Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was born on the 27th March, 1886 in Aachen, Germany. Over the past century he proved himself to be one of the fathers of modern, architectural design. Throughout much of the 20th century Mies changed the face of architecture with his radical ideas and concepts that were years ahead of their time. He was able to challenge the boundaries of architecture and these timeless buildings are still today viewed as contemporary masterpieces. Through these works Mies has become the name behind innovative architecture and his legacy of 'less is more' was an integral facet of many of his designs. His works have been an inspiration for many other buildings around the world and they will continue to live on and inspire others for years to come.


Mies started his architectural career in Berlin, Germany where he studied under architect Bruno Paul and later on Peter Behrens. At this time Mies studied the architecture of mainly Frank Lloyd Wright which later provided great inspiration for his own works. The majority of van der Rohe's early career was spent in Berlin, until 1912 when he opened his own firm. Later on Mies moved to America and became a citizen to escape Nazi Germany. Here his career really started to take off and he gained greater recognition for his works culminating at a peak with the construction of the Barcelona Pavillion.


Even from many of Mies's very first concepts, his designs were seen as extremely different from the norm, especially when compared to other architectural works of the same time period. His 'less is more' philosophy embedded himself as a breakthrough architect in the early 1900's. This philosophy was clearly demonstrated in one of his most famous works, The Barcelona Pavilion (The German Pavilion). The ceremonial hall was constructed in...