Barcelona Pavilion

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Mies van der Rohe designed the German Pavilion at the 1929 World Exhibition in Barcelona. It is a steel frame structure made of steel and polished stone. Built in this Mediterranean climate, this urban exposition site became an icon in the Modern architectural movement. At the end of the exhibition in 1930, it was demolished. Almost 30 years later, due to its architectural significance, the pavilion was rebuilt in 1959.^[1]

Contents 1 Building information 2 Building analysis 2.1 Detail analysis 3 References 3.1 Notes 3.2 Student contributions

Building information

Designer: Mies van der Rohe

Program type: Pavilion

Project budget: $???/sq.ft.

Project Address:
Avinguda del Marques de Comillas
Barcelona, Spain 08001–08080

Google Map

Building analysis

Mies was all about the negotiation of the new developments of technology with the traditional concepts of architecture. He also consistently explored structural versus' non-structural forms. In this project, there is a bit more of a melding of structural and non-structural forms. Commonly referred to as the Barcelona Pavilion, this building is an interplay of solids and voids constructed of glass, marble, onyx, and steel. The large slab of onyx that made up the central wall of the building was what determined the overall height of 13.3 meters. The structure itself consists of two pools of different sizes, walls, and a roofed section. Eight cruciform columns support the roof plane.^[2]

Detail analysis

The eight cross-shaped columns provide the structural support for the Barcelona Pavilion. The columns appear to be straight forward and simple, possibly just a single steel member wrapped in chrome. Not surprisingly, its more complicated than that. Although investigation both in books and online revealed not a lot about the start and finish of the column, it appears that the steel members are tied back into the base of the structure as well as into the roof section before the finish materials are applied. The columns themselves are comprised of 4 l-shaped steel vertical pieces tied together through riveting that bolts through a t-joint at the four tail ends of the cross. The structural column is then wrapped in 4 pieces of chrome that are connected to the structural steel by 4 chrome plates that are screwed on top to secure down the chrome and cover the joints.

References

Notes

1. ↑ http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Barcelona_Pavilion.html
2. ↑ Blaser, Werner. Mies van der Rohe: The Art of Structure. Praeger, 1965

Student contributions

• Amanda J Davidson, Spring 2008