"Less is More" at Mies van der Rohe's Iconic Neue Nationalgalerie

Neue Nationalgalerie. Berlin Germany.

Completed in 1968, Berlin's Neue Nationalgalerie (National Gallery) was a win-win for both architect and client. The city long sought to commission a major building by the country's most celebrated architect, while Mies looked to cap his prolific career with a masterpiece to capture his pursuit of "universal space" (a long-span single-volume flexible enclosure). By that point Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was long considered a pioneer of modern architecture and one of the most influential architects of the 20th century. Born in Aachen, Germany, Mies spent his early career working alongside architectural greats Walter Gropius and Le Corbusier, developing a design philosophy of combining functional industrial concerns with an aesthetic drive towards minimalism. Mies is known for his design philosophy "Less is More" and "God is in the Details". 1930 Mies took over as the director of the Bauhaus which had been founded by Walter Gropius. When the school closed in 1933 due to Nazi rule, Mies emigrated to the US in 1937. He was the head of the Illinois Institute of Technology for the next 20 years. Although his works include skyscrapers, Mies was known to love low-slung, pavilion typology. Two prominent examples were the Barcelona Pavilion (1929) and the Farnsworth House (1951). Neue Nationalgalerie allowed him to highlight his love of free and open spaces, enclosed within a structural order with minimal presence. Mies stated his design symbolized the freedom of the West. The museum's entrance hall is the building's primary architectural expression and functions as a special exhibit gallery. The building is a simple square, glass pavilion with a cantilevering roof. Eight support columns were placed, 2 on each side, to avoid corners. The lower floor is primarily underground minus one wall of windows looking out to the sculpture garden. This space serves as the primary viewing space for the museum's permanent collection, as well as a library, offices, a shop, and a café. Over the years critics have judged its practicality in displaying art and noted issues with cracked window panels, condensation, puddles of water on the granite floors, and light reflecting off the granite floor. However, no one seems to dispute the building's invaluable architectural significance. From 2015-2021 British architect, David Chipperfield, undertook the monumental task of renovating Neue Nationalgalerie. Chipperfield is quoted saying his guiding principle was to retain "as much Mies as possible". By all accounts Chipperfield was meticulous in preserving the original design while correcting the functional flaws and improving the environmental performance. He's further quoted saying Mies's work was so stripped back there was no where to hide and "we decided to restore and repair it as if it was not a building from the 1960s but something architecturally sacred". Thankfully this masterpiece will be around for generations to study and enjoy.