The original Museum of Fine Arts in Houston was designed by
William Ward Watkin with the neoclassical style featuring Greek columns on the
south façade; however, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was commissioned to design two
additions to the original building on the north façade (Topping). The Cullinan
Hall and Brown Pavilion are the only Mies van der Rohe buildings in Texas and
the only Mies van der Rohe museum in America (Story).
Modernism,
particularly the international style, is marked by visually light architecture
composed of planar surfaces stripped of ornamentation and open interiors. The
main materials used in the international style are steel, glass, and concrete.
The rapid industrialization and standardization of material production and
building technology encouraged the use of these materials (International). The
open interiors and visual lightness of the buildings are key components of the
invisible architecture associated with Mies. According to Mies, less is more;
this statement reflects a key part of modernist architecture: the building
design does not hold any overbearing meaning or symbolism. In the Culinan Hall
and the Brown Pavilion, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s modernist and international
style focuses on adapting to the industrialization of the 20th century and the
standardization of new technology as well the objective nature of modernist
architecture.
The museum has three levels which encompass galleries, an
auditorium, a library, and a small restaurant (Chronology). Although the
Culinan Hall and the Brown are designed in the international style, they do not
have the same monumentality as some the skyscrapers associated with the style.
The front of both buildings are expansive curtain walls of glass on a steel
frame structure. The large, bare, curved surfaces are perfect examples of the
international style. Furthermore, the interiors of both building are open,
flexible spaces that allow the events inside to define the space, not the
building (Fox). Moreover, the large, glass wall invites the outside passersby into
the building, further eliminating the building design to influence the artwork
inside (Fox). This reflects the objectivity and invisibility of modernist
architecture.
International
style was influenced by the industrializing and mechanizing culture in the 20th
century. The key factors of this mechanization are “standardization,
continuity, constraint, and the reduction of work to simple labor” (Backer).
The main theme within these factors is simplification; the industrializing
culture was focused on standardizing materials and production and minimizing in
the work. This is reflected in Mies’ architecture. Steel frames, glass, and
concrete not only make use of prefabricated parts but also make use of
standardized building techniques (International). Furthermore, the elimination
of ornamentation simplified the construction process similarly to how mass
production and the assembly line simplified the labor process (International).
Though this standardization sounds cold, beautiful simple forms were born from
it. For example, both the Culinan Hall and the Brown Pavilion have the large
glass curtain walls that reflect the continuity in the mechanization of the 20th
century. The large, almost endless spaces inside the building reflect this
continuity, evoking the feeling of endlessness and limitlessness. Incidentally,
the industrialization of American and the Industrial Revolution evoked similar
feelings of limitlessness with the surge of new technologies (Backer).
As the only Mies building in Texas and the only Mies museum
in America, the Culinan Hall and Brown Pavilion are iconic architectural pieces
from the 20th century. The museum addition perfectly represents Ludwig Mies van
der Rohe’s iconic, industrial style. Though sleek, simple international style
is fairly common in the 21st century, at the time, eliminating useless
ornamentation was a developing concept emphasized in America by influential
architects like Mies.
Works Cited
Backer, P. (n.d.). Industrialization of American Society. Retrieved
March 30, 2015, from http://www.engr.sjsu.edu/pabacker/industrial.htm
Chronology of Events in MFAH History. (2001, May 15).
Retrieved February 21, 2015, from http://prv.mfah.org/archives/pdf/mfah_chronology.pdf
Fox, S. (1992). The MFAH: An Architectural History.
Retrieved February 17, 2015, from http://www.mfah.org/about/mfah-architectural-history/
International Style. (2015). In Encyclopædia Britannica.
Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/291280/International-Style
Story, The. (2012). Retrieved February 21, 2015, from http://www.miessociety.org/legacy/projects/
Topping, D. (2011, August 17). AD Classics: The Museum of
Fine Arts Houston / Mies Van der Rohe. Retrieved February 17, 2015, from http://www.archdaily.com/153819/ad-classics-the-museum-of-fine-arts-houston-mies-van-der-rohe/
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