Mies van der Rohe Pavilion

For me working in Barcelona was a brilliant moment in my life Mies van der Rohe

Known originally as the Pavelló Barcelona, this precocious little marvel was designed in 1927 by Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969) for Germany’s exhibit at the 1929 International Exhibition. All the other pavilions were built to house exhibits to show off national accomplishments. The Pavelló Barcelona had no discernible purpose besides providing a spot where the German delegation would receive a visit from the king.

Mies once said, ‘I would rather be good than original,’ but here he was both. The flat roof of his sleek horizontal flat roofed hall of stone, chrome and glass was supported by columns, allowing the internal walls to be moved (being a stickler for quality materials, Mies had them made of Roman travertine, green marbles from the Alps and Greece and golden onyx from the Atlas Mountains).