Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House
To Mies classic proportioning of architecture was a religion and he was a high priest. These diagrams show how he meticulously employed golden section proportions in the design of the incredibly beautiful Farnsworth House.
The Background in Brief
To Dr. Edith Farnsworth, who commissioned it, the house was a weekend retreat and an excuse to spend time with a brilliant architect. To Mies van der Rohe, who designed it, the house was an opportunity for his ultimate expression of modernist architecture. Things did not end well. When the house was finished so was Mies with Edith. Heartbroken by the end of the affair, and outraged by cost overruns, Dr. Farnsworth took Mies to court–and lost (again).
From the book "Geometry of Design," by Kimberly Elam, Princeton Architectural Press
House and Deck Plan Interrelationships
This view of the floor plan and deck shows that a diagonal through the interior living space terminates in the corner of the deck. The diagonal became a means to relate the scale and placement of the deck to the house.
Front Elevation and the Golden Section
All aspects of the elevations and floor plan are based on golden section proportions. The shape and configuration of the front elevation windows and the floor plan of the living spaces and deck are all based on a module of a single golden section rectangle that is repeated and turned. Even the overhangs of the roof and the deck correspond to the square in the golden section construction diagram.
Floor Plan and Deck Plan Golden Section Relationships
The repeated use of golden section proportions can be seen in the floor plan of the house and the deck plan. Each of the tiles in the deck plan align with golden section proportions.
From the book "Geometry of Design," by Kimberly Elam, Princeton Architectural Press
