Immerse yourself in a journey through the “Iconic Design of the Legendary Farnsworth House” in our upcoming article. This architectural masterpiece, famed for its revolutionary glass house design, is an ode to minimalism and the seamless integration of nature and living space. We’ll explore the thoughtful details of the house, including the Farnsworth house plan, interior layout, and even the distinctive sketch and drawings that led to its creation.
We’ll also delve into the dimensions that make up this iconic house, enabling you to understand the vision and innovation that shaped one of the most influential pieces of 20th-century architecture. Stay tuned for an enriching exploration of design and architectural brilliance.
Farnsworth glass house by architect Mies van der Rohe, Plano, Illinois, USA
Philip Johnson’s Glass House and Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House are often compared, but what makes them different is far more important than their similarities. Both are open plan glass boxes, roughly the same size, designed for private ownership. But the first stands firmly on the ground, and the second soars a little above it. Johnson tried to make the structure of the house disappear, and Mies made it clear. And, of course, the colors – one is black and the other is white.
Johnson completed his project two years before Mies, however, he spied some details from a colleague. Mies had been exploring the idea of using space for many years, as can be seen in his later work. In this sense, Farnsworth House was a very important work in the development of this thought. Of course, the house is not very suitable for living, but it is a true masterpiece of modern architecture.
Brief information
- Year of completion: 1951;
- Architect: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe;
- Location: Plano, Illinois, USA;
- Size: 140 square meters.
The customer and the architect met at a dinner with a mutual friend at the end of 1945. Farnsworth was familiar with Mies’s work and asked her to design a country house for her in which to spend the weekend. On the same evening, the architect gave his consent.
Farnsworth respected Mees and his creative ideas, so she gave him a lot of leeway. She was seduced by the idea that this house could become the prototype of the new American architecture.
The country residence stands on the Fox River and to avoid flooding, Mies placed it just above the level of the river. He also positioned the house parallel to the river so that it had a winning view of the surrounding area.
It consists of three parallel planes: floor, porch and roof.
The two porches intentionally give the house a certain asymmetry, and also direct visitors so that they first see the house from the south facade.
The north side is so boring that it could be called not interesting at all, if not for one detail. From here you can see that the floor and ceiling go to the frames of the columns. After all, it was Mies who coined the phrase “God is in the details.”
This nuance is given to the whole house with lightness and weightlessness, while behind its implementation there were long, precise, difficult calculations.
From this angle, you can see how Mies included the river and all the surroundings in his plan. However, the customer did not like this lack of privacy, and she installed curtains on the windows.
Here begins an unpleasant story connected with the house. When the construction was completed, and Farnsworth moved into the house, the architect no longer communicated with her. He sued her because she refused to pay and she countersued based on the fact that the house was unlivable. The architect won both cases, but no longer took on private residences.
The entrance to the house is located between the dining room and the office. Behind a wooden wall there are two bathrooms, a kitchen and a fireplace. In front of her is the living room, which is in the photo. In the distance you can see the closet, which was installed after the completion of the project, and behind it is the bedroom.
Mies believed that this use of glass would bring man closer to nature.
Despite mutual lawsuits, the mistress owned the house for more than twenty years. In 1972, another owner bought it, removed all the curtains, installed air conditioners and allowed people to visit it while the owner was away.
Thirty years later, the house was put up for auction and purchased by the joint efforts of the defenders of the building and the National Trust for Historical Preservation.
Over the past twenty years, the Fox River has risen above floor level, so in 1996 it was raised even higher during the reconstruction. Floods threaten the house even now, but the fund already knows how to act to protect the interior.
