005)
It
is difficult for a fresh visitor of the house to pinpoint
the façade to the building. This is due to the
fact that the building is composed almost entirely of
glass on the outside, making all faces similar in appearance.
Only by walking through the building once or through
careful studying is the visitor able to locate the defined
façade of the dwelling. Mainly because of this,
but also due to the lack of features, the building suggests
little expression through the façade except for
the fact that Mies was trying to incorporate imagery
of nature into his work. Unlike some classical architecture,
the building could not be read and understood from the
outside if the curtains were pulled up and one could
not see through the glass.
The
interior décor to the house, also designed by
Mies, does little to steal attention from the view of
the nature outside. They are simple in design and arranged
so that they create an uncluttered imagery. Thus, when
one stands within the house, their direction of gaze
is not instantly set on the interior furnishing but
towards the view of the exterior.
As
mentioned earlier, movement through the building is
left unobstructed. This contributes to the continuity
of the design and serves to promote the exploration
of the building at one’s wish. The terrace, slid
away from the house, requires users to turn and face
the forest if they were to enter it. Set in a different
positional alignment to the house, it also suggests
the separation between the two, as if it was a structure
that offered the protective sense of the house but the
exposure to nature of the outdoors.
Mies
derived the solution to the program of the house by
mixing his interest in the continual flow of nature
within architecture along with the ideas of modern architecture.
His design was driven by the simplicity of form and
disregarded all historical reference to architectural
ornaments themselves. Modern architectural elements
such as steel pillars are adapted to effectively create
a frame towards the landscape around the dwelling. Technological
advances in material such as the strength of steel is
also adapted to its full advantage by lifting the entire
building off the ground, supporting the idea of space
flowing through the building. The Farnsworth House is
recognized as one of the finest demonstration of modern
architecture, yet ironically, it was never well received
by the client, Dr. Edith Farnsworth. The house was accused
of being inhabitable as living in it left the person
inside constantly paranoid of watching eyes from outside
the house. Perhaps, it serves as an example in the importance
of walls as a division of privacy, but its incorporation
of nature and the continuity of space are influential
towards the idea of modern architecture.
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