As a huge fan of modernist architecture it has been an absolute pleasure to research the El Pabellón Mies van der Rohe, Barcelona
Mies van der Rohe’s Pavilion - ‘Original Construction’
Built on Montjuic, the modernist El Pabellón Mies van der Rohe otherwise known as the ‘German National Pavilion’ was commissioned by the Weimar Republic and designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969) for the 1929 ‘Exposición Internacional de Barcelona’
The Pavilion was ‘a temporary exhibition space’ conceived to accommodate the official reception presided over by King Alfonso XIII of Spain along with the German authorities. Its job was to advertise a new, progressive, democratic and modern Germany, a decade on from the Treaty of Versailles and the carnage of World War I.
A “synthesis of classical form and modern technology” the clean contemporary architecture of the building mixes new materials with classical ones. Set on a travertine plinth it was constructed from four shades of tinted glass, marble, onyx, chromed steel, travertine and for its roof, a thin plane of concrete render over steel.
After the closure of the Exhibition in 1930, the Pavilion was disassembled.
Mies van der Rohe’s Pavilion ‘Reconstruction’
In 1980 Oriol Bohigas, as head of the Urban Planning Department at the Barcelona City Council, set the reconstruction project in motion, designating architects Ignasi de Solà-Morales, Cristian Cirici and Fernando Ramos to research, design and supervise the reconstruction of the Pavilion.
The reconstructed building materials used encompass the same ‘characteristics’ as the ones originally employed in 1929 including; Glass, steel and four different kinds of stone (Roman travertine, green Alpine marble, ancient green marble from Greece and golden onyx from the Atlas Mountains).
Work began on the original site in 1983 and the new building was opened in 1986.
Location: Av. Francesc Ferrer I Guardia 7, Parc de Montjuic
Opening Hours: 10:00 to 20:00 daily
Website: www.miesbcn.com
Image Ref: guggenheim.org, todocolección, miesbcn.com, e-architect
Source Ref: miesbcn.com, bbc.co.uk, crwflags.com, Wikipedia, theculturetrip.com, guggenheim.org
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